I started using computers around 1984. Prior to that I was using analog sequencers like the Roland MC-4, which is essentially a 4 Channel triggering device. I started to use computers with a software called UMI, which was made for the BBC Micro computer, a machine that was employed for basic education purposes in the U.K. The UMI software was a 16-channel MIDI sequencer that I used for years on the same computer. Even though technology went way ahead of me I stuck to the same piece of equipment. The reason for that was that its limitations really helped me to make the right decisions when it came down to making music. I couldn't get thrown over by having too many choices and that helped me focus on what was important in the song. When I moved to the U.S. I started using Logic and Max/MSP while I was waiting for all my equipment to arrive from the U.K. That's when I really got into software synthesizers. It was the first time I read a manual in my life. A rather difficult experience.

Yeah, it was very new to me. I'd seen it being used by other producers but my few attempts at using software instruments before I really got into working with them were incredibly slow. It took a while or me to get faster when using the software and for it to be useful for me.

When I first started using Logic it was purely for convenience and practical reasons. I just couldn't get all my gear over from the U.K. fast enough. It wasn't love at first sight. Later when more and more software synthesizers came out that were based on a lot of analog gear I really started to get interested.

That was by recommendation from Martin Ware of Heaven 17. We worked together and he recommended Absynth and FM7 to me. I loved Absynth right away because it was so different from anything else. Then I got into Reaktor through Gareth Jones, who was another producer I worked with. He explained to me how it worked. At first I was a bit put off by the idea of creating your own synthesizers. Initially, I couldn't be bothered to do that because it sounded like a lot of hard work. But I soon found out that it was also a lot of fun!

I've always been a fan of music based on synthesizers. In the 80s the two key bands for me were Human League - before the girls joined the band - and OMD, especially with their first album. I loved the fact that they were using synthesizers in a pop context.

It has changed quite a bit over the years. Right now we're using Logic. But I had to cut up all the tracks of the individual songs due to synchronization problems. You know, we record to tape in the studio. It was a lot of work but it sounded much better and really tightened things up live. What I would like to get into more is using hardware interfaces with software synthesizers. I really like the idea of using two hands to create a specific sound rather than a mouse. That has to be a good thing.

When the first digital synthesizers came out, everybody complained about them having one button that did several different things. The synthesizer companies responded to that and started making digital synths with knobs. For me, it would be very useful for software synthesizers to go in that direction.

It is all about user friendliness. The reason Andy and I never write using synthesizers is because we'll never finish the song. We'll do a bar or two and then we'll start tweaking the sound. We wouldn't get any further than that. There was one album in particular where we had rules like no chords, no MIDI sequences and only analog sounds. It gave the album a very distinctive sound. It's quite good for me to limit myself in that way. I had an interesting conversation with another musician in the U.S. He told me how he'd been using Logic for years and then decided he was fed up with looking at the screen and not listening to the music. So, he actually stopped programming for a couple of years and let somebody else do it.

I'll do some more writing with Andy at the beginning of next year. I'll be very busy over the next few months setting up my new studio complex. I have a lot of calibrating to do.



Latest Releases:

"In Your Room"-Box-Set (EMI/Mute)
"Reconnected"-EP (EMI/Mute)