John Chowning will turn 90 in two weeks. What a blessing to keep such a clear mind at such an advanced age. Best wishes for many more years to come. Thank you, mr. Marinelli, for this interview and for all you do.
I’ve posted this a few times in various places, but I can’t resist sharing again. Dr. Chowning introduced me to computer music and launched my lifelong love of synthesis- literally, and in person. I grew up close to Stanford University, and one time my junior high school class took a field trip to CCRMA. This would have been around 1983-1984. John gave us a tour of the facilities and demonstrated the amazing capabilities of their music computer. I can recall hearing the sound of a trumpet which gradually morphed into a violin. And the sound of a train racing around the room, encircling us. I was utterly captivated, and have never ceased to be enthralled with the magic which synthesis brings.
This guy changed the world of music forever. Without FM, the music we heard in the past, and we still get to hear today, would have been so different in my opinion. It's really a fantastic opportunity that you got to interview Mr Chowning!
I love how FM synthesis is applied these days. But we gotta admit this guy contributed largely to the 80s bad taste in fake instruments to avoid hiring trumpetists, violinists, recording bells, etc. Great times.
@@kinetic-cybernetic That's exactly the point - the 80s would've sounded entirely different, which would've resulted in everything coming after it sounding different. I'm very glad it happened the way it did, because the 80s sounded absolutely amazing. Gated reverb on drums, FM synthesis, simple instrumentation, strong compositions, raw vocals - chef's kiss.
That‘s one of the most intelligible interviews I‘ve heard in my whole life. My respect for Anthony Marinelli grew exponentially. He‘s so knowledgeable of history. Of course I‘m also amazed how John Chowning reveals his motivation and experiences to FM, which I adored in the incarnation of my first synthesizer, the Yamaha DX7.
This interview is probably more important then most will understand now. Thanks John, thanks Anthony, everybody else who is making this possible. This video may not be removed from RU-vid/the internet for a long time.
It was such a pleasure and privilege to meet John Chowning at CCRMA some years ago - one of my heroes! And he is such a kind person! When I was around 15 years old I somehow convinced my parents to offer me a DX7 - I got totally obsessed with understanding how FM synthesis worked and I remember making my father drop me a full afternoon at the the YAMAHA dealer shop, during my school summer vacations, where I basically drove the shop synth tech/demo guy mad with all my obnoxious questions about how the DX7 sound programming worked! I later pursued Electrotechnical and Computer Engineering (because at the time there was no sound engineering degrees in Portugal) - at all the signal processing courses I took, all signals were sound signals for me (even when studying radar and radio frequency modulations, where I finally understood what FM was all about - and also understood why the poor YAMAHA shop tech guy struggled so much to explain how all that worked! ;-)). So meeting John was full circle for me! I'll never forget that day! What an inspiration!
As a lifelong DX fan, this is gold for someone like me. 🙏 Anthony for getting the legend back on camera again, and thank you Dr Chowing (and Gary Leuenberger, Dave Bristow and Yamaha) for the DX7 ❤️
Love the production values, sound, editing, inserts. Anthony is a great interviewer, summarizing, adding context. Love how this channel is evolving. Keep it coming!
That was fantastic. I also felt emotional at the end at the humility of both of you. John's an exceptional human being, and his 'don't give up' mindset enabled the path to the DX series. Thank you for uploading & sharing 🌅
A Huge thanks for recording this because it's so important to have these conversations for future generations. Thanks Dante for you hard work and also the rest of the team. ❤
Original DX7 was marvel of design & engineering and has its place in music even today. Very expressive & capable instrument. Thank you Dr. Chowning for your music passion! Being a 7yo kid and hearing DX7 for the first time was unforgettable and “out of this world” that turned me into music and sound design…
It was much more creative in past times, exploring, touching it with your Soul ❤. Now its almost everythnig computed with almost no creativity behind. Yes, sometimes You have some device which stands out like arturia microfreak or pockets ❤… i like to see many people turning back to instruments instead of laptops.
Edwin Armstrong invented FM for broadcast in 1933, and then John Chowning invented it for music in 1967. 34 years is a while for an idea to percolate, and I'm so glad that Chowning did all of that great work. It's also so interesting that his concept of FM is small clusters of oscillators, instead of a large group. Great interview! Loved his advice at the end, "Do it!"
It's not every day you get to see one legend interviewing another legend. You both know your stuff, that's what makes this interview so special. Thanks and greetings from Belgium.
Thank you Anthony (And team) for the chance to meet this awe-inspiring pioneer. Such a humble and brilliant person. Beeing a DX type FM afficionado I have always wondered about mr Chownings story and drive. And now I heard it straight from the source. Wonderful.
