John Melcher

John Melcher (b. 1951) is an American electronic music composer, audio software specialist, and freelance writer from Indianapolis. He lives in Bangkok Metropolitan Area, Thailand and mostly writes music for his virtual electronic "orchestra," Lomluka Sinfonia. In 1969, soon after his high school graduation, Melcher began intensive studies with a composer and lifelong mentor Thomas Briccetti (2), followed by two years at Juilliard School and concurrently at New York University's electronic music studio, where John gained access to Buchla synthesizers. Melcher's early works were reminiscent of the post-war generation of experimental composers, such as Iannis Xenakis, Luciano Berio, and György Ligeti. In 1975, John Melcher moved to San Francisco and later worked as a piano technician for The Grateful Dead and other Bay Area bands. In 1981, Melcher acquired an Apple II computer equipped with the Mountain Computer Music System audio hardware extension kit and began composing computer-based electronic music. Two years later, John began working as a software developer for Passport Designs, Inc. in Half Moon Bay, California. He first designed a "SoundChaser Step Editor," a note editor for the company's first product line compatible with Apple's MCMS format. Melcher then developed multi-channel MIDI sequencers for Apple II, MIDI/2 and MIDI/4 (including OEM versions supplied to Yamaha and Korg). He worked for Passport Designs until Feb 1987, subsequently contributing to "Master Tracks" and "Master Tracks Pro" programs. In 1997, John Melcher relocated to Thailand to pursue a technical writer and consultant job opportunity. He worked for Digidesign (now Avid Audio) as the Southeast Asia regional manager from 2000 to 2009. John Melcher has collaborated and interacted with several other artists throughout his career: his ex-Juilliard acquaintances Paul Amrod and Laurie Spiegel (who first encouraged Melcher to work with synthesizers in 1972), San Francisco-based composer and performer Pamela Z, conductor and music director of Kölner Akademie ensemble Michael Willens, and jazz pianist and composer Philip Aaberg.