How the Synclavier & Cameron Jones Changed Music

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@Musicman25-b4d 3 ай бұрын

In 1983 The University of Illinois had a Synclavier 3200 and I remember begging the Professor for quite a long time to allow me to come look at it and see it in action. I was stunned at that thing and never forgot that moment! It certainly changed my life for sure!!

@AdamDallas 3 ай бұрын

When Cameron said how Sydney and John passed away, the weight behind it was palpable, I felt genuine sadness for him. As always Anthony, I love the amazing stuff you're putting out here. It's an absolute treasure trove for those of us who love electronic music and computers. Thank you.

@anthonymarinellimusic 3 ай бұрын

Thank you for saying that!

@issiewizzie 3 ай бұрын

Cameron Jones's mind is so fresh .... may God continue to bless him with good health

@ellisbenm 3 ай бұрын

This is an incredible piece of, not only music but computer history. It's hard to imagine how primitive and challenging computers were to use in music in those days if you've grown up using modern DAWs. This guy's a very humble big brain.

@wallacebillingham9388 3 ай бұрын

Wow John Chowning a few weeks ago and now Cameron Jones Along with Anthony three absolute legends!!!!!

@RAGINxxXxxCAJUN 3 ай бұрын

Good job on the interview. I love that you let the person talk and don't interrupt them. Awesome

@Andrew-rz7qt 3 ай бұрын

You haven't changed at all, still have the same energy and enthusiasm. This is one heck of an interview and every passing week this channel keeps getting better and better.

@floydadams1119 3 ай бұрын

Anthony, thank you so much for this interview! I maintained Synclavier Direct To Disk systems out of N.E.D. NYC from ‘88-‘90 and still remember the sound and feel of the instrument. I owe my whole music and pro audio career to that system because of what Cameron, Sydney, John and Brad created. Nice to hear Grif’s name too.❤

@jslick4589 3 ай бұрын

Lol, Griff McCree. I was product specialist for indy distributor, "Songbird Digital" out of Nashville, TN. Do you remember these names: Richard Head, Jeff Postupak, Neil Karsh, Martin Royer, Sean Callery, Chad Hailey, Joe Perry? In Spring 1991 I spent two weeks in Manhatten filling in as field tech support. I think I remember hanging out with you... maybe? One night, we took a cab downtown and went to a rock club in an old church.

@erobinson1 3 ай бұрын

I love to learn the history of music from a technical standpoint. The TONTO, the Yamaha GX-1, and the Synclavier (among others) don’t get the respect they deserve. 💐

@michaelmattioli7230 3 ай бұрын

I was in college jazz big band at Riverside City College in CA from 1980 - 85 playing saxophones and studying jazz (what a gift! thank you Roger R.I.P. and all of my band mates over the years) and our director arranged for a demo of the Synclavier one day. That day changed my life forever. What an amazing instrument and system that was light years ahead of its time! If I had only the huge amount of money it took to buy one... It still motivated me into learning synthesis, and playing and recording keyboards, starting with the Roland JX 3P and the DX7 shortly thereafter - instruments I took out loans to purchase - and I waited on the DX list for at least 6 months before I could buy mine. These instruments and that Synclavier demo heavily shaped the next several decades of my music career and the rest of my life, and I am forever grateful. Thank you Anthony for all of your great work helping and making so many incredible pieces of music. These interviews and history of these geniuses, their passion, gratitude, and their creations continue to be inspiring to me and others, - how does it get any better than that?! Thank you so much.

@bitegoatie 3 ай бұрын

What a character. He is an original, and so are his synths.

@MarcelloDiLorenzo 4 күн бұрын

Thanks to this amazing machine, we have the best music composed by Zappa!

