RIP Ikutaro Kakehashi, Founder of Roland

via Tommy Snyder:

"Ikutaro Kakehashi, founder of Roland, father of the TR-909, TR-808, Godfather of MIDI, and someone who I have collaborated with for 38 years, and also considered him as my 2nd father, passed away at the age of 87. He was a super funny, wonderful and gifted human being, and his contributions to the musical instrument world , and music, touched millions of people worldwide. RIP dear Taro.........."

This was shared only 5 hours ago. I am not seeing an announcement from Roland. I will update this post if anything new comes in.

Sad day today. Another legend and hero lost.

Update: added a few videos below including a pretty nice tribute. If you know of any other good videos featuring Ikutaro Kakehashi, send them in.

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New Patching Sound Exhibit Opens at the Moogseum & Ikutaro Kakehashi's An Age Without Samples

via The Bob Moog Foundation where you'll find additional details.

"We're excited to share that the Moogseum has had a busy winter and early spring! We were closed for construction in January and February, which allowed us to expand our space to accommodate new exhibits. We spent the month of March creating the latest addition to our family of interactive exhibits, Patching Sound: Understanding Modular Synthesis.

Patching Sound provides visitors with a hands-on opportunity to patch, or create, sounds on a synthesizer interface by connecting various modules that control individual parameters of sound. The custom-designed exhibit was created by Los Angeles-based Sounds Amazing.

Patching Sound was made possible by a generous donation from Dave and Karen Rossum, with additional support from North Carolina Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and by donors like you!

A large, fully restored, historic R.A. Moog modular synthesizer, originally created in 1968, serves as the inspirational backdrop for the interactive installation. As part of its storied provenance, this synthesizer was used on the soundtrack of Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now. You can read more about its history here.

Come experience Patching Sound: Understanding Modular Synthesis at the Moogseum! We are open from 11-5 seven days a week."

"Ikutaro Kakehashi's An Age Without Samples Now Available On Bob Moog Foundation Online Store

We are proud to now be offering An Age Without Samples by synthesizer pioneer Ikutaro Kakehashi in our online store. This 312-page hardcover book was published the same year that its revered author passed away. An Age Without Samples explores such themes as the resurrection of the venture spirit of the '60s and '80s, creativity, and originality. It is replete with examples from his own experiences and storied career and is generously illustrated with scores of rarely seen photos.

Read more about An Age Without Samples and purchase it here.

We send our deep thanks to Ikuo Kakehashi for donating these books to the Bob Moog Foundation so that we could share them with our worldwide community of supporters and generate funding for our innovative work."

30 Instruments and Innovations of Roland's Ikutaro Kakehashi on emusician.com

emusician.com has a post up here featuring the top 30 instruments and innovations of Ikutaro Kakehashi.

"With the passing of Roland founder Ikutaro Kakehashi, the synthesizer world lost one of its greatest visionaries.

In celebration of Kakehashi and his lifetime of defining, and redefining, the term 'musical instrument,' we have assembled a list of his most influential products and technologies—items that have had the greatest impact on popular music over the last 50 years— from his early days as the leader of Ace Tone to his legacy as the founder of Roland.

1. Ace Tone Canary S-2 (1962) [pictured] One of Ace Tone’s earliest successes was the Canary S-2 Clavioline. Based on the original Clavioline designed by Constant Martin in 1947, its tube-based architecture was later replaced by transistors in the S-3 model (pictured above). An example of the Clavioline sound can be found in the solo from Del Shannon’s “Runaway” (which for hair-splitters was actually a heavily modified early-model Clavioline unit redubbed the Musitron)."

Click through above for the full list.

A Tribute to Ikutaro Kakehashi from "R is for Roland" Co-Author Florian Anwander

In case you missed the news on Ikutaro Kakehashi's passing yesterday, see this post.

via Florian Anwander, co-author of R is for Roland:

"I owe him so much, and I learned a lot from him about believing in an idea. Thank you Kakehashi-San!"

Florian tells me Ikutaro Kakehashi signed his book for him just last year in 2016.

