Wendy Carlos - Appreciation Thread

And the opening sequence, I forget. This piece isn't  strictly Wendy Carlos. It was written with Rachel Elkind. In addition, it uses the Dies Irae 'Day Of Wrath' - a gregorian chant.

I know there are higher quality pieces on YouTube but they all suffer from really low volume.

This one is from the Opening Credits from the June 2, 1985 ABC TV Broadcast of "The Shining".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obRb3S4yd60

This piece, I love. The section from 1min 30 secs onward is the truly haunting piece in A Clockwork Orange. Listening to this now, it's hard to think it was created back in the early 1970s.

https://youtu.be/5oPo5wRIw8s

oh wow I had no idea she was still alive! 

I have her album The Well-Tempered Synthesizer on vinyl. Great stuff. 

Could a mod move this? I think I've been and stuck poor Wendy in the wrong forum.

Tales of Heaven & Hell

I love the clockwork orange soundtrack

  On 1/30/2017 at 11:33 PM, Atom said:

I have her album The Well-Tempered Synthesizer on vinyl. Great stuff. 

Ditto

  On 1/30/2017 at 9:35 PM, fumi said:

 

his/her

just her, actually

That ACO piece is the first thing that came to mind. Even sampled it in a track I made back in 2010.

+1 for this thread

+1 for this thread - "Switched-on Bach" is the main reason I now listen to electronic music.

I sent a message to her a number of years ago after listening to her "Secrets of Synthesis", asking about her thoughts on how electronic music has blossomed from meager beginnings.  Wasn't expecting a reply (didn't get one).  Her website hasn't been updated since about 2009 :(

  On 2/19/2017 at 7:24 PM, jsmcpn said:

+1 for this thread - "Switched-on Bach" is the main reason I now listen to electronic music.

 

I sent a message to her a number of years ago after listening to her "Secrets of Synthesis", asking about her thoughts on how electronic music has blossomed from meager beginnings.  Wasn't expecting a reply (didn't get one).  Her website hasn't been updated since about 2009 :(

she's too busy sicking her lawyers on people making bach synth videos.  ;)

seriously... she is notoriously litigious or instructs her copyright people to be endlessly vigilant towards hobbyists who play classical music on synthesizers. so much so there's a "Wendy Carlos go fuck yourself" thing on youtube.  it's the only negative thing i've heard anyone say about her or her people or whatever. 

anyway.. i think her music is great and her sound track stuff especially is distinct.. special. really fantastic.  great balance of sound design and impact and notes and stuff. minimal but not.. strikes a great balance. all the switched on bach stuff to me is more of a technological accomplishment than something i like to listen to.  i mean.. it's mind boggling to think about how she did that at the time.  just persistence and skill and innovation and problem solving and total focus to get that done n such a way. 

  On 2/19/2017 at 7:41 PM, ignatius said:

 

  On 2/19/2017 at 7:24 PM, jsmcpn said:

+1 for this thread - "Switched-on Bach" is the main reason I now listen to electronic music.

 

I sent a message to her a number of years ago after listening to her "Secrets of Synthesis", asking about her thoughts on how electronic music has blossomed from meager beginnings.  Wasn't expecting a reply (didn't get one).  Her website hasn't been updated since about 2009 :(

 

 

she's too busy sicking her lawyers on people making bach synth videos.  ;)

 

seriously... she is notoriously litigious or instructs her copyright people to be endlessly vigilant towards hobbyists who play classical music on synthesizers. so much so there's a "Wendy Carlos go fuck yourself" thing on youtube.  it's the only negative thing i've heard anyone say about her or her people or whatever. 

 

anyway.. i think her music is great and her sound track stuff especially is distinct.. special. really fantastic.  great balance of sound design and impact and notes and stuff. minimal but not.. strikes a great balance. all the switched on bach stuff to me is more of a technological accomplishment than something i like to listen to.  i mean.. it's mind boggling to think about how she did that at the time.  just persistence and skill and innovation and problem solving and total focus to get that done n such a way. 

 

That video of Timesteps I posted earlier got taken down within hours. 

  On 2/19/2017 at 7:52 PM, fumi said:

 

  On 2/19/2017 at 7:41 PM, ignatius said:

 

  On 2/19/2017 at 7:24 PM, jsmcpn said:

+1 for this thread - "Switched-on Bach" is the main reason I now listen to electronic music.

