Biography[edit]

In the 1970s while still at school he built an analog electronic music synthesizer and then a 16 bit computer from surplus IBM 1620 core memories to control it.^[1][2]


He was awarded an MSc in Communication Engineering from NCSU in 1973. The subject of his thesis was the design of a digital music synthesizer utilising an organ keyboard and a Tektronix 453 oscilloscope for a graphics display.^[2]


In November 1974 together with others began The Computer Hobbyist magazine.^[3]


In 1977 he first published wavetable synthesis in Byte's September 1977 issue^[4] and together with David B. Cox started Micro Technology Unlimited.^[5] At Micro Technology Unlimited, in 1981, he designed the 6502-based MTU-130/140 microcomputer^[6] and the Digisound-16 an early digital to analog converter.


His seminal book Musical Applications of Microprocessors was first published in 1979.^[5][7][8]


In 1986 he left MTU to work for Kurzweil Music Systems where he remained in one engineering role or another until retirement in 2014.^[5][8] While there amongst other projects he designed the Kurzweil K150^[9]


In 1992 he moved to Boston.^[10]