Synthesizer history

Synthesizer – an electronic musical instrument that creates various sound waves using several built-in generators. Its rich history dates back to the XNUMXth century. Rock, pop, jazz, punk, electronic and even classical music today is hard to imagine without this instrument. In fact, a huge range of music genres, comfortable dimensions and a relatively low price are the factors that allowed the instrument to take a significant place in musical culture.

First appearance of the synthesizer

The first prototype of the synthesizer was created back in 1876. American engineer Elisha Gray introduced the musical telegraph to the world – the instrument looked like an ordinary telegraph, the keys of which were alternately connected to the speakers. Only two octaves could be played on such an instrument, the device did not find much success in the music market, but it was its concept that was the basis for the creation of the first synthesizer.

At the end of the 7th century, the American inventor Tadeusz Cahill invented the Telharmonium. It was a huge apparatus, the lightest model of which weighed XNUMX tons, and synthesized the sounds of a church organ. Due to the large dimensions and the lack of a sound amplifier, the project did not receive proper development.

The era of transistors

In 1920, the young Russian physicist-inventor Lev Termen created his model of a synthesizer called “Theremin”. The tool, named after the inventor, despite the complex design, has become widely known. In the 1920s and 30s, many similar models came out:

• Violena (USSR);
• Ilston (USSR);
• Waves of Marteo (France);
• Sonar (USSR);
• Trautonium (Germany);
• Variofon (USSR);
• Ekvodin (USSR);
• Hammond electric organ (USA);
• Emiriton (USSR);
• AHC (USSR).

Each prototype had both advantages and disadvantages, many of them were developed in only one copy. The most popular model is the Hammond electric organ, invented by the American Robert Wood in the 1960s and sold all over the world. Synthesizers were often used both in churches, instead of organs, and at rock concerts of famous bands.

Second half of the XNUMXth century

The main priorities of the post-war period was to minimize costs and reduce the size of the tool. In 1955, the Mark I model was released, costing $175. In the mid-000s, the American inventor Robert Moog released his compact counterpart, costing $60. In 7000, the revolutionary “Minimoog” was released, costing only one and a half thousand dollars. The availability of synthesizers opened the so-called “New Wave” in rock music. In the 90s, digital synthesizers appeared. The first Nord Lead model had a processor and an operating system, which allowed not only recording, but also storing several thousand sounds in memory.