Wendy Carlos | Women In Electronic Music

Summary

This video highlights the life and groundbreaking contributions of Wendy Carlos to electronic music. From her pioneering work with the Moog synthesizer and her platinum-selling album 'Switched On Bach,' to her innovations in ambient music, film scores, and digital synthesis, Carlos has left an indelible mark on the music world. The video explores her role in shaping electronic music, her unique scales, and her journey as a trans woman in a challenging industry. It also reflects on her legacy, demonstrating how she created a space for future generations of trans women in electronic music.

Takeaways

• 😀 Wendy Carlos has made numerous groundbreaking contributions to music, including her work with the Moog synthesizer and electronic music's mainstream success.
• 🎹 Carlos helped Bob Moog refine the Moog synthesizer, introducing important features like the pressure-sensitive keyboard.
• 🎶 Carlos' record *Switched On Bach* became the first platinum-selling classical album, helping electronic music reach a wider audience and influencing artists like The Beatles and Stevie Wonder.
• 📀 Despite the success of *Switched On Bach*, Carlos was frustrated by being labeled as a classical performer and felt the album didn’t reflect her true strengths as a composer.
• 🍃 Wendy Carlos released *Sonic Seasonings* in 1972, an early example of ambient music, predating Brian Eno’s *Discrete Music* by three years.
• 🎬 Carlos contributed to influential films, including *A Clockwork Orange*, *The Shining*, and *Tron*, though she faced challenges in her collaborations with director Stanley Kubrick.
• 💻 In the 1980s, Carlos became a pioneer in digital synthesis, creating the LSI Philharmonic, a library of 500 digital orchestral instrument sounds.
• 🎼 Carlos invented non-octave repeating just-intoned scales, experimenting with alternative tuning systems to create more nuanced and complex music.
• 🌟 Wendy Carlos publicly came out as a trans woman in 1979, but was often misrepresented by the media, leading her to maintain control over her personal narrative.
• 🌈 Carlos' legacy has helped create a safer environment for trans women in music, with many trans artists today citing her as an influence, including Sophie, Arca, and Kim Petras.

Q & A

What were some of Wendy Carlos' major contributions to electronic music?

Wendy Carlos made several contributions to electronic music, including helping design early Moog synthesizers, popularizing electronic music with her album 'Switched On Bach,' creating ambient music with 'Sonic Seasonings,' composing for influential films like 'A Clockwork Orange' and 'The Shining,' and pioneering digital synthesis with her 'LSI Philharmonic' library.

How did Wendy Carlos meet Bob Moog, and what role did she play in the development of Moog synthesizers?

Wendy Carlos met Bob Moog at an Audio Engineering Society convention, where she impressed him with her ideas about electronic music. She played a pivotal role in refining Moog synthesizers, particularly suggesting the addition of a pressure-sensitive keyboard, which became the only option for synthesizers for the next decade.

Why was Wendy Carlos' 'Switched On Bach' album significant in the history of electronic music?

'Switched On Bach' was groundbreaking because it introduced electronic music to a wide audience, selling over a million copies and winning three Grammys. It made electronic music accessible and popular, inspiring many artists, including The Beatles and Stevie Wonder.

What was Wendy Carlos' approach to ambient music, and how did 'Sonic Seasonings' fit into this?

Carlos' approach to ambient music was to create compositions that didn't require focused listening, using slow development and natural field recordings. 'Sonic Seasonings' was released three years before Brian Eno's 'Discrete Music' and is considered one of the earliest ambient albums.

What challenges did Wendy Carlos face when working with Stanley Kubrick on 'A Clockwork Orange' and 'The Shining'?

Carlos faced a frustrating production process with Kubrick, particularly with 'The Shining,' where Kubrick became attached to temp tracks and kept little of the music Carlos composed. She worked for minimal pay and did not own the rights to the music produced.

How did Wendy Carlos feel about her success with 'Switched On Bach'?

Despite the immense success of 'Switched On Bach,' Carlos had mixed feelings about the album, as she felt it represented a detour from her true ambitions as a composer. She was frustrated by being seen primarily as a classical performer rather than as an innovator in electronic music.

How did Wendy Carlos contribute to the development of digital synthesis?

Carlos became increasingly frustrated with the limitations of analog synthesis and focused on digital synthesis to achieve more subtle, complex sounds. She created a library of over 500 digital patches, known as the 'LSI Philharmonic,' which was used in her album 'Digital Moonscapes.'

What are the 'just intoned scales' Wendy Carlos developed, and why are they important?

Carlos developed four non-octave repeating just intoned scales (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta) to create more accurate tuning in her music. These scales avoided the imperfections of traditional equal temperament tuning and allowed for better harmony with the natural harmonic series of sound.

How did Wendy Carlos' identity as a trans woman affect her career and public perception?

Carlos' identity as a trans woman led to misrepresentation by the media, which often focused on her gender rather than her musical achievements. This led Carlos to limit her public appearances and try to control her narrative, despite her significant contributions to music.

What impact did Wendy Carlos have on the electronic music community, especially for trans women musicians?

Wendy Carlos' legacy has been significant for trans women in electronic music, inspiring artists like Sophie, Arca, and Kim Petras. Her example shows that it is possible for trans women to be successful and respected in the field, contributing to a safer and more inclusive space for them.