Members Anderton Posted January 12, 2007 Members Share Posted January 12, 2007 I just heard that Doug Curtis passed away yesterday from pancreatic cancer. Analog synth veterans will remember that he created a line of analog synth chips (oscillators, filters, etc.) that were used in a ton of synths, from Oberheim to PAIA. They were super-easy to use and provided an alternative to the SSM (Solid State Music) chips that were also extremely popular. Curtis chips were available to the public and easy to find, so if you had a soldering iron, a few other parts, and could read a schematic, you could create a synthesizer or throw together a quick 4-pole lowpass filter for your guitar. But Doug was also a really nice guy who did a lot for all of us, albeit behind the scenes. If you've played analog synths, the odds are very good that you've enjoyed his work. With he and John Simonton gone, two of the giants of do-it-yourself analog synthesis are no longer with us...and I'm not sure any more are coming our way any time soon... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alndln2 Posted January 12, 2007 Members Share Posted January 12, 2007 Wow, sorry to hear that. R.I.P. Doug. Werent those chips used in the Oberhiem drum machine(DMX I think?) way back? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted January 12, 2007 Members Share Posted January 12, 2007 That's too bad. Name sounds really familiar - I think I just had a conversation with someone about analog synthesis and his name popped up. R.I.P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steveg Posted January 12, 2007 Members Share Posted January 12, 2007 I don't know much about him, but those chips certainly had a huge impact on bringing analog synthesizers to a new level. My favorite was the Memory Moog which had a huge polyphonic Moog sound which I beleive was based on his chips, it was like having 6 minis under programmable control! RIP Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted January 12, 2007 Members Share Posted January 12, 2007 Sorry to hear of his passing. I wasn't familiar with the man but I certainly knew his work. I'm sure he'll be missed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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