Amiga Music Preservation -

Interview

.

`n. .rP'

`qb ,dP'

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 · ___________

______dP _____________ \ /

\ ,N'\____ _____________. _____ \ \_____. ____\ /

\___P___/ .\--\__ __/__ |--\____)---\ _____/__ |--\_ \ _/

| | | \ | | \__| | _ \ / | \__| | /\ |

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

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

\/

•

Handle:

•

Group:

•

Date of birth:

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

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

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

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

Sometime around 1984 we got a C64 as an addition to our familiy, and I got
completely hooked on that little funny box. Spent several years just fiddlig
with it, trying out basic, hacking around with an Final Cartridge II, sometimes
bashing it (man.. it could take a beating :)) It's strange though 'coz I
looked at some old tape once, I had made, and there was a basic program on
there I made when I was 8 years old (!).. I remember reading both 1541 manuals
and even assembly programming listings around the time I was 12, and all the
time I got more and more interested in people behind the crackintro's I saw..
It was like a mystical message from likeminded people, from around the whole
world!! (often had a real funny time reading the scrolltext) So I just got
more and more insterested in what is know as The Scene.

Around when I was 13, we got an Amiga for our parents, (me and my brother) and
I got my first tracker program, mastersoundtracker, which I thought was really
great (also tried Sonix, but it was too rigidly based on notation I thought).
So I started composing small bits of music. I bought also the Amiga Reference
guide, but apart from reading in it at times, I never did any programming on
the Amiga. (often fiddled around in DPaint tho) I got too hooked up in the
music, and decided to leave the programming part to people who saw this as
their speciality. I did a whole bunch of modules with soundtrackers, all the
way from mastersoundtracker, doc soundtracker, noisetracker, protracker, and I
stopped at protracker v1.3b. I think I have over 100 unfinished modules on
my old amiga HD, maybe I'll put some of them up on my mini webpage. Around 93'
I started experimenting with MIDI, and Octamed became the software of choice,
since it had MIDI tracks, and a tracker style interface. I did some tunes
with my ASR10 sampler and JV880 synthmodule I had at the time, and played them
at a local houseparty, getting some nice feedback on that.. So I continued
using Octamed for a couple of years, but I could never really get fully
satisfied with the sound I got from my MIDI gear, so I never released
anything. (I have about 100 unfinished Octamed MIDI songs too :P)

Then finally, in 1994 I bought a PC, a Pentium 90 IIRC, and started using
Steinbergs Cubase MIDI sequencer. Still not content with the sound I had from
my equipment, somehow I managed to get togheter enough money to buy an EMU
Emulator E4 sampler, an Ensoniq DP/4 effects processor (hm come to think of
it,I bought that one a bit earlier) and an Allen & Heat GS1 Mixer. Finally I
had professional sounding music! I continued making music, but my music
tended to take an electronic edge, that people were not used to at the time,
I often used goa and hardtrance like elements in my music, but people would
just shake their heads (trancemusic??? what is that..) so I ended up making
just a bunch of demotapes, but never sending them out, because I didn't think
they would have a wide appeal. Anyways, in 1995 I played at a local houseparty,
and people really seemed to like the tracks.. so I got motivation to go further.
But also at the same time, I had entered into a relationship, so I had less
time for music, and keeping in touch with people at that time became a lesser
priority, as I was head over heels completely in love with this girl.. and I
gave a damn about everthing else but her. The music got a 2nd priority, but I
continued composing all the time, if not, just to keep my music interest going.
skip to some years later Relationship over, new relationship.. Started a
studio collaboration with five other electronic musicians, one of them, a
collector of old vintage synths, so we all had a great time in there,
twiddling around with the old analogue beasts such as Roland JP-8, TB303,
TR808, TR909, Oberheim OB-XA, Simmons (?) and others.. hmm and after that
came to an end (artistic differences) After that.. I really went through
some changes with my sound, returning a little to my roots, going away from
the "all electronic" sound I had been experimenting with for so long.. In the
following years I spent learning Emagic Logic Audio MIDI/Audio sequencer, and
started using the nick B.i.T again, since I felt my music style now, was in
the same genre as that I made on the Amiga. Often blending different styles,
with melodical riffs and a high soundquality.

Finally in the year 2000, I felt it was really getting on high time to release
something.. thought about trying for a record contract, but I figured, if I
put it up on the web, They will prolly contact Me, if they want me! So I
uploaded two tracks to MP3.com around october, and well.. continuing to
upload tracks there.. At the time of writing there are three tracks there.
( www.mp3.com/-bit- )

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

I think with Style Blend, I had reached a level of tracking skill, where I
felt I could do some very good modules.

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

Some of the early stuff that was uploaded to Aminet *laugh*

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

I think the music is of the same importance as the graphics and code. A good
production has high quality elements of all three.

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

Yes, both. I do some freelance producer jobs, while working on my own tracks,
for releasing a CD.

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

MP3's are a great way of reaching out to the masses, same as modules was back
in the amiga days. I don't think MIDI is such a good standard, since people
generally refer to MIDI, when they are talking about General Midi, which is
a fixed set of instruments. MIDI as a standard for communication with
external sound devices, is ok, but I still think, as it is a serial protocol,
and with a baud rate which means each note triggered, will be atleast 1ms
apart, that better ways of doing things could be created. (Also why I've been
playing around with some designs for sequencers myself). You can ofcourse have
an extremely good MIDI setup, but this very expensive, both to aquire and to
maintain.

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

My all time favorites.. now that is a HARD question, because I love so much
music in many different categories.. but I'll try just to mention a few from
the top of my head..

c64- International Karate, Wizball, Scarabeus, Flash Gordon

Amiga- Cream of The Earth, Turrican2 music, Twintris, klisje-på-klisje

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

I have thought about it, but haven't planned anything really.

12-What bands are you currently listenning to?

Radiohead, Oliver Lieb, Bjørk, Sandra, Eat Static

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

oh man... it was such an awesome time.. met a LOT of really great people back
then, (and still sometimes do), great parties, watched some kickass demos,
played turrican, well to sum it up: drank some really bad booze with some
really cool dudes..

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

I release MP3's, but I'm not in a group.

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

greets to my family, my friends, esp. Robert, to all former and current
members of Cinefex and Eon, to everyone I've met and talked to in the scene,
and also ofcourse to Cryptoburnes, you made some of the coolest amiga demos
out there.. (Tec was an amazing coder! Had some members of CRB living around
where I lived back then, (hey jackmix, rhesus- watcha up to these days..))
Also hello to the people on #coders IRCNet, and also a little hello to
#beos on ExodusIRC. That should about cover it I guess..
If you wanna get in touch - [email protected]

Thank you Crown, for the interview

Peace

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
please note: this interview is ©opyrighted in 2001 by crown of cryptoburners
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quick Search

Random link

Database Stats

Interview