OMG ! First Manny , now John Chowning - - That Man is a REAL DEAL Magician ,- What a great story ! ..im tearing up here .... its palpable how much you look up to this old Giant ! 😚🙏 You have a knack for finding THE Pioneers, THE Biggest names in the industry - And i simply LOVE the way that you are being you , Maestro Marinelli .
Chowning is to musical synthesis as Wozniak is to home computing. Both men are inspired geniuses with a talent for educating and an inner drive to push boundaries.
Wonderful stuff, Dr. Chowning is a gem. We briefly shared a beer at Knobcon the year he was the guest of honor, I asked his thoughts on the Digitone, and how it felt to see a modern instrument presenting FM sounds and concepts in such a different way to what he discovered and refined.... and he hadn't heard of it hahaha
Thank you Anthony and thank you John for the wonderful gift you discovered, concieved the perseverence needed for so many in the world to enjoy. Gratefully.
What a fantastic interview! It was really heartwarming when John responded "Me too! Talking to you, it's the same." at 51:38, and you can see just how much it means to Anthony. I'm so glad I discovered this absolute gem of a channel a while ago!
Back in the days, I was the first owner of a DX7 in Holland. It was demonstrated in Utrecht and I knew right away that it was the synth for me! I orderd it the same day at Servaas music in The Hague, had to wait a long time for it to be shipped. I loved programming it and was able to put sounds on internet later with my Atari computer. It was a wonderfull time !
I remember seeing John do the launch of the Dx7 in England in the 1980s, along with Dave Bristow. The DX7 changed my life and led to a long passion for electronic music. Thanks for this wonderful interview .
One of the best interviews I've ever seen on RU-vid. There was so much interesting background, and John is so inspiring - and the people he's hung out with too... wow! An incredible crowd of geniuses! Thank you so much for bringing us these insights into history. I was born at the right time for the DX range of synths to be appearing when I was in my teens and starting to take an interest in electronic music, so all of this made quite a big difference to my world.
John Chowning helped me when I was working on an EM piece in college. He was at the Stanford Computer Music facility, which I drove by every day, and I chanced it and walked in. He was the nicest man (although surprised!), and offered to provide some sound files for me. I've never forgotten that interaction with one of the inventors of FM. Thank you again! Live 100 years!
through the end, you two nearly cryed, i cant help but i cryed, of happiness and joy, its incredible, the level of sensitivity, spirituality, conciousness toward sound design.. even over melody and harmony... timbre and evolving timbres over time, thats what i live for, my love for electric (digital, mathematic, or analog) produced soundscapes... thats why i teach sound design and synth programming to young producers. Thanks Anthony and thanks John for this magical hour of enlightment 🙏
Oh, you understand who John Chowning is and his "discovery/invention" as well. This, by far, is your best interview. I could say more, but there isn't much more I can really say. Bravo!
Anthony your interviews are totally to the point, full of curiosity, very well prepared and above all you are very respectful to your guests. John Chowning he is a legend and very humble which makes the whole interview one of a kind. Thank you
YAMAHA DX7 7 DX7 II and DX7 FD were the best keyboards with the incredible sound of FM SYNTHESYS !!!! Incredible sounds !!! a new ERA for Keyboards and synthetizers !!!!! Thanks to JOHN !!!! Salutes from Buenos Aires, Argentina !!!
A very touching interview, full of emotion. I'm a big fan of FM. I was about to start writing a podcast for a radio about the birth of FM synthesis (I did one last month about the Fairlight). Of course I knew the big picture of John Chowning as the inventor of FM, but this interview gives me a lot of details and what led him to discover FM. The ARP2600 also gives the opportunity to easily experiment FM synthesis.
I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this interview! John is both intelligent and easy to understand, while being humble and inspirational. I didn't know about his time in a Navy Fleet Band, which paid for his college education.
i sat down and made a patch on my yamaha tx81z in the middle of this video,, watching your conversation, i felt inspired to make some sounds of my own after not touching the instrument for months,, thanks for sharing your wonderful exchange with us
Great interview as always, Anthony. Well-picked subject and masterfully guided. There's so much to take away from this that is positive. During these times when young people are so (irrationally) down on higher education and university attendance, I'd like to underscore how so much of this happened specifically because of the way academic science operates openly and in pursuit of knowledge for the sake of understanding. These kinds of collaborative bridges that were built to produce this work, students from multiple different departments working together, professors and scientists from different universities helping those at other universities for the sake of the knowledge, are simply not possible solely within a business industry environment where money making is the top priority and all knowledge is guarded proprietary property. Our universities work on these kinds of things all day every day and are great engines of creativity, advancement, and human understanding. As a university professor and scientist, I see this kind of magic all the time (I'm in human cognitive neuroscience). Cheers and thanks for what you're doing! 🧠☀🎷
The term “university“ for most people has lost its original meaning as society or corporate assembly within which freedom of academic research and the exchange of ideas amongst disciplines was expected and highly valued. Thankfully that tradition continues at many major universities today.
