History of SynthesizersSee Part 1: 'Origins of Electronic Music Technology.'.  In 1957 the first ever audio synthesizer was invented in America, called the RCA Mark II Sound Synthesizer, using vacuum tube oscillators to produce electronic sounds. This amazing room-sized synthesizer also brought with it the first music sequencer, enabling musicians to automate the playback of their compositions and allowed them to program rythyms and tempos that were highly inpractical on traditional instruments, it revolutionised music of its day allowing much greater complexity than was possible before.
The first synthesizer to use a piano styled keyboard was invented in 1964 by Robert Moog. He created prototypes of two voltage-controlled oscillators, that produce a different sound when different voltages are applied to them and a voltage-controller filter that changes the sound similarly. That September he went to the AES Convention in New York, where he presented a paper called "Electronic Music Modules" and sold his first synthesizer modules to Alwin Nikolais, a choreographer. This was the start of Moog Synthesizers.
One of the early uses of electronic synthesizers in popular media was by the BBC, their theme tune for Doctor Who in 1963. But the use of synthesizers in music was still rare, the technology developed during the early 1970's, Moog released their first synthesizer, very compact compared to the room-sized one in 1957. In 1978 Moog released the first ever Keytar (keyboard-guitar) which enjoyed widespread use through the 80's. By the late 70's to early 80's, digital audio technology was advancing and digital synthesizers samplers were invented, although early samplers were large and unpractical, the technology advanced by the mid-80's and more affordable digital samplers hit the market enabling more musicians access to the technology. Continued in the article 'The Rise of Electronic Music.'. Email this story to a friend  Add this link to:            
|
Top
Comments
Add a Comment:
* All fields are required, we will not sell, trade or spam your email address.