raphy of an American Evangelist. New York: Contin-
uum, 1999.
Jennifer HellerSee also Bakker, Jim and Tammy Faye; Falwell,
Jerry; Heritage USA; Religion and spirituality in the
United States; Robertson, Pat; Scandals; Televangel-
ism; Television.
Synthesizers
Definition Electronic devices for producing and
manipulating sound, especially music
Synthesizers became common in popular music during the
1980’s in genres ranging from rock to countr y, as well as
classical, stage, and sound track music.
Analog synthesizers had existed since the early
1960’s. While their sound was not realistic, it created
unique musical effects that opened up new avenues
of experimentation for composers and performers.
Nevertheless, analog synthesizers were able to pro-
duce only one note at a time. Technologies devel-
oped in the 1970’s made synthesizers capable of po-
lyphony and of more realistic sounds, but the initial
versions were expensive. The 1980’s saw these tech-
nologies become practical and affordable.
Companies such as Casio, Yamaha, Roland,
Kurzweil, and Korg pioneered the decade’s new syn-
thesizer technologies, dominating the industry. Casio
and Yamaha broke into the retail-priced keyboard
market in 1980. Korg introduced the first mid-level
polyphonic synthesizer in 1981. Yamaha took its
place in the music industry by licensing the technol-
ogy for frequency-modulated (FM) synthesis from
Stanford University, achieving more realistic sounds
by combining waveforms.
Another breakthrough of the decade was digital
music sampling. The same digital technology that
recorded compact discs was used to record “sam-
ples” of real instrument sounds. Kurzweil introduced
the first sampling keyboard in 1983, but Roland’s
version, released in 1985, was both more affordable
and more nuanced, closely mimicking the sound of
a real piano. Casio released a low-end sampling key-
board in 1986.
As digital music evolved, interconnectivity be-
came a concern. In 1983, the industry-wide Musical
Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) standardized
interfaces and data formats, so users could connect
synthesizers, keyboards, computers, and other de-
vices to one another. MIDI would be updated to deal
with newer problems and technologies.
Impact Gradually, these new technologies re-
moved the stigma once attached to electronic instru-
ments. New genres, such as synthpop and New Age
music, specialized in the use of synthesizers. In 1981,
composer Vangelis produced the entire sound track
to the filmChariots of Firewith a synthesizer. After his
success withCats(pr. 1982), theatrical composer An-
drew Lloyd Webber continued to use synthesizers
in his shows and adopted a digital piano as his in-
strument of choice for composing. Sampling also
became a crucial technology, as artists learned to
manipulate sampled sounds, especially voices and
snippets of other musicians’ work, to create new mu-
sical effects.
During the 1980’s, synthesizers became commonly
accessible and used by average people. Churches be-
gan purchasing them in place of organs. Where mu-
sical instruments had previously been relegated to
specialty stores, department stores and electronics
stores began dedicating shelf space to synthesizers.
More affordable, portable, and space-saving than
pianos, the instruments were frequently found in
homes. Many products were marketed encouraging
people to teach themselves how to play keyboard
instruments with computerized assistance.
Further Reading
Friedman, Dean.Complete Guide to Synthesizers, Se-
quencers, and Drum Machines.London: Music Sales,
1985.
Jenkins, Mark.Analog Synthesizers: Understanding, Per-
forming, Buying—From the Legacy of Moog to Software
Synthesis.St. Louis: Focus Press, 2007.
Russ, Martin.Sound Synthesis and Sampling.2d ed. St.
Louis: Focal Press, 2004.
John C. HathawaySee also Compact discs (CDs); Computers; Con-
sumerism; Inventions; MTV; Music; New Wave mu-
sic; Pop music; Science and technology; Vangelis.The Eighties in America Synthesizers 937