Adventurer #15 31 июля 2004

Интервью

Interface - Alone Coder interview.

Musicians interrogation room... 
Alone coder/i8                  

When and why did you start to make
spectrum music?

I love music and always was occu-
pied with it, when there was a pos-
sibility. In a deep childhood, I
had a one-voiced piano and a few
child books with the notes
(however, I didn't learn to play).
Later, I used it to put notes in a
Wham. For the first time I wrote
on AY (in PT3) when I found this
editor and brought it to John in
december 1998. We didn't succeed
to do any music this time. First
module I wrote, when attached an
AY chip in 1999. In that time, the
sound was put to the speaker di-
rectly from chip, so it was barely
heared :)

I suppose, the first technical ex-
perience you gained exploring so-
meone's tunes for samples, orna-
ments and other tricks. Who was
that spectrum musician who influen-
ced your music and whom you can
call your teacher?

Those years, certainly, John
Silver. Later - MMCM, Macros,
Nik-O, Ironman, D-Juice. Now, I
borrow good ideas from anyone :).

What was the first music editor
that you used?

Wham, not the FX version. I made a
disk version. But, maybe the first
editor was the one, I don't remem-
ber the name of - one channel with
the duration, set for each note.
Also, I edited data for my pla-
yers, written because of nothing
to do (using basic and asm). 

What do you think about your past
as a spectrum musician, what im-
portant moments in your progres-
sion can you note?

I'll repeat exactly the same words
as I said in Genz#3, but adding,
that now I'am inclined to the se-
miclassic - semiambient style from
the game Unreal. Also, now I pre-
fer live (acoustic) drums, not
electronic.

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?

AY composers, whom I in corres-
pondence with, know my music and
have an opinion about it. The main
mass of people doesn't know it. It
is mostly experimental, i.e. just
shows how it could be done - as if
intended for composers. 

What musical instruments do you
use (if you ever used) during com-
posing process? Do you have any ex-
perience of musicmaking on other
platforms? What do you think about
it?

Until this winter, I was drawing a
samples for each module anew, so-
metimes doing just 2 modules with
the same samples. For now I have a
set of drums, which are tuned suc-
cessfuly enough, and I store it as
a samples. One of it - bassdrum ta-
ken from the track by Slip "Lena
bay!bay!". On other platforms I
use programm 'mod plug tracker' to
convert samples and music into
wav. Of course, I read notes there
if it is the point of interest :)

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

I always critical inside and not
saying much about that :) The bre-
vity of music is bad for me, my
tracks always consist of 1-2 repea-
ting phrases.

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

It seems, this question refers not
to AY music? I have no tape re-
corder, my pc is broken, that is
why I can say what I was listening
to and analyzing formely - tracks
by A.Brandon and M.van den Bos
from the games Unreal and Unreal
Tournament, music by Manwe and
audio cd by Slip, he send me some
time ago. If I catch something in-
teresting on radio or TV, I stay
and listen. But this is a matter
of chance. But in principle, I'am
familiar with the main trends in
classics, electronics, jazz, pop,
rock-music and so on. I took some
CD's from friends, listened the mu-
sic from consoles... Remixes are
needed to gain experience and try
some new methods in sound.

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

I sent tracks to the various par-
ties very often, but was taken on-
ly on Paradox'2002, Para-
digmus'2003 and Antique Toy (not
taking into account ours virtual
The Compo, that is still not fi-
nished because of absence of fil-
led votelists). The highest (4th)
place was at Paradigmus, because
there were only 5 tracks :) But re-
ally high grade I regard to the
_last_ place at Paradox'2002.

What do you feel when your track
is playing on a party? Are you con-
cerned with sound equipment, peop-
le that vote or it doesn't bother
you much?

The sound is very important - I
use refinements of YM2149F chip. I
attended Paradigmus and accepted
the sound, though it was played by
AY Emul. The point is, that the
old version of AY Emul plays
gentle envelope with the stunning
hiss, but big speakers lowered
this hiss till the merely pleasant
level. It (and the amplifier, used
in a TV set) gave an opportunity
to hear a sound at all, because it
was almost 30 times quieter than
average AY track, i.e. it is he-
ared, generally speaking, not at
every home gear :) I have no hope
to the public, conniving it's tas-
tes is not my principle.

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?

New ideas could be realised by the
means of new methods of editing
overlayed channels, drum machines
and so on. Maybe it wouldn't be
tracking at all. Appearance of
100Hz music is not excluded. It co-
uld happen after the mastering of
1st tempo. Anyhow, I already dis-
cern 50Hz quantums and trying to
defeat it by the envelopes... 

What is the most interesting as-
pect 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 so-
und and techniques?

I'am writing completely randomly
and can't answer this question.

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, may
be just to try what you have never
tried yet, the new field of apply-
ing your talent?

I already have an experience in de-
signing magazines and games :)
What I want, is to complete majori-
ty of my tracks to the level, when
it could be listenable. Then it wo-
uld become the common property of
people.

What do you think about co-operati-
ve composing, is it interesting
for you?

Yes, I co-operatively composed qui-
te often (live and in absentia).
For example, a lot of John's
tracks, starting from 2001 were
written in my presence and usually
contain one or two my notes and a
pair of samples :) and almost all
my tracks, written in the begin-
ning of 2002 were edited by
Macros.

Whom would you like to make music
with? Please name 3 authors among
the contemporary spectrum musici-
ans that you like most.

Nik-O, C-Jeff, Miguel.

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

My friends! Compose music, that
will help you to understand it
better, and to perceive many deta-
ils of life through it. If your mu-
sic is turning out bad - do not
despair. Our music is called ama-
teur. The major part of mankind
doesn't even know about it - you
wouldn't find the name of Ironman
or Nik-O even in the most thick
dictionary and wouldn't hear it
even at the most alternative radio
channels. But it pushes people not
lesser than that, commercial, and
not lesser than the other, eli-
tist. That is because it is liste-
ned by people, who can really find
something in it. Be afraid to go
the way, pointed by herd.