Editing Electronic music (section)

==Late 1960s to early 1980s==
===Rise of popular electronic music===
{{Main|Electronic rock|Synth-pop|Electropop|Electro music|House music}}
{{See also|Progressive rock|Krautrock|Space rock|Contemporary electronic music}}
In the late 1960s, pop and rock musicians, including [[the Beach Boys]] and [[the Beatles]], began to use electronic instruments, like the [[theremin]] and [[Mellotron]], to supplement and define their sound. The first bands to utilize the [[Moog synthesizer]] would be [[the Doors]] on [[Strange Days (Doors song)|Strange Days]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Classic Tracks: The Doors 'Strange Days' |url=https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/classic-tracks-doors-strange-days |access-date=2023-11-19 |website=www.soundonsound.com}}</ref> as well as [[the Monkees]] on [[Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.|Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd]]. In his book ''Electronic and Experimental Music'', Thom Holmes recognises the Beatles' 1966 recording "[[Tomorrow Never Knows]]" as the song that "ushered in a new era in the use of electronic music in rock and pop music" due to the band's incorporation of tape loops and reversed and speed-manipulated tape sounds.{{sfn|Holmes|2012|p=468}}

Also in the late 1960s, the music duos [[Silver Apples]], [[Beaver and Krause]], and experimental rock bands like [[White Noise (band)|White Noise]], [[The United States of America (band)|the United States of America]], [[Fifty Foot Hose]], and [[Gong (band)|Gong]] are regarded as pioneers in the electronic rock and [[electronica]] genres for their work in melding psychedelic rock with oscillators and synthesizers.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Tom Doyle |title=Silver Apples: Early Electronica |url=https://www.soundonsound.com/people/silver-apples-early-electronica |website=Sound on Sound |publisher=SOS Publications Group |access-date=5 October 2020 |date=October 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Theodore Stone |title=The United States of America and the Start of an Electronic Revolution |url=https://www.popmatters.com/united-states-of-america-band-2565048516.html |website=PopMatters |access-date=5 October 2020 |date=2 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=[[Alexis Petridis]]|title=Silver Apples' Simeon Coxe: visionary who saw music's electronic future |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/sep/09/silver-apples-simeon-coxe-visionary-electronic-music |work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=5 October 2020 |date=9 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Shindig |title=Fifty Foot Hose – If Not This Time |url=https://www.shindig-magazine.com/?p=5491 |website=Shindig Magazine |date=11 June 2022 |publisher=Shindig! Media Ltd & Silverback Publishing |access-date=26 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Craig Miller |title=How a Sound Guru Got From Synthesizers to the Music of Nature |url=https://www.kqed.org/science/1147568/how-a-sound-guru-got-from-synthesizers-to-the-music-of-nature |website=KQED |publisher=KQED Inc. |access-date=19 February 2023 |date=November 14, 2016 |quote=Yes, as in Doctor Bernie Krause, best known today as the dean of the emerging field of soundscape ecology, and one of the chief curators of nature's own music. Few today remember that he also played a seminal role ushering in the synthesizer age. Krause and his music partner, Paul Beaver, turned out to be pioneers in the musical genre that we now call "electronica."}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Adam Sweeting |title=Gilli Smyth obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/21/gilli-smyth-obituary |website=The Guardian |publisher=Guardian News & Media Limited |access-date=26 February 2023 |date=September 21, 2016 |quote=The singer and poet Gilli Smyth, who has died aged 83, co-founded the band Gong in 1967 with her partner Daevid Allen. Smith's pitch-leaping, free-form, often atonal vocal style, which she described as "musical landscaping", became an integral component of Gong's cosmic sound, and over time proved influential on electronica and techno music.}}</ref> The 1969 instrumental "[[Popcorn (instrumental)|Popcorn]]" written by Gershon Kingsley for ''Music To Moog By'' became a worldwide success due to the 1972 version made by [[Hot Butter]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Friedmann |first1=Jonathan L.|title=Musical Aesthetics: An Introduction to Concepts, Theories, and Functions|date=2018|publisher=[[Cambridge Scholars Publishing]]|isbn=978-1-5275-0940-5|page=112|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mHFmDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA112|access-date=17 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Licht |first1=Alan |last2=Oldham |first2=Will |title=Will Oldham on Bonnie 'Prince' Billy |date=3 April 2012 |publisher=Faber & Faber |isbn=978-0-571-27191-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=58EM1X-tBmcC&dq=hot+butter+popcorn+1972+gershon+kingsley&pg=PT91 |access-date=17 February 2022}}</ref>

The Moog synthesizer was brought to the mainstream in 1968 by ''[[Switched-On Bach]]'', a bestselling album of Bach compositions arranged for Moog synthesizer by American composer [[Wendy Carlos]]. The album achieved critical and commercial success, winning the [[12th Annual Grammy Awards|1970 Grammy Awards]] for [[Grammy Award for Best Classical Album|Best Classical Album]], [[Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance – Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (with or without orchestra)|Best Classical Performance – Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (With or Without Orchestra)]], and [[Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Classical|Best Engineered Classical Recording]].

