The birth of electronic music as we know it

The Macintosh Personal Computer was released in 1984. While it wasn't particularly groundbreaking for its computing power or its technical specs and it wasn't the first to utilise a digital interface or a keyboard; it marked a turning point in the computer revolution because of its user-friendly experience. The home screen welcomed you with ‘Hello’.  

It was these operational innovations that set the Macintosh apart. Steve Jobs’ vision would forever change how people interact with computers. A more personal touch that allowed the business computer to transition into the home.

When it comes to the electronic music equivalent this user-experience focused development was happening right here in Canberra around 10 years earlier with the Qasar.

Behind the world-first computer music instrument that was developed at the Canberra School of Music. 

In the 1970s the race was on to create music electronically and Canberra played a crucial role in the development of the first computer music instrument; the Qasar M8.

Analog synthesis and hybrid keyboard synthesisers had been firmly established but the transition to a fully digital systems was proving to be more complicated. Early digital instruments were cumbersome, impractical machines limited to research universities and impossible to perform with live to audiences.   

Early Qasar Develpment - National Archives of Australia

Then along came Tony Furse, a Motorola engineer with a concept for a new method for a digital sampling, synthesisers and sequencer all-in-one. A system that would become the fundamental tools for all modern electronic music production that we see today in Pro Tools, Ableton and all digital production software. The Qasar M8 was the first machine to bring that into reality during the computer revolution. 

Said to be years ahead of overseas development thanks to the genius of Tony. The Qasar M8 was developed in part at the Canberra School of Music and one of the first public performances of a computer music instrument was at Llewellyn Hall in 1976. Tony and Composer Don Banks saw the future of music as a digital one. 

ANU Professor Samantha Bennett has been researching the history of music technology and its impact.

“ I don't think that we'd be anywhere musically, technologically, I would go as far as to say culturally as well, without the development of the Fairlight and the Qasar.”

The Qasar pioneered technology like an interactive touch screen with a light pen, graphical interface, visual representations of audio and digital synthesis. Things that had never been seen before in the world of music and helped make digital music production more interactive, intuitive and useful to musicians.  

The Qasar was then licenced by the Fairlight company and the Fairlight CMI went on to shape the sound of the 80s and change the course of music.

“It’s an incredibly musical machine, and I know that might sound like an obvious thing to say but not all music technology is musical.” Professor Samantha Bennett

The Fairlight ended up in the hands of musicians like Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel & Stevie Wonder and its unique sound would become a staple of Hip Hop with the likes of NWA and the Beastie Boys utilising its groundbreaking sampling capability.

“Canberra really was the hub of that very early digital synthesiser development history” Professor Samantha Bennett

Ultimately the large price tag of the computer (roughly AU$290,000 today) and further technological advances in the US & Japan saw people move of from the Fairlight to cheapers and smaller instruments like the Sony systems and Akai MPCs.

This documentary explores the untold story of the birth of electronic music technology in Australia before the Fairlight was the Fairlight.