How Jon Carin became the uncredited architect of Pink Floyd’s late-era keyboard sound

Jon Carin was only in his early twenties when Bob Ezrin brought him in to program synthesizers and play keyboards on A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Richard Wright was still officially a member, but his contributions were minimal during those sessions — so Carin effectively became the guy who rebuilt the band’s keyboard textures from scratch. He layered digital samples, sequenced complex pads, and coaxed a glossy, modern feel out of the Kurzweil and Synclavier rigs that replaced the old analog boards.

On the subsequent world tours, Carin didn’t just play his parts — he also recreated Wright’s classic lines live, often triggering them from a single master keyboard while Wright played simpler chords or organ swells. This split allowed the band to keep the vintage Dark Side and Wish You Were Here moments intact while also pushing a more polished, sequenced sound into the arenas. Carin stayed on for The Division Bell and its tours, becoming the musical glue that let the three core members coexist on stage without stepping on each other’s parts.

Without Carin, late-era Pink Floyd might have sounded hollow or stiff. His programming gave the band a hybrid identity — analog warmth wrapped in digital clarity — and his live role kept the show from falling apart whenever a tape machine or synth needed a reboot mid-song.