Max V. Mathews, the computer music pioneer

Abstract

Max Vernon Mathews (born November 13, 1926) is the pioneer of computer music sound synthesis and control. After receiving a Sc.D in electrical engineering from M.I.T. in 1954, Mathews directed the Acoustical and Behavioral Research Center at Bell Laboratories at Murray Hill, New Jersey from 1962 to 1985, where he designed and implemented the first important computer programs to synthesize musicals sounds, starting with MUSIC I, in 1957. Mathews’ ingenious strategies traversed many computer generations of improvement, and now form the backbone of much of the music synthesis industry. In 1968, Mathews turned to real time control of musical synthesis, resulting in the GROOVE system, which, like the MUSIC programs, provided a conceptual basis for further developments in computer-based musical performance. Mathews has influenced many musicians and researchers, including Pierre Boulez, who based major research aspects of his Institute de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique (IRCAM) in Paris on the work of Mathews and his colleagues. Mathews has received awards from the NAS, NAE, ASA, AES, and IEEE, as well as the Republique Francaise, and has been a professor of musical research at Stanford University since 1987.