SOUND ON SOUND
Alan Fish-Barnes asks " what's in a name?" and concludes: "quite a lot, actually..."
West Productions' innovative work on the audio post-production of cult TV series 'The X-Files' netted the company two Emmy awards in 1996. Paul White talks to company founder David West about the sound element of major TV programmes, including X-Files creator Chris Carter's new series, 'Millennium'.
Mark Snow's quirky yet haunting X-File theme tune was last year's surprise worldwide chart hit, and his atmospheric scoring plays an important part in setting the mood for this darkly compelling television phenomenon. Derek Johnson discovers that the music is out there...
A surprising amount of the music you hear on TV and radio is not specially commissioned but is taken instead from libraries of ready-written themes. Nigel Beaham-Powell explains how the library music system works and gives some pointers on getting into it.
It was once taken for granted that freelance engineers would use the standard outboard provided by the studio they were working in. But the explosion in the amount of gear available means that now they often have to assemble personal rack to be sure of getting access to their tools of choice. Dan Daley explores the phenomenon...
The proliferation of independent record labels in the USA has increased the demand for low-budget records, and sparked the home music studio market, moving it from spare bedroom demo mill to centre stage. Our man in America, Dan Daley, reports.
Paul White talks to Symetrix President Dane Butcher about the birth of a new PC hardware range, Lucid, intended up to open up the world of high-quality computer-based digital audio at an affordable price.
Aphex is celebrating 21 years in business, during which time the company has diversified from Aural Exciters into signal processing such as compression. However, Aphex President Marvin Caesar feels that the subject of compression is still widely misunderstood. Paul White asks him to set the record straight.
When techno gurus Eat Static's last album entered the UK charts at number 11 the techno duo threatened to overshadow the achievements of their previous group, Ozric Tentacles. On the eve of their follow-up, Jonathan Miller teleports to darkest Somerset to face conspiracy theories relating 'recovered' alien spacecraft to developments in music technology...
Despite topping over one million world-wide album sales with an established record label, America's First Lady of New Age music, Suzanne Ciani, has opted for an alternative independent route. Jonathan Miller asks why...
Musicologist and composer Big George wonders...
Despite having waited eight years to create the follow-up to his 1988 solo album, experimental composer Harold Budd composed and recorded the new album, Luxa, in just 11 days.
If you've heard of Paris's IRCAM, you probably imagine it's government-funded research bunker devoted to a kind of avant-garde sonic and musical experimentation that has little relevance to the average hi-tech musician. Over the last few years, though, as Paul Tingen discovers, IRCAM has been coming down to earth, and a new spirit of openness and commercial awareness now shapes its work.
High-profile synth programmer, remixer and recording artist Pete Gleadall is a man of many talents. Matt Bell talks to him about his part in the new Pet Shop Boys album, his work for George Michael, and the role of the modern programmer.
Designers of the SoundBlaster range, Creative Labs recently unveiled their next generation soundcard, the AWE64 Gold. Paul White discusses the future of PC soundcards with Creative lads Franco De Bonis and Mike Chandler.
Producer Steve Levine has taken advantage of the tumbling price of quality recording equipment to assemble a complete digital studio in a tiny room at his home. Paul Tingen enters the digital domain...
Singer/Songwriter Patcee Francis argues that music should transcend technology, not be circumscribed by it.
Richard Buskin talks to top engineer Jon Jacobs and learns about his partnership with legendary man-behind-the-board, Geoff Emerick, and the novel techniques they employed during the making of the latest album by Elvis Costello and The Attractions.
TV music composer David Lowe tells Paul White how a British Airways World commercial took him halfway around the world — and back...
Debbie Poyser and Derek Johnson fold up the cybermap, put the virtual surfboards back into storage, and conclude their musician's guide to the internet.