In 1969, [[David Borden]] formed the world's first synthesizer ensemble called the [[Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Company]] in Ithaca, New York.<ref>{{cite web |author1=John Bush |title=Biography – Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Co. |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mother-mallards-portable-masterpiece-co-mn0000594566/biography |website=AllMusic |publisher=AllMusic, Netaktion LLC. |access-date=19 February 2023}}</ref>

[[File:Keith Emerson StPetersburg Aug08.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Keith Emerson]] performing in Saint Petersburg in 2008]]
By the end of the 1960s, the [[Moog synthesizer]] took a leading place in the sound of emerging [[progressive rock]] with bands including [[Pink Floyd]], [[Yes (band)|Yes]], [[Emerson, Lake & Palmer]], and [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]] making them part of their sound. Instrumental prog rock was particularly significant in continental Europe, allowing bands like [[Kraftwerk]], [[Tangerine Dream]], [[Cluster (band)|Cluster]], [[Can (band)|Can]], [[Neu!]], and [[Faust (band)|Faust]] to circumvent the language barrier.{{sfn|Bussy|2004|pp=15–17}} Their synthesiser-heavy "[[krautrock]]", along with the work of [[Brian Eno]] (for a time the keyboard player with [[Roxy Music]]), would be a major influence on subsequent [[electronic rock]].<ref name=Bogdanov2002Prog>{{harvnb|Unterberger|2002|pp=1330–1}}.</ref>

[[Ambient dub]] was pioneered by King Tubby and other Jamaican [[sound art]]ists, using DJ-inspired [[Ambient music|ambient]] electronics, complete with drop-outs, echo, equalization and [[Psychedelic music|psychedelic]] electronic effects. It featured layering techniques and incorporated elements of [[world music]], deep [[bassline]]s and harmonic sounds.<ref name="Holmes2008p403">{{harvnb|Holmes|2008|p=403}}.</ref> Techniques such as a long echo delay were also used.<ref>{{cite book|last=Toop|first=David|author-link=David Toop|title=Ocean of Sound|date=1995|publisher=Serpent's Tail|isbn=978-1-85242-382-7|page=[https://archive.org/details/oceanofsoundaeth0000toop/page/115 115]|url=https://archive.org/details/oceanofsoundaeth0000toop/page/115}}</ref> Other notable artists within the genre include [[Dreadzone]], [[Higher Intelligence Agency]], [[The Orb]], [[Ott (record producer)|Ott]], [[Loop Guru]], [[Woob]] and [[Transglobal Underground]].<ref name="ttp">{{cite book |title=The Techno Primer: The Essential Reference for Loop-based Music Styles |last=Mattingly |first=Rick |date=2002 |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |isbn=0-634-01788-8 |page=38 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VT7_x7m-RWcC |access-date=1 April 2013}}</ref>

Dub music influenced electronic musical techniques later adopted by [[hip hop music]] when Jamaican immigrant [[DJ Kool Herc]] in the early 1970s introduced Jamaica's sound system culture and dub music techniques to America. One such technique that became popular in [[hip hop]] culture was playing two copies of the same record on two turntables in alternation, extending the [[Breakdancing|b-dancers]]' favorite section.<ref>Nicholas Collins, Margaret Schedel, Scott Wilson (2013), [https://books.google.com/books?id=bQeAtG97BmEC&pg=PA105 ''Electronic Music: Cambridge Introductions to Music'', page 105], [[Cambridge University Press]]</ref> The turntable eventually went on to become the most visible electronic musical instrument, and occasionally the most [[virtuosic]], in the 1980s and 1990s.<ref name="cambridge49"/>

