BBC Radiophonic Workshop Revived Online 32
New submitter ratbag writes with this snippet from BBC News: "The BBC's Radiophonic Workshop, which created theme tunes and sound effects for programs including Doctor Who and Blake's 7, is to reopen after 14 years. The original workshop was known for its pioneering use of electronic sounds. Founded in 1958, it was best-known for creating the eerie swoosh of the Doctor Who theme tune, but its compositions were also used in numerous radio dramas, The Goon Show and The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. As well as music, the workshop created sound effects — from champagne corks popping to the distorted, strangulated voices of the Daleks."
TARDIS (Score:3, Informative)
How could you leave out the TARDIS sound? They started with a coin and an open string on a[n upright?] piano.
goon show -yin tong song (Score:2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nebe1zuEtbc&feature=related
When I lived in the UK in '73 there was a video of this on Top of the Pops or something where there was an explosion halfway through and they ended up in heaven or something...
didn't find it on youtube though, although I found a lot of other good Goon bits.
-I'm just sayin'
Re:TARDIS (Score:4, Informative)
How could you leave out the TARDIS sound? They started with a coin and an open string on a[n upright?] piano.
It was a house key on a piano string; although Wikipedia claims [wikipedia.org] "house keys":
The distinctive accompanying sound effect – a cyclic wheezing, groaning noise – was originally created in the BBC Radiophonic Workshop by Brian Hodgson. He produced the effect by dragging a set of house keys along the strings of an old, gutted piano. The resulting sound was then recorded and electronically processed with echo and reverb.
I'm sure I remember hearing a programme where they described it - not only was reverb and echo added, it was also played backwards.
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That's certainly possible. I remember watching an old interview, and I thought he [Hodgson] said a coin. So on the one hand, I think my first-hand recollection is better than wikipedia. On the other hand, my first hand recollection may not be so good. ;-) I'm unconvinced that coin versus keys would make a significant difference anyway! I do seem to recall the "play it backwards" bit too, though.
I swear (Score:1)
Ziwzih Ziwzih OO-OO-OO (Score:5, Informative)
Delia Derbyshire! [youtube.com]
Re:Ziwzih Ziwzih OO-OO-OO (Score:4, Informative)
For those who don't get the title of the above post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jetzY-W78gg [youtube.com].
It is the soundtrack of a short story by Isaac Asimov about robots worshipping their power generator.
Re:Ziwzih Ziwzih OO-OO-OO (Score:4, Informative)
And for those who keep modding down this fine AC, Derbyshire was one of the most well-known and innovative workers at the Radiophonic Workshop, and both are links to her work. Sigh.
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Ms Derbyshire led an exciting and tragic life. Some time ago BBC Radio 7 - now BBC Radio 4 extra - had a long look at the history of the Radiophonic Workshop. Everyone should look up her biography (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delia_Derbyshire) and elsewhere. A mathematics grad of Cambridge University, she suffered the discrimination heaped on women who were brighter than their male supervisors. She suffered from breast cancer an botched medical care so much that when illness returned, she refused to be tre
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Why is this modded down? The GP & parent are on-topic.
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Because some people are idiots.
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Oh, her original was so good. The later themes didn't sound as good.
Am I going to be the first person to say that, while you may be able to get perfect precision with digital synthesis, you're always likely to get something more interesting to the human ear by playing around with analogue tech.
Also...
In a live performance at 2004's London Jazz Festival, he drove a tank over a replica of a meal Nigella Lawson had cooked for Tony Blair and George Bush.
Yawnity yawn yawn. Art may be subjective, but that doesn't mean I don't get to think some of it's just shit.
Wet Sock Filled With Custard (Score:1)
On the "Goon Show", there was once a need for the sound of a wet sock filled with custard slammed against a wall.
After many experiments, and loss of life, they found the perfect sound effect.
They filled a wet sock with custard, and slammed it against a wall.
Over 50 years later, that sound effect is still used, when the need arises.
I'm glad that the Workshop is back.
Re:Wet Sock Filled With Custard (Score:4, Informative)
Being a radio show, the Goon Show was absolutely breathtaking in their use of sound and music to construct their crazy world. (Having Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan didn't hurt either!) Without them, we wouldn't have the whole absurdist comedy movement. (Think: Pythons, Marty Feldman, Firesign.)
Here's a great moment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JtCuxbrAu8&feature=related [youtube.com]
They prolly wouldn't name it 'TARDis' today. (Score:2)
Zomg I'll bet they did the coconuts sounds from Holy Grail.
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That's just normal foley work. Amusingly they only used them because they over shot their budget and couldn't afford real horses; so they turned it in to a sight gag.
THGTTG, hurray! (Score:4, Informative)
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[citation needed]
Seriously you're asking for a citation for a personal anecdote (Most of the fans he knows, i.e. personally)?
[citation needed] or I won't believe you that a citation is required.
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I believe they're asking for a citation for the fact that the BBC can't broadcast the original radio series; which I find hard to believe, given they produced it. There has been legal wrangling over releases of the recordings, because of them using copyright music and only having permissions to use it for broadcast. There was also a minor spat with Walt Disney when they were working on the film as the same time as the BBC were working on the Tertiary Phase, but it was resolved.
HGttG sound fx (Score:3)
"Strangulated?" (Score:3)
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Its a nice idea but whats the point? (Score:2)
The functionality of synth equipment that used to fill a room can now be done on a laptop with a synth + sampler package these days. Probably even on a smartphone TBH. I don't see the point.
getting the people together in a good space (Score:3)
It's about the combination of both the tech and getting the creative people together in a working environment that allows them to explore interesting and sometimes dead ideas to come up with works of genius.
You're very right that the sound production equipment can probably be pulled together by any western teenager that really wants a fantastic sound studio. But the fact that the vast majority of people just produce low quality rubbish shows that you need to create an environment to produce the kind of grou
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