Howard Allen Chamberlin, Jr. is an American audio engineer and writer from North Carolina, most widely known as the author of the book Musical Applications of Microprocessors.
Biography In the 1970s while still at school he built an analog electronic music synthesizer and then a 16 bit computer from surplus IBM 1620 core memories to control it.The First Ten Years of Amateur Computing by Sol Libes, Byte magazine, July 1978Hal Chamberlin's Computer ACS Newsletter, Volume III, Number 2, September 1972
He was awarded an MSc in Communication Engineering from NCSU in 1973. The subject of his thesis was the design of a digital music synthesizer utilising an organ keyboard and a Tektronix 453 oscilloscope for a graphics display.
In November 1974 together with others began The Computer Hobbyist magazine.Fire in the Valley: The Making of The Personal Computer by Paul Freiberger, Michael Swaine, Pragmatic Bookshelf, 3rd edition, 30 Oct. 2014,
In 1977 he first published wavetable synthesis in Byte's September 1977 issueA sampling of techniques for computer performance of music by Hal Chamberlin, Byte, September 1977 and together with David B. Cox started Micro Technology Unlimited.MTU Founders in Digital Audio Workstations At Micro Technology Unlimited, in 1981, he designed the 6502-based MTU-130/140 microcomputerCompute!, Issue 19, December 1981, p. 72 and the Digisound-16, an early digital to analog converter.
His seminal book Musical Applications of Microprocessors was first published in 1979.Acknowledgements , Music From Outer Space websiteThe Kurzweil Music story: It all started with Ray, Kurzweil Music Systems, 25 January 2012
In 1983, he completed design and construction of the electronics and computer for the Notebender, an innovative keyboard controller with keys that move toward and away from the performer as well as downward.
In 1986 he left MTU to work for Kurzweil Music Systems where he remained in one engineering role or another until retirement in 2014. While there amongst other projects he designed the Kurzweil K150Product information and history, December 2000
In 1992 he moved to Boston.Meet the Members of the Tour, KRWG, 2004
See also Homebrew Computer Club AIM-65
References
Further reading Musical Applications of Microprocessors by Hal Chamberlin, Hayden Book Co., 1980, Musical Applications of Microprocessor by Hal Chamberlin, 2nd ed., Sams, 1985,
External links Interview by Brian Cowell, Sonikmatter, January 2002. (archived) "Hal Chamberlin" search at Archive.org The Computer Hobbyist