@gregoryeddy6100 3 ай бұрын

I’m a 60 year old Las Vegas almost famous 80’s Dj and a Digital Keyboard 🎹 Synthesizer player! There is nothing like a classic keyboard. I own a Yamaha DX7, Roland D-50. Roland D-70. The instrument that changed my life was my brand new Roland Fantom06 Digital Keyboard. 🎹 I have a complete band on board!😊 The Synclavier was the standard! When l was a young kid l was always in Radio Shack. Today I’m an Electrical Engineering Technician and a Slot Machine Technician 🎰 I can play the guitar 🎸 also! Great Content

@Rolanoid 3 ай бұрын

In 1994 I started working at a top audio post production facility in Soho, London that did all the big commercials like Levis. Being a music tech nut since the 80s, I had seen and lusted after the Synclavier in magazines. I was so excited to see they had a Synclavier in each of the studios at this facility, mainly for direct to disk recording. One of my jobs was to spend long laborious hours loading the Synclaviers from big optical disks after hours so they were ready for the engineer's sessions the next day and to hope that I hadn't missed an audio file. Sometimes I would have to go hunting to find the right optical disk if one was missing. I never got to play a real Synclavier but at least I have my Arturia plugin. It was amazing to hear that two years of Cameron's brilliant mind went into the plugin.

@NigelPeters-s1m 2 ай бұрын

Can’t thank Arturia enough for the amazing work they’ve done bringing those incredible emulations to the 99.99% of people who couldn’t ever layout for a real Synclavier (and all the other analogue greats!)!

@neiljvoice1603 3 ай бұрын

A fascinating interview with Cameron Jones. A real innovator in synthesised sound. N.E.D and the Synclavier changed so much and the tech we use now owes a lot to Mr Jones .Thank you Anthony

@johnmahoney5393 2 ай бұрын

Mr Jones freely credits his NED partners, too. Was a team effort and he acknowledges that.

@hexsecs 3 ай бұрын

Love hearing the history and significance of all this vintage gear!

@GuyaGuy 3 ай бұрын

Great interview. The Synclavier was and still is a radical instrument in that it combines additive synthesis and FM--and then later resynthesis and sampling. Even more radical, they can all be combined. And the Regen shows how Cameron like to push things even further--this time with 12 tracks, each with 12 partials plus the reverb and VA additions, making it capable of being an entire chamber orchestra. I've only exchanged emails with Cameron, but he was just as generous and knowledgeable as he is here!

@davidsharp3110 2 ай бұрын

Greg Hawkes of the Cars playing his Synclavier at Live Aid in 1985 with the late Benjamin Orr on front mic. I was on the air at G98 WGCL Cleveland running the simulcast and was losing my that my mind that I was witnessing this live on MTV and our stereo audio feed on 98.5 mHz in Cleveland, Ohio. I still have the master tapes I redorded on Ampex 456 that day.

@annother3350 3 ай бұрын

Thanks for inserting all the clips for context

@markseagraves5486 3 ай бұрын

I just love you guys. The Synclavier made my career in film sound possible. What a great interview. Thank you so much for putting attention on this wonderful instrument.

@kaitlyn__L 2 ай бұрын

I love the part about expression near the end. (1:10:30 to 1:15:00 or so.) Part of why I still play and love wind instruments and guitars is the level of expression. The timbres are more limited, though also as he points out they're not afraid to squeal or buzz or otherwise sound nasty if you push them! But the expression is there. The timbres from synthesis are so diverse, but expression is more limited. Especially the limitations of 12TET compared to the voice and just-intonated or freely-intonated instruments. It does turn everything into a piano, to some degree. So I'm fascinated in MPE for all the reasons Jones brought-up, and more. I also appreciate that he pointed-out we will REALLY see the potential of this in 10, 20, 30 years rather than today. It's going to take a while for new musicians to grow-up with these new control interfaces and new synthesis methods, and eventually find new niches I can't even imagine (despite eyeing-up an MPE controller for my own use).

@bux77 3 ай бұрын

So glad you’re capturing these stories before they are gone forever. Great job as always.

