BBC Radiophonic Workshop

[Velarian]

I just stumbled upon this quirky piece from the BBC archive.

 

Fascinating stuff from these pioneers. 
 

 

[BassTractor]

Exciting times they were, with all kinds of ideas being developed by lab coaters and composers alike, the composers also starting to wear lab coats and the lab coaters getting wild hair and a possible beret 😊
( ... based on a misunderstanding, as only painters, sculptors, actors and architects use berets; everyone knows that).

Díck Raaijmakers, a Dutch composer, worked at some technical plant and was not allowed to use the equipment for personal pleasure, so he'd clock out at the end of the work day and pop back into the nat. lab, carefully locking the door, to make his music (basically simple linear, tonical music set to electronic sound), and in order to remain under the radar, took his moniker at work,  Díck Nat. Lab, and changed it into the composer's name Kid Baltan.

Me, coming in a whole generation behind these guys, I always thought I invented stuff, and I never did.
They'd already done it, and better.

BTW, certain aspects of Daphne Oram's drawing system (how ultra cool so early in the development!) also returned in Xenakis' UPIC machine a lot later.

Edited May 23, 2023 by BassTractor
No, the effin' filter is NOT funny.

[SpondonBassed]

7:40

 

"The shagbut... which is a two man trombone."

 

[Titter]

 

I love those diagrams.  I reckon @Frank Blank had something to do with them.
 

Great post.

I always like to hear about the BBC boffins.  Has @Smanth seen this?

 

Oops.  I just twanged my gibbering strings.

[MacDaddy]

Back in the day I had an album, which was just sound effects from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

[YouMa]

Delia Derbyshire did some amazing stuff.

[nikon F]

On 27/05/2023 at 23:15, YouMa said:

Delia Derbyshire did some amazing stuff.

she was on the first white noise album  ( an electric storm ) its ummm,,, well its probably on utube so have a listen,but don't have the volume up too loud or the neighbours might be round asking if they can join in 😁

[BassTractor]

On 28/05/2023 at 00:15, YouMa said:

Delia Derbyshire did some amazing stuff.

Delia Derbyshire must've written some of the first electronic music I heard as a boy, but I thought they were sound effects, not music.
However, being the sensitive and inquisitive lad back then, I thought about it for a minute and told Mum that one could write music like this. 

That's when I learned that I'm crazy and need to be in a ward somewhere. 

Hm. She probably still thinks that, so BC is not alone! 😄

Edited May 29, 2023 by BassTractor

[Velarian]

Another gem from the BBC archive. 
 

 

[BassTractor]

Fantastic!
So with a thing like that, I can do in minutes what would previously take days of work?
Wow. I need to get me one of those mo du lar syn ... what was the word again? Hm. I'll just call it The Timesaver!
😃

I remember well the dozens upon dozens of footage bits like the above, explaining this new-fangled thing and telling us that you didn't need an orchestra anymore as this thing could make every sound conceivable by man. I also remember the fear in the orchestra.

Thanks for posting!

[SpondonBassed]

All that technology... and this is what people do with it: