MATRIXSYNTH: The First Digital Polyphonic Keyboard?


Friday, August 07, 2009

The First Digital Polyphonic Keyboard?

The project by by Michael J. Bauer began in 1972 and was published in 1976.
You can find the full story here
"A hybrid polyphonic instrument incorporating the best advantages of both the digital and analog worlds was realised. As far as I know, mine was the first digital polyphonic instrument design ever published (Electronics Australia, April 1976). Unfortunately, the instrument was not destined to be a commercial success. Apart from my lack of entrepreneurial skills, there were other factors leading to its swift obsolescence. The keyboard logic was implemented entirely from small-medium scale TTL devices. It was based on a kind of state-machine architecture. A little invention called the "micro-processor" made my TTL design obsolete. In the same year as my E.A. article was published, Motorola introduced the M6800. I bought a Motorola 6800 'D1' evaluation kit, and so began my career in embedded electronics design."

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