One of the best videos on FM and with John Chowning, thank you so much for making it and sharing with all. My colleague just got back from Seul where John was giving a speech.
It's quite a lovely coincidence that one of my favorite things about Mr Chowning- a man eternally intrigued by the character of sounds- is the timbre of his voice. I always find it absolutely soothing to hear him talk. This is another spot on document, Anthony. We're all so thankful you've decided to do what you've done here on RU-vid.
i am 26... learning about this wonderful man's history, it's really inspiring to learn that his greatest contribution to mankind was only after he was 28... a life worth living. thanks for sharing this conversation
This is a beautiful, uplifting, and inspiring story that leaves me feeling optimistic and excited about where we're headed. It's conveyed with reminders about the importance of diverse influences, happy accidents, imperfections, and human emotions in what is ultimately achieved. Thank you Anthony, John, and the team, for making this wonderful video!
Wow. Absolutely blown away by this video. Thank you Anthony for sharing this, John's story. I was always aware that he was the 'Father of FM', just never knew the details. I was moved to tears at the end, just like the both of you. My first ever synth was a Yamaha V50 workstation. Only 4 operator FM, but still the heart of it. During the late 90's when they release the FS1R, it took the FM even further into "formant shaping" and up to 8 operators. This meant you could use DX7 sounds with the 6 operators and add "resonant filters" with the other 2! Really cool! Years later, I finally acquired a TG-77. FM is such an amazing discovery. Now I can see how it came to be, due to the passion of John Chowning!! Such a great interview and exchange of ideas. Thank you again, Anthony.
I love these interviews, Anthony. The reverence you have not just for your guests but also for music, history, and synthesis itself is so palpable and brings out the best in your guests and yourself. Cheers.
I share your emotion Anthony. This has to be one of the best lessons on sound design I have heard since I became a keyboard musician at in 1984. The DX7 was my first synth and I never managed to master the beast because I was lacking an understanding of sound design with terrible UX design on the DX7 with no knobs. I now understand that I totally underestimated the amazing contribution that John Chowning brought to the electronic music industry. Thanks for capturing this amazing monument of the industry.
I was at NAMM when the DX7 was introduced in 1983. What an incredible experience. I got to go behind the scenes with the Yamaha rep and get a lesson in FM synthesis. The whole place was absolutly buzzing with anticipation. You know the thing I remember the most was that everyone was saying that the Fender Rhodes was now dead! The DX7 did such a good job of emulating the "Dyna My Rhodes" sound that the DX7 was the only keyboard you would ever need. The dawn of a new musical age. Thank you so much for bringing this info to a whole new generation of synthesists Anthony! Cheers
Fantastic interview. Check out John Chowning's 1972 FM piece "Turenas" ("natures" re-arranged) elsewhere on RU-vid - remarkable considering it was created on computer and not just noodling away on a DX7 or Syncalvier :)
My 1986 Yamaha FM electronic piano still works, though never knew it was FM at the time. Great keyboard, that stays brilliant white, unlike most old plastic keyboards. It even does half pedal effect, 10 sounds and even MIDI.
This is so nice to remember! Thanks for that. I made me an Atari program acc that could store 8 banks in memory, push the sounds around and rename them, push a sound or a whole bank to/from the DX-7, and print out the full parameter list of any sound that was loaded, which looked quite orderly for these times with crude fonts. It could run in the background of Notator. So I needed no cartridge, but anyway, I built a cartridge but it had glitches and could not store the sounds reliably. But it was very cheap, with its RAM and battery. Today, this is anecdotal, and will catch nobody's interest. But have a nice time and much success, you FM owners and users!!
Great interview, Anthony! Takes me back to my Synclavier days at McGill and Appel Farm. And I still have my original Yamaha PF80, likely with some of the FM patches that John Chowning worked on while in Japan.
The point where his musicality goal was to change timbre rather than just intervals is very inspiring to try with my FM gear. Getting ideas from the originator that are new to me is what makes interviews like this absolutely priceless.
the guy, the one and only, the legend.... my 1st synth was ( yes, was...) a DX7, Thank you for letting me having so many hours of fun with my FM synth. 👍👍
Thank you very much for recording your conversation. Pretty much everyone knows FM sounds either for the classic sounds or more "aggressive" sound effects, but also some of the most beautiful, slowly evolving ambient pads I know of can come out of a DX7. I'm really grateful for Mr. Chownings discovery and that FM synths are so accessible and much easier to program today with the dexed VST for example.
What an amazing interview. Truly inspiring. What a humble man. Both of them really. So enjoyed that. I was a teenager in the 80s. The DX7 defined the sound of the decade of my favorite music.