Electronic rock was also produced by several Japanese musicians, including [[Isao Tomita]]'s ''Electric Samurai: Switched on Rock'' (1972), which featured Moog synthesizer renditions of contemporary pop and rock songs,<ref name="jenkins_2007"/> and [[Osamu Kitajima]]'s progressive rock album ''Benzaiten'' (1974).<ref name="Benzaiten">{{Discogs release|1303605|Osamu Kitajima – Benzaiten}}</ref> The mid-1970s saw the rise of electronic art music musicians such as [[Jean Michel Jarre]], [[Vangelis]], [[Isao Tomita|Tomita]] and [[Klaus Schulze]] who were significant influences on the development of [[new-age music]].<ref name="Holmes2008p403" /> The ''hi-tech'' appeal of these works created for some years the trend of listing the electronic musical equipment employed in the album sleeves, as a distinctive feature. Electronic music began to enter regularly in radio programming and top-sellers charts, as the French band [[Space (French band)|Space]] with their debut studio album ''[[Magic Fly]]''<ref name='guinness18'>{{cite book |date= 2005|editor1-last= Roberts|editor1-first= David|title=Guinness World Records – British Hit Singles & Albums|edition= 18|publisher= Guinness World Records Ltd.|page= 472|isbn=1-904994-00-8}}</ref> or Jarre with ''[[Oxygène]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Green |first=Thomas H. |title=Oxygene: ba-boo-boo beew |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |location=London, England |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3672108/Oxygene-ba-boo-boo-beew.html |date=27 March 2008 |access-date=14 March 2009}}</ref> Between 1977 and 1981, Kraftwerk released albums such as ''[[Trans-Europe Express (album)|Trans-Europe Express]]'', ''[[The Man-Machine]]'' and ''[[Computer World]]'', which influenced subgenres of electronic music.<ref>{{cite news |title=Why Kraftwerk are still the world's most influential band |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/jan/27/kraftwerk-most-influential-electronic-band-tate |access-date=14 November 2022 |work=the Guardian |date=27 January 2013 |language=en}}</ref>

In this era, the sound of rock musicians like [[Mike Oldfield]] and [[The Alan Parsons Project]] (who is credited the first rock song to feature a digital [[vocoder]] in 1975, ''[[The Raven (song)|The Raven]]'') used to be arranged and blended with electronic effects and/or music as well, which became much more prominent in the mid-1980s. [[Jeff Wayne]] achieved a long-lasting success<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2QnbffHjH7pqfpKF20PQy7B/the-top-40-best-selling-studio-albums-of-all-time | title= The Top 40 Best-Selling Studio Albums of All Time | publisher=BBC |date=2018 | access-date=29 May 2019}}</ref> with his 1978 electronic rock musical version of ''[[Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds|The War of the Worlds]]''.

[[Film score]]s also benefit from the electronic sound. During the 1970s and 1980s, Wendy Carlos composed the score for ''[[A Clockwork Orange (film)|A Clockwork Orange]]'', ''[[The Shining (film)|The Shining]]'' and ''[[Tron]]''.{{sfn|Holmes|2002|p=162}} In 1977, [[Gene Page]] recorded a disco version of the hit theme by [[John Williams]] from [[Steven Spielberg]] film ''[[Theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind|Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]''. Page's version peaked on the [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] chart at #30.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}} The score of 1978 film ''[[Midnight Express (film)|Midnight Express]]'' composed by Italian synth-pioneer [[Giorgio Moroder]] won the [[Academy Award for Best Original Score]] in [[51st Academy Awards|1979]], as did it again in [[54th Academy Awards|1981]] the score by [[Vangelis]] for ''[[Chariots of Fire]]''.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Number Ones: Vangelis' "Chariots Of Fire" |journal=Stereogum |date=1 June 2020 |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2086170/the-number-ones-vangelis-chariots-of-fire/columns/the-number-ones/ |access-date=14 November 2022 |language=en}}</ref> After the arrival of [[punk rock]], a form of basic electronic rock emerged, increasingly using new digital technology to replace other instruments. The American duo [[Suicide (band)|Suicide]], who arose from the punk scene in New York, utilized drum machines and synthesizers in a hybrid between electronics and punk on their [[Suicide (1977 album)|eponymous 1977 album]].<ref>{{citation|title=Suicide: No Compromise|author=D. Nobakht |date=2004 |isbn=978-0-946719-71-6 |page=136 }}</ref>

