The Synclavier was the first digital synthesizer, marketed in 1975 by the New England Digital Corporation (NEDco). It was created by Sydney Alonson, Cameron Jones and composer Jon Appleton.
1972 saw the birth of the first prototype: the Dartmouth Digital Synthesizer. In fact, it was the first computer dedicated both as a synthesizer controller and, above all, as a digital synthesizer. The system was developed by a team of technicians at Dartmouth University’s Thayer School of Engineering in New Hampshire, USA. The project was led by a small team of two engineers: Sydney Alonso (electronics) and Cameron Jones (software). But the two engineers embarked on this project at the instigation of composer and music teacher Jon Appleton. Appleton was heavily involved in defining the specifications for the user interface and for musician-specific ergonomics.
In parallel with the development of the Dartmounth Digital Synthesizer, the three men set about creating a company to launch production of the Able, which is the computer part of the synthesizer, and then of the entire synthesizer. The creation and development of the prototype machine took place on the premises of Dartmouth University, but production could never have been envisaged in this kind of administrative structure.
So, after its development at Dartmouth College, the machine was manufactured and distributed, under the name Synclavier 1, by a commercial company, NEDco