Amiga Music Preservation -

Interview

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TLb. ,dMP' all rite, now you get the chance to read

TML.dMMP some facts about some of the major amiga

,nmm`XXMPX musicians. read about their history in

,#MP'~~XNXYNXTb. the scene and their plans in future.yes,

,d~' dNNP `YNTb. that's meant to be read while listening to

,~ ,NN' `YNb their modules. read 'em over and over and over..

dNP `Yb.

,NN' `b. · i n t e r v i e w · ___________

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| _| | | _l_ | | \ / _l_ | ___|

l___/=l___|====l____/===\______|==l______|\ /l___/===\______l____/

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Handle:

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Group:

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Date of birth:

1-How did your interest for computers start? Which year was that?

Probably start to get interest in 1982, when I saw that the local youth
activity center opened a computer section.

2-What machines did you previously have? What did you do with them?

I had an Oric Atmos, a 6502 based machine with a AY-3-8912 soundchip
(register compatible with the YM-2149 usually found in the Atari ST range of
computers). I mostly learned real BASIC programming for a while, and
simultaneously started doing graphics and music on the machine, and I even
made my own synthesizer with it that allow polyphonix tones by allowing the
simultaneous key press, thus allowing chords instead of single notes.

3-For what specific reason did you end up making music rather than gfx, coding?

Actually I'm first a coder, then a graphician, and finaly a graphist.
My dream always has been to be able to do a one man demo. Unfortunately I
quite suck in music. Well, I already heard worse tunes than me on
scenemusic.net, so I suppose I'm not _that_ bad.

4-Which composing programs have you been using? Which one in particular?

On the Oric I've been coding my own music tools, but it was very easy
because the Oric BASIC let you access all the features of the chip very
easily. Strangely enough it was a lot harder to get the same level on
control on the Atari ST using either ST Basic or GFA Basic, so I gave up and
instead started to look for already made programms.

The first Atari ST music programs were not using samples, so they were
either allowing MIDI editing, or only simple soundchip effects. Since I
didn't had MIDI equipment at this time (I now have a Roland E68 keyboard) I
had to rely on soundchip based one, and at this time it was not so great.
Except the xbios music editing program, and "The Music Studio" from
Activistion, both beeing quite poor in functionalities, you couldn't find
anything else... quite desperating.
I finaly found something that appeal me when Microdeal released "Quartet", a
quite interesting sound tracker variant that allow you to compose on four
digital chanels, but in score notation instead of patterns. You could put
white and black notes, insert traditional music notation. Very intuitive...
except that the replay engine sounded quite bad. It has been solved later by
the Lost Boys of London, that managed to get both a decent set of
instruments, and a decently fast replay routine :)

Finaly, the last pieces of music I made were done on an Atari Mega STE
running Audio Sculpture, definitively for me the best soundtracker ever made
on the Atari ST.

I tried few years ago to start again doing some music on the PC, but didn't
manage to feel ok with existing tools. For me they are definitively too
complex, and hard to go for someone that has only very light musical theory
knowledge. I'm working with feeling, and they are not really adequated :(

Please note that AudioSculpture and Quartet exist on the Amiga, but are
totaly unrelated with the original products. They simply bought some
existing tracking software, made some relooking and re-released it with a
new name.

5-With which module did you feel you had reached your goal?

Actualy none of what I've done :)
I stopped doing music at the exact moment I started to feel ok with the tool
I was using.
The reason ? Well, the Mega STE I used was not mine, so I had to give it
back to his owner, meaning I had to get back to my own Atari STF machine
with it's crappy mono sound output...

6-Is there a tune you would like not to remember? For what reason?

None of them. Most of what I've done is not good, but it's still good
memories trying to grasp concepts on how this or this sounds cool or not.

7-In your opinion, what's the value of a music in a demo, game?

Fundamental.
One of my fave demo is Variform (Mfx/Kewlers), but without the tune it's not
the same demo.

8-At present, are you still composing? For professional or leisure purposes?

I don't compose anymore, but I still have contact with musicians and give
opinions on things that could be changed in order to improve the tune.
Having a bad technics does not mean I don't have any sense of rythm and
composition :)

9-What do you think of today's pieces of music such as mpeg,wave,midi,etc...?

Various tools that the musician/sound artist can use depending of the work
to get done.

10-Could you tell us some of your all times favourite tunes?

I love the remix of Tao used in the UMD 8730 sound demo. Great cover of
great themes.
Nebulos by Audiomonster is very cool.
Delicious theme by Ludvig Linge is particularly nicely done, matches the
visual perfectly.
Boremloza, the music of the Atari XL demo "Numen" is a quite fabulous Pokey
tune :)
I also like a lot of tunes by Moby, Elwood, Little Bitchard, Wayfinder,
Teque... too much to enumerate :)

11-Are you planning to make an audio cd with some of your music remastered?

Oh no !!!
I wish to save the world from that

12-What bands are you currently listenning to?

BT, Bowie, Smashing Pumkins, U2, Red Hots, ...

13-What does/did the amiga/c64 scene give you?

Nothing :)
I've been member of the Atari ST and Oric scene only !
The only C64 musician I know personaly is Mermaid/Creators

14-Are you still active in the scene these days?

On the Oric, yes, but as a coder, no more as a musician.

15-Anyone to greet? Anything left to say? Feel free...

Greets to all Atari ST and Oric sceners, and also to people I know on
#codefr #altparty #plus4...

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please note: this interview is ©opyrighted in 2005 by crown of cryptoburners
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