[[Synth-pop]] pioneering bands which enjoyed success for years included [[Ultravox]] with their 1977 track "Hiroshima Mon Amour" on ''[[Ha!-Ha!-Ha!]]'',<ref name="Maginnis">{{harvnb|Maginnis|2011}}</ref> [[Yellow Magic Orchestra]] with their [[Yellow Magic Orchestra (album)|self-titled album]] (1978), [[The Buggles]] with their prominent 1979 debut single ''[[Video Killed the Radio Star]]'',<ref name = "BugglesbyGeoffDownes">"'The Buggles' by Geoffrey Downes" (liner notes). ''The Age of Plastic'' 1999 reissue.</ref> [[Gary Numan]] with his solo debut album ''[[The Pleasure Principle (album)|The Pleasure Principle]]'' and single ''[[Cars (song)|Cars]]'' in 1979,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.0189a&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=ccntousk30frf6h4jsn237nm12|title=Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada|publisher=Collectionscanada.gc.ca|access-date=8 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113072100/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.0189a&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=ccntousk30frf6h4jsn237nm12|archive-date=13 January 2012}}</ref> [[Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark]] with their 1979 single ''[[Electricity (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)|Electricity]]'' featured on their [[Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (album)|eponymous debut album]],<ref>{{cite news|first=Mary|last=Harron|author-link=Mary Harron|title=Rock|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=6 November 1981|page=11|quote='Electricity'... pioneered a new electronic pop.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/music/interview-gary-barlow-on-fly-songs-inspired-by-eddie-the-eagle/|title=Gary Barlow didn't just meet his '80s heroes, he made a retro album with them|last=Mettler|first=Mike|date=17 June 2016|website=[[Digital Trends]]|access-date=4 October 2024}}</ref> [[Depeche Mode]] with their first single ''[[Dreaming of Me]]'' recorded in 1980 and released in 1981 album ''[[Speak & Spell (album)|Speak & Spell]]'',<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Betty |last= Paige |title= This Year's Mode(L) |magazine= [[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]] |date= 31 January 1981 |url= http://www.sacreddm.net/1980s/sou310181/sou310181maina.htm |archive-date= 24 July 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110724052454/http://www.sacreddm.net/1980s/sou310181/sou310181maina.htm}}</ref> [[A Flock of Seagulls]] with their 1981 single ''[[Talking (A Flock of Seagulls song)|Talking]]'',<ref>{{cite web|title= BBC – Radio 1 – Keeping It Peel – 06/05/1980 A Flock of Seagulls |publisher= [[BBC Radio 1]] |access-date= 12 June 2018 |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/sessions/1980s/1981/May06aflockofseagulls/}}</ref> [[New Order (band)|New Order]] with ''[[Ceremony (New Order song)|Ceremony]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neworder.com/newordernow/2018/12/19/movement-definitive-edition.html|title=Movement 'Definitive Edition'|date=19 December 2018|website=[[New Order (band)|New Order]]|access-date=26 January 2020|archive-date=13 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913171424/http://www.neworder.com/newordernow/2018/12/19/movement-definitive-edition.html}}</ref> in 1981, and [[The Human League]] with their 1981 hit ''[[Don't You Want Me]]'' from their third album ''[[Dare (album)|Dare]]''.<ref name="synthpop">{{harvnb|Anonymous|2010}}.</ref>

[[File:New Order, Chile 2019 (39751785423).jpg|thumb|New Order performing in Chile in 2019]]
The definition of [[MIDI]] and the development of [[digital audio]] made the development of purely electronic sounds much easier,{{sfn|Russ|2009|p=66}} with [[audio engineer]]s, producers and composers exploring frequently the possibilities of virtually every new model of electronic sound equipment launched by manufacturers. Synth-pop sometimes used synthesizers to replace all other instruments, but it was more common that bands had one or more keyboardists in their line-ups along with guitarists, bassists, and/or drummers. These developments led to the growth of synth-pop, which after it was adopted by the [[New Romantic]] movement, allowed synthesizers to dominate the pop and rock music of the early 1980s until the style began to fall from popularity in the mid-to-end of the decade.<ref name=synthpop /> Along with the aforementioned successful pioneers, key acts included [[Yazoo (band)|Yazoo]], [[Duran Duran]], [[Spandau Ballet]], [[Culture Club]], [[Talk Talk]], [[Japan (band)|Japan]], and [[Eurythmics]].

Synth-pop was taken up across the world, with international hits for acts including [[Men Without Hats]], [[Trans-X]] and [[Lime (band)|Lime]] from Canada, [[Telex (band)|Telex]] from Belgium, [[Peter Schilling]], [[Sandra (singer)|Sandra]], [[Modern Talking]], [[Propaganda (band)|Propaganda]] and [[Alphaville (band)|Alphaville]] from Germany, [[Yello]] from Switzerland and [[Azul y Negro]] from Spain. Also, the synth sound is a key feature of [[Italo-disco]].

Some synth-pop bands created futuristic visual styles of themselves to reinforce the idea of electronic sounds were linked primarily with technology, as Americans [[Devo]] and Spaniards [[Aviador Dro]].

Keyboard synthesizers became so common that even [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]] rock bands, a genre often regarded as the ''opposite'' in aesthetics, sound and lifestyle from that of electronic pop artists by fans of both sides, achieved worldwide success with themes as 1983 ''[[Jump (Van Halen song)|Jump]]''<ref>{{Citation|author-link=Rick Beato|first=Rick|last=Beato|title=What Makes This Song Great? Ep. 61 Van Halen (#2)|date=28 April 2019|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XhKSXeT2OI| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/0XhKSXeT2OI| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|access-date=24 June 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> by [[Van Halen]] and 1986 ''[[The Final Countdown (song)|The Final Countdown]]''<ref>{{cite book|first= Anders |last= Tengner |author2= Michael Johansson |title= Europe – den stora rockdrömmen |date= 1987 |publisher= Wiken |isbn= 91-7024-408-1 |language= sv}}</ref> by [[Europe (band)|Europe]], which feature synths prominently.

