Opcode Studio

Also known as: Opcode, Opcode Systems, Opcode Systems Inc.

Opcode Systems was an American music software company founded in 1985 by Dave Oppenheim and based in Palo Alto, California. The company built foundational tools for computer-based music production, beginning with the MIDIMAC Sequencer in 1986 — one of the first commercially available MIDI sequencers for the Macintosh — which evolved into the Opcode Sequencer and eventually into Vision.

Opcode ...

6 Products · Used by 36 Artists

Opcode Studio 128x MIDI Interfaces

4.5 (2)

1 artist using

Opcode Studio 64x MIDI Interfaces

4.0 (3)

Opcode Studio Vision DAW Software

4.0 (2)

20 artists using

Opcode Studio 5 LX MIDI Interfaces

8 artists using

Opcode Studio 3 MIDI Interfaces

4 artists using

Opcode Studio 4 MIDI Interfaces

4.0 (1)

7 artists using

Opcode is best known for Studio Vision, released in 1990, which integrated MIDI sequencing with digital audio recording and editing on a personal computer for the first time, using Digidesign hardware for audio I/O. The company also developed OMS (Open Music System), released the same year, which became the de facto MIDI infrastructure on the classic Mac OS throughout the 1990s by letting users describe an entire MIDI rig — devices, ports, channels, and patch banks — and exposing that map to other applications. Alongside its software, Opcode shipped MIDI and audio hardware interfaces, including the Studio 4, Studio 5, and Studio 64 series.

Opcode was acquired by Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1998, and development of its product line was discontinued shortly thereafter. The Studio Vision, Vision, and OMS lineage is widely cited as a direct precursor to the modern integrated DAW workflow followed by tools such as Pro Tools, Logic, and Cubase.

Opcode Studio has 6 products cataloged on Equipboard, including MIDI Interfaces and DAW Software. Their gear is featured by 36 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock, Electronic, and Pop. Notable users include Ryuichi Sakamoto, Tom Lord-Alge, and Stephen Hague.