Dave Smith Awarded Grammy for Technical Achievement Press Release

And the official press release (video link below):

"Dave Smith Awarded Grammy for Technical Achievement

Instrument Designer Recognized for Role in Creation of MIDI

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—February 11, 2013—Musical instrument designer Dave Smith was honored with a Grammy® award this past Saturday for his work developing the Musical Instrument Digital Interface or MIDI, as it is more commonly known. The ceremony, held at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, also celebrated the work of Glenn Gould, Carole King, and the Temptations, among others. Smith shares the award with Ikutaro Kakehashi, founder of Roland Corporation, the Japanese musical instrument manufacturer.

In 1982, Smith and Kakehashi formed a technical alliance to develop a means by which musical instruments and then-new personal computers could communicate with each other. They developed an inexpensive hardware interface and a simple protocol so that the technology could easily be integrated into new products. MIDI made its public debut at a trade show in January 1983 when instruments from Sequential Circuits--Smith’s company at the time--and Roland were connected for the first time and used to control each other.

MIDI was adopted by all major manufacturers of electronic instruments and proved especially valuable to performing musicians. It also kickstarted the home studio revolution by enabling musicians and composers to make multitrack recordings at home at a time when multitrack audio recorders were too costly for most artists.

One of the more remarkable things about MIDI is that the interface and protocol are virtually unchanged thirty years later and that--with its widespread inclusion in musical instruments, computers, and cell phones--it is more commonly used today than ever before. 'I can connect one of my latest instruments with a Commodore 64 or one of the instruments from the ‘80s with an iPad and it just works,' said Smith. 'How many other computer protocols can you say that about?'

Smith has been designing instruments for thirty-five years and they have been played by a diverse range of musicians, from Pink Floyd to Herbie Hancock, from Alicia Keys to Philip Glass, and from Oscar Peterson to Trent Reznor. Smith continues to design synthesizers and drum machines for his current company, Dave Smith Instruments. Founded in 2002, the company is headquartered in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood. The instruments are also manufactured in San Francisco and sold worldwide.

Video of the award presentation is available at tinyurl.com/aqfcwfd.

About Dave Smith InstrumentsLaunched in 2002, Dave Smith Instruments is helmed by legendary musical instrument designer and Grammy® award winner Dave Smith. Dave’s many accomplishments include the creation of the Prophet-5—the world’s first fully programmable polyphonic synthesizer—and his legacy as the primary driving force behind MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface).

Dave Smith Instruments’ products are used by an ever-increasing roster of well-known musicians and are available from music retailers worldwide. Instruments include the versatile analog/digital hybrid Evolver synthesizers, the Prophet ‘08 and Prophet 12, and the Tempest analog drum machine. Dave Smith Instruments is based in San Francisco, where the instruments are also manufactured. For more information, visit www.davesmithinstruments.com."

Congrats Dave!

Previous Posts:
Dave Smith and Ikutaro Kakehashi To Receive Technical GRAMMY Today
Dave Smith & Ikutaro Kakehashi to Receive 2013 Technical GRAMMY for MIDI

Dave Smith and Ikutaro Kakehashi To Receive Technical GRAMMY Today

You might remember from this post that Dave Smith and Roland's Ikutaro Kakehashi are to receive a Technical GRAMMY Award for MIDI. It appears you will be able to watch the ceremony tonight at 8PM Central here. Thanks to our friends The Bob Moog Foundation on Facebook for posting the link.  You can find an article on the award up on the GRAMMY's website here.

"In addition to the GRAMMY Awards, The Recording Academy presents Special Merit Awards recognizing contributions of significance to the recording field, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award and Technical GRAMMY Award. In the days leading up to the 55th GRAMMY Awards, GRAMMY.com will present the tributes to the 2013 Special Merit Awards recipients."

Congrats to Dave Smith and Ikutaro Kakehashi!