===Proliferation of electronic music research institutions===
{{ill|Elektronmusikstudion|sv|vertical-align=sup}} (EMS), formerly known as Electroacoustic Music in Sweden, is the Swedish national centre for electronic music and [[sound art]]. The research organisation started in 1964 and is based in Stockholm.

[[File:L'été à Paris (9276072323).jpg|thumb|IRCAM at the Place Igor Stravinsky, Paris]]
[[STEIM]] (1969-2021) was a center for [[experimental musical instrument|research and development of new musical instruments]] in the electronic performing arts, located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was founded by [[Misha Mengelberg]], [[Louis Andriessen]], [[Peter Schat]], [[Dick Raaymakers]], {{ill|Jan van Vlijmen|nl|Jan van Vlijmen|vertical-align=sup}}, [[Reinbert de Leeuw]], and [[Konrad Boehmer]]. This group of Dutch composers had fought for the reformation of Amsterdam's feudal music structures; they insisted on Bruno Maderna's appointment as musical director of the Concertgebouw Orchestra and enforced the first public fundings for experimental and improvised electronic music in the Netherlands. From 1981-2008, [[Michel Waisvisz]] was artistic director, and his live-electronic instruments like the [[Kraakdoos|Cracklebox]] or The Hands inspired international artists to work at STEIM which entertained a residency program since 1992.

[[IRCAM]] in Paris became a major center for computer music research and realization and development of the [[Sogitec 4X]] computer system,<ref name="Schutterhoef2007">{{harvnb|van Schutterhoef|2007}} {{cite web|title=Sogitec 4X|url=http://knorretje.hku.nl/wiki/Sogitec_4X|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104025834/http://knorretje.hku.nl/wiki/Sogitec_4X|archive-date=4 November 2013|access-date=13 January 2010}}.</ref> featuring then revolutionary real-time [[digital signal processing]]. [[Pierre Boulez]]'s ''[[Répons]]'' (1981) for 24 musicians and 6 soloists used the 4X to transform and route soloists to a loudspeaker system.

[[Barry Vercoe]] describes one of his experiences with early computer sounds:
[[File:IRCAM 4X.jpg|thumb|[[Sogitec 4X]] (c. 1983)<ref>
{{cite web
 | author    = Nicolas Schöffer
 | date      = December 1983
 | language  = fr
 | title     = Variations sur 600 Structures Sonores – Une nouvelle méthode de composition musicale sur l'ordinateur 4X
 | url       = http://www.olats.org/schoffer/var600.htm
 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120417214621/http://www.olats.org/schoffer/var600.htm
 | archive-date=17 April 2012
 | work      = Leonardo On-Line
 | publisher = Leonardo/International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology (ISAST)
 | quote     = {{lang|fr|L'ordinateur nous permet de franchir une nouvelle étape quant à la définition et au codage des sons, et permet de créer des partitions qui dépassent en complexité et en précision les possibilités d'antan. La methode de composition que je propose comporte plusieurs phases et nécessite l'emploi d'une terminologie simple que nous définirons au fur et à mesure : Trames, paves, briques et modules.}}}}</ref> at IRCAM machine room in 1989]]
{{blockquote|At IRCAM in Paris in 1982, flutist [[Larry Beauregard]] had connected his flute to DiGiugno's [[Sogitec 4X|4X]] audio processor, enabling real-time pitch-following. On a [[Guggenheim Fellowship|Guggenheim]] at the time, I extended this concept to real-time score-following with automatic synchronized accompaniment, and over the next two years Larry and I gave numerous demonstrations of the computer as a chamber musician, playing [[Handel]] flute sonatas, [[Boulez]]'s ''Sonatine'' for flute and piano and by 1984 my own ''Synapse II'' for flute and computer—the first piece ever composed expressly for such a setup. A major challenge was finding the right software constructs to support highly sensitive and responsive accompaniment. All of this was pre-MIDI, but the results were impressive even though heavy doses of tempo rubato would continually surprise my {{em|Synthetic Performer}}. In 1985 we solved the tempo rubato problem by incorporating ''learning from rehearsals'' (each time you played this way the machine would get better). We were also now tracking violin, since our brilliant, young flautist had contracted a fatal cancer. Moreover, this version used a new standard called MIDI, and here I was ably assisted by former student Miller Puckette, whose initial concepts for this task he later expanded into a program called [[Max (software)|MAX]].{{sfn|Vercoe|2000|pp=xxviii–xxix}}}}

