Semiconductors are the devices that power the complex tasks performed by modern technology. They can be found in smartphones, payment systems, televisions, radios, speakers, automobiles, jets, watches, and just about any electronic device. Unbeknownst to most people, semiconductors are used to make musical equipment in a number of different ways.
Musical Equipment Featuring Semiconductors
It is no surprise that semiconductors are also advancing musical instruments. Nowadays, you can find semiconductors in digital guitars, synthesizers, keyboards, amplifiers, mixing boards, active loudspeakers, microphones, lighting equipment, and headphones.
Musical Equipment Manufacturing
The factories that produce these products also rely heavily on semiconductors to power the robotic machinery that assembles the devices. Semiconductors must be manufactured in clandestine-lab-like environments because they are sensitive to dust in the air and can be contaminated by any particulate matter.
Advancements in Musical Equipment Due to Semiconductors
Semiconductors are improving the sound quality of music by eliminating noise and filtering out feedback. Performers are now able to orchestrate an entire concert with electronic sound reproductions without ever stepping foot in a music studio. Every nuance of pitch and tone can now be adjusted and enhanced.
Among the most popular electronic equipment, guitar players can find products that with numerous amp models that replicate the sound of the original brand accurately. As a result, artists have more tools than ever before to distinguish themselves and produce the polished work that leaves fans spellbound.
Modern music is more about the quality of the end production than ever before. Semiconductors are being used for such things as fattening up a voice with chorus effects, producing artificial harmonics, and auto-tuning an off-key singer’s voice until it sounds euphonic.
A lot of foot pedals are also loaded with microchips that help process the sounds to create unique effects that add style and signature to a song. Professional guitar players may have a dozen different foot pedals on the stage to switch back and forth as they differentiate one song from another to keep fans mesmerized.
Microchips and smartphones are also allowing new music to be produced by just about anyone. There are lots of amateur musicians posting their songs online and building fan bases with very little capital. Semiconductors and the internet are powering an explosion of creativity and helping musicians connect with their fans.
It is hard to imagine what music production would be like today without semiconductors. We would likely be stuck in the colorless sounds of the 60s and 70s without those floral highlights and addictive melodies added by keyboards since the 80s.
Even ticket sales for music concerts are processed online in high volumes through computer systems running on semiconductors. There is nowhere that you won’t find semiconductors when you look at musical equipment and the music industry in general.
Semiconductors have had a large impact on the music industry, especially musical equipment and instruments. When you hear music, sing along to a song, or play a few notes on an instrument, your first thought isn’t probably about how semiconductors helped shape the musical industry, but the impact semiconductors have had on the industry is nothing short of phenomenal.