Dave Smith & Ikutaro Kakehashi to Receive 2013 Technical GRAMMY for MIDI

via Dave Smith Instruments

"December 12, 2012—The Recording Academy® announced today that Dave Smith and Roland Corporation's Ikutaro Kakehashi will receive the 2013 Technical GRAMMY® Award for the development of MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface). The MIDI protocol and interface design were co-developed by Dave and his original company, Sequential Circuits, and Japanese instrument manufacturer, Roland. The first MIDI-equipped synthesizer, the Prophet 600, was designed by Dave and started shipping thirty years ago this month. It was at the NAMM show in January of 1983 that MIDI communication between two instruments from different manufacturers—Sequential's Prophet 600 and Roland's Jupiter 6—was publicly demonstrated for the first time. Congratulations to Dave and Mr. Kakehashi!"

Pictured: "John Bowen (Sequential tour jacket), Roland's Jim Mothersbaugh, Dave, and others breathe a sigh of relief that MIDI actually works at the first public demonstration of the then-new technology at the NAMM show in January of 1983."

Yes, that's this John Bowen in the jacket. The Sequential Circuits Prophet-600 was the first synth to have MIDI.  Via Wikipedia: "Sequential was also instrumental in developing MIDI, and introduced the first MIDI synthesizer: the Prophet 600 in 1982. At the January, 1983 NAMM convention, this instrument successfully communicated with a Roland Jupiter-6 synthesizer in the first public demonstration of the MIDI protocol."

The Roland Jupiter-6 and JX-3P both came out in 1983.

ACE Tone PS1000

Some interesting tidbits via Kris the owner:

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ACE TONE CANARY S-3 One of the few remaining units on the planet

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

This appears to be the same one listed back in September. You can find a small handful of posts mentioning the Canary here. "One of the very few remaining Ace Tone Canary S-3 on the planet. Despite being a 60 years old machine, this unit works like a charm and it's in spectacular cosmetic conditions -- it looks much better than the unit exhibited at the Roland Museum, actually.

History Designed and built by Ikutaro Kakehashi (founder of Ace Tone, Roland and Boss) in 1962 during the Pre-Roland era, the Ace Tone Canary S-3 is an early monophonic synthesizer inspired by the Clavioline, a forerunner to the analog synthesizer invented in 1947, but implementing several technical improvements and revisions that make it a unique instrument. In 1964, Ikutaro Kakehashi decided to take the Canary S-3 along to the NAMM show in Chicago but, despite receiving interest, he did not receive any distribution deals. So the Canary S-3 ended up being distributed in Japan only and quickly became a rare instrument even at that time.

Sound When you listen to this machine, the reason of that unsuccessful mission at NAMM quickly stands out: the sound of the Canary S-3 had nothing to do with 60's music, it was not a simulation of classical instruments. The Canary S-3 sound was quite agressive, warm and extremely rich in armonics, totally in line with nowadays electronic music standards and so far away from the 60's vibes. It's pure electricity generated by military-grade germanium transistor oscillators and filters, a machine that can easily be used as main/only instrument in modern music productions.

Germanium Instead of using a vacuum tube oscillator as the Clavioline, the Canary S-3 implements a solid state circuitry totally based on germanium transistors. Widely implemented in vintage guitar fuzzboxes and amplification and exceptionally in synthesizer circuitry (such as the VCA section of the EMS VCS3/Synthi A), these transistors have a warmth and a granulity as pleasant as the tube sound, without being the same. The sonic grain of germanium is generally a bit rougher than the tube grain, and radically less flat and plain than classic silicon transistors. -- As far as I know the Canary S-3 is the only synthesizer ever built using germanium transistors as sound generators.

Architecture The Canary S-3 can be organized in 3 main sections: Sound Generator - Tone Color - Controls. The Sound Generator features 4 parallel octave dividers that output super fat saw waveforms in 4 different octaves (Bass - Tenor - Alto - Soprano) ranging from F0 to F4. Then the resulting waveform is passed through a germanium filter bank that separates the input signal into 5 components, each one carrying a frequency sub-band of the original signal. The 5 bands (obtained using HP and LP filters) are controlled by 5 combinable switches under the Tone Control section (1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5). The mix of the 4 Sound Generators and the 5 Tone Colors delivers a total of 496 different settings/sounds ranging from fat basses to rich organ and raw lead sounds. In addition to the main sounds the Canary S-3 features also two noise generators controlled by two unusual momentary push buttons designed to perform abstract rhythms in real time. The sounds can be modified using the knobs and the bizarre knee lever designed to perform volume variations in real time. The Control Section includes also two knobs for (pitch) Vibrato Speed and Depth, the global Tuning knob (+/- 2 semitones) and a master Volume knob used also tu on/off the instrument. Lastly there is the Rhythm Volume knob to set the volume of the two noises.

