Romantic Robot

Romantic Robot is a small independent British company founded in London in 1983 by Czech-born Alexander Goldscheider and Ondřej Kořínek. Its first business was focused on the rapidly expanding market for home computers, particularly the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC, with later products for the Atari ST. The company combined software publishing with the design and sale of specialist peripherals intended to extend the capabilities of those machines. Romantic Robot became best known in the home-computer market for the Multiface family of interface devices. These products enabled users to save and retrieve the contents of a computer's memory to external storage, including disk drives, while also providing tools for examining, copying, and manipulating software data. The range included versions for several important 1980s computer platforms: the Multiface One for the ZX Spectrum, Multiface Two for the Amstrad CPC, Multiface 128 for the Spectrum 128, Multiface 3 for the Spectrum +3, and Multiface ST for the Atari ST. The products occupied a distinctive position between consumer accessory, backup utility, and programmer-oriented development tool. The company also produced or published a range of utility software. Trans-Express supported copying data among cassette, ZX Microdrive, Rotronics Wafadrive, and Opus Discovery media. Music Typewriter provided facilities for writing, editing, and printing musical notation, while Genie, Lifeguard, and Insider offered disassembly or software-analysis functions associated with the Multiface products. Romantic Robot's catalogue also included games such as Wriggler and Steeplejack. Other hardware products included Multiprint, a printer interface, and Videoface, a ZX Spectrum video-capture peripheral. Ondřej Kořínek left the company in 1990, after which Romantic Robot moved away from its earlier home-computer emphasis and specialised in music production and publishing. Its later catalogue included classical and historically significant repertoire, including the double CD Terezín: The Music 1941–44 and Aaron Copland: An American in Prague. The company also released productions associated with Alexander Goldscheider, including Stabat Mater and The Song of Songs. In addition to releasing recordings, Romantic Robot designed the website of Czech conductor Jiří Bělohlávek. Romantic Robot therefore spans two distinct but connected phases: an influential 1980s technology business built around home-computer peripherals and utilities, and a later specialist music operation. Its historical importance in computing comes primarily from the Multiface line and its practical tools for storage, software inspection, and data recovery. Its subsequent identity is that of a small independent publisher of classical music recordings rather than a mass-market software or consumer-electronics brand.

Romantic Robot was established in London in 1983 by Alexander Goldscheider and Ondřej Kořínek. Both founders were associated with Czechoslovakia, and the company entered the British home-computer market during a period when machines such as the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC were widely used for gaming, programming, and personal experimentation. Its early activities covered both hardware and software. The company designed peripherals that addressed practical limitations of home computers, especially the difficulty of preserving programs and examining data held in volatile memory. The Multiface One, made for the ZX Spectrum, became the foundation of the company's best-known product family. It allowed users to transfer the contents of memory to external storage and included utilities for inspecting or disassembling that material. Romantic Robot subsequently adapted the concept for other platforms, producing the Multiface Two for the Amstrad CPC, the Multiface 128 for the Spectrum 128, the Multiface 3 for the Spectrum +3, and the Multiface ST for the Atari ST. The company expanded its hardware catalogue with Multiprint, a printer interface for the ZX Spectrum, and Videoface, a video-capture peripheral. It also published software aimed at users, musicians, and technically minded owners. Trans-Express was designed to copy data across several storage formats, including cassette, ZX Microdrive, Rotronics Wafadrive, and Opus Discovery floppy systems. Music Typewriter addressed music notation, while Genie, Lifeguard, and Insider supplied disassembly or software-analysis functions for particular computers and Multiface devices. Romantic Robot's games catalogue included Wriggler and Steeplejack. This combination of utility software, games, and hardware made the company unusual among small British software publishers. Rather than concentrating only on entertainment, Romantic Robot developed tools that helped users preserve programs, move data between incompatible media, inspect machine code, and connect computers to peripherals. The products reflected the technical experimentation characteristic of the 1980s home-computer ecosystem. Ondřej Kořínek left Romantic Robot in 1990. Following his departure, the company changed direction and specialised in music production and publishing. Its later releases included Terezín: The Music 1941–44, a double-CD project, and Aaron Copland: An American in Prague. The company also issued productions connected with Alexander Goldscheider, including Stabat Mater and The Song of Songs. Beyond recording and publishing, Romantic Robot designed the website of Czech conductor Jiří Bělohlávek. The company's history is consequently divided between a technology-oriented first phase and a specialist classical-music phase. Its legacy in computing is associated most strongly with the Multiface interfaces and related utilities, while its later work reflects a sustained interest in classical repertoire, Czech cultural connections, and independent music production. Available reference material does not establish a detailed corporate structure, current leadership roster, financial profile, or a separate public-facing website.

