The History Of Music And Technology
| Data: 27 April 2019 Miejsce: BBC Radio, London, England |
The story of sound recording Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason tells the story of how we first captured sound, giving birth to a global recording industry. While music has advanced in its complexity over the millennia, the means of recording it remained the same: it had to be written down. It took until the back-half of the 19th Century before credible attempts were made to bottle sound for the first time, and in 1877 Thomas Edison produced the Phonograph. Over the next century, major advances were made in recording formats, recording duration, and sound quality, from the Gramophone record to the cassette tape to the compact disc. But as this programme reveals, cost and convenience played a major role in this progress, rather than the quality of technology - sometimes the best inventions didn't win out. The series is produced in association with the Open University. CONTRIBUTORS: Prof Mark Katz, University of North Carolina Richard Osborne, Middlesex University Nick Morgan, writer on music history Sophie Maisonneuve, Université Paris Descartes Prof Andre Millard, University of Alabama at Birmingham Sean Williams, The Open University Greg Milner, author of Perfecting Sound Forever: An Aural History of Recorded Music |
| Data: 4 May 2019 Miejsce: BBC Radio, London, England |
Electronic Music Pioneers For centuries music was made by strumming strings, blowing horns and banging drums - but at the turn of the 20th Century, the harnessing of electricity meant artists and inventors could create all-new tones and timbres. In this programme, Pink Floyd's Nick Mason tells the story of some of electronic music's pioneers - from the eerie sound of the Theremin, to German avant-garde experimentation and the automatic music-making machines of Raymond Scott. While electronic music might be deemed to be a thoroughly modern genre, we remember its history goes back over a hundred years. The series is produced in association with the Open University. CONTRIBUTORS: Sean Williams, The Open University Lydia Kavina, Theremin player Tom Rhea, electronic music historian Wally De Backer a.k.a Gotye, musician Gottfried Michael Koenig, Westdeutscher Rundfunk Electronic Music Studio and The Institute of Sonology Herb Deutsch, emeritus professor of electronic music and composition at Hofstra University |
| Data: 11 May 2019 Miejsce: BBC Radio, London, England |
The electric
guitar The electric guitar is the instrument which defined 20th Century pop culture. In this programme, Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason tells the story of the electric guitar, revealing how a frying pan, a railroad track and the paradise island of Hawaii all played a role in its evolution. In turn, the programme charts how the desire to get louder fundamentally altered the instrument’s sound - and while it has a reputation for turning men into semi-mythical figures, the programme reveals how women are now playing the lead when it comes to the electric guitar today. The series is produced in association with the Open University. Contributors: Brad Tolinski - Co-author of Play it Loud: A History of the Electric Guitar Richard Hawley - Musician Paul Reed Smith - Founder of PRS Guitars David Hepworth, music historian Jim Peterik - Guitarist and founder of the band Survivor Robert Christgau - Essayist and music journalist Anna Calvi - Singer-songwriter and guitarist Steve Vai - Guitarist Phil Wells - Marshall Amps Lee Harris - Guitarist for Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets Joey Santiago - Lead guitarist for the Pixies Producer: Craig Smith |
| Data: 18 May 2019 Miejsce: BBC Radio, London, England |
The Hammond
Organ Pink Floyd's Nick Mason tells the story of Laurens Hammond and the musical legacy of the instrument which bears his name. The Hammond Organ is arguably the first mass-market electronic instrument and in this episode we head to the heart of the Hammond Organ story: Chicago. One of the most familiar and versatile instruments to emerge in the 20th Century, the Hammond Organ’s reach ranges from the gospel of African-American churches, to jazz and reggae, to the swirling sound of progressive rock. The series is produced in association with the Open University. Producer: Craig Smith |
| Data: 25 May 2019 Miejsce: BBC Radio, London, England |
The Synthesizer The first synthesizer was so big, it filled an entire room, but during the 1960s inventors built downsized machines which would go on to revolutionise pop music. Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason charts the work of synth pioneers Bob Moog, Don Buchla and Dave Smith in the story of the most influential electronic instrument of all time. We learn how the synth came to sing with multiple voices, and how Japanese giants came to dominate the market - but arguably at a cost to creativity. CONTRIBUTORS Brian Kehew, producer and music historian Tom Rhea, electronic music historian Herb Deutsch, musician and collaborator with Bob Moog Morton Subotnick Suzanne Ciani Peter Zinovieff, EMS and inventors of the VCS3 synthesizer Mark Mothersbaugh, Devo Nick Rhodes, Duran Duran Rick Wakeman Dave Smith, Sequential Circuits and inventor of the Prophet 5 DJ Jazzy Jeff The series is produced in association with the Open University. |
| Data: 1 June 2019 Miejsce: BBC Radio, London, England |
Samplers and
Drum Machines Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason explores how samplers and drum machines created new musical genres. During the 1980s, samplers and drum machines fuelled a new wave of music from hip hop to house to techno. In this programme we hear from the inventors behind this landmark technology and reveal how it first found traction with millionaire rock stars, rather than hip young DJs, due to its huge expense. We learn how cheaper Japanese products – first deemed a commercial flop - were then re-discovered, re-used and abused by dance floor innovators who created new musical genres which could never have existed without this technology. Contributors: Peter Vogel, inventor of the Fairlight CMI Trevor Horn Nick Rhodes, Duran Duran Roger Linn, inventor of the LM-1 drum machine Prof Susan Rogers, Berklee College of Music and sound engineer Arthur Baker Kurtis Mantronik Richard Katz, Roland Instruments Hank Shocklee, Public Enemy Jesse Saunders Derrick May Roni Size The series is produced in association with the Open University. |
| Data: 8 June 2019 Miejsce: BBC Radio, London, England |
The Studio: From
Acoustic to Electric The recording studio has changed dramatically since the advent of sound recording - as has our understanding of the ‘perfect take’. In the first of two programmes about the history of the studio, Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason explores the limitations of the acoustic era, and how the switch to electrical recording ushered in the age of more intimate recording, giving rise to the superstar crooner. We look at the how, after World War 2, a boom in independent recording studios run by army-trained communications engineers helped to drive the birth of rock n roll, and how technology developed during the war made it possible for musicians to start recording music that was physically impossible to play, using techniques pioneered by a man better known for his guitars – Les Paul. CONTRIBUTORS Prof Mark Katz, University of North Carolina Prof Simon Zagorski-Thomas, The London College of Music at the University of West London Prof Albin Zak, The State University of New York at Albany Prof Allison McCracken, DePaul University Greg Milner, author of Perfecting Sound Forever: An Aural History of Recorded Music Brian Kehew, producer and music historian Clem Cattini, The Tornados |
| Data: 15 June 2019 Miejsce: BBC Radio, London, England |
The studio : The
Beatles and beyond Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason continues the story of the recording studio, exploring how bands such as The Beatles and The Beach Boys brought avant-garde production techniques into the mainstream during the 1960s. The programme also charts the role jazz and dub reggae played in advancing studio production, and how increasingly sophisticated studio technology slowed down the recording process. But the advent of portable tape recorders – and then digital technology - saw the studio begin to shrink in size, while at the same time expanding access to the recording process. With it came a boom in in alternative music which was previously ignored by the major record labels, and bedroom producers making music on home computers kick-started an explosion in electronic dance music. Today, digital studio technology has become so sophisticated that it can help even the shakiest of singers deliver the perfect performance. The series is produced in association with the Open University. Contributors Ken Scott, sound engineer and producer who worked with The Beatles and David Bowie Prof Simon Zagorski-Thomas, The London College of Music at the University of West London Brian Kehew, producer and historian, co-author of Recording the Beatles Dr Sean Williams, The Open University Arthur Baker, producer and remixer Chris Lord-Alge, mix engineer Mark Mothersbaugh, Devo Prof Susan Rogers, Berklee College of Music and former sound engineer for Prince Roni Size Andy Hildebrand, inventor of Autotune |
| Data: 22 June 2019 Miejsce: BBC Radio, London, England |
The Future of
Music Technology In this final episode of A History of Music and Technology, Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason discovers how rapid digital innovation is shaping the way we make, listen and interact with music. He reveals how artificial intelligence is taking human input out of musical composition and how virtual reality is reshaping the recording studios of tomorrow. But in an age where everyone can have access to music-making technology, how do you stand out? And has the internet made it too easy to copy what has come before us, rather than create something which is completely brand-new? The series is produced in association with the Open University. Produced by Craig Smith |
Dodano: 8.3.2021
