Peter Zinovieff (1933–2021) was a British composer, mathematician, and engineer whose Electronic Music Studios (EMS) helped define European synthesizer design in the 1960s and 1970s.

After studying geology and working with mainframe computers, Zinovieff built one of the world's first private computer-music studios around a DEC PDP-8. With Tristram Cary and David Cockerell he co-founded EMS in 1969, releasing the VCS3 — a portable pin-matrix synthesizer adopted by Pink Floyd, Brian Eno, Kraftwerk, and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

EMS followed with the Synthi AKS, Synthi 100, and Synthi E — instruments prized for their unpredictable filters and hands-on routing. Zinovieff also collaborated with the BBC on the Synthesiser & Vocoder project and supplied custom systems to Karlheinz Stockhausen and Jean-Michel Jarre.

Though EMS closed in 1979, Zinovieff continued experimental work for decades, influencing generations of modular designers. His marriage of scientific rigor and artistic curiosity made him one of the most original figures in electronic instrument history.

Notable products: EMS VCS3, Synthi AKS, Synthi 100, Synthi E, EMS Vocoder.