Drumming News
While Leading Roland R&D Kikumoto Offered Innovative Ideas for Early MIDI 1.0 Development and Helped Revolutionize Digital Music Production
Roland proudly announces that the MIDI Association will honor Tadao Kikumoto, a visionary innovator from Roland, with the MIDI Lifetime Achievement Award during The NAMM Show 2025. Kikumoto played a pivotal role in shaping the MIDI 1.0 protocol, which revolutionized music production by creating a universal communication standard for musical instruments and equipment. As head of Roland’s R&D team at the time, his contributions helped drive advancements in digital music technology and revolutionized music creativity. Paul McCabe, Roland’s Vice President of Research and Innovation and head of the Roland Future Design Lab, will accept the award on Kikumoto’s behalf.
During his 30+ years with Roland, Kikumoto helped shape the history of music by designing the TB-303 Bass Line synthesizer and the TR-909 Rhythm Composer drum machine. As chief engineer, he also led the development of the world-renowned Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer drum machine. During his tenure at Roland, he also served as President, Chief Operating Officer, as well as the Senior Managing Director and the head of the R&D Center. These groundbreaking products, along with other innovative Roland creations, not only showcased Kikumoto’s dedication and decades of expertise but also served as the foundation for the emergence of revolutionary musical genres such as hip-hop and techno.
Kikumoto’s suggestions for the early MIDI 1.0 spec included adding Tempo, Start, and Stop messages, which are vital to ensuring multiple pieces of gear work together in synchronization—key to contemporary music production and live performances with products that continue to evolve today. The development of DCB, a dedicated communication system for the original, now legendary, Roland JUPITER and JUNO keyboard synthesizer models, was also happening parallel to MIDI’s development and led by Kikumoto.
Roland CEO and Managing Director Masahiro Minowa stated, “The intersection of innovation and creativity has always been at the core of Roland’s research and development mission. This mission, initiated decades ago by Roland’s founders, was championed by trailblazers like Kikumoto and continues to inspire the future of music. Our teams at Roland are deeply excited by the ongoing evolution of music and creator technology and are honored to play pivotal roles in designing the future.”
Learn more about MIDI and the latest innovations to Roland’s growing product line here.
Check out Kikumoto’s groundbreaking contributions to the development of early MIDI protocols here.
