History of YAMAHA keyboard instruments / Organ, Piano, Electone, Synthesizer
Toshifumi Kunimoto, General Manager, Corporate Research & Development Center, YAMAHA Corp.
Abstract: YAMAHA has released many keyboard instruments in its 120-year history. In this lecture, the history of electronic music synthesis in YAMAHA products is introduced. Analog synthesizers, FM synthesizers, and Virtual acoustic (WGN) synthesizers were epoch-making synthesis techniques. How YAMAHA introduced and improved FM and WGN technologies will be exhibited.
Agenda:
- History of YAMAHA keyboard instruments / Organ, Piano, Electone, Synthesizer
- Electone
- Analog Years
- FM Years
- Digital Filters
- Virtual Acoustic Synthesis and Digital Wave Guide
- Virtual Circuitry Modeling and Digital Mixing Console
Bio:
Toshifumi Kunimoto, born in Sapporo Hokkaido Japan in 1957, received his BS degree in 1980 and MS degree in 1982 from the Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo. He joined Yamaha in 1982, where he contributed to the physical modeling of musical instruments and hardware effects. He was engaged in LSI design for electronic and music synthesizer products and in 1987 was re-assigned to the engineering project of the historic VL1 synthesizer, followed by a few others including the AN1x, EX5 and Motif.