• 1990

  Ondřej Kořínek leaves the company

  [1]Romantic Roboten.wikipedia.org

  Kořínek departed Romantic Robot, after which the company shifted its principal focus from home-computer products to music production and publishing.

• 1983

  Company founded in London

  [1]Romantic Roboten.wikipedia.org

  Alexander Goldscheider and Ondřej Kořínek founded Romantic Robot as an independent British home-computer hardware and software company.

• 1980

  Multiface product family developed

  [1]Romantic Roboten.wikipedia.org

  Romantic Robot introduced the Multiface concept and expanded it across ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Spectrum 128, Spectrum +3, and Atari ST systems. The devices supported memory transfer, storage, and software-inspection functions.

• Expansion into classical-music publishing

  [1]Romantic Roboten.wikipedia.org

  Romantic Robot released classical and historically oriented recordings, including Terezín: The Music 1941–44 and Aaron Copland: An American in Prague.

Independent specialist publisher and technology developer, historically known for innovative home-computer peripherals and software and later for classical-music production.

• ZX Spectrum interface peripheral

  Multiface One

  The first and most prominent member of Romantic Robot's Multiface range. Designed for the ZX Spectrum, it enabled users to dump and restore computer memory to external storage and provided tools for viewing and disassembling the stored data. It served both practical backup needs and the interests of technically advanced users.

• Amstrad CPC interface peripheral

  Multiface Two

  An adaptation of the Multiface concept for the Amstrad CPC. Like the other devices in the family, it was intended to help users preserve and retrieve memory contents and examine software data through associated utility functions.

• ZX Spectrum interface peripheral

  Multiface 128

  A Multiface variant designed for the Spectrum 128. It extended Romantic Robot's memory-transfer and software-analysis approach to a later Spectrum configuration.

• ZX Spectrum +3 interface peripheral

  Multiface 3

  The Multiface version associated with the Spectrum +3, a disk-equipped member of the ZX Spectrum family. It continued the range's emphasis on memory preservation, external storage, and utility functions.

• Atari ST interface peripheral

  Multiface ST

  Romantic Robot's Multiface implementation for the Atari ST. It represented the company's move beyond Sinclair and Amstrad systems while retaining the core concept of a specialist interface for handling and inspecting computer data.

• ZX Spectrum printer interface

  Multiprint

  A Romantic Robot peripheral for connecting a ZX Spectrum to printing equipment. It belonged to the company's broader effort to add practical functions to otherwise limited home-computer systems.

• ZX Spectrum video-capture peripheral

  Videoface

  A video-capture accessory developed for the ZX Spectrum. It expanded the company's product range beyond memory utilities and storage interfaces into image and video input.

• Data-transfer utility software

  Trans-Express

  A ZX Spectrum utility suite for copying data among several storage media, including cassette tape, ZX Microdrive, Rotronics Wafadrive, and Opus Discovery floppy systems. It addressed the fragmented storage environment faced by home-computer users.

• Music-notation software

  Music Typewriter

  A ZX Spectrum program for writing, editing, and printing musical notation, illustrating Romantic Robot's interest in applications beyond games and conventional file utilities.

• Classical music recording

  Terezín: The Music 1941–44

  A double-CD release representing Romantic Robot's later focus on classical-music production and publishing. The project documented music associated with the Terezín period and formed part of the company's post-home-computer catalogue.

• 1990

  Shift from computer products to music publishingStrategy

  Background

  After co-founder Ondřej Kořínek left Romantic Robot, the company changed its principal area of activity.

  Action taken

  Romantic Robot specialised in music production and publishing rather than continuing primarily as a home-computer hardware and software developer.

  Aftermath

  The company subsequently released classical and historically oriented recordings and worked on music-related projects.

  Source

1. 1Romantic Roboten.wikipedia.org