@s.kxx1956 3 ай бұрын

What an amazing video ! I love the synclavier and till this day nothing really touches it in terms of it being a true high end sound producing machine, it was super expensive and essentially tailor made and nothing since has competed with it, I hope the synclavier brand makes a full comeback and start making more of these

@jimmy_jamesjams_a_lot4171 3 ай бұрын

AHHH THE TIFFINI lamp is ON!! Synclavier?! THAT is the synth that had the extra option to actually came along with a person who could help you get it working? So to instruct it’s owner for the first year or so until they are confidently playing the thing, instead of the synth rendering it’s owner silently complacent (or worse) with its intimidating interface or potentially sickening accidental noises!! THIS is really really pleasing! To hear this guy share about his HealthKits!! And to consider that a musician who really gets into the tech side of things, they’ll spend more time deliberating over the interface that they’ll interact with their softwares, and designing the work surface, than they will actually performing and recording! This man is one of the first core sources from where having those choices comes from!

@jenslempke7883 3 ай бұрын

Such a humble man, considering how they revolutionized electronic music making. This is my personal experience with people who really developed amazing things that went on to be a standard in the years to come. They often are humble and down to earth since they have nothing more to prove.

@paulschilling2996 3 ай бұрын

Could be that many people who achieve true greatness are also humble

@troubleondemand7703 3 ай бұрын

This takes me back. I remember messing around with a Synclavier at Le Studio back in the 80's. The one they had was the all black one (no wood). I used it to record/sample and play SFX for a TV pilot.

@TedBrownMedia 3 ай бұрын

I met this dude at synthplex his signature look is canary jacket and hat. It was awesome having him tell me how the making of instruments went down. He was very humble❤

@shable1436 3 ай бұрын

That Fedora is cool

@issiewizzie 3 ай бұрын

Another piece of history for future generations.

@jadenamber8378 3 ай бұрын

What an amazing video! I had the blue Synclavier record as a senior in high school and that's all I'd ever hope to have. Best I could do is a DX7 and a 360 Systems rompler. But years later I worked with John Barnes on some projects and John ... lived on that thing. Fascinating to hear more about the origins. Thoroughly enjoyed this. Thank you. Looks like we are finally approaching what Bruno Martelli was prophesying in "Fame" 55 years later.

@galaxiesmerge_original 2 ай бұрын

This was another very important piece of synthesizer history that I am so glad is being told. That you Anthony for making this happen!

@MarcelloDiLorenzo 4 күн бұрын

I have to settle for the version made by Arturia but it remains my favourite synthesizer, together with the _Cs-80_ !

@marshalsea000 3 ай бұрын

Thank you - these unsung heroes need to be recorded. Genuine history makers. To everyone involved in this channel keep up the amazing work has fast become a channel I get excited when new videos get released.

@johnnyrocketed2225 3 ай бұрын

I’m not exaggerating when I say this interview should be in the Library of Congress. Absolutely invaluable piece of music production history. Thank you for doing all these videos and sharing your love of electronic music. 👏👏😊🫡

@davidsharp3110 3 ай бұрын

This oughta be sweet! Love it's sounds. (UPDATE) What a great interview. I have worked in the jingle business on the editing/mastering end of things. This is yet another wonderful look inside. Thanks to Cameron Jones.

@Listento360 3 ай бұрын

Great to see the people behind synth milestones being interviewed here. I loved hearing Cameron Jones tell the fascinating stories about building their own computer and developing it into the Synclavier. Keep up the good work!

@akamrkris 3 ай бұрын

As an advocate for sampling + synthesis, I must say how much I enjoyed this video. Thanks, Anthony. I am currently using the Prophet X by Dave Smith. This continues the sampling synth legacy started by the Synclavier.

@yupzone 3 ай бұрын

These interviews are so vital... And what a great machine. Thank you

@puppysick2 3 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing this beautiful story of the Synclavier instrument. I have always been fascinated by the pioneers for their vision, you have achieved it again Anthony.❤

@Anders01 3 ай бұрын

Amazing history! I'm impressed by how FM synthesis can be combined with other techniques such as additive synthesis in the Synclavier. Also the part about future AI instruments I found interesting, that's the next step in musical instrument synthesis.

@wavesequencer 3 ай бұрын

Another great interview and great to see all the historical footage/photos, somebody I've had the pleasure to meet and chat with a couple of times now. Craig is a 'top bloke' too - a smart and humble developer just like Cameron.