The Ace Tone Canary S-3 is undoubtedly a one-of-a-kind instrument, an amazing piece of retro tecnology, an avant-garde machine born six decades ago that still has something exclusive and unique to say."

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Roland AIRA TR-8 vs Roland TR-909 comparison demo - porównanie Roland AIRA TR-8

Published on Feb 15, 2014 E-MUZYK.pl·212 videos

"Porównanie 1:1 prototypowego Roland AIRA TR-8 z klasykiem Roland TR-909. Gościmy u Dawida Dąbrowskiego z firmy APS (http://www.aps-company.com), muzyka, kompozytora, sound designera, pasjonata analogowych instrumentów, właściciela potężnej kolekcji instrumentów obejmujących takie modele, jak Roland TR-808, Roland TR-909, Roland TR-707, Roland CR-8000, a także automatu perkusyjnego skonstruowanego przez założyciela firmy Roland - Ikutaro Kakehashi - zanim jeszcze założył firmę Roland. Jest to automat perkusyjny ACE TONE Rhythm Ace."

Googlish:

"Comparison of 1:1 prototype AIRA Roland TR-8 from the classic Roland TR-909. Guests online with David Dabrowski with APS (http://www.aps-company.com), musician, composer, sound designer, passionate analogue instruments the owner of a powerful collection of instruments, including models such as the Roland TR-808, Roland TR-909, Roland TR-707, Roland CR-8000 drum machine and constructed by the company's founder Roland - Ikutaro Kakehashi - before he founded the company Roland. it is drum machine ACE TONE Rhythm Ace."

via Damon Flowers on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge

IKUTARO KAKEHASHI (The legend maker) - Tribute from A Guy Called Gerald

Published on Apr 3, 2017 A GUY CALLED GERALD

"Tribute to the late great Ikutaro Kakehashi"

A fitting tribute from someone at the birth of the resurrection of early Roland analog. I added this to the main post here.

For anyone not familiar with A Guy Called Gerald, via Wikipedia:

"Gerald Simpson (born 16 February 1967), better known as A Guy Called Gerald, is a British DJ, record producer and musician. He was an early member of 808 State, and later achieved success as a solo artist. He is best known for his early work in the Manchester acid house scene in the late 1980s[1] and the track 'Voodoo Ray'. His style developed during the early 1990s, and his 1995 album Black Secret Technology would become a "much-touted candidate for 'best jungle album ever.'"[2]"

The History of Roland on SOS

Title link takes you to Part 1 of a four part series. Roland was founded by Ikutaro Kakehasi. Something tells me James of Retro Thing will appreciate the following. : )

"Born in 1930, Ikutaro Kakehashi was just two years old when his parents died from tuberculosis, and he spent much of his youth living in Osaka under martial law. He studied mechanical engineering and simultaneously worked as a schoolboy worker in the Hitachi shipyards where Japan's 'midget' suicide submarines were built. As a result, he witnessed a great deal of destruction in the last months of the war.

Once World War II was over, and after failing on health grounds to enter the city's university in 1946, Kakehashi moved to the southernmost of Japan's four major islands, Kyushu. This offered a far more rural existence and, to survive, he took a day job as a geographical survey assistant. But, at just 16 years old, he noticed that, with no watch or clock industry in post-war Japan, there was a thriving business to be had repairing existing timepieces. He was unaware of it at the time, but a chap named Torakusu Yamaha had also started out as a watch repairer, as had Matthias Hohner. Even the Hammond Organ Company started out as a sub-division of the Hammond Clock Company!"

Update via the comments:
"Mr Kakehashi is a very nice man.
He will give you his full attention and fully listen to you without interruption.
He visited Roland US once when I worked there (mid '80s) and I was shocked to find that he took the time to sit with me and go over things I found in error with some Roland products.
He even took notes.
Consider that. The president of a huge international company actually listening to a lowly repair tech.
This is part of why he's successful.
He has very little ego and loves music."

