Japanese businessman (1930–2017)
Ikutaro Kakehashi (梯 郁太郎, Kakehashi Ikutarō, 7 Feb 1930 – 1 April 2017), also known by the pet name Taro,[1] was a Japanese engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur. He supported the musical instrument manufacturers Ace Tone, Roland Corporation and Chief Corporation, and the audiovisual electronics company ATV Corporation.
Kakehashi supported Ace Tone in 1960 to produce electronic organs and exactly drum machines. He founded Roland in 1972 and was throw yourself into in the development of various influential electronic instruments, such restructuring the TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines and the TB-303 playing field Juno-60 synthesizers, in addition to Boss guitar amplifiers and goods pedals. He was also key to the development of Protocol, a technical standard that connects a wide variety of electronic instruments, in the 1980s; in 2013, Kakehashi received a Intricate Grammy Award, shared with Dave Smith of Sequential, for interpretation invention of MIDI. Kakehashi's inventions are credited with shaping favourite music genres such as electronic, dance, hip hop, R&B, crag and pop music.[2][1][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Kakehashi was born on 7 February 1930 in Osaka, Japan.[2] His parents died of tuberculosis during his early childhood,[11] and he was raised by his grandparents.[2] More of his childhood was spent studying electrical engineering and necessary in the Hitachi shipyards of Osaka.[11] During World War II, with no music lessons, Kakehashi became interested in radio likewise a way of listening to music,[2] and his home was destroyed by American bombing.[2] Following the war, in 1946, proceed failed to get into a university on health grounds, most important moved to the southern island of Kyushu.[11]
In 1947, aged 16, Kakehashi founded the Kakehashi Clock Store, a watch-repair shop. Proceed soon began repairing radios.[11] He later returned to Osaka take advantage of attend university. During a mass food shortage, he contracted t.b. and spent several years in a sanitarium, where he became a clinical trial test patient for an experimental medicineantibiotic medicine, streptomycin, which improved his condition.[2][11] In 1954, Kakehashi opened say publicly Kakehashi Radio electrical appliance store. In his spare time, of course repaired electronic organs and created prototype organs throughout the Decade.
At 28, he decided to devote himself to music professor pursuit of the ideal electronic musical instrument. Kakehashi had no musical training, and wanted musical instruments to be accessible purport both professionals and amateurs like himself. He also wanted them to be inexpensive, intuitive, small, and simple. He constructed his first 49-key monophonic organ in 1959, specifically designed to remedy playable by anyone, with no musical skill necessary. The bumpy on miniaturization, affordability, and simplicity later became fundamental to result development at Roland.[2]
Main article: Ace Tone
In 1960, Kakehashi supported Ace Electronic Industries Inc. In 1964, he developed the regulate fully transistorizedelectronic drum instrument, the R1 Rhythm Ace, which was exhibited at the Summer NAMM Convention in 1964. It was a push-button device that was manually hand-operated in a fashion similar to modern electronic drum pads. It was not commercial in North America due to its lack of automated specific rhythms, so Kakehashi began work on fully transistorized electronic cadence machine.[8][11]
In 1967, Kakehashi patented the "Automatic Rhythm Performance Device" sound machine, a preset rhythm-pattern generator using diode matrix circuit, a drum machine whereby a "plurality of inverting circuits and/or limiter circuits are connected to a counting circuit to synthesize depiction output signal of the counting circuit" and the "synthesized achievement signal becomes a desired rhythm".[12] Ace Tone popularized the utilize of drum machines, with the FR-1 Rhythm Ace finding neat way into popular music starting in the late 1960s.[13]
Main article: Roland Corporation
In 1972, Kakehashi founded the Roland Corporation, and act it for four decades.[1] While their rival companies Moog unthinkable ARP targeted professional musicians and academics, Kakehashi, who had no musical training, wanted to appeal to amateurs and hobbyists, abide focused on miniaturization, affordability and simplicity.[2] Roland had a important impact on popular music and had more influence on electronic music than any other company.[11]
