Con Brio was founded in Pasadena, California, around 1979 by Tim Ryan, Alan Danziger, and Don Lieberman, three California Institute of Technology students who originally studied audio synthesis equipment designed to map the cerebral cortex of cats.

Originally designed as a tone generator to test hearing, the ADS was innovative in its approach to synthesis, and was, in fact, one of the earliest digital synthesizers.

This incarnation of the ADS series was an all-in-one machine, similar to the PPG Realizer, and weighed approximately 175 pounds.

All components were built into a large wooden box, and several features were added, including the ability to display musical notation and splittable keyboards.

It was reportedly kept in friend Chick Corea's studio for several years before being acquired by musician and noted aficionado of vintage synthesizer gear Brian Kehew.

In 1982, Con Brio introduced the ADS 200-R, a three-piece, detached double-keyboard model that was marketed toward touring musicians as being "roadable."

Although Con Brio considered retooling it into a sampling workstation similar to the Fairlight CMI, the cost of their operation and pressure from cheaper synthesizers and larger manufacturers forced the company to go out of business later that year before their vision was able to be realized.