===Keyboard synthesizers===
[[File:Minimoog.JPG|thumb|Mini-Moog synthesizer]]
{{See also|Modular synthesizer|Buchla|Electronic Music Studios|Korg}}
Released in 1970 by [[Moog Music]], the [[Minimoog|Mini-Moog]] was among the first widely available, portable, and relatively affordable synthesizers. It became once the most widely used synthesizer at that time in both popular and electronic art music.<ref>"In 1969, a portable version of the studio Moog called the Minimoog Model D, became the most widely used synthesizer in both popular music and electronic art music" {{harvnb|Montanaro|2004|p=8}}.</ref>
[[Patrick Gleeson]], playing live with [[Herbie Hancock]] at the beginning of the 1970s, pioneered the use of synthesizers in a touring context, where they were subject to stresses the early machines were not designed for.{{sfn|Zussman|1982|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=MjAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA1 1, 5]}}<ref>{{harvnb|Sofer|Lynner|1977|p=[http://www.cyndustries.com/synapse/synapse.cfm?pc=39&folder=jan1977&pic=23 23]}} "Yes, I used [ Moog modular equipment ] until I went with Herbie (Hancock) in 1970. Then I used a [ [[ARP synthesizers|ARP]] ] 2600 because I couldn't use the Moog on stage. It was too big and cranky; every time we transported it, we would have to pull a module out, and I knew I couldn't do that on the road, so I started using ARP's."</ref>

In 1974, the [[Studio for Electronic Music (WDR)|WDR]] studio in Cologne acquired an [[EMS Synthi 100]] synthesizer, which many composers used to produce notable electronic works—including [[Rolf Gehlhaar]]'s ''Fünf deutsche Tänze'' (1975), Karlheinz Stockhausen's ''[[Sirius (Stockhausen)|Sirius]]'' (1975–1976), and [[John McGuire (composer)|John McGuire]]'s ''Pulse Music III'' (1978).{{sfn|Morawska-Büngeler|1988|pp=52, 55, 107–108}}

Thanks to [[Miniaturization|miniaturization of electronics]] in the 1970s, by the start of the 1980s keyboard synthesizers, became lighter and affordable, integrating into a single slim unit all the necessary audio synthesis electronics and the piano-style keyboard itself, in sharp contrast with the bulky machinery and "[[Cable management|cable spaguetty]]" employed along with the 1960s and 1970s. First, with analog synthesizers, the trend followed with digital synthesizers and samplers as well (see below).

===Digital synthesizers===
{{See also|Digital synthesizer|Digitally controlled oscillator|Additive synthesis#Implementations|Subtractive synthesis|Phase distortion synthesis|Bell Labs Digital Synthesizer}}
In 1975, the Japanese company [[Yamaha Corporation|Yamaha]] licensed the algorithms for [[frequency modulation synthesis]] (FM synthesis) from [[John Chowning]], who had experimented with it at [[Stanford University]] since 1971.<ref name="holmes_257">{{harvnb|Holmes|2008|p=257}}.</ref>{{sfn|Chowning|1973}} Yamaha's engineers began adapting Chowning's algorithm for use in a digital synthesizer, adding improvements such as the "key scaling" method to avoid the introduction of distortion that normally occurred in analog systems during [[frequency modulation]].{{sfn|Holmes|2008|pp=257–258}}

In 1980, Yamaha eventually released the first FM digital synthesizer, the Yamaha GS-1, but at an expensive price.{{sfn|Roads|1996|p=226}} In 1983, Yamaha introduced the first stand-alone digital synthesizer, the [[Yamaha DX7|DX7]], which also used FM synthesis and would become one of the best-selling synthesizers of all time.<ref name="holmes_257"/> The DX7 was known for its recognizable bright tonalities that was partly due to an [[Oversampling|overachieving]] [[sampling rate]] of 57&nbsp;kHz.{{sfn|Holmes|2008|pp=258–259}}
[[File:YAMAHA_DX7.jpg|thumb|[[Yamaha DX7]], a model for many digital synthesizers of the 1980s]]

The [[Korg Poly-800]] is a synthesizer released by [[Korg]] in 1983. Its initial list price of $795 made it the first fully programmable synthesizer that sold for less than $1000. It had 8-voice [[polyphony]] with one [[Digitally controlled oscillator]] (DCO) per voice.

The [[Casio CZ synthesizers#CZ-101|Casio CZ-101]] was the first and best-selling [[Phase distortion synthesis|phase distortion]] synthesizer in the [[Casio]] [[Casio CZ synthesizers|CZ]] line. Released in November 1984, it was one of the first (if not the first) fully programmable polyphonic synthesizers that was available for under $500.

The [[Roland D-50]] is a digital synthesizer produced by [[Roland Corporation|Roland]] and released in April 1987. Its features include [[subtractive synthesis]], on-board effects, a joystick for data manipulation, and an analogue synthesis-styled layout design. The external Roland PG-1000 (1987–1990) programmer could also be attached to the D-50 for more complex manipulation of its sounds.