Thank you John, Thank you Anthony. I never seen such an Interview where both Partners have a real similar admiration firceach other and could make such an marvelous Interview. Thank you Anthony (and Team of course ) for this awesome additional inserts. I really can‘t wait for Part. 2 Anthony nerding out the ‚Basement“ 😂. Thank your the best hour of FM I ever could see.
This is absolutely mind blowing. I agree with Anthony when he says there is there is still so much more to discover with FM. John is very humble but has had such a huge impact. This was not only interesting from a music/technical viewpoint but also emotional and connecting thanks to John. Anthony, thank you so much for this. Your passion and insight are inspiring.
I visited CCRMA as part of an AES field trip in the early 2000s, and while we didn't get to meet Dr. Chowning, we were treated to a few of his compositions in glorious 8-channel surround sound. Some of the 2op sounds were immediately familiar, but the spatiality of the sounds was a unique experience I wish I could experience again. We also got to visit an ambisonics(?) setup and I distinctly recall sitting in the "listening area" of the room in an (audio) hot-tub with fireworks going off in the distance. incredibly cool, and again, something I wish I could revisit. Tony's exposure to FM via Synclavier is rare, and his video on the subject is what got me hooked on this channel.
I so much appreciate the reverence and respect of which you have andwith which you speak and conduct yourself in this conversation. It is so much like the way i felt and treated my flight simulation instructor, Bill Mason. Bill had been in simulation from the beginning and was an unparalleled wealth of knowledge and understanding. Many many hours of conversation we would have about the deep intricacies of full flight simulation. He changed my life. Thinking about it now, i think i want to be a teacher of flight simulation.
having owned a dx7 back in the 80s.. this was amazing look into what it took to bring that into the world. - we have so much we can do now and built upon this discovery! - Thank you for this wonderful talk.
What a wonderful experience watching both of you "geek out" on your favorite themes. It was wonderful how you both gave each other room to communicate. John Chowning's work always seemed completely impossible for me to understand until I was able to see this calm and grounded discussion. It feels more approachable now. Thank you sincerely. Regards, Alan Tomlinson
@Anthony Marinelli Music great Video and Information. This video is going to inspire and help us creators to become more dedicated and start creating the music that we only can hear and imagine in our own minds, without fear. And that's going to start the next new music revolution. And we'll create the World's next big STARS, instead of personalities. Thank you guys so much for this video.
It's pretty cool that you're interviewing my heroes! Thanks! My first synth was a DX7 so FM programming came first. Between the DX manual, an ARP 2600 manual I found in a closet in my high school, and devouring Keyboard magazine, that was how I learned to program. FM is still home base for me and my original DX7 has continued to be used on projects to this day!
3 minutes in and I have an urge to go listen to Van Halen’s Jump. I guess I owe part of my childhood to this guy. The Dr. has brought so much joy into everyone’s life. I’ll be back to finish the video in 4 minutes.
I *love* this Anthony, you’ve revisited my senior year of college in detail when my advisor & mentor designed my curriculum around computer music, emergent technologies and “new music”. What an awesome video to wake up to on an otherwise bland Tuesday morning! Thank you!
In was thinking… what fortunate, this young man gets the chance to interview mr FM. Them I learned that Anthony is a legend himself. I’m so glad I found this channel.
Many thanks Anthony for such an excellent interview. I was struck at the end (55:09) by you musing about learning something about coding and John saying "do it". I think some practical engagment with programming might positively transform your notions about what the word digital means.
❤Great interview!! John CHowning is an example of work, dedication and love for his work. That is the cornerstone as far as fm synthesis is concerned.,.!! greetings
What a fantastic cerebral interview! It is such a shame that we don't have intelligent people interviewed by enquiring minds to share wisdom very often.. Thanks Anthony and John! I am still chuckling that a ~drummer~ found FM! Yamaha is an incredible company- they potted a GX1 using "Pulse Analog Synthesis System" with no microprocessors with bespoke LSI chips to discard it all for FM chips 6 years later. And 6 years after that memory became cheap to move to AWM initially as a hybrid. And now they are back to FM! The original HX1 system was expandable using MIDI to add tone generators (FM and AWM). 2^8 th like!
What a chance to have been able to watch this incredible testimony. I will never be thankful enough dear Anthony for what you’ve been giving us since the beginning of this channel. Thank you ❤
I’ve owned, tweaked and played at least a half dozen varieties Yamaha FM synths since 1987, the most current being a Montage. But in 37 years I have yet to really “just do it” and jump in to program new sounds from scratch just using my ear. This interview inspires me to finally do so!
What an absolutely INCREDIBLE VIDEO!!! This is so unique, so mesmerizing, so absorbing to hear from a legend in the music and synthesis design world, to hear his story about the discovery of FM is inspiring! There are more discoveries to make and someone out there has to be tinkering, talking, sharing, inquiring and experimenting to make them! Great work here Anthony - many thanks!
