New Book: "The Art Of Digital Music"

[Stephen Kay]

Hello People,

Apologies in advance for the shameless plug, but some of you may find this interesting. I thought I'd take a second to mention a new book: "The Art Of Digital Music." Written by David Battino, whose name you may recognize from many years of articles with Electronic Musician (and others), it features interviews with a number of artists and "visionaries" (including myself.) Heck, how I even got asked to be in with the likes of some of these, it's hard to fathom, but here's a partial list:



Artists
* BT
* LTJ Bukem
* Chuck D
* The Crystal Method
* Thomas Dolby-Robertson
* David Fagin (The Rosenbergs)
* The Fat Man (leading computer game musician)
* Pat Gleeson
* Herbie Hancock
* Steve Horowitz (Nickelodeon Online, MTV)
* Jennifer Hruska (Sonic Network)
* Mark Isham
* Doug Morton (Q-Up Arts)
* Amy X Neuburg
* Marty O’Donnell (composer, Xbox Halo)
* Dave O’Neal (composer/animator, 8Legged.com)
* Eric Persing (Spectrasonics)
* Roger Powell
* Steve Reich
* Dr. Fiorella Terenzi
* David Torn

Producers
* Glen Ballard (Alanis Morissette)
* Jack Blades
* Joe_Chiccarelli (Beck, Zappa)
* Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd)
* Albhy Galuten (18 No. 1 hits)
* Jimmy Jam
* Alan Parsons
* Scotch Ralston (311)
* Phil Ramone
* Bob Rock (Metallica)
* Nile Rodgers
* Todd_Rundgren
* Don Was

Visionaries
* Gerhard Behles & Robert Henke (co-founders, Ableton Software)
* Elizabeth Cohen (AES Digital Preservation Project)
* Ted Cohen (VP, EMI New Media)
* Marc Geiger (CEO, ArtistDirect)
* Peter Gotcher (founder, Digidesign)
* Jim Griffin (CEO, Cherry Lane Digital)
* Leslie Ann Jones (Skywalker Sound)
* Ikutaro Kakehashi (founder, Roland Corp.)
* Stephen Kay (Kay Algorithmic Realtime Music Architecture [KARMA])
* Ray Kurzweil
* Roger Linn (inventor, sampled-sound drum machine and quantization)
* David Mash (Tech VP, Berklee)
* Ernst Nathorst-Böös & Tage Widsell (Propellerhead Software)
* Jeff Patterson (founder, Internet Underground Music Archive)
* Jim Reekes (Mac startup sounds, Kerbango)
* Ty Roberts (QuickTime, ION, Gracenote)
* Doug Rogers (Founder, EastWest)
* Dave Smith (first programmable synthesizer; father of MIDI)
* David Zicarelli (developer of Max, the leading algorithmic composition software)

Product Description:
The Art of Digital Music shows firsthand how top artists - pioneers such as Alan Parsons, Herbie Hancock, BT, Todd Rundgren, Steve Reich, and Phil Ramone - use digital technology in their work. Through a dynamic blend of practical, hands-on production tips, inspiring case studies, extensive graphics, and in-depth interviews, the authors explore the creative freedom these new tools afford. In addition to artist interviews, this entertaining volume features lively discussions with technological pioneers - the producers, engineers, software wizards, and Internet visionaries who are shaping the sound of the future. In addition to audio examples, the accompanying DVD features tours of artists' studios. The Art of Digital Music will appeal to musicians who use technology to make music and fans who want to understand how technology is changing the way music is created, experienced, and shared.

Click here to find out more about ""The Art Of Digital Music."

[Ozzy]

Hmmm, I'll have to get a copy of this, crease the spine so it
casually falls open at the pages that feature Stephen and leave
it on my coffee table - and when curious friends decide to take
a look, I can glance over their shoulder and smugly exclaim:
"...yeah, well of course that's the guy I work for."

Cheers, Paul.

[EJ2]

Originally posted by Stephen Kay
.......Heck, how I even got asked to be in with the likes of some of these, it's hard to fathom, .....

Stephen,
I think every owner of a Karma or KarmaTriton, or the new OASYS for that matter would certainly agree that your name definitely belongs in that group.
Cheers,
Eric

[laughingbear]

Impressive. - Congrats!-

[Gary Grant]

Way cool


Gary :-)

[dalekay]

WOW

Stephen you thought you did not belong? Shame on you...
If it did not include you, I would wonder why not?

