The brief for this final project set a number of options for students to choose from. The option which I have chosen to carry out is a research paper on a selected topic which is relevant to our study of sound synthesis over the last 12 weeks. Within this module, we have reached a number of learning outcomes which include the ability to demonstrate a working knowledge of classical synthesis techniques, the ability to apply the fundamental theory behind sound synthesis techniques and the ability to design and develop a software synthesiser for use in our own practical work. This research paper will primarily focus on the first of these three learning outcomes. The topic which I have chosen to conduct this research on is the well-known composer, keyboardist and electronic music artist, Wendy Carlos. The main areas which I will cover in this paper will be Carlos’ history and background and what has led her to have such an interest in synthesis, to some of the techniques which she has grown fond of along the way, right up to the works which have made her one of the leading pioneers in the sound synthesis industry. I will also be including research on the Moog modular synthesiser, the reason for this being that Carlos herself actually played a pinnacle role in the development of this iconic piece of hardware.
Wendy Carlos – Background & History (650)
In order to properly appreciate the success of Wendy Carlos in today’s industry, one must first take a look right back to where it all began. Carlos was born on November 14th, 1939 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Carlos was actually born male under the name Walter Carlos but didn’t begin her transition to female until 1968. By taking piano lessons from the age of six, it is evident that Carlos had an interest in music from a young age. Her interest in technology can be pinpointed from an early age also as she claims in her interview with Andy Blinx in 1990 how she began to use tape machines and created a number of electronic pieces while in high school. She shares how she did not have an oscillator or any other similar pieces of equipment, however,
‘there were test tone recordings that you could play on a variable speed record player.
I could get different pitches from that and figured out how to do tape echo
before knowing…’
(Carlos, 1990)
She also once built a computer from home which won her a scholarship at the Westinghouse Science Fair.
Carlos then went on to study as an undergraduate at Brown University, followed by studying for a Masters degree at Colombia University. At Brown University she chose to study a major combining music and physics and at Colombia she completed a Masters in music composition. (Wendy Carlos Biography, 2015). The combination of both of these graduate studies obviously held a heavy influence on Carlos’ career path from this point onwards. As well as talent, Carlos appears to also be well-known in the industry for her lack of interest in the spotlight and attention she receives and so does not often take part in interviews or appearances. However, her rare interview with American Mavericks in 2003 provides a great insight into her initial interests and influences. Interestingly, in the beginning, Carlos initially wanted to study physics only and not as a combined major with music. Carlos states in her 2003 interview with Alan Baker how she doesn’t find very much disparity between the sciences and music. This obviously was a key factor in her later combining of physics and music and, furthermore, her interest in developing a career in synthesis. She claims in the same interview that her focus began to shift more towards music and physics as opposed to solely physics when she realised her grades were falling in physics subjects. At this point, both her Professor and Head of University stepped in and suggested the possibility of studying a joint hybrid major in both physics and music in order to embrace her interest in both the scientific and artistic sides of the spectrum. The college then ended up developing a special projects program combining the two subjects mentioned without almost any restrictions or syllabus which was quite unusual to happen at this time (Carlos, 2003). This can be viewed as the first of many steps Carlos took in becoming a pioneer of her time as there was no other people combining mathematical sciences and music then, she was the person who paved the way for many others to follow. The fact that Carlos achieved the success she did later in life is quite extraordinary given that the technology of the time really was not up to scratch. In reality, Brown University itself didn’t see a proper lab installed until approximately ten years after Carlos had graduated. In her 2003 interview, she shares how when she was in college, it was ‘almost insurmountable to make something that you produces from laboratory equipment sound like music’. This obviously inspired Carlos to challenge the norm and break the current boundaries of electronic music. She had to come up with her ideas entirely by herself (without knowing if it had been done before) as there was no one for her to learn from at the time. In fact, she claims in her interview with Blinx to have made several pieces of equipment herself which is how she began to teach herself tone controls.
One of the main elements which attracted Carlos to pursue a career in electronic music and synthesis was that she liked and admired the idea of the electronic medium being, by and large, so experimental. Again, in her interview with Alan Baker, she claims that she is ‘affected by raw sounds and timbres more than a lot of other composers’ (2003). This is one of the elements which gives Carlos an edge and distinguishes her from her composing peers.
Wendy Carlos – Switched On Bach (600)
Switched-On Bach was the first studio album which Wendy Carlos released which was a breakthrough moment for the artist. The iconic album was released in October of 1968. As this was still during the period of Carlos’ transition, it was released under her birth name, Walter Carlos. What made this album so popular and unique is it’s twelve tracks featuring Bach compositions recreated electronically. This album would never have come about had it not been for Carlos befriending the famous Bob Moog in 1964 and collaborating with him in the creation of the famous Moog synthesiser. It was this famous synths which was used to create this iconic album.
Thanks to her studies of physics and music, Carlos already had an appreciable knowledge of the basics of both acoustics and timbre when it came to her compositions and so making the actual sounds itself for the Bach recreations would not have been very complicated for her. This research will delve further into the technicalities and features of the Moog further on, but for the moment, let it be known that the Moog was not overly elaborate at the time. In her interview with Carol Wright in 1999, Carlos shares some of the ins and outs involved with how she created this album. The Moog featured a number of oscillators, which could be adjusted individually in order to track the octaves of the sound. Carlos had the choice of four different wave shapes to use in order to vary the tones of the different sounds and these were; sine, triangle, pulse wave and sawtooth. In order to achieve these sound waves, the Moog would have had to have been written to include no harmonics if a sine wave was chosen, only odd harmonics for a triangle wave, and all harmonics would be included in the case of a sawtooth waveform. The image below shows a function table within the coding of a synthesiser which will feature a sawtooth waveform. **IMAGE**