Douglas Curtis

Your legacy lives on. 10 years after your passing, so-called "Curtis Chips" are held in almost reverence amongst the synth / gearhead community. It's a tribute to his design that the CEM chips almost single-handedly spawned an industry; low-cost polyphonic synthesizers. And these chips still live on. I have a handful here in my stash of vintage synth repair parts.

I just read that my good friend Doug Curtis, programmed the synthesizer chips used by Van Halen, for the song JUMP. At my mountain home at Serene Lake, I used to wake my boys up on powder days, by playing JUMP at full volume on my 1957 Seeburg 200 Jukebox. The jukebox was in the basement at 7000 ft, and Doug Curtis had a cabin by the lake about ¼ mile away…3 degrees of separation…Doug was a sweet guy with a wonderful family…a pleasure to know him. I know he is skiing in deep powder in...

I'd like to thank Duoglas for the countless hours of fun I had designing with his chips. He found a way to make other people's job not only better, but more enjoyable.
Vaya con Dios, Douglas.

Farewell Mr Curtis ! I am presently working with your fabulous CEM3394 trying to create a new musical instrument ! Please send me positive vibes from the infinite universe that i am hoping you are visiting now . Respect to the Curtis family !

My sincerest condolences to the Curtis family .
I hope it is a comfort for you to know his legacy will have a timeless unfathomable affect that has and will continue to touch many peoples on all corners of this world forever .

Lamento profundamente su muerte y estoy conmocionado, porque ahora mismo leyendo éstas páginas lo he sabido.Soy fiel admirador de sus aplicaciones analógicas...y aún disfruto de ello, haciendo sonar su mayor aportación musical...un viejo Prophet5.Douglas Curtis por siempre en nuestras almas.

Doug Curtiss was the magician who inspired the keyboards of my dreams. What sadness now that the magic is gone!

I cannot tell you how overwhelmed with sadness I am at Doug's passing. As a close friend of Mary's for 40+ years, I feel her loss and pain.