Electronic Music

Director Lisa Rovner and Sound Designer Marta Salogni chat to Caro C about their feature length documentary, Sisters With Transistors, exploring the role of women as pioneers of electronic music from the 1920s through to the 1980s.Chapters00:00 - Introduction01:33 - Summary Of The Film02:18 - Why Make The Documentary?03:42 - Not Seeking Popularity 05:35 - Gathering Archive Footage06:49 - Narration by Laurie Anderson08:00 - The Women Tell Their Own Stories 08:58 - Sound Design Instead Of A Score11:47 - Marta Salogni On Her Influences 20:19 - Defining A New Genre Of Music 22:59 - Creating New Sounds And Composing With Tape 27:52 - Sound Design For The Film31:04 - The Challenges Of Composing For Film34:08 - The Importance Of Female Role ModelsThe film features Clara Rockmore, Daphne Oram, Bebe Barron, Delia Derbyshire, Maryanne Amacher, Pauline Oliveros, Wendy Carlos, Eliane Radigue, Suzanne Ciani and Laurie Spiegel with commentary by Laurie Anderson.https://sisterswithtransistors.com/https://www.modernfilms.com/sisterswithtransistors (UK) https://metrograph.com/live-screenings/sisters-with-transistors/ (USA)Lisa Rovner BiogA French American artist and filmmaker, Lisa Rovner is now based in London with her work presented in art venues and theatres internationally. Her films delve into the archives and work to transform politics and philosophy into cinematic spectacle. Rovner has collaborated with some of the most internationally respected artists and brands including Pierre Huyghe, Liam Gillick, Sebastien Tellier, Maison Martin Margiela and Acne. Sisters With Transistors is her first feature documentary.www.messageisthemedium.comMarta Salogni BiogA record producer, mixer, recording engineer and tape composer, Marta Salogni launched her career in her native Italy, where she spent her early years collaborating with artists and bands across a range of musical styles. As a producer and mixer, Marta Salogni has worked with Björk, M.I.A., Factory Floor, Kelela, Liars, Alex Cameron, Daniel Blumberg, Little Boots, Temples, Insecure Men, The Orielles, HMLTD, and Django Django. Marta is the sound designer for Sisters With Transistors.www.solarmanagement.co.uk/marta-salogniCaro C BiogCaro C is an artist, engineer and teacher specialising in electronic music. Her self-produced fourth album "Electric Mountain" is out now. Described as a "one-woman electronic avalanche" (BBC), Caro started making music thanks to being laid up whilst living in a double decker bus and listening to the likes of Warp Records in the late 1990's. This "sonic enchantress" (BBC Radio 3) has now played in most of the cultural hotspots of her current hometown of Manchester, UK. Caro is also the instigator and project manager of electronic music charity Delia Derbyshire Day.URL: http://carocsound.com/Twitter: @carocsoundInst: @carocsoundFB: https://www.facebook.com/carocsound/Delia Derbyshire Day Charity: https://deliaderbyshireday.comCatch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Musician and Technologist Tim Exile chats to Caro C about the creation of the Endlesss project and the benefits of immersive, collaborative music creation in real time.Chapters00:00 - Introduction01:04 - Musical Background And The Endlesss Project 05:27 - Creating An Intuitive Software 08:23 - The Technical Challenges Of Endlesss11:09 - Turning Music Creation Into A Social Event13:39 - The Team Behind Endlesss17:41 - Enthusiasts and Established Artists 19:29 - Future Connectivity21:11 - Mobile Music Creation23:40 - Using Endlesss To Generate Ideas26:28 - Music Ownership28:30 - Educational Use30:22 - How To Get Started Tim Exile BiogTim Exile is a musician, technologist and the founder of Endlesss (yes that's Endlesss with 3 s's), a groundbreaking app for live collaborative music creation with a global community of creators. Tim has released records on labels like Warp and Planet Mu, appeared at venues like Berghain/Panorama Bar and Fabric, and performed alongside artists such as Imogen Heap, Nile Rodgers, Beardyman and many more. Before he launched Endlesss, Tim built digital musical instruments for Native Instruments amongst numerous other projects, talks and collaborations aligned with his embrace of creative flow-states. https://endlesss.fm/Caro