Side note... I can't believe I actually talked too several of these people in the past year. I feel privilege.
Now if only some of that karma would have rubbed off on me....

Great Job Stephen ! You deserve this and more.

But where is Bob Moog?

dale

[machaut96]

I just got my copy from Amazon.com and last night and the first chapter I read was Stephen's. If some of these 'floating three-dimensional constructs' controlled by hand gestures that are mentioned in the chapter about Stephen are applicable to KARMA, then the future is going to be a fun place.

I always thought the future was going to be a cool place after listening to Firesign Theater's "I Think We're All Bozo's on This Bus"; now I can't wait.

I just got the book and can't wait to get into this read. Over the weekend I also bought Ray Kurzweil's "The Age of Spritual Machines", and since the above book's chapters of people is arranged in alphabetical order, it was fitting to note that Kurzweil follows Kay.

Way to go Stephen! Everyone on KLF should get their hands on this book.

Jim

[Stephen Kay]

Hey, thanks Jim, but I'm not in Ray's class.

I haven't had time to check it out the included DVD myself yet, but there's supposed to be audio recordings of the actual interviews and conversations with the people in the book. I would think that would be quite interesting. Let us know what's on the DVD when you get a chance.

[machaut96]

Just to say I have started to reread this book and still recommend it to all of us creative geniuses, as Stephen originally pointed out.

It may have slipped below the radar for some, but I have found this book invaluable when in a creative slump, lost with TOO MUCH technology and not producing as much music as I should, and basic understanding what is going on in the world of music technology and how to use these tools we all have available.

And this is now a year later.....

What IS in that Korg booth anyway???

Jim

[machaut96]

Contents of DVD included in "The Art of Digital Music"
reprinted without permission


All songs and audio examples are presented in MP3 format except where noted. Click the links to play them in a new window. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) to copy the files to your hard drive. All music here is copyrighted by its owners.

Jump to a specific artist... Thomas Dolby The Fat Man Dr. Patrick Gleeson Jennifer Hruska Stephen Kay David Mash Douglas Morton Amy X Neuburg Marty O’Donnell Alan Parsons Jeff Patterson Eric Persing Roger Powell Scotch Ralston Doug Rogers Dave Smith Dr. Fiorella Terenzi
Thomas Dolby
Songs
These two songs are among Dolby’s personal favorites. They were recorded live before a small audience at two invitation-only concerts he gave to celebrate his 40th birthday. You can buy the concert CD here.

“I Love You Goodbye” (Live)
“One of Our Submarines” (Live)
Ringtones
“Henhouse”
“Off the Hook”
“Syncronizada”

The Fat Man (and Team Fat)
Video Game Music
“Dog Eat Dog”
“No Man of Earth”
“Tiny Hero”
The Pizzicato MIDI Ferret

Dr. Patrick Gleeson (and Jim Lang)
The rhythm track on this tune sounds like a mutilated CD—because is is. Gleeson reveals, “Credit for this goes primarily to Jim and beyond that to an idiot client of ours who was so awful (actually his mate was the principal awful person) that when the movie’s soundtrack came out Jim determinedly and methodically defaced the CD and then, out of joyous hatred, played it—and discovered that sections of it were beyond hip. A few edits later: voila! Brain [the excellent drummer] maintains that the underlying rhythm track is (I’m quoting) ‘the hippest rhythm track in at least the last two years.’ We’re now working on the sequel. Fortunately, film clients comprise a nearly inexhaustible source of negative energy for this kind of thing.”

“Void When We Want”

Jennifer Hruska (and Sonic Implants)
Personal Compositions
“Piano Errors”
“Sompassion”
Sonic Implants Sample Library Demos
Atsia West African Dancing Drums
Les Paul Guitar
Spector Slap Bass
Symphonic Brass—Raven
Symphonic Strings—Droid
Symphonic Strings—Prince William
Talkbox Guitar
Ringtone Demos
These demos were produced with a cell-phone synthesizer that has just 56 kilobytes of sample RAM.

“Disco 2000”
“Euro Rump”
“Glass Blown”
“Hard Hitter”
“Slap Groove”
“Surface Motion”
Stephen Kay
“The Sorcerer” (first use of KARMA technology)
“Planet KARMA”
Chemistry, vol. 1, demo

David Mash
“Mashine Blues”

Douglas Morton
Morton composed these two soundtracks for exhibits at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

“Float Plan” (from Jellies: Living Art)
“Radial Symmetry” (from Mysteries of the Deep)

Amy X Neuburg
“Every Little Stain”

Marty O’Donnell
Halo 2 trailer
Halo 2 “Remembrance”

Alan Parsons (excerpt)
Important Note: This song excerpt is in DTS 5.1 surround format. You will need a DTS decoder to hear it. (If you play the DTS-encoded WAV file directly, you’ll just hear static.)

