Interface - Nik-O interview.

When and why did you start to make spectrum music?

I began to 'beep' around of 92-93, on AY since 95. I didn't
reach any results in asm comprehension, made a few pictures,
then I decided to stop at right time and everything went into
music.

I suppose, the first technical experience you gained exploring
someone's tunes for samples, ornaments and other tricks. Who
was that spectrum musician who influenced your music and whom
you can call your teacher?

At the beginning, almost all of my music was copied from
classic transcriptions of a music school basis, during 95-96 I
barely understood anybody's tracks so I almost had no interest
in them. Only when I tried to make my own music I realised,
that I hadn't been taught everything:)) I picked more or less
from different authors, but the first and the most strong
emotions caused 'narko-tragedy', I got an emotional stupor,
I've been listening a single track for a few hours, looking at
the jumping ball. That was Ironman.

What was the first music editor that you used?

Pro Tracker 2.1

What do you think about your past as a spectrum musician, what
important moments in your progression can you note?

I've been approaching towards to realising, that I only will
learn more when making my own music, than copying someone's
another, for too long time, from the other side, on the other
hand - I barely could make my own music in the way I can make
it now if I hadn't copied so much.

How do you think, do you have any fans, and what do you think
they particularly like in your music? Would you like to say
some words for them?

Maybe someone among my familiars are my fans:) I don't know
anybody else? I think everybody finds something for himself,
time passes, I get rid of something in my music, find something
new, but there is always something constant and unchangeable
and this makes us remain in some psychological contant between
me and my listener, somebody can say that he ceased from
recognizing me, but I hope we'll reconnect sometime later.

What musical instruments do you use (if you ever used) during
composing prosess? Do you have any experience of musicmaking on
other platforms? What do you think about it?

Usually, I make samples from scratch, if you have some certain
melody it's easy to make an appropriate sample, and if there's
nothing - the simpliest sample can suit while you making a
melody. I tried to compose on Amiga, the situation with samples
harder there, I don't want to use somebody's else:)) And I
still want to make music with AY. Sometime ago I learned sid
and thx better, I'll try to make something on thx, sample
editor is a bit complex there;) And I became indifferent to
the fact, that some more powerful and expensive computer can
turn me away from Spectrum:) This is not worth of attention,
getting acquainted with other platforms, I guess, only expands
the understanding about sound, gfx and so on. I.e. to enrich
one's inner world.

Do you like to criticize yourself? What is the weakest spot in
your techniques (rythm, melody, arrangement or something else)?

Yes, but within reasonable limits:) I had some problems with
all that stuff mentioned above at the different periods of
time, today, for example, if I'm making a nokopy track, the
hardest is to chose the possible options of track development,
and it leads the following consequences: to chose the proper
tempo, arrangement, the melody composing and all this needs to
be done in a complex, like a whole thing, but it is
conditionally enough, cos usually the development of a track is
built on the simple things, upgrading slowly in the process.

What kind of music do you listen, what bands / projects affect
you, what moods and feelings you try to put in your own
compositions? Remixes: what do you think of this?

Different music, not so much, I can't say that I have some kind
of aversion to some certain kind of music or styles, even if it
is too simple and maybe stupid sometimes, simplicity is
delusive:)

I began to try to deliver any moods not so long time ago and I
regret about it. Usually it happens this way: if I have some
form to put some mood into it, then it can be done easily:)

Remixes teach, it resebles the way that some artists act when
they re-make some famous works. You can add or put away
something in your remix, then appear the capability to make
different variations - the next step to improvisation.

What music compos did you participate in, what was the highest
rate and what do you think about your achievements?

Real or virtual:) The highest was the second at Nuo, and in
co-operation with c-jeff we took the first place at Antique
Toy. There was some place at CC'00, ah, also I took some place
in 4 channel compo at CAFe'2003, where I got the prize for
being a total outsider at the bottom of the compo results list.
I'm not sure about ASCII parties results, I think I took some.

Party is a fun, the special atmosphere, friends and beer help
to keep it.

What do you feel when your track is playing on a party? Are you
concerned with sound equipment, people that vote or it doesn't
bother you much?

It's interesting for me to listen my music at the party place,
to compare it with the other tracks, to see and to hear the
audience, its opinion, so I wouldn't say, that bad sound
quality is a good thing.

Do you have any interesting ideas about the future of spectrum
music? Maybe there are some hardware or software innovations
that you would like to have?

I'm very interested in the PT3.x development, there was a lot
of requests sent to Alone Coder, first - the 'pattern to
sample 'function or the full realization of 1st tempo by the
player. Newart proposed to add a possibility to double the
playing speed, there is an analogue in CACOFONY PRO SYSTEM:

'QUARK is the minimum element of the composition, defined by
the delay between two cycles of music processor registers'
alteration. The communication between Z80 and AY8912 performs
periodicaly once in an interrupt, that's why the minimum QUARK
length is 1/50th of a second. The longitude is fixed and is
being used in ALL editors. However, CACOFONY has the
possibility to set the QUARK value to 1/100th of a second,
which allows to increase the frequency of registers alteration
and to increase the sound capabilities twice. '

Ordinary sounds in this mode are strongly transformed:) This
is one of the ways to give AY some new possibilities in
addition to convenience of PT3.x.

What is the most interesting aspect in spectrum music composing
for you - to perfect your skills within the bounds of one
'Style' or 'genre', or to continue the thorny path of
experiments with sound and techniques?

I want to avoid (or to change) the common ZX sound conception,
I have to experiment with it.

Can you tell us some your original ideas that you want to
realize in your music, maybe you want to make a demo or a game
soundtrack, maybe just to try what you have never tried yet,
the new field of applying your talent?

I like to associate music with certain things, imagination or
mood, demo or game tracks. I'll try to settle deeper in these
affairs of sound and visuals.

What do you think about co-operative composing, is it
interesting for you, whom would you like to make music with?
Please name three authors among the contemporary spectrum 
musicians that you like most.


The co-operative composing helps to understand your mate
better, his way of thinking, to learn something from him or to
give some lessons:)

Siril, Macros (sunny meadows with berries and a river ...),
c-jeff (just wandekid). And another five: Alone coder, risk,
miguel, fatal snipe, justinas.

Can you say some words of advise for those musicians who are
just starting out?

You have a whole world beneath your feet ... (Here follow a lot
of beautiful and kind words)