Synthesizers
Ed Cornett was hired by Yamaha to head the team in charge of creating the DX7. His story of the long hours, creative and innovative team members and the support of the company uncover the key elements that came together to create one of the most successful musical instruments of its time. Ed grew...
Ed Cohen was booking and managing musical acts and even playing saxophone in a band when he first heard Dave Biro’s innovative synthesizer. This was in the early 1970s. Ed worked with Dave to establish a way to produce these instruments, which Dave proudly called the BiroTron. Ed played a vital...
Ralph Goldheim worked in music retail before jumping the counter and exploring a career in manufacturing. He worked with George Luther for several years before joining Oberheim Electronics, Roland and Alesis. Then he was on the ground floor of a new and exciting company that would be called Line 6...
Mike Lang was a well-respected keyboardist who can be heard on over 2,000 movie scores and countless studio recordings over his long and successful career. He worked with composers such as John Williams, Henry Mancini and Jerry Goldsmith to jazz and pop performers such as Ella Fitzgerald and Frank...
Dave Oppenheim is the founder of Opcode Systems, a Palo Alto, California software company that pioneered MIDI sequencing for MAC OS and Microsoft Windows. With Dave’s programming, the company created such software products as Vision, Studio Vision, Galaxy and Max. Among the many users for Dave’s...
Joe Castronovo began working for Unicord in the months before the company was sold and became KORG USA. With a solid team, which included the late Mike Kovins, under the leadership of KORG founder, Kahto-san, the company flourished over the next few decades. When Joe’s friend, Mike Kovins, passed...
Bernie Worrell began playing classical music as a small child and it soon led to his life-long passion for music! He met George Clinton, who at the time was leading a Doo-Wop group called The Parliaments. As Bernie experimented with electronic keyboards and synthesizers he teamed with George to pen...
Peter Gotcher played drums in a band with Evan Brooks and they both became interested in creating electronics to change sounds. Together the two school mates created digital audio machines and in 1984 they formed Avid Audio. Later the company became Digidesign and produced a string of innovative...
Tom Rhea was hired by David Van Koevering to sell Moog Modular Systems when the Minimoog was being introduced. As a result, Tom was there to witness the major impact that Bob Moog's products had both on the industry, and music as well. Tom was commissioned to write the Minimoog Model D Owner's...
Les Nicholas was hired as an engineer to assist the famed electronic music inventor Harold Bode. Mr. Bode was given a lab within the Estey Organ Company In Brattleboro, Vermont in 1954. The company wanted to expand it's products to include an electronic organ. To assist with the task he hired...