C BiogCaro C is an artist, engineer and teacher specialising in electronic music. She started making music thanks to being laid up whilst living in a double decker bus and listening to Warp Records in the late 1990's. This "sonic enchantress" (BBC Radio 3) has now played in most of the cultural hotspots of her current hometown of Manchester, UK. Caro is also the instigator and project manager of electronic music charity Delia Derbyshire Day.URL: http://carocsound.com/Twitter: @carocsoundInst: @carocsoundFB: https://www.facebook.com/carocsound/Delia Derbyshire Day Charity: https://deliaderbyshireday.comCatch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

As one third of the second incarnation of Scritti Politti, David Gamson was the man behind the polished, groove-laden sound of the band’s second album Cupid & Psyche ’85 and their third album, Provision. Gamson went on to write and produce for the likes of Chaka Khan, Meshell Ndegeocello, George Benson and Luther Vandross, and more recently with the likes of Kesha, Charli XCX, Jessie J and Kelly Clarkson.Chapters00:00 - Introduction01:19 - Where did your electronic music journey start?03:06 - Geoff Travis steps in and joining Scritti Politti05:13 - The birth and gestation of Cupid & Psyche '85, plus the Nile Rodgers myth07:32 - What was your collaboration process with Green like?10:36 - The sound and gear of Cupid & Psyche '8515:02 - The MIDI effect16:48 - Arrangements and counterpoint19:16 - Provision and pain21:42 - The constraints of having a 'signature sound'23:00 - Partnering with Green again24:00 - How do you find and use music technology today?26:31 - TV and movie work and the future28:39 - Cupid & Psyche ’85 live in 2021David Gamson BiogDavid Gamson first dabbled with synthesizers in his teenage years, playing with his father’s ARP 2600. It was the first step on a very successful musical journey that eventually saw him come to the attention of Rough Trade founder, Geoff Travis. Travis had already signed and nurtured an act fronted by Welshman Green Gartside, called Scritti Politti. Travis saw the potential in both men and they soon began a fruitful career as part of the second incarnation of the band.Two globally successful and critically-acclaimed albums followed, Cupid & Psyche '85 and 1988's Provision before the band dispersed, a move brought on by Gartside’s overwhelming distaste for the industry.During that period, Gamson spent time producing, writing and arranging for the likes of Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau, Luther Vandross, occasionally with Green at his side. However, after a painful, drawn out experience recording Provision, David decided to establish himself more as a producer and writer than a band member and his first post-Scritti effort was for Tony LeMans on Prince’s Paisley Park Records label.His work as a staff producer at Warner Bros saw him working with Roger Troutman, Sheila E., George Benson and another stint with Chaka Khan. Gamson’s work with Meshell Ndegeocello saw him nominated for multiple Grammys.After going independent, David found himself working with Green again on Provision’s follow up, 1999’s 'Anomie & Bonhomie', this time solely as producer. After this, he turned his hand to film and TV, working alongside Hans Zimmer on Mission Impossible 2.More recently, he has focused on songwriting and has worked with a number of high profile artists including Kesha, Adam Lambert, Jessie J and Quinn XCII. Most notably, he received a songwriting GRAMMY nomination for his work on ‘Stronger’ by Kelly Clarkson, a track which sat atop the Billboard Hot #100 for three weeks as well as many other charts worldwide. His work with Charlie XCX, a leading figure in the new PC Music/Hyper Pop genre, came about in no small part due to the fact that Cupid & Psyche ’85 is held in very high regard in those circles. He also co-wrote and produced two new tracks for Scritti’s Absolute 'best of' compilation with his old friend, Green Gartside, delighting fans of the band worldwide.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_GamsonRob Puricelli BiogRob Puricelli is a Music Technologist and Instructional Designer who has a healthy obsession with classic synthesizers and their history. In conjunction with former Fairlight Studio Manager, Peter Wielk, he fixes and restores Fairlight CMI’s so that they can enjoy prolonged and productive lives with new owners.He also writes reviews and articles for his website, failedmuso.com, and other music-related publications, as well as hosting a weekly livestream on YouTube for the Pro Synth Network and guesting on numerous music technology podcasts and shows. Outside of his regular day job, he works alongside a number of manufacturers, demonstrating their products and lecturing at various educational and vocational establishments about music technology.www.failedmuso.comTwitter: @failedmusoInstagram: @failedmusoFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/failedmuso/Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Imogen Heap chats to Caro C about her music tech projects, including MiMU Gloves, Glover Software, interacting through VR plus The Creative Passport Project for tracking music usage and royalties.Chapters00:00 - Introduction01:24 - The Round House04:25 - Software05:33 - Izotope, Antares & The Box Of Tricks07:05 - The MiMU Gloves and Glover15:05 - Tech For Live Performance19:39 - VR & Immersive Audio21:44 - The Listening Chair26:24 - The Creative Passport ProjectImogen Heap BiogSelf-produced British composer and recording artist for over 20 years, Imogen Heap has released five solo albums, another as one half of Frou Frou and collaborated with countless and varied artists including Taylor Swift, Nitin Sawhney, Deadmau5, Jeff Beck and Jon Hopkins. Her compositions and songs pop up in blockbuster and indie films as well as countless TV shows, are featured in underground rap and dance music, and are covered by the likes of Ariana Grande.As composer and arranger for one of the biggest hits in theatrical history, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, Imogen won the 'Drama Desk Outstanding Music In A Play' award. As a sought-after speaker and performer, Heap hosted 2020’s Grammys Premiere Ceremony. Her collaborative and multi-dimensional workflow attracts companies for commissioned works, leading to songs such as 'Tiny Human', the first song to distribute payments via a Smart Contract, and 'The Happy Song', a highly successful song for children in their early years.Imogen Heap is recognised as an artist's artist, and has won two Grammys and an Ivor Novello award. In recognition of her pioneering work at the intersection of music and technology, Heap has a hat trick of three honorary doctorates for the gestural music-ware 'MI.MU gloves' system and recently for ’The Creative Passport’, an integrated digital ID solution, empowering music-makers to be the change toward a fair and flourishing music ecosystem.http://imogenheap.com/https://www.creativepassport.net/https://mimugloves.com/Music CreditsLast Night Of An EmpireMe And The MachineTiny HumanCaro C BiogCaro C is an artist, engineer and teacher specialising in electronic music. She started making music thanks to being laid up whilst living in a double decker bus and listening to Warp Records in the late 1990's. This "sonic enchantress" (BBC Radio 3) has now played in most of the cultural hotspots of her current hometown of Manchester, UK. Caro is also the instigator and project manager of electronic music charity Delia Derbyshire Day.URL: http://carocsound.com/Twitter: @carocsoundInst: @carocsoundFB: https://www.facebook.com/carocsound/Delia Derbyshire Day Charity: https://deliaderbyshireday.comCatch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Olivier Alary & Johannes Malfatti have been collaborating on music projects for the past twenty years. Here, Olivier and Johannes go behind the scenes on the techniques that they used to create their latest collaborative album 'u,i', featuring the use of VoIP technology to process sound.Chapters00:00 - Introduction00:34 - Greetings 01:22 - An Introduction To The Project02:29 - The First Skype Recording05:09 - Inspired by an Accordion10:28 - Replicating the Sonic Accidents15:14 - The Skype Codec18:51 - Compositional Techniques21:13 - Incorporating The Original Skype RecordingOlivier Alary BiogOriginally from Toulouse and now based in Montreal, Olivier previously worked under the Ensemble alias, in which Johannes participated as mixer, arranger and co-writer. Ensemble’s 2000 debut (on Aphex Twin’s Rephlex label) led to Björk drafting Olivier to co-write the track ‘Desired Constellation’ and remix several others. After releasing two further Ensemble albums on FatCat, Olivier has focused increasingly on film music and has composed the music of over forty fiction films and documentaries, some of which have received prestigious awards and screenings in Europe, the US and China.http://www.olivieralary.com/Johannes Malfatti BiogBerlin-based Johannes Malfatti graduated from Germany’s Film and Television School HFF Konrad Wolf. His work for film, television, theatre and music projects has ranged in style from electronic music to orchestral composition. With two recent albums under his own name, Johannes’ solo work focuses on contemporary and experimental techniques, often combining acoustic and electronic elements to create rich and slowly moving sonic environments. The first collaborative release under their own names, ‘u,i ’ continues the pair’s long-standing research and to explore the grey areas between noise and musicality; the acoustic and electronic.https://www.johannesmalfatti.com/Olivier & Johannes latest album, u,i , was recently released on the 130701 label.http://130701.com/release/ui/Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

A special podcast in honour of the 100th birthday of the unique "invisible" electronic musical instrument invented, by accident, by physicist Leon Theremin. Starring Cyril Lance (Chief Engineer, Moog), Dorit Chrysler (composer/New York Theremin Society), Bruce Woolley (songwriter/Radio Science Orchestra) and Katia Isakoff (singer/songwriter and producer) and the music of Clara Rockmore (theremin virtuosa/friend of Leon Theremin), talking about the magic of the instrument, its legacy, technology and present exciting developments as Moog releases Claravox, a centenary edition of the theremin.Chapters00:00 - Introduction01:39 - Cyril Lance / The Claravox16:12 - Dorit Chrysler24:54 - Bruce Woolley31:36 - Katia IsakoffMusic credits:Rachmaninov Vocalise - Clara Rockmore, theremin. Nadia Reisenberg, piano.From: “Clara Rockmore – The Art of the Theremin”. Delos Productions CD. Courtesy of The Nadia Reisenberg / Clara Rockmore FoundationSchneeleichen - by Dorit Chrysler - unreleased extract from M - eine stadt sucht einen moerder - with kind permission of Dorit ChryslerBeat Monjune - by Dorit Chrysler - unreleased extract from M - eine stadt sucht einen moerder - with kind permission of Dorit ChryslerTherexotica - by Peg Ming - with kind permission of Dorit Chrysler (a track on the Theremin 100 compilation produced by The NY Theremin Society)Peace Song to Other Worlds (2 extracts) - by Radio Science Orchestra - with kind permission of Bruce WoolleyTheremini solo - by Katia Isakoff - with kind permission of Katia IsakoffClara Rockmore BiogClara (Reisenberg) Rockmore holds a unique place in music history as the star performer of the theremin. Born in Russia, in 1911, at four, she was accepted as the youngest ever violin student at the St. Petersburg Imperial Conservatory. As conditions deteriorated after the Revolution, the Reisenberg family left Russia and travelled across Europe for several years until 1921 when they succeeded in gaining passage on a steamship bound for America. In New York, Clara resumed her studies with Leopold Auer, but shortly before she was to make her American debut (playing the Beethoven Concerto), she developed an arthritic problem with her bow arm, and had to give up the violin.Fortunately, she had met Leon Theremin (an Americanisation of Lev Termen, as he was known in Russia), the inventor of the world’s first electronic instrument. “I was fascinated by the aesthetic part of it, the visual beauty, the idea of playing in the air,” Clara recalled, “and I loved the sound. I tried it, and apparently showed some kind of immediate ability to manipulate it. Soon Lev Sergeyevich gave me, for a present, the RCA model theremin.”She convinced Leon Theremin to build her a far more precise and responsive instrument than the RCA model, one with a five-octave range, instead of three. Over the years she performed extensively but it was not until 1977 that she saw the