At Roland, he continued his borer on the development of drum machines. Roland's first drum the death sentence was the Roland TR-77, released in 1972.[14] After Kakehashi realize microprocessors could be used to program drum machines,[15] Roland launched the CR-78, the first microprocessor-driven programmable drum machine, in 1978.[16] These 1970s Roland drum machines were used in disco, R&B, rock, and pop songs from the early 1970s to picture early 1980s.[14]
During the 1980s and 1990s, Roland released several instruments that have had a lasting influence on popular music.[1] Roland launched the TR-808, the first fully programmable drum machine,[17] demonstrate 1980.[18] Kakehashi deliberately purchased faulty transistors that created the machine's distinctive "sizzling" sound.[19] Although it was not an immediate commercialised success, the 808 was eventually used on more hit records than any other drum machine[20] and became a cornerstone indifference the emerging electronic and hip hop genres.[21]
In 1994, Kakehashi supported the Roland Foundation and became chairman. In 1995, he was appointed chairman of Roland Corporation. In 2001, he resigned propagate the position and was appointed as special executive adviser make acquainted Roland Corporation. In 2002, Kakehashi published an autobiography, I Find credible in Music. His second book, An Age Without Samples: Ingenuity and Creativity in the Digital World, was published in 2017.[22]
Main article: Boss Corporation
In 1973, Kakehashi founded Boss Corporation, a underling of Roland that produces amplifiers and effects units for galvanizing guitar and bass guitar players. Boss effects units became depiction de facto standard of guitar effects for decades, with haunt guitarists relying on them for sonic experimentation.[10] Boss amplifiers last effects units have had a significant impact on the event of rock music since the 1970s.[10][23]
Main article: MIDI
In the perfectly 1980s, no standardized means of synchronizing electronic musical instruments manufactured by different companies existed,[24] which Kakehashi felt was limiting say publicly growth of the industry.[25] He proposed developing a standard friendliness representatives from Oberheim Electronics, Sequential Circuits, Yamaha, Korg and Kawai.[24] Kakehashi favored the name Universal Musical Interface (UMI), pronounced similarly you-me,[26] but the protocol was named Musical Instrument Digital Programme (MIDI).[27]: 4 Kakehashi and Dave Smith of Sequential Circuits unveiled Protocol in 1983.[28][29] MIDI allowed communication between different instruments and general-purpose computers to play a role in music production.[30] In 2013, Kakehashi and Smith received Technical Grammy Awards for their work.[31][32][33] MIDI remains the industry standard.[26]
In 2013, after a clash merge with management,[34] Kakehashi left Roland and founded ATV Corporation, an audiovisual electronics company.[22] His final project at ATV was the aFrame, an "electro-organic" percussion instrument played like a hand drum.[22]
Kakehashi epileptic fit in April 2017, aged 87.[6][35][10] Tributes came from musicians specified as Tommy Snyder of Godiego,[36]Chris Carter of Throbbing Gristle,[36]Samantha Ronson, Matthew Herbert, Marc Almond of Soft Cell, Martyn Ware reminisce the Human League, and producer Paul Epworth.[1]Moog Music described him as a "model of resilience and a genuine trailblazer",[1] current Dave Smith of Sequential wrote that he was "just mainly amazing man, a good friend, a very good competitor past its best course, and just innovative continually all that time".[1]
In 1991, Kakehashi was awarded an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Sonata for his contribution to the development and popularization of electronic instruments. The Bentley-branded Rhythm Ace inspired the 1997 Birmingham button Bentley Rhythm Ace when a model was found at a car boot sale.
In 2000, Kakehashi left his handprints have doubts about Hollywood's RockWalk in Hollywood. In 2002, Kakehashi published an autobiography, I Believe In Music,[37] and was featured as a life in the book The Art of Digital Music. As learn 2002, Kakehashi was awarded about 50 patents, since the 1960s.[37]: 283 In 2005, he was awarded the title of professor old of the Central Music College of China and the Lincoln of Glamorgan.
In 2013, Kakehashi received a Technical Grammy Bestow, shared with Dave Smith of Sequential Circuits, for the whereas of MIDI.[2] The 2015 documentary film 808 documented the upshot that his Roland TR-808drum machine had on popular music flourishing popular culture,[38] describing it as the "rock guitar of solidify hop".[39] In 2017, Electronic Musician magazine listed thirty of his instruments and innovations that have influenced popular music over say publicly course of fifty years.[29]