Rocky Mount Instruments

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rocky Mount Instruments or RMI was a subsidiary of the Allen Organ Company. It was based in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. It is most famous for the RMI 368 Electra-Piano and Harpsichord, a keyboard instrument that created piano and harpsichord-like sounds without the use of string, tines, or reeds.

The first models produced were the "Lark" combo organ, the "Explorer" organ, the "Band Organ" and the "Calliope" and "Calliope B" in 1966. The first electric piano model was the "Model 100 Rock-Si-Chord" in 1967, which contained only 2 sounds (string and lute) but was later updated as the "Model 100A" which contained 5 sounds (harpsichord, cembalo, lute, Guitar A, and Guitar B). The "Model 200 Rock-Si-Chord" produced in 1968 was similar the first "Model 100", but featured an accenter option that shortened the decay of the sound. The "Model 200A" however featured twice as many sounds as the "Model 100A".

Beginning in 1970, RMI began producing the 300 Series, from which the Model 368 and 368x would be considered the archetype. In 1973, RMI came out with the 400 and 600 series, which were essentially variations on the 300 design.

In 1976, RMI became ahead of its time with the "Keyboard Computer" model that was the first semi-digital sampler. It produced actual sounds without the use of tapes (which is how Mellotron, Chamberlin, and Birotron created their sounds).

The company ceased to exist by 1983.