from Pro Sound News / 01.03.2013 02:13PM
Roland Founder to Receive Technical Grammy for MIDI
Ikutaro Kakehashi and Dave Smith to receive special merit award
LOS ANGELES — Roland founder Ikutaro Kakehashi and Dave
Smith, president of Sequential Circuits, are among the recipients of the
Recording Academy’s Special Merit Technical Grammy Award this year for their contributions to the development of MIDI
technology.
Next year marks the 30th anniversary of
Kakehashi and Smith’s launch of MIDI, a standard that motivated the
cooperation of an entire industry and helped move music technology into a
new era. Today, MIDI is ubiquitous in the musical equipment industry,
and it is the defacto standard feature on virtually every electronic
music product made by every manufacturer.
Recipients of the Technical Grammy Award are
determined by vote through the Academy’s Producers and Engineers Wing
Advisory Council and Chapter Committees, as well as the Academy’s
Trustees. The award is presented to individuals and companies who have
made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the
recording field. A special invitation-only ceremony will be held
during Grammy Week on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, and a formal
acknowledgment will be made during the 55th Annual Grammy Awards
telecast, which will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on
Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, and broadcast live at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS
Television Network. ~ from Pro Sound News