1970: WENDY CARLOS and her MOOG SYNTHESISER | Music Now | Retro Tech | BBC Archive

Electronic music composer Wendy Carlos - whose debut album Switched-On Bach has introduced a new audience to classical music - explains the fundamentals of electronic sound using her Moog Synthesiser, and demonstrates some of the techniques she employed to adapt Johann Sebastian Bach's compositions for the electronic age.
This clip is from Music Now, originally broadcast 8 February, 1970.
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[@tabuu9]

In awe both at her knowledge and her Lupin the 3rd boymode

[@sethwick8348]

She was terrified of the public realizing she was a trans woman, so this was her in disguise as a man. Thus the fake side burns. She also drew on facial hair sometime. Didn't come out as transgender until the late 70s.

[@scunts]

Lmfao Lupin you're so right. I can't unsee that now.

[@JelloFluoride]

Missing the iconic jacket(s) but I appreciate this comment.

[@thewhitefalcon8539]

There were always non-binary people but they were ostracized

[@wubcarp3319]

According to Wikipedia Wendy did this because although by this time she was on hrt and identifying as female she was still terrified of public perception, and would wear those fake sideburns and wig in order to appear male.

[@omnito]

Wendy is probably one of the biggest unsung influences on modern music. Respect is due.

[@80ssynthfan48]

She gets plenty of kudos at the start of the documentary Synth Britannia.

[@LordMarlle]

Unsung hero? Where have you been hiding

[@cubdukat]

If it weren't for her, electronic music would still sound like it was composed by R2-D2.

[@gasparucciox9706]

absolutly

[@froeze]

@@ChrisHenry-bj2oi she or he ?

[@adamgardiner5869]

There's something so satisfying watching her have to physically plug and unplug cables to get the sound she wants. It's electronic but tactile, very cool.

[@Nerfherder-oo7iv]

*Him Maybe you didn’t pay attention in science class ? Male humans possess XY chromosomes Grow up and live in reality

[@NuGanjaTron]

Absolutely. Not a fan of softsynths myself. Need the real knobby thing. 😜 You can noodle away on a modular synth for hours and lose track of time...

[@SeymourDisapproves]

Agreed

[@Ranzear]

Still a thing today. Look up LookMumNoComputer to start.

[@robsonclark9678]

Andrew Huang has a great video with Rob Scallion where they explain how analog synths like this work to a new user. Uts great fun seeing Rob get exciting tinkering around with it. I recommend if you love the plug and experiment aspect! :).

[@soundtreks]

I remember reading an interview with her regarding Tron and how producers originally only wanted her to score the electronic parts until she informed them she could equally write for orchestra (phds in both music and physics).

[@Mentocthemindtaker]

That's really cool! Such an amazing musical talent.

[@tovermoran4360]

That's so awesome!

[@hello-rq8kf]

*he

[@thc_freebaser]

@@hello-rq8kf tfw you have no life

[@ZachisntReal]

@@hello-rq8kf *your mom

[@carlkamuti]

Her Clockwork Orange soundtrack was extraordinary: ominous, bleak, jaunty, unsettling, camp. One of the first soundtracks that I bought.

[@MelancoliaI]

Beautifully put. She needs to be more well known

[@thomaselers7416]

I never knew it was him who made it, will done Sir.

[@spartan1347981]

@@thomaselers7416 her* ma'am*

[@thomaselers7416]

@@spartan1347981 Ridiculous to call a man "she". But do as you please, make a woke fool out of yourself

[@spartan1347981]

@@thomaselers7416 woke? What's that? I'm just saying you should respect her identity, she's a trans woman, not a man.

[@pcc678]

My uncle, who was an audiophile, played "Switched on Bach" for me in 1969. I was 8 years old, and it changed my life. From that time on I was a huge electronic music fan, and became a musician.

[@uiscepreston]

A true pioneer on so many fronts. Moog didn't consider himself a musician so he asked around for help designing his synthesizer. Wendy was one of those whose input he solicited. She knows it because she helped develop it. Moog never got a patent for it either. He couldn't have made millions off it. But he instead gave it to the world.

