Richard "Chops" Bates
Head Sound Engineer
Chops has been performing live sound duties for Funkiphino since the beginning. When not mixing the band, this real-life "rocket scientist" works for Lockheed Martin. In 1977, he worked with Don Lewis and designed and built the synthesizer that was the inspiration for Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), now on display at the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, CA. Richard is on a brief hiatus from the group while recovering from a stroke in November - he is, however, always a member.
