Chapter 11 The Microprocessor Revolution ( ) Contents From Transistors to Microprocessors Music Software for Microcomputers A Brief History of Soldering and Composing

2 Chapter 11 The availability of the microprocessor in 1971 ushered in a paradigm shift from large, mainframe computer music systems to the personal computer. One of the first “oscillators on a chip” used by musicians was the inexpensive and widely available Signetics NE/SE566, designed for use in touch-tone telephones. Chapter 11 The Microprocessor Revolution ( )

3 Chapter 11 A breakthrough in microcomputers came with the arrival of the KIM-1, a predecessor of the Apple computer that used the same chip set. Composers began to adopt the KIM-1 for musical applications during the early 1970s. By the early 1980s, the affordability of integrated circuits and microprocessors was directing development toward the production of sophisticated, multifunction sound chips and digital signal processing components for electronic music. Chapter 11 The Microprocessor Revolution ( )

4 Chapter 11 The availability of MIDI in 1984 incentivized microcomputer makers to develop more robust methods of producing computer music. One result of this activity was the sound card, or expansion card, which could be added to a personal computer to expand its synthesizing capabilities and provide analog audio output of the sound signal. Chapter 11 The Microprocessor Revolution ( )

5 Chapter 11 Software instruments and digital audio workstation programs provide software tools for the electronic music composer on a microcomputer. There is a tradition of instrument-making in the field of electronic music involving composers who construct electronic musical instruments from inexpensive components for the purpose of realizing works for media or live performance. Chapter 11 The Microprocessor Revolution ( )

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