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..

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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?

I started composing seriously in 1992, and in 1993 I rigged up my first
computer composition system. My interest in computer composition was fueled
by a program called Encore and a Baldwin digital piano. I discovered tracking
in late 1994 and moved exclusively to Scream Tracker, dropping Encore
completely.

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

I started with a Packard Bell 486SX-25 with an 80Mb hard drive. With that
computer I discovered MIDI. It was also with that computer I started tracking.
My first real computer was a home-built Pentium 133. Since then I've gone
through several dozen PC's to my current setup, a P4 2Ghz and a dual Athlon
MP 1800. I still track today, but 99% of my work is done via MIDI at this
time.

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

Music has been with me for as long as I can remember. I started playing the
piano at a very young age, and composing came quite naturally. From the
instant I get up in the morning to the instant I fall into the dreamtime a
part of my mind is making music. I live life to a score I'm always trying
to reproduce. I was also never any good at gfx. I tried several times, to no
avail. I did take a heavy interest in coding, but it was due to my job as a
UNIX engineer.

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

I started with Scream Tracker, moved to Impulse Tracker, then took a shot at
ModPlug. Today my key programs are Sonar XL for composition, Cubase 5.0 for
live audio, SoundForge for WAV work, and Opticom MP3 Producer for final
compression. i probably spend 95% of my time in front of Sonar when I'm
writing.

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

"Living Score" probably has the most to say about me. While I've yet to
produce a piece that I felt needed no work, its constant motion is precisely
the thing I try to produce in a work. An unreleased and incomplete module,
"Trips and Fairytales," most certainly contains the best tracking work I've
ever done by a long stretch. At the current pace it should be release
somewhere around 2027.

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

I know there have been several of these, but I've long since deleted and
forgotten them.

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

I think music in a demo or game is paramount. The sole purpose of both of
these are to entertain the mind, and that cannot be accomplished without
entertaining the auditory experience as well.

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

I am still composing. Most of the work I do is leisure, but I do some
professional work now and again.

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

I think they are a natural progression for any would-be composer. While
tracking is a fantastic pastime and can produce great results it simply cannot
and will not compare to advanced methods, such as MIDI coupled with synths /
hardware. There are still some trackers who come very close to producing
unbelievably realistic MODs out there, but they're few and far between.

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

Novus - Revealing
Homesick Alien - Sublimation of Effort
DotSPF - Midnight Psyche
Psylent Buddhi - Never found out the name of the track

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

At this time I don't intend to remaster ay of my tracked works for inclusion
on a CD. I am, however, working on two separate CD projects containing new
music. One is a solo release, and the other is a compilation with Phil Brown.

12-What bands are you currently listenning to?

The only "bands" I listen to are The Dave Matthews Band and Pink Floyd. Other than
them I listen to a lot of David Arkenstone, Sarah Brightman, Maria Callas,
Rachmaninoff, Dvorak, and Chopin.

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

I was never active in the amiga/c64 scene, but the tracking scene hooked me
up with some people I still talk to regularly today. It was also a lot of fun
tracking day in and day out, with or without the scene.

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

Not really. I still talk to a few folks regularly, but I compose for different
reasons today.

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

I always did love the greet sections. My one big greet is to Phil Brown, my
composition partner and catalyst extraordinaire.

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please note: this interview is ©opyrighted in 2002 by crown of cryptoburners
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