Electronic Production and Design
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"It's a nice spot to be in, to be able to draw back on some of the things in the analog world, some of the physical tools we've had post-World War to now, but also to have this whole digital tool set. It's pretty incredible. We've realized how crucial it is for the student to get exposed to this, even the ones who aren't synth majors. Part of what we do is to make sure those students get exposure and learn how to use what's on their laptop, which is pretty extensive."
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"I teach my students that time management is a composition skill. The planning process is critical to making quality music efficiently. This doesn't mean you can't just write spontaneously; maybe the best thing you ever write will come out that way. But if you're in this for your entire life, you need to have more than one way to work, because some days it's going to come out of you, and some days it won't."
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"Music technology is a very interdisciplinary part of Berklee. To produce music in our studios and labs, we engage all aspects of contemporary musicianship and skills taught throughout the college, all of Berklee's essential offerings in terms of musical analysis, performance, improvisation, and composition."
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"I developed an elective called Sound Design for Animation. . . . Mass Art students studying animation pair off with Berklee students and collaborate on developing sound design for their projects. It's interesting to watch Berklee students negotiate with Mass Art students, not just about what the music and sound is going to be—there's also timetables and scheduling meetings and the whole idea of the interpersonal relationship you have. How do you talk to a visual artist? How do you listen to what he's saying and parse that into specific musical ideas? That's the kind of stuff I could go into a classroom and do a lecture on, but you really don't learn it until you start doing it with people."
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"One of my classes is Introduction to Music Technology, which gets first-year students started using their new laptops. It's a required purchase that's their own personal recording studio and music production system. The class is very hands-on and interactive, because everyone's trying things out on their laptops. The sound of 30 people making music in a classroom—it's a great cacophony."
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"For me, music is a medium through which the inner spiritual essence of all things is revealed and shared. Compositionally, I am interested in extending the voice of the traditional performer through technological means to produce a music that connects with the past, lives in the present and speaks to the future. Educationally, I am interested in helping students see technology as the most powerful instrument for the exploration, discovery, and realization of their essential musical nature—their inner voice."
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"The technology and tools of music synthesis are changing at an incredible speed. Berklee has been really good at making sure that students have the latest tools in their hands, both in the studios and through the Berklee laptop program. No matter what the tool, however, faculty know and impart upon the students the commonalities of all of those tools. We don't teach just the button pushing for today's technology, but how to achieve effective music and sound design with any set of tools. We want students to sit down at the newest synthesis software tool, and say, 'I know what I'm looking for; the question is, where are they hiding it?'"
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"The characteristic that I've noticed common to highly successful people is that they're fanatical. They don't just practice or work a little bit; they go to incredible extremes. They perform amazing feats, primarily because they can focus intensely. They're not constantly entertaining themselves and don't need to be frivolously stimulated. I would really like to see my students become more monk-like about music, technology, and business. I'd like to see that sort of devotion."
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"I was a guitar player and composition major at Berklee. My first foray into synthesis was to control the results of my compositions. Even before I had a piece done, I could model it using tools like tape recorders and synthesizers before getting musicians to record it. There weren't many synthesizer programmers back then, so I got a lot of work even before I finished at Berklee, doing TV commercials and small independent film scores."
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"Technology is a tool and, ultimately, when mastered it can become transparent. It takes time and discipline to learn, of course, but this is no different from other musical skill sets. On the piano, for example, one develops technical proficiency through the practice of specific exercises and repertoire with the aim to ultimately express oneself fluently and effortlessly. It's the same way with music technology. You have to spend the time required to get the fundamentals-the principles that work behind it-to really know it inside and out, in order to support those unexpected and creative leaps of imagination."
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