Which is what software synthesizers are all about: finding the patches that work for you, and then playing them, making music with them, as opposed to spending hours programming and experimenting. And there are lots of fun patches here to work with, some that recreate the sounds with remarkable accuracy of an iconic electronic instrument from the 1970s and others that take those sounds into the 21st century.
The Studio As Compositional Tool
While the musicians of the past played individual instruments, it was only the composer and arranger who got to work with the whole palette. Technology has changed that though, a direction that Brian Eno pointed to 30 years ago, when he spoke of "The Studio As Compositional Tool." And thanks to loop-based technology, anyone can be the musical equivalent of William Burroughs, working through audio versions of his textual cutups.
Of course, some audio experiments will be more interesting than others. Which brings us to Steve Thomas' new Audnoyz project, an elaborate electronic dreamscape built around both newly recorded instruments and plenty of loops and "found" sounds". Melodies seem to float in and out, instruments ranging from Japanese kotos to processed electric guitars to a battery of synthesizers and drum loops fade in, interact, and then fade out.
While this isn't music for everyone, it demonstrates how far pop music technology has come from the days of Les Paul, his pioneering solidbody guitar and multitrack recording studio, and Robert Moog's early keyboards.
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