release of her first commercial LP, performances with Nadia Reisenberg (recorded by Robert Moog) titled ‘The Art Of The Theremin’.In 1989, Steve M. Martin, long fascinated by the instrument, embarked upon the documentary Theremin - An Electronic Odyssey, a film including some of Clara’s last public performances (videotaped at a 1989 Nadia Reisenberg tribute concert in Merkin Hall), and the New York reunion of Clara and Leon Theremin (then aged 95). Premiered in New York at Alice Tully Hall, the film in large measure revitalised interest in both the theremin itself and Clara Rockmore’s unique accomplishments. She died in 1998.Cyril Lance BiogCyril Lance is the Chief Technical Officer at Moog Music and lead designer of the Moog Claravox Centennial Theremin. Cyril first met Bob Moog in January 2005 during an informal visit to Moog factory.  When Bob was diagnosed with cancer in April of 2005, Cyril was asked to come up and take over the engineering effort.  Since then, Cyril has been at the helm of engineering and product development and, along with the dedicated and passionate team at Moog Music, has helped to continue Moog’s legacy of designing and producing beautifully crafted electronic instruments aimed at inspiring artists world-wide to explore and expand their personal sonic vocabularies.  Cyril strives daily to continue Bob Moog’s legacy and to have a lot of fun along the way.  “It’s truly a blessing to have the opportunity to contribute in one small-way to the transformative powers of music to bring joy and connect people on the deepest levels through-out the world”.https://www.moogmusic.com/Dorit Chrysler BiogDorit Chrysler has been dubbed a superior wizard of the theremin. An Austrian-born, New York based composer and performer, Chrysler is the co-founder of the NY Theremin Society and started the first international school for Theremin, KidCoolThereminSchool and L’Ecole Theremine with branches in NY and Paris. She is also one of the most visible Thereminists spreading the gospel of this mysterious sounding instrument. Most recently she finished her analog soundtrack for a remake of “M” by Fritz Lang and was featured on the soundtrack of the HBO documentary “Going Clear”. Chrysler received her master’s degree of musicology in Vienna and has notably collaborated with Anders Trentemøller, Cluster, Adult., CERN, Carsten Nicolai, Elliot Sharp and Laurie Spiegel. She has performed with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, had her work commissioned by MoMA and the Venice Biennale, and is the founder of “Dame Electric,” a festival dedicated to female | pioneers in Analog Music. As the director of the NY Theremin Society, Chrysler is promoting the application of theremin in different art disciplines and has produced the THEREMIN100 compilation release, commemorating the 100th birthday of the Theremin in 2020.http://www.doritchrysler.com/toc.htmlhttps://www.nythereminsociety.org/Bruce Woolley BiogIn 1969 Bruce Woolley bought a Futurama electric guitar, formed a school band, and dreamed of being a professional musician. After years of experimentation, and unsuccessful attempts at becoming a famous jazz-rock guitarist, he decided to concentrate on writing pop songs. In 1979 he co-wrote “Video Killed the Radio Star”.  After a stint fronting cult New Wave unit The Camera Club, Woolley moved back into songwriting and production, forming a creative partnership with Grace Jones. In 1994, Woolley discovered Exotica and formed The Radio Science Orchestra, a theremin-led group that defined retrofuturism before people were talking about retrofuturism. A sonic time machine travelling along the whole history of electronic music, the Orchestra has collaborated with the world’s leading theremin virtuosi including Lydia Kavina, Carolina Eyck and Charlie Draper. Notable guest artists include Grace Jones, Polly Scattergood, Ken Hollings, Dr. Robert Moog, Steve Dub and Thomas Dolby.http://www.brucewoolleyhq.com/https://www.radioscienceorchestra.com/Katia Isakoff BiogKatia Isakoff is a composer and multi-instrumentalist music producer whose compositions, performances and productions first appeared in the Add N To (X) album Loud Like Nature (Mute Records).  She has since collaborated on numerous albu...

