Designing Synthesizers and Electronic Musical Instruments

I did that, how I earned my living, for a bit over 20 years.

Some of the story of that is covered here, with a look at our work at Fairlight Instruments and Roland Japan.

I went to University to study Electrical Engineering. But I learnt most of what I actually used from Electronics and Micro-Computer Magazines ( and there are few of these things around any more) and learning design from everywhere and building things.  I started that learning process 3 years before I got to University.  Don't see how the current web is anywhere near equivalent to that.  At the time I was far more technical than a musician.

All the companies that were doing Synthesizers at the time are either not around now or are dramatically different. Reflects the music of the era as well. Things don't stay the same.

Even Roland Japan almost went out of business around 2011 with the valuation of the company and all its factories worth very little.  If I thought they were doing the right thing I wouldn't have left in 2001, so that did not come as a shock to me at the time.

You can now do with software what used to take much hardware, but that doesn't make it any easier to do, or stay in business.

I then spent over 20 years developing electronics and software in other industries and the reality is most of it is the same. It is engineering work, solving real problems, and time and time again, the skill require for that was completely undervalued in the business in Australia.   

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