Which Rhythm Ace started it all?

Update: The Korg Donca Matic DA-20 circa 1963, predates the Rhythm Ace by a year. Thanks 100M for pointing out the Donca Matic in the comments for this post. : )

I was reading about the history of Rebirth at http://www.rebirthmuseum.com. They have a good piece starting with Mr. Ikutaro Kakehashi. In 1964 he presented the Ace Electronics Rhythm Ace at his first US tradeshow. Was this the first groove box? : ) Soon after he formed Roland Corporation, and was directly responsible for the Roland TB303, TR808, and TR909.

I found some shots of the Rhythm Ace on Audio Playground's Synth Museum. Two are pictured below. Anyone know which was the first model and which was presented by Mr. Ikutaro Kakehashi all those years ago?

Vintage 1970's Ace Tone MultiVox Rhythm Ace FR-8L Analog Drum Machine

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"Manufactured by Ace Electronics in Japan and marketed in the US by Multivox. Founded in 1960 by Ikutaro Kakehashi, Ace Tone can be considered an early incarnation of the Roland Corporation, which was also founded by Kakehashi. The FR-8L was Ace Tone predecessor to the Roland TR-77.

This particular model appears to be the portable version of the FR-8L, having a carrying handle and rugged case vs. the wood grain finish of other versions. The unit is in very good cosmetic condition for its age. Output was tested using a 1/4" headphone jack and all functions appeared to work. As noted in the description condition, there is a slight scratching sound in the potentiometer slider for a couple of the drum effects, but when set, they work fine.

After powering on the unit, the "Start/Stop" touch sensitive metal button on the upper left is pressed to start and stop the rythm."

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NAMM 2020: Don Lewis on the Korg ARP 2600

Published on Jan 25, 2020 CatSynth TV

"We catch a performance and demo by the legendary Don Lewis on the new ARP 2600 re-release from Korg. He is using is voice + an envelope follower to shape and control the sounds from the instrument.

Don Lewis was an early pioneer of synthesizer music and consulted on the original ARP 2600. He is now a member of the board of the Alan R Pearlman (ARP) foundation.

For more information on the foundation, please visit https://alanrpearlmanfoundation.org/
____________
"Don Lewis performed at The NAMM Show in 1969 as a Hammond artist. He was using an Acetone Rhythm that he had modified which was the catalyst for his lifelong friendship with Ikutaro Kakehashi. Don consulted and helped introduce ARP to NAMM in 1972. At Roland, he consulted and programmed JP-4, TR-808, VP series Vocoders, D-50 and many others. As a consultant and artist for Yamaha, Don was an original programmer for the DX-7 and . In 1977, Don built LEO (Live Electronic Orchestra) integrating ARP, Oberheim, Hammond, Yamaha and Roland products. He is considered by Kakehashi to be his inspiration for MIDI."
https://www.namm.org/nammu/contributo..."

Dave Smith Instruments Rebrands as Sequential

Update: Photo from last night’s announcement party added. It’s the West Coast Synth Brain Trust. Tom Oberheim, Roger Linn, Dave Smith, Dave Rossum, and John Chowning. Quite the group!

"Sequential" (minus "Circuits") is officially back! We saw the brand name come back with the Prophet-6, but the it was still under Dave Smith Instruments. DSI the company is now officially Sequential. It's great to see the Sequential brand name back. You might recall Yamaha owned the rights but gave it back to Dave Smith back in 2015.

The official press release follows:

Dave Smith Instruments Officially Becomes “Sequential”

Dave Smith Returns to Sequential Brand to Mark 40th Anniversary of Prophet-5 Poly Synth

San Francisco, CA—August 31, 2018—In a move auspiciously timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of his legendary Prophet-5 poly synth, Dave Smith today announced that Dave Smith Instruments will rebrand itself as “Sequential” — reclaiming the mantle of Smith’s original, ground-breaking company. Going forward, all products and services will bear the Sequential® brand.