Option 1: If your computer has a S/PDIF digital audio output jack, connect it to a DTS-compatible receiver, audio interface, or set of powered speakers such as the Logitech Z-5500 Digitals. Then configure your computer for DTS passthrough so that the audio signal passes through the S/PDIF jack unchanged. (On a Mac, for example, you must set the iTunes volume to maximum; turn off the iTunes equalizer, Sound Enhancer, and Crossfading; and then do a Get Info on the song and set the song’s volume offset to Normal. See Apple’s DTS technote.)

Option 2: If you have a DTS-compatible DVD player, you can burn the WAV file to an ordinary audio CD and play it back through the DVD player’s S/PDIF output jack into a DTS-compatible receiver, audio interface, or set of DTS-compatible multimedia speakers.

“Cloudbreak”: Open enclosing folder

Jeff Patterson (and the Ugly Mugs)
“Abracadaver”
“Constitution 18”

Eric Persing
Sample Library Demos
Distorted Reality
Bizarre Guitar
Vocal Planet: Jazz
Groove Control technology demo
Software Synthesizer Demos
Atmosphere: “Vinyl Ambience Morph” (performed on a single patch)
Stylus: “Celluloid” (It’s not just a drum machine....)
Trilogy: “Soul Fingers”

Roger Powell
“Lumia” (1973)
“Emergency Splashdown” (1980)
“Window Pane” (2003)

Scotch Ralston
“Pik Perry Pimbo”

Doug Rogers (producer)
This is a 24-bit WAV-file demo of the EastWest Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra sample library, composed and performed by Dave Marsden. Rogers recommends listening on headphones to hear the natural reverberation. He recorded each sample from three locations in the hall, and Marsden plays with that sense of space in the demo.

“Cartoon”

Dave Smith
Evolver Demos
“Five Chained Evolvers”
“Bass Sequence”
“Beat Boxie”
“Buzzy, Crackly Drone”
“Feeedback Drone”
“Loud Growl”
“High Bells, Low Bells”
“How Big Can It Get?”
“Nice, Then Not”
“Rezzy Noise Sequence”
“Sync Sweep”
“Wartime Drone”
“Wrowl”

Dr. Fiorella Terenzi
“Heavenly Bodies”
“Sidereal Breath”

Top of Page

[machaut96]

Contents (cont.)

Ray Kurzweil, Kurzweil AI
These two videos are from Ray Kurzweil’s virtual-reality musical performance at the 2001 TED Conference. He was singing through a computer-generated female character called Ramona that followed his movements. The system also altered Kurzweil’s voice to make it more feminine. (Real Player required.)

“Come Out and Play”
The Making of Ramona

Dave O’Neal, 8Legged.com
Deep Fried, Live! is the only Internet cooking show hosted by an octopus. Here are two early episodes, with music and sound effects by Dave O’Neal. (Flash player required.)

King Prawn: The Jumbo Shrimp
Quarks, Black Holes & Chocolate Chips

David Mash, Berklee College of Music
Through QuickTime VR, you can explore how David Mash’s personal studio has evolved from hardware to software over the years. (QuickTime required.)

Mashine Studio Tour, 2001
Mashine Studio Tour, 2003
Mashine Studio Tour, 2004

[machaut96]

Contents (cont.)

The following samples are licensed—not sold—to you. You may use them in personal and commercial music production without paying royalties, but you may not resell them. Click the links to preview the samples in a new window. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) to download them to your computer.



BT (.WAV files)
These samples are from BT's Breakz From the Nu Skool sampling CD, courtesy of EastWest.

Live Attitude (78 bpm)
Blanketed Lama (105 bpm)
Live Bouncy Drum (107 bpm)
Freakz Beats (110 bpm)
Bounce Banger II (115 bpm)
Tom-o-Rom PreBuild (124 bpm)
Benda Bzounce (126 bpm)
Mothara Breaks (128 bpm)
SubaTONIC II (135 bpm)
Space Tunnel II (150 bpm)


Jennifer Hruska, Sonic Implants (.SF2 files)
These SoundFont banks are for use with samplers and software that support the .SF2 format. Each file contains multiple samples, so it can't be previewed from this Web browser. Please click here to open the enclosing folder.

