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 3 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)

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