These past few months I’ve been getting my collection of vintage synthesisers going. I’ve got a lot of work to do. So far I’ve tested my 1976-vintage Micromoog s/n 2177 – which I picked up for $50 in 1988. This still works but the particle-board base that holds everything together has crumbled, which means I’ll … More Switching on – well, it’s not really Bach…
I have never really understood why people like nineteenth century opera. You know, those bombastic audio-torture events that feature singers making the kind of noises you’d expect from someone who’s just had particularly delicate body part slammed in a door. Usually the songs involve an obese soprano waddling out on stage looking like a giant … More Why I think opera is a kind of audio torture
These days synthesisers are amazing instruments, often using technologies derived from computing – or existing only as software with the only hardware being a separate keyboard controller. That wasn’t always so. The commercial synths of the 1960s were built around analog hardware that played just one note at a time, like a wind instrument. By … More When was the first fully polyphonic synthesiser released?
I never make ‘New Year Resolutions’ as such – for me, change is a case of steadily moving forward and an arbitrary date isn’t important. Still, New Year gives time to reflect, to contemplate, and to look at directions. And I’ve got a few ideas. I’ve got directions for writing, which will be unveiled – … More Some new year directions for 2018
Happy New Year. I can’t believe it’s 2018 already. May this year be kind to you and bring all happiness. What do you have lined up for the next twelve months? As for me? I have some ideas… Regular posts restart soon – get ready for more obscure English words, science, humour, history, more science, … More Happy New Year – 2018!
One of my frustrations when writing is that I’ll often come up with a way of illustrating a concept or idea, only to have somebody ‘correct’ me because some minor detail only they know of is an exception to the trend I’m describing, and therefore I am a worthless idiot who is ignorant of my … More The frustration of writing about concepts and ideas
I’m a huge fan of all sorts of music. Maybe not surprising given that I formally studied it for longer than anything else, including history and writing. I like almost everything – especially jazz of all genres, but also classical (meaning medieval, baroque, classical, romantic, modern orchestral and so on), all styles of rock, metal, … More Katy Perry vs Taylor Swift vs Tove Lo vs Lorde
I figure that if Ludwig van Beethoven had been around today, he’d have been a shred-metaller. You know – a guitar virtuoso who churns out 500-note-a-minute solos on top of complex polyrhythmic backings built around augmented minor chord progressions. Think Yngwie Malmsteen. That’s basically how Beethoven’s stuff was viewed back then by a generation bought … More I figure Beethoven was a shred-metaller. No really.
I’m intrigued by how quickly we get used to music and sounds. Just about every track we listen to these days has electronically-generated content, and even the analog elements are usually processed. Thanks to digital signal processing and software originally developed for the oil industry, singers can even fix pitch and timing. But that wasn’t … More Why nobody notices synthesisers any more
There’s no question that 2016 was a year of horror, what with every influential musician and celebrity on the planet dropping dead. Then hipsters decided deconstructed burgers were the best thing since somebody randomly threw some bits of salad and bun in the direction of a plate. All that’s quite apart from my personal adventures which … More Why 2017 is going to be a cooler year than last
Matthew Wright 
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