Acoustic Guitar
BJ Loose Drums
Hammond B3
Rock Bass
Timbales
Trumpet


Stephen Kay, Karma Lab (MP3 files)
Here are 68 hits, loops, and multitrack construction kits Stephen Kay produced with a Korg Karma keyboard. (Clicking the link will open a new page.)


Douglas Morton, Q Up Arts (.WAV files)
Bigfoot (92 bpm, from QSpace)
Big Low Drum (98 bpm, from Voices of Native America)
Tribal Orgy (98 bpm, from QSpace)
SGO Percussion (132 bpm, from Latin Groove Factory vol. 1)
Cymbal Groove (170 bpm, from Kodish DNB)
Echo Flute
Voxem (from Voices of Istanbul)
Top of Page

[machaut96]

Contents (cont.)

There are also essays, from Todd Rundgren and others that I will not reprint due to copyright, but are there on the DVD.

These links were current at press time, but things change quickly on the Web. For updates, please visit www.artofdigitalmusic.com. All links open in new windows.
Inspiration
Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk (inspired our virtual roundtable format; thanks to Ernst for the tip)
Burning Down the House: Ripping, Recording, Remixing, and More! (Eliot Van Buskirk)
Vintage Synthesizers: Pioneering Designers, Groundbreaking Instruments, Collecting Tips, Mutants of Technology (Mark Vail)
Beyond The Charts: MP3 and the Digital Music Revolution (Bruce Haring)
The DIY Convention (Bruce Haring)
Mutato Musika (Mark Mothersbaugh)
Styxworld (Tommy Shaw)
Craig Anderton
Jack Douglas
Stewart Copeland
Conrad Cummings
Joe Bryan interview (“Distortion is Science” sidebar)
Innerviews: Music Without Borders
Laptop Music (Share.dj community site)
C64audio.com—Go Back in Time with SID!
BrainScream Indie Music (8-Bit Weapon)
Wired News: 8-bit Punk
Wired News: The Incredible Shrinking Studio
Game Music History
CreativeSynth.com
Reference top of page
Copyright & Fair Use
What is Copyright? (Douglas Spotted Eagle)
Fair Use Guidelines on Educational Multimedia
I Have My Rights!
Interviewing Tips
Transom Tools: Recording/Interviewing Basics
JK Audio’s Phone Line Basics (telephone tapping)
Producer & Engineer Video Interviews
Recipe4DVD (DVD production tutorials)
Making 5.1 Surround Music at Home (Tim Tully)
Windows DAW Remote Control (Rip Rowan)
Songs in the Key of Steve (Fortune examines the state of online music retail just before the iTunes Music Store breakthrough)
Weed (innovative service pays fans and artists for sharing music)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Interviewee Sites
Ableton Software top of page
Ableton
Ableton Artist Interviews
Monolake (Ableton founder Robert Henke)
Ballard, Glen top of page
Glen Ballard Homepage
Keyboard interview: Glen Ballard
Mix interview: Glen Ballard—the Heart of the Song
Blades, Jack top of page
Jack Blades Homepage
Jack Blades Interview
Xtreme Musician: Jack Blades
Jack Blades info
Night Ranger
ArtistDriect Blades Bio
MelodicRock.com—Jack Blades Interview
BT top of page
BT Homepage
Clutter (iTunes companion program BT mentioned)
Sonic State: “The Life of Brian aka BT”
BIAS BT Interview
Bukem, LTJ top of page
Good Looking (record label)
Chiccarelli, Joe top of page
Joe’s Garage (ArtistPro forum)
Cohen, Dr. Elizabeth top of page
Elizabeth Cohen Homepage (UCLA)
Cohen, Ted top of page
EMI Group
Wired: The Connectors
Crystal Method, The top of page
Crystal Method Homepage
D, Chuck top of page
Public Enemy
Rapstation
Dolby, Thomas top of page
Flat Earth Society (Thomas Dolby homepage)
Beatnik
Retro Ringtones
Keyboard Profile
Eno, Brian top of page
Enoweb
Enoshop (Brian Eno Recordings and Products)
Ezrin, Bob top of page
Bob Ezrin (Tape Op interview)
Sanctuary Group (management)
Bob Ezrin Homepage
Fagin, David top of page
Rosenbergs Homepage
Interview: David Fagin, the Rosenbergs (the Farm Club story)
Wired News: Meet the Rosenbergs
