Since its inception in 1976, "Computer Music Journal" has been a resource for musicians, composers, scientists, engineers, and computer enthusiasts interested in comtemporary electronic music and computer-generated sound. In "The Music Machine", Curtis Roads brings together 53 articles published in "Computer Music Journal" between 1980 and 1985, providing a survey of the major developments in computer music and in the related technology during the last decade. The book includes interviews with major figures in the field and articles devoted to composition, artificial intelligence, and the popular Music Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI). Roads has written an overview of each of the book's seven parts, highlighting the major topics and placing the various articles in a thematic and historical context.