Company founder Dave Smith explained the decision: “It seems incredible, but this month marks the 40th anniversary of the Prophet-5. That’s a huge milestone. And it felt like the right time for us to completely restore the Sequential brand and bring our journey as a company full circle. The name change also reflects the fact that our instruments are the result of a team effort. It’s not just me, it’s the entire company.”

Founded by Smith in 1974 as “Sequential Circuits,” the original incarnation of the company quickly established itself as a major innovator in the then-nascent field of electronic instruments. In 1978, Sequential Circuits’ flagship keyboard, the Prophet-5, took the music world by storm as the world’s first fully-programmable polyphonic synthesizer—and the first musical instrument with an embedded microprocessor.

Numerous other ground-breaking products soon followed, including the hugely popular Pro-One monosynth, the Prophet 600 (the world’s first MIDI-equipped instrument), the Six Trak (the first multi-timbral synthesizer), and the Prophet VS (the first instrument to feature digital vector synthesis). Sequential Circuits ceased operations in 1987 and the company’s name (shortened to “Sequential” in the mid-1980s) and assets were acquired by Yamaha. Smith went on to consult for Yamaha and Korg, developing the Wavestation and other innovations.

In 2002, Smith established Dave Smith Instruments to concentrate on solo hardware designs and released the Evolver hybrid analog/digital synthesizer. The DSI product lineup steadily grew to include the Prophet ’08, Mopho, Tetra, Tempest drum machine, Prophet 12, Pro 2, Prophet-6, OB-6, Prophet Rev2, and the Prophet X.

In 2015, with the encouragement of Roland’s Founder, Ikutaro Kakehashi, Yamaha returned the Sequential name to Smith in a gesture of goodwill. “Once Kakehashi-san and Yamaha enabled us to re-acquire the Sequential name, I knew we’d fully adopt it again when the time was right. That time has arrived,” said Smith. “The best part is that we have the same sense of excitement and enthusiasm for making the world a more creative place as we did 40 years ago. Sequential is back, better than ever.”

About Sequential
Originally launched in 2002 as Dave Smith Instruments, Sequential is helmed by legendary musical instrument designer and Grammy® award winner Dave Smith. Dave’s many accomplishments include the creation of the Prophet-5 — the world’s first fully programmable polyphonic synthesizer—and his legacy as the primary driving force behind MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface).

The company’s products are used by an ever-growing roster of well-known musicians and are available from music retailers worldwide. Instruments include the Prophet-6, OB-6, Prophet Rev2, Prophet X, and the Tempest analog drum machine. Sequential is based in San Francisco, where its instruments are also manufactured. For more information, visit www.sequential.com.

The Synthesizer, 2ND Edition

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"THE SYNTHESIZER
Second Edition
4 volumes
Roland Corporation, 1979
A Foundation for Electronic Music; 68 pp.
Practical Synthesis for Electronic Music Volume 1; 103 pp.
Practical Synthesis for Electronic Music Volume 2; 108 pp.
Multichannel Recording for Electronic Music; 48 pp.
With introductions by Robin Donald Graham, Synthesizer Project Manager, Roland Corporation, Osaka, Japan.

All four volumes profusely illustrated with figures, patch diagrams and frequency charts (some folding), 4to in card covers housed in printed stiff board slip case. The copyright is 1979, but it appears this second edition (printing?) was issued in 1983.

A fine set.

Roland Corporation (ローランド株式会社 Rōrando Kabushiki Kaisha) is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972. While rival companies Moog and ARP targeted professional musicians and academics, Kakehashi, who had no musical training, wanted to appeal to amateurs and hobbyists, and focused on miniaturization, affordability, and simplicity.

In 1973, Roland introduced the first compact synthesizer produced in Japan and the first synthesizer produced by Roland, the SH-1000, as well as their first non-preset synthesizer, the SH-3.

Stapled case has light wear to edges."

