June 1985
Atari ST released
Atari began shipping the ST line in June 1985 — a Motorola 68000 computer with MIDI ports and GEM desktop environment.
What it was for
The Atari ST became the platform of choice for MIDI musicians and European demo coders — built-in MIDI DIN ports connected synthesizers without extra hardware. Developers used 68000 assembly and C; games and music software pushed its custom chips. It competed with the Amiga for the 16-bit home creative market.
Why it's here
The Atari ST was the dominant home computerAn affordable personal computer marketed for households — the 1980s wave that followed hobbyist kits. for MIDI music production in the 1980s.
Why it mattered
It brought affordable 16-bit computing and built-in MIDI to musicians and hobbyist developers.
What it solved
Musicians needed a computer with native MIDI I/O and decent graphics without workstationA powerful desktop machine for technical work — between personal computers and minicomputers in price and capability. prices.
Media
ImageAtari ST© Bill Bertram, 2006, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Related
- Amiga 1000 releasedJuly 1985
- Macintosh 128K releasedJanuary 24, 1984
- Commodore 64 releasedAugust 1982