You should know James West, the Black inventor of the electret microphone

Black engineers have made massive contributions to sound and music technology, overcoming systemic discrimination. And yet, they’re too often unsung, even today. One anyone in sound should know is James West, who, as part of a prolific career, revolutionized recording with the electret microphone in research with Gerhard Sessler at Bell Labs.

1977’s Bell Labs Alles synth demo came pre-Crumar, features Laurie Spiegel cameo

In 1977, the marriage of motion pictures and telephones somehow birthed Hal Alles’ Bell Labs Digital Synthesizer – an experimental additive synth that imagined new directions for both music and vocal communication. This 1977 demo has the creator show off that vision, and Laurie Spiegel is on-hand to explore the device compositionally.

Peter Kirn - February 21, 2023

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