How do composers use the Web as a creative medium for music? Pauline Oliveros

How do composers use the Web as a creative medium for music? Pauline Oliveros

Photo by Pieter Kers In the fifty years of my career as a composer involved with electronics and computers each change in media or instrumentation inspires creative work. Creative work also inspires new instrumentation. I have worked with recording throughout my career – in the ’40s with a wire recorder, in the ’50s and ’60s… Read more »

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NewMusicBox Staff



Photo by Pieter Kers

In the fifty years of my career as a composer involved with electronics and computers each change in media or instrumentation inspires creative work. Creative work also inspires new instrumentation.

I have worked with recording throughout my career – in the ’40s with a wire recorder, in the ’50s and ’60s with a tape recorder, in the ’70s with cassette recording, in the ’80s with Digital Audio Tape, in the ’90s with hard disc recording, and now mp3 and other audio files that can be transmitted over the Internet.

Each incarnation of recording has a variety of possibilities. Magnetic tape gave composers the possibility of cutting and splicing new sounds together for composition. Cassette recording brought on the terrific trade of cassettes throughout the world by mail. Direct to disc recording brought on the marriage of computing and recording and unprecedented editing and processing possibilities. The ability to transmit audio files over the Internet opens up world-wide collaborations. Collaborating composers can download, edit, process and mix files with one or many others. This is a great playground for music. I will be excited to hear the results.