[ An Exploration of Sound Design ]
A Brief History of How Synthesizers Changed the World of Music
Introduction
Sound Synthesis
Technically speaking, you could say that the first electronic devices for performing music were developed at the end of the 19th century, but no other instruments of the past century have had as large an impact on music creation as the synthesizer. Since its development in the 1960's, the synthesizer has come to dominate the music industry. Sound synthesis, along with the development of the personal computer, have completely changed the course of music as we know it and created a vast digital frontier for future musicians to explore.
Without the development of electronically based music production or the invention of the synthesizer especially, it’s a safe bet that most of the popular genres of music we listen to today might not even exist. Let’s take a look back at some of the milestones in electronically generated sound creation and explore some of the most influential contributions of the past, present, and future of music production.
So...what is a synth?
More Try It!The Theremin
1928
Although Charles Grafton Page is usually the first person credited with producing the first ‘electronically generated sound', it wasn’t until 1928 that the first ‘electronic instrument’ was introduced. Léon Theremin, a young physicist, was conducting research on proximity sensors for the Russian government in an attempt to develop a land-based sonar device when he stumbled upon a rather unique method of electronically producing variable sound – which he patented under his namesake, the Theremin. Aside from looking like no other instrument before it, the Theremin is unique in that it requires no physical contact from the musician, using two antennas that pick up the operator’s hand movements, controlling the pitch and volume of the signal.
Known best for the “spooky” alien sound of science fiction movie soundtracks during the 1950's and 1960’s and appearing in hits such as The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations”, the Theremin was also extensively used in classical performance. It provided background mood music for notable film classics such as 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' and 'It Came from Outer Space', as well in thriller soundtracks such as 'Spellbound' and 'The Lost Weekend'.
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RCA Mark I & II
1955
In the 1950s, Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was one of the largest manufacturers of consumer entertainment devices and military electronics. For a brief time, RCA was also the site of cutting-edge research in musical instruments, thanks to engineer Harry F. Olson, RCA’s leading expert in the field of acoustics. In the 1940s Olson became interested in making electronic music, and along with fellow RCA engineer Herbert Belar, began designing a massive electronic music synthesizer called the Mark I, which finally made its debut in 1955. It used a bank of 12 oscillator circuits, which used electron tubes to generate the 12 basic tones of a musical “scale.”
These basic sounds could be shaped in virtually limitless ways by passing them through other electronic circuits, including high-pass filters, low-pass filters, envelope filters, frequency dividers, modulators and resonators. Never mind the details of how all these circuits work—the end result was that the Mark I could take those 12 basic notes and reshape them into any imaginable sound. At least in theory.
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The Moog Modular Synth
1967
On rare occasions, a specific instrument manufacturer becomes so iconic that their name becomes synonymous with the instrument itself. While guitars have the Gibson Les Paul and Fender, pianos have Steinway, and organs have Hammond – synthesizers have Robert Moog. The importance that Moog’s creations had on synthesis and popular music as a whole cannot be overstated. On October 2, 1964, Moog unveiled the first modular voltage-controlled synthesizer, an instrument that forever changed the course of modern music. It began quietly, in 1964, when Moog designed a new electronic instrument to composer Herb Deutsch's request. Herb wanted something to create complex and experimental sounds, tones not easily found from other instruments or with studio trickery. What Moog designed was not wholly new, it sprung from a powerful new combination of existing ideas.
The concepts, when combined with some elegant design choices, made a very powerful and revolutionary new system. The new ideas found in the Moog synthesizer took several years to catch on, and it is likely even the first users had little idea what range the new instrument could truly offer.
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The MiniMoog
1970
In 1964 with the release of the Moog Modular, the idea of using modules to create an instrument was new. Modules gave the option to choose a unique set when designing one's instrument, and the instrument could grow over the years when new modules were added. Each module had a function, but many could be used in alternate ways (or even misused to create even more options). To many musicians, the original Moog modular synthesizers have never been surpassed; they are the traditional benchmark for analog synthesis. The Minimoog is the first truly portable analog synthesizer first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. It was released on January 24th, 1970. In the 1960s, synthesizers—in the form of large, expensive, and complex modular synthesizers—were inaccessible to most musicians.
Though the Roland TR-808, Roland TB-303, and the Yamaha DX7 come close, no instrument can be credited for bringing electronic music its first mainstream attention than the Minimoog. The Minimoog contains all the essential parts of a modular synthesizer in one relatively small package.