 

I sent a message to her a number of years ago after listening to her "Secrets of Synthesis", asking about her thoughts on how electronic music has blossomed from meager beginnings.  Wasn't expecting a reply (didn't get one).  Her website hasn't been updated since about 2009 :(

 

 

she's too busy sicking her lawyers on people making bach synth videos.  ;)

 

seriously... she is notoriously litigious or instructs her copyright people to be endlessly vigilant towards hobbyists who play classical music on synthesizers. so much so there's a "Wendy Carlos go fuck yourself" thing on youtube.  it's the only negative thing i've heard anyone say about her or her people or whatever. 

 

anyway.. i think her music is great and her sound track stuff especially is distinct.. special. really fantastic.  great balance of sound design and impact and notes and stuff. minimal but not.. strikes a great balance. all the switched on bach stuff to me is more of a technological accomplishment than something i like to listen to.  i mean.. it's mind boggling to think about how she did that at the time.  just persistence and skill and innovation and problem solving and total focus to get that done n such a way. 

 

 

That video of Timesteps I posted earlier got taken down within hours. 

 

it's some strange nit picky behavior. several synth people who use modulars have posted things on youtube of synths doing classical music and they even went after that and made youtube take it down. it's lame. 

There's a pretty interesting interview with her on WNYC up here http://www.wnyc.org/story/64777-new-sounds-71-the-undead/ from 1987 talking about her production methods and career.

  On 2/19/2017 at 11:53 PM, ignatius said:

 

  On 2/19/2017 at 7:52 PM, fumi said:

 

  On 2/19/2017 at 7:41 PM, ignatius said:

 

  On 2/19/2017 at 7:24 PM, jsmcpn said:

+1 for this thread - "Switched-on Bach" is the main reason I now listen to electronic music.

 

I sent a message to her a number of years ago after listening to her "Secrets of Synthesis", asking about her thoughts on how electronic music has blossomed from meager beginnings.  Wasn't expecting a reply (didn't get one).  Her website hasn't been updated since about 2009 :(

 

 

she's too busy sicking her lawyers on people making bach synth videos.  ;)

 

seriously... she is notoriously litigious or instructs her copyright people to be endlessly vigilant towards hobbyists who play classical music on synthesizers. so much so there's a "Wendy Carlos go fuck yourself" thing on youtube.  it's the only negative thing i've heard anyone say about her or her people or whatever. 

 

anyway.. i think her music is great and her sound track stuff especially is distinct.. special. really fantastic.  great balance of sound design and impact and notes and stuff. minimal but not.. strikes a great balance. all the switched on bach stuff to me is more of a technological accomplishment than something i like to listen to.  i mean.. it's mind boggling to think about how she did that at the time.  just persistence and skill and innovation and problem solving and total focus to get that done n such a way. 

 

 

That video of Timesteps I posted earlier got taken down within hours. 

 

 

 

it's some strange nit picky behavior. several synth people who use modulars have posted things on youtube of synths doing classical music and they even went after that and made youtube take it down. it's lame. 

 

How does that work? Aren't classical music scores in the public domain? 

  On 2/20/2017 at 11:04 PM, Danny O Flannagin said:

 

  On 2/19/2017 at 11:53 PM, ignatius said:

 

  On 2/19/2017 at 7:52 PM, fumi said:

 

  On 2/19/2017 at 7:41 PM, ignatius said:

 

  On 2/19/2017 at 7:24 PM, jsmcpn said:

+1 for this thread - "Switched-on Bach" is the main reason I now listen to electronic music.

 

I sent a message to her a number of years ago after listening to her "Secrets of Synthesis", asking about her thoughts on how electronic music has blossomed from meager beginnings.  Wasn't expecting a reply (didn't get one).  Her website hasn't been updated since about 2009 :(

 

 

she's too busy sicking her lawyers on people making bach synth videos.  ;)

 

seriously... she is notoriously litigious or instructs her copyright people to be endlessly vigilant towards hobbyists who play classical music on synthesizers. so much so there's a "Wendy Carlos go fuck yourself" thing on youtube.  it's the only negative thing i've heard anyone say about her or her people or whatever. 

