Dr. John Chowning

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Oral History Information

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FM Sound Synthesis

Dr. John Chowning is known throughout the world for his discovery of FM sound synthesis, which, when used in the context of electronic musical instruments, provided an alternative to the way synthesized music was being created. The technology was first used with great success in the Yamaha DX7, which not only sold extremely well and was a success in the market place, but it changed the way the world thought of and used electronic keyboards. As a professor at Stanford University, Dr. Chowning also designed a number of other applications for FM sound synthesis and similar electronic musical concepts.