Since it’s the first appearance, digital music has certainly come a long way! We all know Bell. The name has had a long and distinguished history in the worlds of technology and business. But did you know that Bell put out an album of experimental computer-generated music in 1960?
“Music from Mathematics”.
Various programmers tried their hands at creating this computer-generated music. It was not an easy task back then because they needed to use their programming skills via punch cards. The Music from Mathematics album was created using the IBM 7090 computer. At the time, this was a cutting edge device optimizing its “massive” 32k of memory with an electronic-to-sound transducer.
The person responsible for the production of the recording was Professor Max Mathews. Considered a pioneer, he was the primary force behind creating computer-generated music. Professor Mathews developed the groundbreaking Music-N software at Bell Labs. Although it wasn’t the first program developed to create music from computers, it was widely acknowledged and recognized in the digital community.
Music-N’s principles are the foundation of Digital Signal Processing. In fact, they were so innovative, that these principles are still used in today’s software as well as hardware for music creation.
Of course, this album is now extremely rare. So, any record collector who discovers a vinyl copy is very lucky indeed. But if you just want to hear what it sounds like, the good news is that it is easy to find. We do not have to go rummaging around swap meets and garage sales hoping to unearth this treasure. And that is because the album is posted on YouTube for everyone to access.
Digital and computer-generated music have definitely come a long way.
Did you know “Music from Mathematics” is well known with movie buffs as well? One day Arthur C. Clarke was touring the lab. He heard the “Daisy/Bicycle Built for Two” track on the LP. The result of that was the inspiration that led to Hal 9000 singing it as he was deteriorating in the Film, ”2001: A Space Odyssey”.
But music has come a long way and On-Hold Marketing now offers an entire library of inspiring music. There is no need to endure the generic music made for a phone system. So why not enhance your caller experience? Enjoy professional messages mixed with real music for your hold feature. Will it work on your system? You bet! Our studio ensures the right format for all systems including landlines as well as the latest VoIP system. Let us create original, professional and affordable messages to entertain and inform your callers.
Check out our sample page to hear some of our music offerings as well as the demos of our announcers.
“The digital revolution is far more significant than the invention of writing or even of printing.” – Douglas Engelbart