Don Lewis began his musical career as a church organist and ended up touring with the Beach Boys, as well as playing studio sessions for Quincy Jones & Michael Jackson.Frustrated by the limitations of music technology of the time, Don used his engineering skills to create LEO, the Live Electronic Orchestra, where he managed to get disparate instruments to “talk” to each other and be completely under his control. His work soon came to the attention of Ikutaro Kakehashi, founder of the Roland Corporation, who was inspired by Don’s technological feats to be one of the driving forces behind the creation of MIDI.But Don’s story is not just one of innovation, but also personal struggle. A struggle that would destroy his career but eventually see him vindicated as a true pioneer and worthy of his adoration within the music community and beyond.Chapters00:00 - Introduction00:38 - How does it feel to have a movie made about you?03:37 - Why make a film about Don?05:06 - Why create LEO, the Live Electronic Orchestra?08:40 - Is it about taking control?10:46 - The documentary process14:43 - A whole lotta love and struggles19:47 - The technology of LEO25:50 - Have you ever been tempted to move LEO from hardware to software?29:13 - Gathering testimonies31:33 - The documentary production35:42 - How have you found pitching this movie to distributors?39:52 - How LEO inspired MIDI47:42 - Where can we watch the movie?Don Lewis BiogDon Lewis is a gifted musician and educator whose mission is to inspire and empower audiences to achieve their dreams. Whether presenting a solo concert or collaborating with other musicians and artists, Don's music brings a message of hope, respect, and community. Don began playing piano as a Dayton, Ohio high school student. Later, at Tuskegee Institute, he accompanied and sang with the Tuskegee Chorus and played for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Freedom Rallies.Uniting his interest in engineering with his musical talent, Don became one of the pioneers in synthesizer use and technology. In 1977, he designed and built a synthesizer system, Live Electronic Orchestra (LEO) that was an inspiration for Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), now on display at the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, CA.Don has performed at concerts worldwide and has appeared as a soloist with many symphony orchestras. As a studio artist, he has worked with such greats as Quincy Jones, Sergio Mendez and Michael Jackson. Don has also created scores for film and television productions including the award winning Rainbow's End and Were You There series featured on PBS. In addition he has scored commercials for such clients as Nissan, Pacific Telephone, and Digital Equipment Corp.Also an enthusiastic teacher, Don has taught courses in the history of Gospel Music, multimedia, and synthesizer technology at University of California at Berkeley Extension, San Jose State University and Stanford University. In 1987, Don combined his love of children, education and music to create Say “Yes” to Music! Since then, he has delighted thousands of students, teachers and school administrators across the United States and Canada with his inspiring musical assemblies.Throughout the years Don has been a concert artist and consultant with various musical instrument manufacturers including Hammond, Arp, Yamaha, Roland Corporation, and Rodgers Instruments. He continues to delight and touch the hearts of his fans in his concerts at home and throughout the world.Ned Augustenborg BiogNed Augustenborg has produced a wide range of content in the television industry, having produced or directed for ESPN, MSNBC, CNN, The Mountain Sports Network, Canadian Sports Network, Prime Ticket, CNBC and Sports Net.Following his formal education at the University of Southern California and the University of Arizona, Augustenborg began his career in computer animation while collaborating on experimental video projects at the Long Beach Museum of Art Video Annex, followed by producing documentaries on such diverse subjects as the California Department of Corrections, a struggling Los Angeles Latino rock band and the early life of Nobel Prize winner Glenn T. Seaborg.In addition to his freelance production career, Augustenborg also managed several studios for a variety of Cable TV operators throughout Southern California. A recipient of multiple Emmy and Cable ACE Awards in the categories of Entertainment, Documentary, Experimental Video, News; Augustenborg most recently produced and directed for Time Warner Cable’s newly developed sports channels in Southern California for which he received two Emmy nominations for "Best Live Sports Coverage" in 2014.Links / Credits All music clips produced, arranged, composed and performed by Don Lewis and taken from the soundtrack to the film, “The Ballad of Don Lewis” © Don Lewis Music 2020.