product engineers

Will Alexander worked for Oberheim in the heyday of the synthesizer boom of the 1970s. He helped engineer the Oberheim Four Voice System as well as the popular OB-X units. He soon realized the role computers could play in music making and by using the early Apple products he began engineering instruments on his own. Over the years he played a vital role in designing and maintaining the electronic instruments for performers such as Keith Emerson. In fact, Will’s engineering helped create the sounds used in Emerson’s recordings of “From The Beginning” and the first hit for Emerson, Lake and Palmer entitled “Lucky Man.”
 

Craig Anderton was among a very small group of engineers at the dawn of the synthesizer revolution during the 1970s that was in the position to report, educate and compose music based on this new technology as it was being created. His monthly articles for Keyboard magazine have become a historic chronicle of the evolution of the new electronic music age. Craig’s compositions continue to establish new forms of musical expression and have long since been the source of inspiration for up and coming composers around the world.
 

Bryan Bell was given the task of engineering a working synthesizer using all of Herbie Hancock’s favorite keyboards back in the early 1970s, well before MIDI. Herbie’s single instruction to Bryan was that he wanted all of the sounds of his 20 plus instruments powered and fully controlled by one unit to allow Herbie to make all of the musical changes on the entire bank of synthesizers. Bryan succeeded and went on to play a vital role as one of the music industry’s most innovative sound engineers. Bryan’s NAMM Oral History interview was completed on January 21, 2005 

David Cockerell designed one of the earliest synthesizers produced in the United Kingdom. The Synthi was introduced in the late 1960s by EMS Ltd. The unit, which came in a case with a KS keyboard, used patch cords to root reverb and ring modes. David also included two oscillators both with shape and level controllers as well as a frequency control. The design marked the beginning of many contributions to the industry over the years including his work on guitar effects pedals for Mike Matthews in the 1980s.
 

Jack Cookerly was an accordionist who was among the first to connect the instrument to the technology behind the electronic keyboard. He was chief engineer at Lowrey Organs and designed a number of unique and important advancements for the electronic organ. The resulting efforts can be found in the now historic Lowrey MX1. The MX1 organ had seven separate synthesizers that were all programmed to produce a given set of instrument sounds within the instrument. The MX1 was introduced at the 1979 NAMM show to a delighted industry.

Philip Dodds seemed to always be drawn to electric musical instruments as a teen, so it was no shock that he made a major contribution to the field of keyboard and synthesizer development over his long and successful career. He was hired by ARP in 1970 as the world was first being introduced to the many new sounds being produced electronically. He worked his way to vice president of ARP and years later held that same position at Kurzweil Music. One of the many fun parts of his career took place in 1977 when a young movie director named Steven Spielberg requested that an ARP technician set up a large unit for an upcoming movie. Philip worked on the synthesizer on the set and gained the directors attention with his knowledge of the instrument.

Pat Downes combined his engineering background with his passion for music to create the electronic air drums.  Forming the company Palm Tree Instruments, Pat became an inventor in the world of electronic mechanical devices that produce sounds.  The air drums are among his most noted products, which relied on computerized sensors that detect the motion of hands and arms to create music.  In the early innovative years of synthesizers and MIDI, Pat helped shape the thinking that little was impossible when it came t

Steven Eaklor is a walking encyclopedia of the history of the electronic organ –especially the Hammond organ. Since he was a child he has loved the Hammond and ironically enough grew up to become one of the company’s product engineers. Within the industry, Steven has played a vital role as the leading Hammond expert for the Museum of Making Music and countless publications. He worked to promote the instrument and even helped with some designs and electronic improvements over the years.

Norm Erickson was hired by the Lowrey Company in 1947. At that time, the company was still producing cement powder mixture. However, Lowrey’s owner had an interest in the electronic organ that was being developed by Laurinz Hammond, so he sought Norm as an engineer.Norm’s designs, in addition to those of his teammates, led to a line of organs just right for the average home.When Chicago Music Instruments (CMI) purchased the Lowrey Company in the late 1950s, Norm was promoted to executive positions in the company.