 

anyway.. i think her music is great and her sound track stuff especially is distinct.. special. really fantastic.  great balance of sound design and impact and notes and stuff. minimal but not.. strikes a great balance. all the switched on bach stuff to me is more of a technological accomplishment than something i like to listen to.  i mean.. it's mind boggling to think about how she did that at the time.  just persistence and skill and innovation and problem solving and total focus to get that done n such a way. 

 

 

That video of Timesteps I posted earlier got taken down within hours. 

 

 

 

it's some strange nit picky behavior. several synth people who use modulars have posted things on youtube of synths doing classical music and they even went after that and made youtube take it down. it's lame. 

 

 

How does that work? Aren't classical music scores in the public domain? 

 

yes they are but lawyers:  "modular synthesizer playing Bach zomg copyright infingrmrnt on Switched On Bach!!!!!!!!"

  On 2/20/2017 at 11:11 PM, ignatius said:

 

  On 2/20/2017 at 11:04 PM, Danny O Flannagin said:

 

  On 2/19/2017 at 11:53 PM, ignatius said:

 

  On 2/19/2017 at 7:52 PM, fumi said:

 

  On 2/19/2017 at 7:41 PM, ignatius said:

 

  On 2/19/2017 at 7:24 PM, jsmcpn said:

+1 for this thread - "Switched-on Bach" is the main reason I now listen to electronic music.

 

I sent a message to her a number of years ago after listening to her "Secrets of Synthesis", asking about her thoughts on how electronic music has blossomed from meager beginnings.  Wasn't expecting a reply (didn't get one).  Her website hasn't been updated since about 2009 :(

 

 

she's too busy sicking her lawyers on people making bach synth videos.  ;)

 

seriously... she is notoriously litigious or instructs her copyright people to be endlessly vigilant towards hobbyists who play classical music on synthesizers. so much so there's a "Wendy Carlos go fuck yourself" thing on youtube.  it's the only negative thing i've heard anyone say about her or her people or whatever. 

 

anyway.. i think her music is great and her sound track stuff especially is distinct.. special. really fantastic.  great balance of sound design and impact and notes and stuff. minimal but not.. strikes a great balance. all the switched on bach stuff to me is more of a technological accomplishment than something i like to listen to.  i mean.. it's mind boggling to think about how she did that at the time.  just persistence and skill and innovation and problem solving and total focus to get that done n such a way. 

 

 

That video of Timesteps I posted earlier got taken down within hours. 

 

 

 

it's some strange nit picky behavior. several synth people who use modulars have posted things on youtube of synths doing classical music and they even went after that and made youtube take it down. it's lame. 

 

 

How does that work? Aren't classical music scores in the public domain? 

 

 

 

yes they are but lawyers:  "modular synthesizer playing Bach zomg copyright infingrmrnt on Switched On Bach!!!!!!!!"

 

Yeah, I don't understand artists like Wendy Carlos. Most of her catalogue has been out of print for decades, she doesn't release anything new and goes out of her way to stop people posting any of her music.

I'd have thought she would be glad of the exposure.

She would have a different view of things if a hypothetical "Bach Estate" has sicked their lawyers on her

edit: wasn't this supposed to be an appreciation thread? 

  On 2/20/2017 at 11:40 PM, Danny O Flannagin said:

She would have a different view of things if a hypothetical "Bach Estate" has sicked their lawyers on her

 

edit: wasn't this supposed to be an appreciation thread? 

oops. 

i appreciate her music. but not her lawyers and her views on copyright. 

i'm always amazed at how she was able to do what she did w/existing technology and tape and modulars.. and custom things purpose built for/by her.

Looking back through this thread, the youtube videos seemed to have reappeared again. Just click on them and they should load.

I have Secrets of Synthesis on cassette, ought to digitize it. I don't begrudge any artist for being overly protective of their work. Let's not forget Prince was the same way. I would argue she's doing so to a detriment of being recognized and appreciated by more people. Hell there's a lot of overlooked stuff, even a Weird Al collaboration album!

She's great! Also, if any fans of her haven't listened to Tomita or Nikmis (a current Classitronic composer) they should rectify that. 

Finding "A Clockwork Orange" OST on Vinyl in Oz, randomly, after years of searching at retro stores in Ireland...... bliss!