under the influence: RDE modular
Deep dive into synthesis while deconstructing composition.
Early in the internet era there was an online conversation about electronic music experiences. When I relayed how our high school's composition course included access to a modular synthesizer, I remember the reaction was, "In high school??" Because for the most part that was something only found in well funded music programs at high profile universities. It was an incredibly lucky opportunity to learn how to create electronic music through hands-on access to tape recorders and a synthesizer. We learned how to manipulate sounds using two Revox reel-to-reel tape decks, a spring reverb and electronics.
21st Century Sound was the course on offer at Carson Graham high school and was taught by Rob Carr. He broke down music composition into primary elements and emphasized that the course was for musicians and non-musicians alike. I remember on the first day of class, a classically trained rock keyboard friend beside me was displeased when he learned the synthesizer did not have a piano style keyboard. And so he dropped that course completely. I was curious and stayed. The class changed my life. Course assignments included making compositions with only two criteria: the composition could be no longer than two minutes and the composition had to have a musical form. Apart from those you could do anything. You could record the sound of a hand drill and then manipulate that using tape machines and created Hand Drill Sonata No. 1. Students booked two-hour sessions on weekday evenings between 7 and 11pm. Often times you would combine hours and team up with a classmate for a whopping 4 hours alone in a music studio. In addition to the electronic studio we would have access to pianos, drum sets, percussion and the large music room. What I learned on the RDE modular was all the synthesizer basics. What different waveforms sounded like and how they could transform sound as LFO's.
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