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“MIDI Creators and Innovators” Panel Coming to NAMM

"MIDI Creators and Innovators Alan Parsons, Tom Oberheim, Dave Smith, Jordan Rudess, George Duke and Craig Anderton to Discuss Past, Present and Future of MIDI at 2013 NAMM Show H.O.T Zone Session

Who:

Alan Parsons is British-born audio engineer, musician, and record producer. Parsons has been involved with some of the biggest recordings of all time, including The Beatles Abbey Road and Let It Be, in addition to Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon. He has been involved in all aspects of the music business and is well known for his own work, The Alan Parson's Project. When not engineering and producing, Mr. Parson's is a highly sought after guest lecturer, product and technology consultant and is the co-creator of the highly- acclaimed educational DVD series called The Art & Science of Sound Recording.

Tom Oberheim is a synthesizer pioneer having created several legendary synths, effects processors, and drum machines as the founder of Oberheim Electronics, Marion Systems, and SeaSound. Oberheim was a key contributor to the original MIDI specification and was an early evangelist of the technology.

Dave Smith was the co-author of the original MIDI specification with Roland's CEO and founder Ikutaro Kakehashi. Mr. Smith was the founder of Sequential Circuits while developing the MIDI specification, and has since developed dozens of synthesizers, drum machines, and effects processors. His current company, Dave Smith Instruments, continues to develop cutting edge MIDI-based instruments that enjoy a worldwide following.

Jordan Rudess, is an American keyboardist, clinician, composer and software entrepreneur best known as the keyboardist in the band Dream Theater and the progressive rock supergroup Liquid Tension Experiment. Rudess is a graduate of the Julliard School of Music and is an extremely well respected consultant to many music instrument companies, and has his own music software company called Wizdom Music, which designs innovative tablet- based musical instruments.

George Duke is a legendary musician, keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. Duke has composed, produced, and played on dozens of gold and platinum records, received numerous GRAMMY awards, and has toured extensively as a band member, music director, and as a solo artist.

Craig Anderton, is a musician, author and music magazine editor/writer who is well known to anyone who has ever picked up a music technology magazine. As the editor of Electronic Musician and author of hundreds of articles on music technology, Anderton is an esteemed journalist and expert in all aspects of MIDI and MIDI technology.

Tom White, (MC) is the President of the MIDI Manufacturers Association, and a highly- regarded contributor and consultant to several industry trade and technology groups including but not limited to CES, USB, IEEE, AES, IASIG, and as long-standing president of the MMA. White has had a long career in the music industry, including a lengthy period in marketing and business development for Roland Corporation.

What: Panel discussion “MIDI Creators and Innovators” For 30 years, MIDI has been always been at the forefront of music technology even as musical trends changed. Come hear from a star-studded panel of MIDI creators and innovators -- stories and opinions about the past, present, and future of MIDI.

When: Sat. Jan. 26, 2013 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Where: The NAMM Show, Anaheim Convention Center Room 204B (Inside NAMM H.O.T. Zone)

Presented by the MMA

The MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA) is a non-profit organization formed in 1985 to encourage companies implementing MIDI to make their products interoperable through compliance with MMA Recommended Practices. MMA publishes the official MIDI Specification, provides education about MIDI, licenses MIDI trademarks, and promotes the use of MIDI technology for new applications and in various industries. For more information, please visit www.midi.org"

Vintage Roland Rhythm 77 Rare Analog Drum Machine

via this auction
Some of the description appears to be from the dubsounds.com sample pack page. "The Rhythm-77 (TR-77) was the product that launched the Roland Corp. in 1972 and was the flagship of the Rhythm trio, which included the R-33 and R-55. Its place in history is secured as the first Roland drum machine ever made. It was Ikutaro Kakehashi's baby which he used to introduce the world to ROLAND after he sold off Ace Tone and moved on to bigger things. The Rhythm-77 (TR-77) came in two versions, the more common organ style wooden case with built in music stand and a black tolex "roadie protected" (TR-77V). Incidentally, if you don't already know TR stood for Transistor Rhythm. It had separate faders for the Kick, Snare, Guiro and Hi-Hat/Cymbal/Maracas, making it a very flexible machine in the studio. As with many early drum machines you could get more out of them by selecting multiple rhythms and layering them over each other.

