RIP Dave Smith

[The Real MC]

I pulled out my copy of "Prophet From Silicon Valley" tonight.  I had forgotten how much Dave had contributed to the synth industry, and the book doesn't include the later DSI era!

My one encounter with Dave was at NAMM.  The analog synth renaissance was just starting, and I told Dave he should get back in the ring.  He said That's not a bad idea.  By the next NAMM show, he had introduced his first DSI product.  DSI (later Sequential) brought us so much since then.

 

Dave gave us so much... RIP to a great man.

[TommyRude]

oh wow very sorry to hear.. I never met Dave, but feel like I knew him from all of the discussion here about his contributions to keyboardists, musicians and artists everywhere.  RIP

[Analogaddict]

Terrible news… RIP Dave! He changed the world to a better place. 

[jverghese]

That was completely unexpected, to me at least.

 

I too meant to re-read the "Prophet From Silicon Valley" book, not least because of the great story, and the funny anecdotes. Now I'll be reading it with a different perspective.

[Bill H.]

Just got back from the coast... OMG 😪 just total shock and devastation.

[Theo Verelst]

It seemed his empire would last forever  but alas the teamleader exchanged the temporal for the eternal.

 

I'm sure many feelings are involved.

 

T

[marczellm]

I always think about just how much genius and engineering excellence and forethought had to go into the creation of MIDI. It amazes me to no end that 2022 products are able to talk to each other via a technology designed in 1981 that is so carefully thought out and extensible that it didn't even need to be updated until very recently.

[stoken6]

72 is too young. I'm not connected to him and the industry in the way that some of you are, but I will now think of Dave every time I plug in a MIDI cable...

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Mark Zeger]

In the late ‘70s when deciding on a college path, I was strong in math, sciences, and music. I chose electrical engineering because I wanted to be the next Bob Moog, Tom Oberheim, or Dave Smith. I said that to my guidance counselor (and explained who they were).

 

Though engineering was too great a challenge & I changed majors after 2 years, thank you, Dave Smith, for inspiring teenage me. 

[DaveMcM]

NO! Devastating news. RIP Mr. Smith.

[brenner13]

Not only inventing MIDI, but with assistance from Roland founder Ikutaro Kakehashi, they convinced all manufacturers to accept Musical Instrument Digital Interface as the industry standard.

Quite an amazing person that is sorely missed. 
The world is a better place because Dave Smith was here.

[Threadslayer]

A legend.

RIP and congratulations on a life well lived.

[synthizen2]

I was absolutely shocked to log in here today and see this news item at the top of the page. Wow. Total loss for words.

 

Yup, I sure do owe the guy a debt of gratitude for all he's done in synthworld, and especially with MIDI. What a great digital connectivity tool he created there.

[hipogrito]

Rest in peace. A legend for all of us working on this business.

 

Fran

[Moonglow]

I had the privilege of meeting Dave at a NAMM show and was struck by his friendliness and how he made himself available to others. He seemed to be a genuinely nice man. Thank you Dave, for all the music your innovations inspired. Rest in peace.

[allan_evett]

57 minutes ago, synthizen2 said:

I was absolutely shocked to log in here today and see this news item at the top of the page. Wow. Total loss for words.

 

Yup, I sure do owe the guy a debt of gratitude for all he's done in synthworld, and especially with MIDI. What a great digital connectivity tool he created there.

 

Debt of gratitude, indeed!  My first adventure in MIDI was with a Prophet-600. 

 

I got the news last night, right before starting a gig.  Shocked, to say the least; truly a WTF moment .  I met Dave at Sweetwater's Gearfest, 2016 I recall. Got a generous walk-through of the Pro-2. Guy was a kind, class act. 

 

Rest in Peace, Dave Smith!

 

 

[Keybass]

This is a devastating loss for us all. I respected him so much and will cherish forever my Prophet 10.

 

Thanks Mr. Smith, rest in everlasting peace.

[zephonic]

Only once did I get to play a the original Prophet 5. I came to a studio with my brand new Nord Lead 1, so confident. The P5 was there. I connected my Nord Lead and blasted some of my favorite patches over the mains (big speakers). The studio owner connected the Prophet 5 and told me ‘go ahead’. It made the NordLead sound like a postcard.

 

R.I.P. Dave Smith.

 

[sunspot]

Awesome reflection from another synth legend/awesome dude, Roger Linn:

 

https://www.rogerlinndesign.com/more/dave-smith

 

[ksoper]

I never met Dave but one knows an inventor's heart through the invention.  The Prophet 5 was not only a technical achievement but also a very fine musical instrument in every regard--sound, ergonomics, esthetics and build quality.  Through these qualities we know what he thought a synthesizer should be. And it is beautiful.  Godspeed, Dave. 

[NewImprov]

Such sad news.
 

I got to spend several years working at an electronic music lab at Oregon State University in the 1980’s, and during my time there, we got a Prophet 5 rev3, with the sequencer, as our primary synth. I got paid minimum wage to spend a few hours a day at the studio, and many more hours off the clock, ostensibly to teach students and faculty how to use the lab, but really, since there was virtually no interest, I spent my time programming the P5 and recording stuff. Though I owned an ARP Odyssey at the time, the P5 was where I really learned to program synths. 
 

Over the years since, I always wanted to get a Prophet, but never had the chance. I did own a Six-Trak and a Pro One, and always regretted selling them. Last year, I was in the market for a good polyphonic analog for the studio, and picked up a Sequential Take 5, and am frankly blown away by it, it has become my favorite instrument recently, it just sounds amazing, has a very useable interface, and the price was surprisingly affordable. I was so pleased to see the Dave Smith got his company name back, and was still designing great instruments.

 

and, of course, there is the whole thing of him developing MIDI, which I cannot imagine the last 40 years of my musical work without. 

[lightbg]

Between raising a family and sporadic gigs I never could afford the P5, and settled for a Korg Polysix. A bit later, the Pro One was introduced, and I jumped on it. It still gives me pleasure and there are no words to express the deep sadness this news brings. However, I don't need words to realize that the Pro One still inspires me on a daily basis.

 

Thank you, Dave.

 

Jake

[Al Coda]

Big loss and very sad,- especially in the age of 72 !

On all the pics I´ve seen ´til today, he never looked ailing.

Any info why he died suddenly ?

 

R.I.P. Dave Smith

 

 

A.C.

 

 

[Cliffk]

RIP Dave. 

[ElmerJFudd]

 

[NewImprov]

Just another small tribute to his designs: on a recent gig, one of the rotary encoders on my Take 5 got sheared off when a cymbal fell against it. I contacted Sequential, and they sent me a replacement encoder and knob, actually sent 2. I contacted a local tech to replace it. When he returned it, he said it was really great to work on, that stuff was laid out really well and easy to access. He said he generally hates working on new synths, but this was an exception. 

[UnderGroundGr]

R.I.P.

😢

[Mark Schmieder]

The San Francisco Chronicle finally published an obituary today, and it's pretty in-depth:

 

https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/San-Francisco-synthesizer-designer-Dave-Smith-obit-17215048.php

[Mills Dude]

Washington Post has an obituary on Dave Smith in today's edition.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/06/06/dave-smith-dies-keyboard/

[Mills Dude]

And yesterday an obit in the NY times

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/08/arts/music/dave-smith-dead.html