AES New York 2019 Presenter or Author
David Rossum
Primary Affiliation: Rossum Electro-Music LLC - Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Secondary Affiliation: Universal Audio, Inc - Scotts Valley, CA USA
Starting with his co-founding of E-mu Systems, Dave Rossum provided the technological leadership that resulted in what many consider the premier professional modular synthesizer system. The E-mu Modular System combined superlative analog design, innovative use of digital technology, and unparalleled physical construction and reliability.
Reflecting Dave's belief that both analog and digital technologies each have their optimum roles, the E-mu Modular System featured rock-stable analog oscillators, exquisite-sounding filters, the first digital polyphonic synthesizer keyboard, the first modular digital sequencer, and the first microprocessor-based polyphonic keyboard/sequencer (among many other innovations). It became an instrument of choice for numerous recording studios, educational institutions, and artists as diverse as Frank Zappa, Leon Russell, and Hans Zimmer.
In the following years, Dave and E-mu turned their attention to affordable professional digital sampling with the Emulator keyboards and racks. The Emulator II in particular established sampling as the leading music technology of its time, becoming a standard fixture in professional studios worldwide and appearing on innumerable hit records and film soundtracks. It was followed by the Emax samplers, the legendary SP-12 and SP-1200 sampling drum machines, the Proteus sound modules and the Morpheus Z-Plane synthesizer.
In addition, Dave also developed and licensed technology that enabled the creation of many iconic synthesizers, including the Oberheim 4-Voice, the Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 and, via his design of many of the SSM music ICs, instruments from Korg, Kawai, and many more.
Today, Dave has restarted his career and at Rossum Electro-Music is building on his 45 year history to bring a new level of creativity, innovation, and quality to the electronic musicians, producers and sound designers of the 21st century. Dave is also proud to serve as a Technical Fellow at Universal Audio, Inc.
Session List
Oct 17:
EI01: Drum Machines, Groove-Boxes, and Tempo-Based Electronic Instruments (Presenter)
Oct 17:
EI03: Modular Synthesizer Designs - From the Past to Future Directions (Panelist)
Oct 17:
EI04: Embedded Computing and Instrument Design (Panelist)