Dave Smith, a synth pioneer, has "suddenly" died. He was 72.
Smith's synth brand, Sequential, first confirmed the heartbreaking news on the company's website and Instagram. It asked fans to share their thoughts and memories with the late musician to honor him.
"It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that Dave Smith has died. We're heartbroken, but take some small solace in knowing he was on the road doing what he loved best in the company of family, friends, and artists," the post said.
It did not disclose Dave Smith's cause of death. But his passing was sudden as he was still scheduled to appear at the California trade show, NAMM, this week.
Despite the lack of details, fans and supporters expressed their heartbreaks online by sharing their thoughts and heartfelt messages for Smith and his bereaved family.
Just heard the news that Dave Smith from Sequential Circuits , the man who "invented" the "ahead of it's time" Prophet 5 synth in 1977 , has passed away . This is becoming a terrible year for loss.
— Rick Wakeman CBE (@GrumpyOldRick) June 2, 2022
Dave Smith's Influence on Music Industry
Before his death, Smith left a massive contribution by becoming the father of MIDI due to his role in developing it.
The musical genius, who was also an engineer, had degrees in Computer Science and Electronic Engineering from UC Berkeley.
In 1972, he purchased a Minimoog and built his own analog sequencer before launching Sequential Circuits two years later.
Smith then released the Prophet-5, the first fully programmable polyphonic synth, which immediately became one of the most influential synthesizers due to its microprocessor.
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As the father of MIDI, Smith worked hard to introduce how instruments "communicate." He also coined the term MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), which allows devices to make and control sound.
Due to his commendable invention, he received a Technical Grammy in 1983.
Through Sequential, he launched Prophet 600 in 1983. Smith eventually became the President of DSD, Yamaha's R&D division before the foundation of the Korg R&D group.
At the same time, he was the president of Seer Systems. Smith did not stop there as he created the first software synth for Intel and the first professional soft synth, Reality.
Before his death, he rebranded Dave Smith Instruments to Sequential in 2015.
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