[4][5] In 1969, Pearlman founded ARP Instruments, Inc. (originally Tonus, Inc.) with $100,000 of his own money and matching funds from a small group of investors.

The 2002 was introduced at the Audio Engineering Society (AES) show in Fall 1970, and subsequently competed head-to-head with other leading synthesizer companies of the time.

Pearlman eschewed patch cord methodology for interconnecting synthesizer modules, designing instead a system of sliding matrix switches.

Instead of the 2500's unreliable and arcane pin matrix, the 2600 used a more traditional patch cord routing architecture that provided users with a clear visual indication of signal flow.

[8] Pearlman went on to found and serve as chief executive officer at Selva Systems Inc., a computer graphics software company.

[9] In 1978, Worcester Polytechnic Institute presented the Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award to Pearlman for professional achievement in his field.