Fat Man top of page
Fat Man Homepage
Project Bar-B-Q
Galuten, Albhy top of page
Albhy Galuten Homepage
Bee Gees Tape Loop Story (Mix magazine)
Berklee College of Music Magazine Profile
Geiger, Marc top of page
ArtistDirect
William Morris Agency
Gleeson, Dr. Patrick top of page
Different Fur History
ArtistDirect Bio
The Gleeson Modular
Gotcher, Peter top of page
Digidesign
Digidrums Drumulator Sounds
Griffin, Jim top of page
Jim Griffin Homepage
Hancock, Herbie top of page
Herbie Hancock Homepage
Apple Interview
Sideman Dave Hampton’s Perspectives
Horowitz, Steve top of page
Nick.com
The Code International (Band)
Digidesign Profile
Supersize Me (Sundance-winning film score)
Hruska, Jennifer top of page
Sonic Network
Sonic Implants
Isham, Mark top of page
Mark Isham Homepage
Jam, Jimmy top of page
Flyte Tyme
Jones, Leslie Ann top of page
Skywalker Sound
Mix Profile: Leslie Ann Jones
Kakehashi, Ikutaro top of page
Roland US
Edirol (Roland’s desktop music division)
A Visit with Mr. Kakehashi
Kay, Stephen top of page
Karma Lab
Keyboard Cover Story
Kurzweil, Ray top of page
Kurzweil AI
Linn, Roger top of page
Roger Linn Design
Sonic State Interview
MPC3000 Page
Mash, David top of page
David Mash Homepage
Berklee College of Music
Morton, Douglas top of page
Q Up Arts
Monterey Bay Aquarium
World’s First Sampling CD-ROMs
Nathorst-Böös, Ernst; Widsell, Tage top of page
Propellerhead Software
Neuburg, Amy top of page
Amy X Neuburg Homepage
Interview
O’Donnell, Marty top of page
Bungie Studios (Maker of Halo)
Music 4 Games: Halo CD Review
O’Neal, Dave top of page
Deep Fried, Live!
Parsons, Alan top of page
Alan Parsons Homepage
Patterson, Jeff top of page
Jeff Patterson Homepage
IUMA
Visible Path
Persing, Eric top of page
Spectrasonics
Mix Fixers and Master Blasters
TraXmusic.Org Interview
Powell, Roger top of page
Roger Powell Homepage
Roger Powell ArtistDirect Bio
TR Bazaar—Roger Powell
Ralston, Scotch top of page
Scotch Ralston Homepage
Garageband.com: in the Studio with Scotch
Ramone, Phil top of page
Phil Ramone Homepage
Reekes, Jim top of page
Jim Reekes Homepage
Lawrence Lessig (a favorite author)
Donald Norman (usability guru)
Apple Startup Sounds
Reich, Steve top of page
Steve Reich Homepage
Steve Reich’s “Different Trains”
Reich, Remixed Profile
New Music Box Interview
Roberts, Ty top of page
Gracenote
The Power of Music: File Sharing in 2021
Enhanced CD Interview
Rock, Bob top of page
Profile (management company)
Chamber of Commerce Profile
Mix Metallica article
Rodgers, Nile top of page
Nile Rodgers Homepage
Sumthing Records
Rogers, Doug top of page
EastWest Soundsonline
EastWest Samples
Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra
Rundgren, Todd top of page
Todd Rundgren Homepage
PatroNet
The Todd Rundgren Connection
Road to Utopia
Todd Rundgren and Utopia
Hollywood Reporter Commentary: Todd Rundgren
Oblivion, POV & Some Trivia (Rhino Liner Notes)
Linux Interview
Smith, Dave top of page
Dave Smith Instruments
SonicState Evolver Review
The Birth of the Prophet-VS
Terenzi, Dr. Fiorella top of page
Dr. Fiorella Terenzi Homepage
Chaos Control — Dr. Fiorella Terenzi
ArtistDirect page
Jamming with the Cosmos
Heavenly Knowledge Book
Torn, David top of page
Splattercell (David Torn homepage)
Innerviews.org interview
Loopers’ Delight Article
Was, Don top of page
World Wide Was (Was (Not Was) site)
All Music Guide Profile
Zicarelli, David top of page
Cycling ’74
Computer Music Journal
San Francisco Weekly Profile
E-mail controlled scratchrobot (Powered by Max)

[dalekay]

you really like the book huh? ;-)

<I'll be at NAMM playing with stuff> ;-)

dale

[machaut96]

dale,

If you care to report back to us that can't make the trip to Anaheim, we are all ears.