Dr. John Chowning receives Technical Grammy Award
- High recognition for his discovery of the FM sound synthesis engine, which he developed in collaboration with Yamaha -

February 3, 2026

Dr. John Chowning, a researcher of sound synthesis at Stanford University, has been awarded the 2026 Technical Grammy Award by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (the “Recording Academy”).

The Technical Grammy Award, one of the Special Merit Awards at the Grammy Awards, is presented to individuals, companies, organizations and institutions for contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field, as voted by the Producers & Engineers Wing® Advisory Council and Chapter Committees and ratified by the Recording Academy's National Trustees.

Dr. Chowning is a composer and computer-music innovator whose 1967 discovery of frequency modulation (FM) synthesis revolutionized electronic sound. He founded the early computer-music program at Stanford University and developed the first digital algorithm for surround-sound localization. Stanford University licensed Dr. Chowning's FM patent to Yamaha Corporation ("Yamaha"), which resulted in the creation of the most successful synthesis engine in the history of electronic musical instruments.

For more information about the Technical Grammy Award and Dr. Chowning's award, please visit:

https://www.grammy.com/news/special-merit-awards-2026-grammys-honorees-recording-academy

Our Relationship with Dr. Chowning

Recognizing the innovative nature of the FM patent, in 1975 Yamaha signed an exclusive agreement with Stanford University, where Dr. Chowning worked. Thereafter, with Yamaha's development of digital technology and large-scale integrated circuits (LSI) providing the background, Yamaha worked with Dr. Chowning to progress the development towards commercialization.

This technology culminated in the release of the “GS1” digital keyboard in 1981 and the “DX7” digital synthesizer in 1983, which rapidly advanced the digitalization of electronic musical instruments and revolutionized the global music scene. Since then, FM synthesis has been incorporated into many devices, including electronic musical instruments, computers, game consoles, and mobile phones, making a significant contribution to the development of music culture.

In 2007, Yamaha was awarded a Technical Grammy Award in recognition of its longstanding contributions to the music and recording fields. FM synthesis is still used in many of Yamaha’s products today, including the “MONTAGE M” and “MODX M” synthesizers and the “YC Series” of stage keyboards, and its value remains undiminished even after half a century. Dr. Chowning's award is a symbol of the technological innovation that has been achieved through collaboration between American researchers and educational institutions and Japanese companies, and is a source of great pride for Yamaha.

Biography of Dr. John Chowning

Dr. Chowning, born in New Jersey, United States in 1934, is a composer, music engineer, and the inventor of FM synthesis. After graduating with a Bachelor of Music from Wittenberg University in 1959, he studied in Paris under music educator Nadia Boulanger, then earned his doctorate at Stanford University in 1966. He then began researching computer-music, and in 1967 discovered the principle of FM synthesis. This was a groundbreaking method of sound synthesis that revolutionized synthesis and electronic musical instruments. In 1974, he founded the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), which remains a major center for computer-music and related research today. He was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1988, received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Wittenberg University in 1990, and awarded the French Ordre des Arts et Lettres in 1995. He has also received honorary doctorates from Queen's University in 2010 and the University of Hamburg in 2016.

Comment from Yamaha

Seiji Abe, Operating Officer, Senior General Manager of Digital Musical Instruments Division, Musical Instruments Business Unit

We would like to congratulate Dr. Chowning on receiving the Technical Grammy Award.

I had the good fortune of meeting with Dr. Chowning last year and the year before, and was able to gain a better insight into our collaboration on FM synthesis, which dates back half a century. We are very proud that FM synthesis has expanded beyond Yamaha’s products and is used all over the world.

It has also been a great honor to have been deeply involved in Dr. Chowning's achievements through the long-standing exchange of technology and personnel between Yamaha’s R&D departments and the CCRMA, which Dr. Chowning founded.

Learning from the advice that "the core of innovation is to follow your passions," which Dr. Chowning conveyed to us during a speech he gave at Yamaha, we will continue to strive to provide better products and services.

We will continue to build on the experience and bonds we have built through our collaboration with Dr. Chowning as we continue to pave the way for the future of music culture.

[Reference]

• Yamaha Synth 50th Anniversary Website
  https://europe.yamaha.com/en/musical-instruments/keyboards/explore/synth-50th/index.html