“Fall in Pleasanton”“Hold On”“Be-Noun-Chi”Original Don Lewis LEO performances are available on the Album “Twelve Gates to the City” Available from Apple Music and Amazon.Trailer: https://vimeo.com/442861162Available from: https://4bri.net/newReleasesx5.asphttps://donlewismusic.com/https://www.augustenborgproductions.com/Rob Puricelli BiogRob Puricelli is a Music Technologist and Instructional Designer who has a healthy obsession with classic synthesizers and their history. In conjunction with former Fairlight Studio Manager, Peter Wielk, he fixes and restores Fairlight CMI’s so that they can enjoy prolonged and productive lives with new owners.He also writes reviews and articles for his website, failedmuso.com, and other music-related publications, and has guested on a number of music technology podcasts and shows. He can often be found at various synthesizer shows demonstrating his own collection of vintage music technology.www.failedmuso.comTwitter: @failedmusoInstagram: @failedmusoFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/failedmuso/Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Nainita Desai chats to Caro C about her distinguished career, from her beginnings as a foley artist right through to becoming a busy and successful award-winning composer. Recent projects include the feature film "American Murder" for Netflix and a 360 degree score for "The Reason I Jump", which won World Cinema Documentary Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival 2020.Chapters00:00 - Introduction00:54 - Current projects03:40 - Mixing up the creative process06:09 - Electronic and mathematical roots09:39 - Discovering the industry14:51 - From foley artist to Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios22:08 - Pioneering spirit and inspiration24:44 - Capturing the magic of performance27:14 - Hardware and plugins32:02 - Getting expression into a performance36:58 - Methodologies and storytellingNainita Desai BiogIvor Novello award nominee, Nainita Desai is a BAFTA Breakthrough Britand International Film Music Critics Association Breakthrough Composer of 2019. Amongst various BAFTA, Oscar, Emmy acclaimed productions, Nainita’s recent features include critically acclaimed Oscar 2020 nominated film For Sama also nominated for Best Music at the BIFAs. Film4 labelled her as one of the top 5 ‘composers who should be on your radar’ for 2020 and her projects have been in the Top 5 Film Scores and Video Games scores of 2019 by Scala Radio. Recent projects include Sundance 2020 winning feature The Reason I Jump, Netflix original series Bad Boy Billionaires, American Murder (exec prod: James Marsh), and BBC drama series Unprecedented.Following a degree in Maths, Nainita began her career working as a sound designer on features for directors including Werner Herzog and Bertolucci and assistant music engineer to Peter Gabriel. Nainita moves seamlessly between working with orchestras, to scores utilising her collection of custom made instruments, incorporating electronics, found sound, and experimental sound design which has informed her experimental, deeply immersive approach.Caro C BiogCaro C is an artist, engineer and teacher specialising in electronic music. She started making music thanks to being laid up whilst living in a double decker bus and listening to Warp Records in the late 1990's. This "sonic enchantress" (BBC Radio 3) has now played in most of the cultural hotspots of her current hometown of Manchester, UK. Caro is also the instigator and project manager of electronic music charity Delia Derbyshire Day.URL: http://carocsound.com/Twitter: @carocsoundInst: @carocsoundFB: https://www.facebook.com/carocsound/Delia Derbyshire Day Charity: https://deliaderbyshireday.comCatch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Dr Manny Fernandez has been heavily involved in development & programming for Yamaha and is best known for his FM and Physical Modelling work through their glory years of new synthesis technologies in the DX7II, SY77/99, VL1, VP1, EX5, AN1x and FS1R. More recently he has been working with the Reface DX, Montage and MODX.Chapters00:00 - Introduction00:50 - Manny’s history 01:29 - Before the DX7 11:22 - The unpredictability of FM 14:58 - How do YOU do FM?17:44 - How did you get to work with Yamaha?24:56 - Birth of the Preset Industry28:09 - The move to the SY 39:47 - FS1R and beyond 53:08 - Montage & MODX58:03 - Where next for FM?Manny Fernandez BiogDr Manny Fernandez has been involved with sound programming and synthesizer development for over 30 years. Initially self taught on an ARP Odyssey and Sequential Pro-One, he also studied academically on Buchla modular systems in the early 1980's. With that solid background in analog synthesis, he transitioned into digital synthesis with the release of the original DX7.Manny has been heavily involved in development & programming for Yamaha and is best known for his FM and Physical Modelling work. He says he was “really