Presentation on 1980's synthesizers and electronic music

1. 1980
The decade of the synth

2. Analog vs Digital
The 80’s were a decade that saw the rise of
digital synthesizers. These were derived from
experiments into sound generation done on
computers in the 1970’s.
The first digital synthesizers were expensive
and had limited capabilities.
Many artists and musicians with low budgets
resorted to using older second-hand analog
synths causing a resurgence in their
popularity.
The Yamaha DX-7 was the first digital
synthesizer to be both innovative and
affordable. It went on to be very popular and
became one of the best selling synthesizers of
all time.
Roland Jupiter-6
Analog
Yamaha DX7
Digital

3. Analog Synths in TV
The BBC Radiophonic Workshop has used many
synthesizers since their rise in use towards the end
of the 1960’s. Many of the older members were
reluctant to use the new equipment due to their
limited capabilities and many of them left making way
for several new musicians, including Peter Howell. In
1980 Howell was commissioned by Doctor Who’s new
producer, John Nathan-Turner, to produce a new
arrangement for the signature tune to the show. This
new theme was produced on various synthesizers
including the Yamaha CS-80 and the Roland Jupiter-4.
In 1984 musicians Mike O’Donnell and Junior Campbell
applied to produce the music for the children’s
television show, Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends.
They were accepted and produced music for the first 7
seasons. The music of the first 2 seasons were
composed using the Roland Jupiter-6.

4. Video Game music of the 80’s
The 1980’s saw the decline in the arcade machines and
the rise of the home video consoles.
These consoles made use of digital sound chips to
produce a form of music known colloquially as
‘chiptune’ or ‘8-bit’.
Some of the famous pieces from this era include the
theme to Pac-Man, composed by Toshio Kai and the theme
to Super Mario Bros., composed by Koji Kondo.
The end of the 80’s also saw the introduction of the
first handheld game console, the Nintendo GameBoy.
The GameBoy also utilized chiptune sounds to produce
music. One of the most well known pieces from the
GameBoy is the Tetris ‘A-Type’ theme, a digitized
version of the Russian folk-song ‘Korobeiniki’
arranged by Hirokazu Tanaka.

5. Synth-pop and other
electronic music.
The 80’s saw a great rise in the popularity of synth-
pop. Artists like Gary Numan experimented with a
minimoog synthesizer that had been left in the studio
by another band and decided to incorporate the
electronic sounds into his band ‘Tubeway Army’.
The Electric Light Orchestra saw the departure of
their string section in the early 80’s and let the
synthesizers take a dominating role in their music.
Louis Clark, former arranger and live keyboard player
for ELO, produced a series of albums through the 80’s
in the classical disco genre. The albums feature
compilations of classical pieces with a continuous
synth-beat track.
ELO’s 1981 album, ‘Time’ contains one of my personal
favourite singles called ‘Twilight’. This album
topped the UK charts for two weeks.