===Samplers===
{{See also|Sampling (music)|Fairlight CMI|Synclavier}}
A [[sampler (musical instrument)|sampler]] is an electronic or digital [[musical instrument]] which uses [[sound recording]]s (or "[[Sampling (music)|samples]]") of real instrument sounds (e.g., a piano, violin or trumpet), excerpts from recorded songs (e.g., a five-second bass guitar [[riff]] from a [[funk]] song) or [[found sound]]s (e.g., sirens and ocean waves). The samples are loaded or recorded by the user or by a manufacturer. These sounds are then played back using the sampler program itself, a [[MIDI keyboard]], [[Music sequencer|sequencer]] or another triggering device (e.g., [[electronic drums]]) to perform or compose music. Because these samples are usually stored in digital memory, the information can be quickly accessed. A single sample may often be [[pitch shift|pitch-shifted]] to different pitches to produce musical [[scale (music)|scale]]s and [[chord (music)|chord]]s.

[[Image:Fairlight green screen.jpg|thumb|152px|Fairlight CMI (1979–)]]
Before computer memory-based samplers, musicians used tape replay keyboards, which store recordings on analog tape. When a key is pressed the tape head contacts the moving tape and plays a sound. The [[Mellotron]] was the most notable model, used by many groups in the late 1960s and the 1970s, but such systems were expensive and heavy due to the multiple tape mechanisms involved, and the range of the instrument was limited to three octaves at the most. To change sounds a new set of tapes had to be installed in the instrument. The emergence of the [[digital signal processing|digital]] sampler made sampling far more practical.

The earliest digital sampling was done on the [[Electronic Music Studios|EMS]] Musys system, developed by Peter Grogono (software), David Cockerell (hardware and interfacing), and [[Peter Zinovieff]] (system design and operation) at their London (Putney) Studio c. 1969.

The first commercially available sampling synthesizer was the [[Sampler (musical instrument)#Computer Music Melodian|Computer Music Melodian]] by [[Harry Mendell]] (1976).

First released in 1977–1978,<ref name="dartmouth">
{{cite web
 | title = History of Masters Program in Digital Musics
 | url   = http://digitalmusics.dartmouth.edu/?page_id=7
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091012182849/http://digitalmusics.dartmouth.edu/?page_id=7
 | archive-date = 12 October 2009
 | publisher = Dartmouth College
}}</ref> the [[Synclavier#Synclavier I|Synclavier I]] using [[FM synthesis]], re-licensed from [[Yamaha Corporation|Yamaha]],<ref>{{cite magazine
 |author           = Eric Grunwald
 |title            = Bell Tolls for FM Patent, but Yamaha Sees "New Beginning"
 |url              = https://otl.stanford.edu/documents/0302_su94.pdf
 |magazine         = Stanford Technology Brainstorm
 |publisher        = Office of Technology Licensing (OTL), [[Stanford University]]
 |volume           = 3
 |issue            = 2
 |date =Summer 1994
 |quote            = The technique for synthesizing electronic music, invented by Music Professor John Chowning, brought in over $20 million through an exclusive license to Yamaha Corporation of Japan, which used the technology in its DX-7 synthesizer, enormously popular in the 1980s.
 |access-date      = 6 October 2017
 |archive-url      = https://web.archive.org/web/20170505095843/http://otl.stanford.edu/documents/0302_su94.pdf
 |archive-date     = 5 May 2017
 }}</ref> and sold mostly to universities, proved to be highly influential among both electronic music composers and music producers, including [[Mike Thorne]], an early adopter from the commercial world, due to its versatility, its cutting-edge technology, and distinctive sounds.

The first polyphonic digital sampling synthesizer was the Australian-produced [[Fairlight CMI]], first available in 1979. These early sampling synthesizers used wavetable [[sample-based synthesis]].<ref name="russ">Martin Russ, [https://books.google.com/books?id=X9h5AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA29 ''Sound Synthesis and Sampling'', page 29] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171021111921/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=X9h5AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA29 |date=21 October 2017 }}, [[CRC Press]]</ref>

===Birth of MIDI===
{{Main|MIDI}}
In 1980, a group of musicians and music merchants met to standardize an interface that new instruments could use to communicate control instructions with other instruments and computers. This standard was dubbed Musical Instrument Digital Interface ([[MIDI]]) and resulted from a collaboration between leading manufacturers, initially [[Sequential Circuits]], [[Oberheim Electronics|Oberheim]], [[Roland Corporation|Roland]]—and later, other participants that included [[Yamaha Corporation|Yamaha]], [[Korg]], and [[Kawai Musical Instruments|Kawai]].{{sfn|Holmes|2008|p=227}} A paper was authored by [[Dave Smith (engineer)|Dave Smith]] of Sequential Circuits and proposed to the [[Audio Engineering Society]] in 1981. Then, in August 1983, the MIDI Specification 1.0 was finalized.

