RADIOPHONIC EXPLORATIONS

A dedication compilation of material celebrating the pioneering spirit of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Electronic music synthesis is explored, with various analogue and digital techniques being employed. Material is edited from the following documentary and information sources: The Alchemists of Sound, The Masters of Sound, The Music Arcade, Radiophonic Workshop archive footage, Doctor Who titles, The New Sound of Music and Sonic State, with several more additional BBC music specials and YouTube material being used to enrich the information content. I would also like to thank Simonsound1 for the kind permission to use the Studer tape recorder splicing excerpt as an example of the kind of physical process involved in the sequencing of sounds using spliced magnetic tape. Simonsound1 also produced a radio show entitled "The Tone Generation", covering the topic of pioneering electronic music composers.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• BBC
• radiophonic
• workshop
• doctor
• who
• electronic
• experimental
• oscillators
• analog
• analogue
• Maida
• Vale
• EMS
• synthi
• 100
• VCS3
• Yamaha
• CS-80
• Fairlight
• CMI
• tape
• loops
• recorders
• editing
• splicing
• wobbulator
• Michael
• Rodd
• keyboards
• multitrack
• recording
• music
• synthesis
• concrete
• the
• Alchemists
• of
• sound
• Masters
• Sound
• Doctor
• Who
• titles
• Sonic
• State
• Music
• arcade
• New
• mixing
• manipulation
• synthesizer
• noise
• Studer

[030303acid]

i thing he ment the one with the "wings", or is that part the tape reading mechanism?

[JeffreyPlaide]

Yes - it is the tape reading mechanism from the PDP-8 computer. Instructions are encoded by holes punched in the paper tape to be interpreted by the software.

[wado1942]

What's that machine at 5:35?

[JeffreyPlaide]

It is a PDP-8 Minicomputer tape reading mechanism. I included the insert as an amusement initially, but such mini-computers were actually used to assist in the composition of music. Peter Zinovieff of EMS used two PDP-8 computers in his music studio in the late 1960s.

Thanks.

[academycurvemusic]

Thank You, Jeffrey. In the 60's my father, Jan Blankenship, was starting to discover writing this kind of music after a career as a classically trained concert pianist. Its wonderful to get a glimpse of what it might have looked like when he was creating and its now clear where I got my fondness for this type of music from.

all the best,

kirke jan blankenship

AcademyCurve

[eagled96]

brilliant upload! 5*. i was some what mesmerized by the technology featured in this vid. in 1973 this was way ahead of its time but to think how far advanced we've come in 3 decades is frightening! i remember when i was growing up seeing some programmes with "music by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop" in the titles.

love the old cars at the beginning as well (viva, renault 4 etc).

[Geeljasjes]

I wish I was old enough in those days to be a part of it and work as a sound engineer in those studios. Seemed like such an exciting time, unlike now where anyone can put together a piece of music on their iPhone.

[ajittffcure]

Great footage. I love watching such priceless videos. Analogue synthesisers are fantastic.

[CrixMakin]

Excellent.

[Orlandomoe]

Sometimes I see this and I think how cool was being in that time, I dont like when people star making fun about new music, I mean, like Animall Collective

[JohnnyTheWolfLupino]

What a great find this video is, some great clips of the Radiophonic at work.

[fizzydiodes]

i absolutely love this stuff and the compilation , do you have a master dvd you would sell , so i can watch ths in my lounge,Very cool stuff.

[LondonRadio013]

perfectly compiled and edited.  What a guy!

[KoolOlds]

I for one would love to see that.