@YAMISOOLD2009 3 ай бұрын

I'm not a musician but this was interesting to hear about. I have seen the synclavier name on many album liner notes in the 80s and so when I saw the subject I had to click on it to hear more. Cameron is the kind of big brain guy I love to listen to. He is humble and yet has secured a place in musical and technological history with that instrument. All this happened while I was still in grade school and its great to put it all in perspective. Thank you!

@vektacular 3 ай бұрын

Anthony, you are a legend….i wish that I had friends like you around because I know my music would go from good to great. I feel like you’re among the greatest of all time in what you do and that we are very lucky to have you tell us about not only an amazing time in music from the field of play but also to teach us…Thanks so much!

@llemaire1 3 ай бұрын

Thank you Anthony & Rob for this great video and interview of Cameron Jones about this incredible musical instrument !!! Thx to be a great NED Synclavier supporter !

@JKVisFX 2 ай бұрын

That was fascinating! Finally being able to put a face and a voice to one of the creators of that amazing system. His story was so vivid, it was almost palpable, almost as if I could feel it in my hands. I have the iPad and the Arturia versions of the Synclav and just love them. I wish I had that keyboard to control the software with.

@5tephenD Ай бұрын

I learned BASIC the same way Cameron did, 2 years after he did, in my high school chem class, programmed on a TTY with a tape punch, connected to a NOVA computer at the district office. That launched my interest, studies and 43 year career in I.T....for Hewlett-Packard :)

@davewestner 3 ай бұрын

Anthony and company: Thanks for doing historical stuff like this. I am not a synth person, just a lowly audio engineer, but I'm fascinated by hearing these stories, either of an event like the "we are the world thing" or learning about the history of the Synclavier. In fact, the Synclavier brought me to your channel in the first place, after I picked up some synth package that included it and Fairlight and I wanted to learn more. I came up just a few years too late to see either of those powerhouse instruments in studios, so I'm fascinated to learn what they were all about. cheers

@zmix 3 ай бұрын

Just great to hear Cameron in his own words walk through the development of the Synclavier. Thank you for this video Anthony..!

@adrian1072 3 ай бұрын

Guy is a legend. This interview is a great legacy. Thanks

@Rondo2ooo 3 ай бұрын

Another fantastic video, Anthony. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this video as an 80s kid with a keyboard geek mind. The Synclavier was so otherworldly. Thank you! 🙌

@tihinter 3 ай бұрын

NED / Synclavier invented the way most modern digital synths work, i.e. stacking partials that play on the same note but address rather different aspects of a sound. Thus a whole picture could have been in reach, that had never been possible in the glorious days of analog. But it should be explained that pro guys like Anthony knew exactly how to craft something. That is VERY different to the workflow nowadays. And it didn’t stop at the synth: pedals, board-internal EQs, esoteric prototype DI-boxes with rare UTC transformers, expensive early digital reverberators, reamping synths in a real big room, the sound of tape, the list goes on and on. I mean, what would the sound of a Synclavier at MJs hits be without Bruce Swedien and his incredible vision of sound and of the whole picture? I’d LOVE to hear more about that part of the game. Did you listen to the Synclavier dry while programming it? Did you have a tape loop of the song for playing with it? When would a Synclavier patch have been brought in? Early in production or after the main vocal? Were there any rules or later observations?

@ChrisMills-AmbientSpace 3 ай бұрын

OMG! Anthony! This is so cool - you are so totally hitting it out of the park with these fantastic music industry videos. Thank you!

@DrSynth 3 ай бұрын

Another phenomenal interview & episode, keep 'em coming !!

@svisketog 3 ай бұрын

Thank you for taking the time to make such a great Synclavier video! This must have taken some time, but the result will bring joy to many for years to come :)

@anthonymarinellimusic 3 ай бұрын

I owe a lot to my team, thank you!

@AndyVonal 3 ай бұрын

Thanks for this, Anthony! Love hearing this history!

@aftertheendtimes 3 ай бұрын

Thank you Anthony for shareing this Synclavier

@arthurcordeiro5285 2 ай бұрын

Thank you for another brilliant interview! The balance between interesting factual information and subjective emotional perspective flows across the conversation in a way that is very musical (and a pleasure to watch)! Seeing Cameron mention how he had to write in assembly in his early days actually made me think of Impulse Tracker (which was entirely programmed in assembly) and how awesome it would be if you could interview its creator, Jeffrey Lim, on your channel. It has a very rich history, being paradoxically both a revolutionary piece of music software and a fruit of the long iterative process that took place in the demoscene days (being a "Scream Tracker 3 rip-off" was one of it's key features). And, much like the synclavier, it had the user interaction at the forefront of its design, with a user interface that remains, to this day, second to none.

@Perenbarn 3 ай бұрын

Better UI than many modern crap today. Brilliant.

@DarkSideofSynth 3 ай бұрын

Such a wonderful story

@synthscrape 2 ай бұрын

Could of listened to you guys chatting for hours. Can’t wait to see what’s coming next from Synclavier

@morph-the-cat 3 ай бұрын

You and your team really are spoiling us...

@EricRabb 3 ай бұрын

This was Awesome! I learned a lot! 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿👍🏾

@jeanrolland9166 Ай бұрын

Love the hairstyle in the commercial!! Soooo 80!!

@anthonyschultz6801 3 ай бұрын

Great interview! So interesting ❤❤❤❤❤❤

@JoelBouchillon 3 ай бұрын

The Synclavier is awesome!!! But, Let’s talk about that large modular Oberheim system that can be seen over Cameron’s left shoulder….

@kaitlyn__L 2 ай бұрын

I know, right! Is that 10 SEM voices?

@axs203 3 ай бұрын

Cameron Jones sure knows his stuff! Another very interesting interview.

@trstack 3 ай бұрын

Another great dive into the history with Anthony. I was waiting for some mention of John Chowning’s “discovery” based on your incredible interview with him and the follow-up at CCRMA.

@albeckwall 3 ай бұрын

Great interview. Coupled with your previous vids on the Synclavier, you have produced quite the comprehensive body of work on this great piece of history. Tangentially, I echo (no pun intended) his observations about reverb on FM.

@Multi_ToBi 3 ай бұрын

This is a fantastic video! I had no idea how all that came about...thanks for this amazing history lesson!

@Mgee522 3 ай бұрын

Nuff respect to this guy. Thank you for this awesome post

@marcelosiciliano9365 3 ай бұрын

Incredible Video Anthony !!!! That´s absollut music history !!!!!

@rosalindwebb7729 3 ай бұрын

Fabulous thank you for sharing .❤

@jeffross761 3 ай бұрын

Thanks for posting these videos I get to learn a lot about the Synclavier it would have been a dream job to work on one of these systems in Nashville Tn they had a dealership a small place in Berry Hill I was 20 yrs old then and got to see the late model 9600 it was very impressive this system had direct to disk and I was impressed it did smpte time code and a magneto optical drive around 15 grand for that alone I'm a keyboard synth collector my self in the last 30 plus years it must have been mind blowing to work on the model c or even the model 2 nothing else was like that except for the Fairlight Cmi

@FailedMuso 3 ай бұрын

Thank you for documenting Cameron's significant impact on our industry. This is an important piece that needed to be made and I can't think of a better person to do that than you, @anthonymarinellimusic 🙏

@cybercalls 3 ай бұрын

It's a fascinating reminder that even the most advanced technology can find its roots in the natural world.