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The Roland TR-808
1980
The Roland Transistor Rhythm 808, popularly known simply as the "808", can be heard on thousands of songs from the past thirty-five years. Its tones grace songs from all over the musical spectrum: from the biggest hits of the 80s to underground classics of the present day. But the machine is more than just a popular instrument; its role in popularizing and developing new genres of music is unrivalled. The origins of house, techno and electro can be traced back to ambitious 808 owners in the early 80s, and the direction of hip hop was hugely influenced by this instrument.
Since the 808 sound was analog, many tonal adjustments were possible—less sizzle in the hi-hats, extra snappiness in the snare and, critically, more punch in the kick drum. Being able to extend the decay of the kick drum to reveal more of that warm analog tone, gave the TR-808 something very special indeed—the power to make people move. Much to the delight of speaker manufacturers, a cranked-up 808 track would regularly blow out speaker cones.
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The Roland TB-303
1982
It was one of the most successful failures in tech history. Released in 1982 and written off as a disaster just two years later, the Roland TB-303 synthesizer looked set to be little more than a minor entry in the musical history books. But this iconic silver box didn’t spend too long in the footnotes, because just a few years after production ceased the 303 was rediscovered and used to kickstart a global electronic music revolution.
From humble beginnings, this instrument went on to become one of the most coveted synthesizers in the history of pop music. With an unmistakable sonic signature brimming with warmth, energy and character, the iconic silver box defined the acid house movement of the late 1980s. Widely misunderstood when launched in 1981, the true revolution began several years later when electronic music producers rediscovered the quirky box, unleashing the hypnotic, liquid sound that captivated a generation.
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The Fairlight CMI
1979
Fairlight CMI is an instrument that most of us have probably never even seen, yet it was one of the most prominent synths of the early and mid '80s and set the bar for the way 'ordinary' synths would later develop. Sampling, graphic sequencers, multitimbrality, software based synthesis and the concept of the 'workstation' can all be traced back to this instrument. The Fairlight Computer Musical Instrument (or CMI, as it was commonly known) was the result of five years' research. This started in the mid '70s, when Peter Vogel, an electronics designer, and Kim Ryrie, a synthesizer enthusiast, tried to design a digital synthesizer.
Fairlight pioneered the two innovations that transformed music making, namely sampling and sequencing. In the process, it was the first to apply computer technology in the world of sound to a serious degree, and invented interfaces between man and microprocessor that influenced everything that came after it. Today, more than 20 years after the company was founded, Fairlight is still coming up with highly innovative digital products.
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The Yamaha DX7
1983
Yamaha’s DX7 was an FM-based digital keyboard synthesizer with a distinctive and much-loved sound. Like the other electronic instruments, we have written about, the Yamaha DX7 had a profound and lasting impact on popular music. But in many ways, it was unlike the 303 and the 808. With the DX7 Yamaha had a huge commercial success, and it remains one of the biggest selling electronic instruments in history. Its tones can be heard on countless hit songs during its 1983-1989 production run, from Tina Turner’s ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It’ to Kenny Loggins’ ‘Danger Zone’ – the DX7 was literally everywhere.
Even now, its influence can still be felt in the music industry. A standard DX7 synth came with 128 presets that emulate a wide range of instruments and create some unique sounds. Though users were able to program their own DX7 patches to create entirely original sounds, most simply stuck with the presets due to the instrument’s near-impenetrable programming interface. But that didn’t matter. The DX7 became so popular with 80s producers and artists that its tones dominated the airwaves for the entire decade.
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The Akai MPC 60
1988
When Akai debuted its MPC series in 1988, it gave the world a true digital instrument, not just some high–tech sound device. The MPC 60 was that rare piece of sophisticated digital technology that could be used as an intuitive tool for musical expression.
Akai brought Roger Linn on board in 1986 to develop the template that would pervade the massively popular hardware MPC line: 16 touch pads, simple sampling, and a powerful sequencer with MIDI integration.
This was not Roger Linn’s first sampling rodeo. In 1979 he launched his career designing the LM-1 Drum Computer, the first ever drum machine using digital samples of drum sounds, made immortal as a standby on Prince’s records in the 1980s. Akai intended to use Linn’s expertise to relay the success of its rackmount sampler series into an all–in–one production studio. What neither entity realized was that the MPC 60’s long sampling time and implementation of Roger Linn’s signature swing programming would revolutionize electronic music, first and foremost hip hop.
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