Tim Ryan (engineer)

Lore & Background

Ryan grew up the son of a concert pianist and developed a love of music from an early age, but did not become a musician himself. While working toward a Bachelor of Arts degree at the California Institute of Technology, he excelled at science, math, and engineering, and decided to apply those skills to his love of music. In 1977, he and two fellow Caltech students, Alan Danziger and Don Lieberman, looked at some E-mu Systems products selling for about $400 and thought they could produce a similar product for half the price, given the wholesale cost of parts was about $15. Instead, they designed one of the first digital synthesizers, the 800-chip Con Brio, Inc. Advanced Digital Synthesizer (ADS), which utilized three 6502 processors and offered 64 oscillators, split keyboard capability, 16-stage envelopes, layering and modulation, and multiple digital-to-analog converters. The resulting unit cost $30,000, but there was very little market for it; Con Brio produced three examples, sold only one (used on major studio film scores and later owned by Chick Corea), and ceased operations in 1982.

Ryan then co-founded Third Street Software, a Commodore and Apple software development company that did contract work for Sequential Circuits, Syntech, and Sonus, including the first multitimbral sequencing software for Sequential's 600-series synthesizer. He helped design two of the best-selling US sequencers of the time, the Studio One (for the Commodore) and Studio Two (for the Apple II). Wanting to own his own company, he founded Midi Soft in 1988 and shortly renamed it Midiman due to Yamaha already having rights to the Midi Soft name. Midiman offered small, affordable MIDI problem solvers, sync devices, and interfaces, later branching into soundcards, audio interfaces, studio monitor speakers, and MIDI keyboards, with the mission 'to increase virtualization, musical malleability, performance control and portability to an unprecedented level.'

Reader's Guide

Tim Ryan's significance lies in his founding and leadership of Midiman (later M-Audio), which became one of the dominant suppliers in the computer-centric digital audio arena and a key player in the desktop recording revolution. His early work on the Con Brio ADS, though commercially unsuccessful, demonstrated his ability to push technological boundaries in digital synthesis. Through Third Street Software, he contributed to the development of early multitimbral sequencing software and two best-selling sequencers for the Commodore and Apple II. With Midiman, he focused on affordable, practical MIDI and audio solutions that expanded access to music production. The company's acquisition by Avid Technology in 2004, with Ryan staying on as general manager, marked the culmination of his entrepreneurial efforts. His 2002 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award recognized his impact on the media and entertainment industry.

Did You Know?

• Ryan co-designed one of the first digital synthesizers, the Con Brio ADS, which used three 6502 processors and cost $30,000.
• Only one Con Brio ADS was sold; it was used on major studio film scores and later owned by Chick Corea.
• Ryan founded Midi Soft in 1988, but renamed it Midiman because Yamaha already held rights to the Midi Soft name.
• He was named the 2002 Los Angeles Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the Media/Entertainment category.