@baddriddimworkshop 3 ай бұрын

Guy's you need to know this; REGEN RULES THE FUTURE ! IT'S THE NEW ERA'S KING OF THE BEAT... Heavy sampling and sound engines in a multitimbral format that goes up to 12 tracks of up to 12 timbres using any kind of imaginable sound synthesis method , this aint a synth ; it's a sound computer, a beatmaker's cookpit ! And mounted on an articulated vesa stand it looks so cool sitting in mid air, vertically, in the middle of my setup! I think REGEN should be marketted towards beat makers and producers rathers than synth freaks. i'm in love with mine, it's another part of me (maybe that's what micheal meant in the song lol), an extention of my body... and it's not a reedition, it's a new thing (for most of us anyway for what was not added in regen), it's it's own thing suited sonically and practically for the way we do the work in nowadays using hardware, but with conveniances computers have (4 usb plugz for sequencers, controlers, and/or an multi output audio interface... and another sequencer for drums just because you can... memory on sd cards..), very well though and works like a horse with the latest firmware; it just happens to be made with the same geezer's programing and architercture, and thus it's a continuation, not a reedition; this is not a synclavier 2, it's much more than that as a destop generator, damn i love dat thang... if you are disapointed with what mpc's have became, regen might just be what you were looking for... super worklflow too once you get to know it... Quad core processor, 4 gigz of ram... Oh and BTW : listen to the blue record ("the sound of synclavier" 191) and then go check the movie "the night before"... ya see cameron's look? he look's like he's been released from a spaceship that just landed, well regen is defo a part of that, it sounds futuristic, generous, industrial but organic at the same time : ghetto and outterspace ! It's a damn heavy tool to create super drum machines, or grooveboxes, just to give an great example, this is a super treat to anybody beatmaking that is versed in sound design and sampling theory. I'M IN ! I'm one of those Synclavier passionate fanaticz from now on, i'm hooked, and it's not because of michael Jackson, prince, wargames or Sting, it's not because of the old synclavier 2 ; it's because of Synclavier Digital's new super generator ! CAMERON YOU ARE MY HERO ! (lol). And stop marketing the damn thing towards synth nerdz, you need to get in touch with the beatmakers community... I was bangin da beat on regen with my beatstep pro when the show began, and i'm going back... even if i could talk about this thing for hours, it's the type of unit you know you are going to spend years with, like when you spend the same kind of money in an mpc...

@mikeyboardmusic 3 ай бұрын

What a great and precious Interview. Thank you so much Guys! 🙏🙏🎶🎶

@R3R3T 3 ай бұрын

What a good hearted Synth

@christopherhammell9904 3 ай бұрын

I just love these. I'm obviously not alone but these are just great.

@ArgumentShow 3 ай бұрын

The only Synth i regret selling. But "The Who" bought it , so its in a good home.

@edda673 3 ай бұрын

wow people, fantastic story with lots of insights!!! tnx tnx tnx!

@larslevinberget9558 3 ай бұрын

Thanks Anthony! The NED Nynclavier was the synthesizer that could do it all, but we only had heard about :D

@josephcrollawelch 3 ай бұрын

Outstanding informative what a gem of a interview every since i was a kid in the 80s all the beeps of atari games fascinated me and hearing his contributions and interests blows me away!!!

@bernyboss 3 ай бұрын

Thank uou Dante for the great job!!!

@donwrangler 3 ай бұрын

This video was great!

@jasonkovac547 3 ай бұрын

Thank you once again for an instructional and informative video

@abregegere 3 ай бұрын

Thank you for this! You are doing some very important work in documenting all this stuff. And you are doing it in such a selfless manner. Kudos to you, and keep up the good work!

@ceddmack2816 3 ай бұрын

Thank you for this!!

@Xsiondu 2 ай бұрын

This was an excellent interview

@burmansound 3 ай бұрын

Nice to finally know how to correctly pronounce Synclavier!

@jon1979roma 3 ай бұрын

Love the vintage video!

@WayneMarcy 3 ай бұрын

Love this history, thanks for putting together.

@TonyThomas10000 2 ай бұрын

I remember when I did PR work for New England Digital, had a personal demo of the Synclavier at Westlake Audio, saw the Synclavier direct-to-disk demo at A&M Studios and hung out with Suzanne Ciani, and hung out with Alan Silvestri and his Synclavier at Group IV Recording. I think he had 16 voices and 13MB of RAM. At that time (1986), it was $4K per MB. So, over $50K for the RAM alone!

@richardsomerville5725 3 ай бұрын

Great vid Anthony reliving all the equipment and the development of audio gear (that the kids take for granted these day ) that we went through.Cheers 🙂