John Chowning
American composer, discoverer of FM synthesis, co-founder of CCRMA.
While a doctoral composition student at Stanford in 1967, John Chowning discovered frequency modulation (FM) synthesis while experimenting with spatialization and timbre, and in 1974 co-founded Stanford’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) with John Grey, Andy Moorer, Loren Rush, and Leland Smith. Stanford’s 1973 license of the FM patent to Yamaha led to its use in the DX7, the most commercially successful synthesis engine in the instrument’s history.
Works in the Library
John Chowning CONCEPT
Frequency modulation (synthesis)
Generating complex timbres by using one oscillator's output to modulate another's frequency at audio rate.
NUMBER COMPUTATION
John Chowning COMPOSITION
John Chowning's 1977 tape piece, its FM synthesis and structure built entirely on the golden ratio.
COMPUTATION NUMBER TUNING
John Chowning, Yamaha INSTRUMENT
Yamaha's 1984 FM flagship above the DX7 — a doubled six-operator engine in a handmade rosewood cabinet with polyphonic aftertouch.
COMPUTATION INSTRUMENTS
John Chowning, Yamaha INSTRUMENT
The 1983 FM synthesizer that made digital synthesis commercially dominant and became the best-selling synthesizer of all time.
COMPUTATION INSTRUMENTS