MIDI technology allows a single keystroke, control wheel motion, pedal movement, or command from a microcomputer to activate every device in the studio remotely and synchrony, with each device responding according to conditions predetermined by the composer.

MIDI instruments and software made powerful control of sophisticated instruments easily affordable by many studios and individuals. Acoustic sounds became reintegrated into studios via [[sampling (music)|sampling]] and sampled-ROM-based instruments.

[[Miller Puckette]] developed graphic signal-processing software for [[Sogitec 4X|4X]] called [[Max (software)|Max]] (after [[Max Mathews]]) and later ported it to [[Apple Macintosh|Macintosh]] (with Dave Zicarelli extending it for [[Opcode Systems|Opcode]])<ref>{{harvnb|Ozab|2000}} [http://www.atpm.com/6.05/barline.shtml].</ref> for real-time MIDI control, bringing algorithmic composition availability to most composers with modest computer programming background.

===Sequencers and drum machines===
{{Main|Music sequencer|Drum machine}} {{Disputed|section|date=December 2011}}
The early 1980s saw the rise of [[bass synthesizer]]s, the most influential being the [[Roland TB-303]], a bass synthesizer and [[Music sequencer|sequencer]] released in late 1981 that later became a fixture in [[electronic dance music]],{{sfn|Vine|2011}} particularly [[acid house]].<ref name="guardian_2011"/> One of the first to use it was [[Charanjit Singh (musician)|Charanjit Singh]] in 1982, though it would not be popularized until [[Phuture]]'s "[[Acid Tracks]]" in 1987.<ref name="guardian_2011">{{harvnb|Aitken|2011}}.</ref> [[Music sequencer]]s began being used around the mid 20th century, and Tomita's albums in mid-1970s being later examples.<ref name="jenkins_2007">{{harvnb|Jenkins|2007|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=c3EHIpo0DKwC&pg=PA133 133–34]}}</ref> In 1978, Yellow Magic Orchestra were using computer-based technology in conjunction with a synthesiser to produce popular music,<ref name="billboard_1979">{{harvnb|Anonymous|1979}}.</ref> making their early use of the [[microprocessor]]-based [[Roland MC-8 Microcomposer]] sequencer.<ref name="discogs_ymo_lp">{{Discogs release|453067|Yellow Magic Orchestra – Yellow Magic Orchestra}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |date=1981 |title=Sound International |journal=Sound International |issue=33–40 |page=147 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sj5LAAAAYAAJ |access-date=21 June 2011}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=December 2011|reason=None of the following terms produce any result at the linked item: 'yellow', 'magic', 'orchestra', 'MC-8', 'microcomposer', 'sequencer', '1978'.}}

[[Drum machine]]s, also known as rhythm machines, also began being used around the late-1950s, with a later example being [[Osamu Kitajima]]'s progressive rock album ''Benzaiten'' (1974), which used a rhythm machine along with [[electronic drum]]s and a synthesizer.<ref name="Benzaiten"/> In 1977, [[Ultravox]]'s "[[Hiroshima Mon Amour (song)|Hiroshima Mon Amour]]" was one of the first singles to use the [[metronome]]-like percussion of a [[Roland TR-77]] drum machine.<ref name="Maginnis"/> In 1980, [[Roland Corporation]] released the [[Roland TR-808|TR-808]], one of the first and most popular programmable [[drum machine]]s. The first band to use it was Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1980, and it would later gain widespread popularity with the release of [[Marvin Gaye]]'s "[[Sexual Healing]]" and [[Afrika Bambaataa]]'s "[[Planet Rock (song)|Planet Rock]]" in 1982.{{sfn|Anderson|2008}} The TR-808 was a fundamental tool in the later Detroit techno scene of the late 1980s, and was the drum machine of choice for [[Derrick May (musician)|Derrick May]] and [[Juan Atkins]].<ref name="Blashill">{{harvnb|Blashill|2002|p={{Page needed|date=April 2014}}}}</ref>

===Chiptunes===
{{main|Chiptune}}
{{see also|Video game music}}
The characteristic lo-fi sound of chip music was initially the result of early computer's [[sound chip]]s and [[sound card]]s' technical limitations; however, the sound has since become sought after in its own right.

Common cheap popular sound chips of the first [[home computer]]s of the 1980s include the [[MOS Technology SID|SID]] of the [[Commodore 64]] and [[General Instrument AY-3-8912|General Instrument AY]] series and clones (like the Yamaha YM2149) used in the [[ZX Spectrum]], [[Amstrad CPC]], [[MSX]] compatibles and [[Atari ST]] models, among others.