fortunate” to be with Yamaha through their glory years of developing new synthesis technologies in the DX7II, SY77/99, VL1 & VP1, EX5, AN1x and FS1R. More recently he has been working with the Reface DX and Montage, doing development work for the various Montage firmware & feature updates, including the new realtime FM ‘SmartMorph’ AI control of multiple FM parameters.Way back in the 90’s, he also did development and factory programming work for Kurzweil (K2000), Kawai (K1, K4, K5), Korg (Wavestation, O/1W), Alesis (Quadrasynth), Ensoniq (TS10), Peavey (DPM3) & E-MU (Proteus 2000). He was also known for his work with Sound Source Unlimited and their many sound libraries.Around 2005 he returned to programming to explore advanced FM techniques; for the last 15 years he’s been hacking every nook and cranny of the AFM implementation within the SY99, exploring the interactions of operator phase, multiple patchable feedback loops and ‘zero frequency” waveshaping. He has developed methods for creating FM models of analog oscillator and filter behaviours along the way, as well as mimicking physical modelling and the abstract electronica of his college Buchla days.Manny has contributed many FM synthesis programming tutorials on YamahaSynth.com and YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DrSynthSoundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/manny-fernandez-4856421 Credits Incidental music clips performed by Rob Puricelli using a Yamaha DX5. Closing musical clip performed by Manny Fernandez.Rob Puricelli BiogRob Puricelli is a Music Technologist and Instructional Designer who has a healthy obsession with classic synthesizers and their history. In conjunction with former Fairlight Studio Manager, Peter Wielk, he fixes and restores Fairlight CMI’s so that they can enjoy prolonged and productive lives with new owners.He also writes reviews and articles for his website, failedmuso.com, and other music-related publications, and has guested on a number of music technology podcasts and shows. He can often be found at various synthesizer shows demonstrating his own collection of vintage music technology.www.failedmuso.comTwitter: @failedmuso Instagram: @failedmuso Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/failedmuso/Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Life beyond the computer screen.Robin Rimbaud, AKA Scanner, takes us on an autobiographical sonic journey as he talks about his early fascination with tape recorders, to life beyond the computer screen and his studio filled with modular and table-top synths.Chapters00:00 - Introduction00:32 - Personal History and storing memories01:28 - Tape recorders capturing birthdays and school trips02:59 - Ambient football on cassette03:46 - Discovering John Cage04:31 - Scores of Stockhausen05:18 - Live music05:52 - David Tudor07:39 - Modular Synth discovery09:23 - In the Studio playtime, Modular Synths, Gesture Arcade11:24 - Lorre-Mill Keyed Mosstone, Ciat-Lonbarde Cocoquantus 211:53 - Lorre-Mill Double Knot, Eventide H913:16 - Macumbista Benjolin17:38 - Morphagene17:57 - Musique Concrète20:41 - Teac Reel-to-Reel21:16 - Tape Loops22:30 - Dinner for Two24:59 - Avoiding the screen25:16 - Going in a loop26:04 - How nothing has changedRobin Rimbaud BiogScanner (British artist Robin Rimbaud) traverses the experimental terrain between sound and space connecting a bewilderingly diverse array of genres. Since 1991 he has been intensely active in sonic art, producing concerts, installations and recordings, the albums Mass Observation (1994), Delivery (1997), and The Garden is Full of Metal (1998) hailed by critics as innovative and inspirational works of contemporary electronic music. To date he has scored 65 dance productions, including the hit musical comedy Kirikou & Karaba Narnia, Qualia for the London Royal Ballet, and the world’s first Virtual Reality ballet, Nightfall, for Dutch National Ballet.More unusual projects have included designing sound for the Philips Wake-Up Light (2009), the re-opening of the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam in 2012 and the new Cisco telephone system used in many offices around the world. His work Salles des Departs is permanently installed in a working morgue in Paris whilst Vex, the residential house by Chance de Silva architects, featuring his permanent soundtrack, won the RIBA London Award 2018.Committed to working with cutting edge practitioners he collaborated with Bryan Ferry, Wayne MacGregor, Mike Kelley, Torres, Michael Nyman, Steve McQueen, Laurie Anderson and Hussein Chalayan, amongst many others.http://www.scannerdot.comHis latest album, An Ascent, was recently released on the DiN Records label - https://din.org.uk/album/an-ascent-din63Where To Get The KitGesture ArcadeLorre-Mill Keyed MosstoneCiat-Lonbarde CocoquantusLorre-Mill Double KnotMacumbista BenjolinMorphageneCatch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts