I founded, owned and operated a High Tech, MIDI, Music Software and Hardware company, Hybrid Arts, Inc. from 1983, to 1992.  It was "absorbed" into a company co-owned by Apple Computers in 1992 - DigitalFX.  I founded the company, was President/COB, all key products were my ideas, I sold and managed the relationship with a European franchise, Hybrid Arts GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany,... as well as worldwide sales and distribution with my team.  My team of engineers were also worldwide, with products produced for Japanese companies, product relations with European companies and etc.  I developed relations with our Software engineers, company relations (resellers, distributors and manufacturers) and how we shared product and information (company business info, MultiMedia, Song, Sound, Sequence Data Files,...), was revolutionary.

My key product ideas (there were well over 30), which I also managed production of, included;

1) MIDIMate and MidiTrack (Oct. 1983, MIDI not accepted until Dec 1983 - for Atari 800, 8bit computer with 48k of RAM), worlds first MIDI hardware and software for personal computers.  MidiTrack offered an integrated MIDI Recorder and MIDI Keyboard editor / librarian, using a full graphics (GUI) display of the Prophet 600 synthesizer and a "light-pen" for programming.  The entire graphics display fit into 760bytes of RAM, using a custom font set that I designed.  I wrote the graphic editor / librarian and designed the MIDI hardware interface.  We used the FORTH programming language.  This was our first product, along with a dozen other products I dreamt up, including; Session Player, a set of MIDI Files for cover tunes, for would be stage performers and etc.

2) SmpteMate (1985 - for Atari ST, 16bit computer with 4Meg of RAM) worlds first SMPTE reader for PC's, which also is bit accurate (even today, MIDI to SMPTE synchronizers are only 1/6 frame accurate!).

3) SmpteTrack (1985 - for Atari ST, 16bit computer with 4Meg of RAM), worlds first, virtual, multitrack MIDI recorder, with bit accurate SMPTE lock, using SmpteMate .

4) ADAP I (RAM) & II (MultiTrack Direct To Disk) (1986 - for Atari ST, 16bit computer with 4Meg of RAM), Professional GUI digital audio editor / recorder (sampler and direct to disk), worlds first for personal computers,... still used today at Sony Pictures Studios, on such shows at "The Simpson's", "King Of The Hill",... because ADAP does things no other sampler does.  ADAP nearly became a film/tv industry standard as a Sound Editing DAW. It was the standard sound editing tool used in all TODD AO Sound Edit bays (10 bays) for all feature films and television shows.

5)  GenPatch (1984 and 1986 - Atari 800 and Atari ST, and Mac), a generic Patch librarian for all MIDI boxes.

6)  GenEdit (1986 - Atari 800 and Atari ST, and Mac), a fully programmable (it had its own programming language), Patch Editor / Librarian for any MIDI box.  Included a set of graphics (GUI) and MIDI templates for the most popular MIDI devices, drum machines, keyboards, etc.,... of the time).

7)  MIDICom (1985 - Atari 800) - musician friendly, GUI windows (before MSWindows), cursor driven (pre-mouse), MultiMedia, telecommunications program, allowing anyone to download MultiMedia content from our BBS, as well as share MultiMedai with anyone around the world.

There were many other products that I produced for 8 bit and 16 bit computers, well over 30 products. We also developed the first networked game called MidiMaze, which used MIDI as the network to allow up to 16 Atari's to be connected for game play! There was also music scoring software for Atari, Mac and PC.

KAWAI MUSICAL INSTRUMENT, JAPAN

In 1985, I convinced Kawai and Atari Computers to allow me to bundle the Atari 8 bit computer and the Kawai K3 keyboard as a single package.  Several hundred of these bundled packages were sold, which included; CPU, color display, Hybrid Arts MidiTrack / GenPatch / MidiMate and Kawai K3 keyboard.  A first for Kawai .

INTERNATIONAL TRADE SHOWS, PR, HOST & TV APPEARANCES,...

I also Produced and managed around 50 trade show events for my company, worldwide, including live chats from the UK in 1989 and other similar events.  There were shows all across the US and Europe, include the NAMM in the US, and Music Messe in Frankfurt, Germany.  This included appearing on PBS Computer Chronicles, "E" and other shows, and several corporate partners videos, as part of my PR campaign.

I also hosted several panels at various trade show events, like "How To Sell MIDI Systems for Music Store Retailers" at NAMM, AES and other major events.

MIDI/WorldMusic BBS located at Hybrid Arts, Inc. offices

In 1984, my BBS, MIDI/WorldMusic Network, was revolutionary, in offering multimedia content for our customers and partners worldwide.  A companion product, MIDICom, which I produced in 1985, allowed anyone, anywhere to share "Songs, Sounds & Ideas WorldWide".

MIDI/WorldMusic RoundTable for GE (1987 to 1992) - GE saw my BBS and asked me to reproduce it on their IS, GEnie. Under Contract to GE and GEnie, I produced a Professional and Consumer Musicians Information Service for GE / GEnie, the MIDI/WorldMusic RoundTable, "Worldwide Electronic Exchange of Songs, Sounds, Ideas and Information", which is still active today at "genie.com".  This included producing live worldwide chats from around the world, like in 1989 from London's, Olympia convention center, where I provided real-time event information.

 

HYBRID ARTS, INC. - 1983 to 1989 (Founder / President)
TAPELESS TECHNOLOGY/RECORDERS

In 1983 I started a Revolutionary Music Software and Hardware company, (Hybrid Arts, Inc,. "Integration Of Technology and the Arts!) that produced MIDI and Digital Audio systems. Besides starting the company, preparing the first business plan, raising startup capital, being President and setting up International Distribution (even selling a franchise in Frankfurt, Germany, Hybrid Arts Deutschland, GmbH). I was the "Idea Person". Most products and ALL key products at HAI were my ideas. I also managed product development on most of these.

We were the first company in the world to offer MIDI software and hardware for personal computers (using the Atari 800, 8bit computers), MidiTrack was first demonstrated Oct. 1983, MIDI was not accepted by the Music Industry as a standard until Dec. 1984 (there was only one MIDI synthesizer at this time, the ProPhet 600). We were the first to offer a Professional Digital Audio Recorder & Editor for personal computers (ADAP, Jan. 1986), the first to offer a SMPTE synchronizer interface for any computer (used on ADAP and SMPTETrack). We were the first to offer a Music Friendly telecommunications program and Information Service (MidiCom and the MIDI/WorldMusic Network BBS at HAI), just to list a few firsts!!!!

OUR VERY FIRST FLYER
(The background in this photo is my last job
before starting HAI, Motown and an Ampex 24 track recorder,
The left screen is MidiTrack and the right screen is the
full graphic / GUI screen for the Prophet 600, all controllers!)


One of our magazine ads (worldwide).







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The HAI BBS went online in 1984, MidiCom started shipping in 1985.




One of my "concept products", this one was never developed.
(It would have been the worlds first Latop, Electronic Book/Newspaper,...
I'm still trying to get it funded today,... but better!)

GE saw my BBS at HAI and asked me to duplicate it on GEnie. GE contracted me from 1987 to 1992 to reproduce that BBS. MIDI/WorldMusic RoundTable is still active today at "genie.com".