Using analog synthesizers and unconventional tools such as the vocoder and theremin, electronic music pioneer Wendy Carlos weaved the strange but majestic film scores for The Shining, Tron and A Clockwork Orange.
WHO: Wendy Carlos
GENRE: Electronic
WEBSITE: http://www.wendycarlos.com
Wendy Carlos emerged in the ‘60s using a then-unknown musical equipment – the Moog Synthesizer. Her Grammy Award-winning album “Switched on Bach” featured Johann Sebastian Bach’s greatest classical pieces recreated using analog modular synthesizers – specially created for her by friend Bob Moog. This friendship was a special collaboration between two geniuses – Carlos would think of a concept and Moog would craft the synth for her.
It’s a kinda challenging to look for audio samples, so maybe you’d like to re-watch these classics which all featured Carlos’s impressive work:
- For The Shining she invented “The Circon” – a controller which produced a haunting yet melodic sound.
- For Tron, analog and digital synthesizers were incorporated with an orchestra.
- For A Clockwork Orange, they featured the first recorded song that used a vocoder for singing parts. Usually vocoders are used for speech analysis.
Photo credit: wendycarlos.com
3 comments
pulex
i love her/his album switched on bach...those sounds always made we want an analog modular synth...took me years to save enough money but i own one now!!
floriansimon
I love the soundtrack of Tron and The Shining, but especially the score of A Clockwork Orange is a masterpiece. Nowadays, almost everyone could generate music on their computer, but in the 60s, her/his electronic music was such a unique and special thing.
yawn
My favourite version of Sheep May Safely Graze is Wendy's, that and that famous suite #2 in Bm including this very minuet: http://www.youtube.c(…)iH3H8X5cb5Q never heard an orchestra version that i liked more.