Sonically, the 77 is probably the warmest sounding of all Roland's analogue beat boxes (before or since). The kick does lack punch but more than made up for that in bass content and the percussion sounds are very nice indeed. The standout sound has to be the guiro pattern which you can fade in over the top of the Cha-Cha and Mambo rhythms. Unashamedly "lounge" and instantly recognizable.

You can spot the TR-77 on quite a few tracks from the late '70s. It was quite popular for a few years until the CompuRhythm range took over. Gary Numan used it briefly on the "Replicas" album before moving on to the CR-78. Ultravox (with John Foxx) also used a 77 first before Foxx immortalized the CR-78 on his seminal "Metamatic" album. The 77 is also heard quite prominently in the intro to Squeeze's "Take Me I'm Yours" and "Girls On Film" by Duran Duran.

Rhythms:
Latin: Rhumba, Beguine, Cha-Cha, Mambo, Samba 1&2, Bossa Nova, Baion, Bolero, Tango
Rock: Rock'n'Roll 1&2, Slow Rock, Ballad, Western, March, Jazz Waltz, Waltz, Cancel (quiet)
2beat & 4beat: Bass Drum, Snare, Fox Trot, Swing, Parade, Shuffle

Drum Sounds:
Bass Drum, Snare Drum, Low Conga, Low Bongo, High Bongo, Rim Shot, Maracas, High Hat, Cymbal, Tambourine, Guiro, Cowbell."

Bob Moog Fondation 2022 - 2023 18 Month Calendar

via Signal Sounds, available here

The Bob Moog Fondation is a charitable organisation, based in Anaheim, North Carolina, just a few streets away from the current Moog factory. It acts both as a archive for Bob's work over the years, a museum to show the timeline of his inventions (and more general synth developement) and an educational resource for schools providing hands on experience for children and adults.

Imgaine you had to do all those things? It's pretty certain you'd quickly lose track of what day it is, what week it is or even what month it is (signs of recognition and enthusiastic ndoding from fellow COVID brain fog peepz at the back of the crowd)?

What you would need in that case is.....a calendar! Obviously you can get calendars with amazing inspritation quotes, beautifull sunsets and cute animals but what if you could get an unbelievalbe nerdy synth related calander featuring 18 of the world's most influential synth designers? That would be pretty freakin' cool, no?

"We are proud to announce the release of our epic 2022 Synthesizer Pioneers 18-month calendar, which honors 18 innovators in the field of synthesis from the past 60 years. This is the fifth calendar released by the Foundation focusing on the rich history of Bob Moog’s legacy and the web of innovation in synthesis to which he was connected.

This calendar is the first to bring to the fore the historic achievements of synthesizer pioneers from all over the world. It features:

Harry Olsen and Herbert Belar (RCA)
Harald Bode
Raymond Scott
Bob Moog
Don Buchla
Peter Zinovieff (EMS)
Alan R. Pearlman (ARP)
Ikutaro Kakehashi (Roland)
Fumio Mieda (KORG)
Tom Oberheim
Dave Smith
Roger Linn
Wolfgang Palm (PPG)
Dave Rossum
Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie (Fairlight)
Ray Kurzweil
Felix Visser (Synton)
Makoto Fukuda (Casio)
Many of the pioneers have contributed historic photos of themselves, with their hallmark inventions from their private archives. Also included within the calendar are scores of dates of particular historic importance provided by the pioneers. A brief narrative is included with each photo.

The 18-month calendar also weaves together connections between Bob Moog and many of the featured pioneers. His relationships with them ranged from inspiration to friends to colleagues to business associates. Secondary photos on many of the pages highlight that connection, showing Bob with his fellow pioneers.

The 18-month calendar is printed on #80 stock paper, making the images suitable for framing after the year is over!

This is the first time any of the Moog Foundation's products have been availabe outside of the USA so we're pretty happy to be able to bring it to you, and a portion of the profits are re-invested in the Bob Moog Foundation so it's a win/win situation.

The calander runs from Jan 2022 until May 2023 (and before you ask, we have no idea why it's an 18 month calendar...maybe they're just relaly indecisive and couldn't cut the list of synth pioneers down from 18 to 12?) and is available right now, right here.