[@BruceNachsin]

According to Trash Theory in his video on Synth music, Wendy was the one who impressed upon Moog the importance of having a touch sensitive keyboard.

[@Highlander1432]

Amazing story Thanks for sharing that

[@kittredge5167]

she her*

[@user-pc8tb7hg1lHandlesRDumb]

Wow an actually good comment

[@luciahoneybee]

​@@kittredge5167 Hum, OP was referring to Robert Moog...

[@HANKTHEDANKEST]

This video is over 50 years old, but I swear Wendy makes this whole "synthesizer" thing seem wild and new. Tomorrow's World.

[@yesterdaydream]

Agreed, I tell ya h'what!

[@koonsickgreen6272]

Word

[@janeblogs324]

If she was around today Sheldon Cooper would've proposed instantly

[@BrownEyePinch]

No

[@friendlyfloatything]

its because she's actually good at playing it

[@Aster_Risk]

Her voice is so pleasant that it makes this even nicer to listen to. Thanks KZbin for reminding me I need to learn more about her.

[@thomaselers7416]

You can start by learning his gender, lol

[@PulsarGlitchMusic]

@@thomaselers7416was looking through the comments briefly and realized you re-visited this comment section several times over the course of about a year just to be transphobic. what a shame and a waste of time. go spend your energy on something better than hate

[@thomaselers7416]

@@PulsarGlitchMusic You called me? So here I am again. "Transphobic"? No I'm not afraid of transvestites. 😊

[@ZeroChannelZero]

Not too many people realize the dedication & sheer madness involved in recreating Bach's works on a monophonic analog synth, note by note, waveform by waveform. If not for Wendy showing us it can be done, the Moog synth--and possibly all synthesizer music--could've died out as a mere curiosity like the Theramin. What she did was the musical equivalent of making the first airplane flight across the Atlantic, just to prove what the new technology can do.

[@zachhaywood1564]

How she can explain all of this highly technical stuff like she's talking about making breakfast is very impressive on its own, before taking into account her skill as an actual synthesist and musician.

[@rodnee2340]

She is obviously Autistic. And we assumed her gender. And BTW she is brilliant. An early pioneer of electronic music. 💯

[@zachhaywood1564]

@@rodnee2340 I'm autistic too, so this video is inspiration for me.

[@rodnee2340]

@@zachhaywood1564 and me. 👍

[@deebop3539]

This is how most ppl spoke in similar circumstances back then. Cadence, tone, and word selection are all very recognizable from other television programs of this era.

[@User0000000000000004]

He. It's a he. His name is Walter Carlos.

[@mikeg3439]

As a little kid I had the album Switched On Bach. I did have some confusion about why Wendy ended up being named Wendy, but my dad explained it (he just said the truth, as much as he could to a six year old). Switched On Bach is wonderful, I still remember it nearly 50 years later (for me -- I know it was out in 1968, I didn't get it until I was six in 1974).

[@spartan1347981]

Wow Wendy also started hormones in 1968, it's really unfortunate that she became famous at the begining of her transition as it really delayed how nucb she could live as herself for a few years

[@sonicimperium]

@@spartan1347981 Who cares? Try staying out of people's personal business.

[@spartan1347981]

@@sonicimperium what are you on about lmao?

[@neddanison9202]

I had Switched on Bach as a kid, too. I still have the cassette -- from probably 1974!

[@Dave_Cymru]

Wendy Carlos was a true maestro of the pureism of sound, her music in TRON 1982 and A ClockWork Orange was a pure joy to listen to! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@keykrazy]

Is!... *Is* a true joy to listen to! (If you'll pardon the correction.) I'm not expecting her to release anything new at her current age, but your comment got me to thinking and hoping that maybe there is some slight chance we could see something new from her at some point... Regardless, I am grateful there's a wealth of her work out there. With COVID the nature of my work changed such that i could listen to music while doing my duties. Am a little ashamed to admit I've only just recently gotten around to listening to her Sonic Seasonings work. We are fortunate to have lived during a span of decades where humankind's ability to create music has flourished to such an extent, being alive in the same time as such luminaries...

[@Dave_Cymru]

I put WAS as I was speaking in a past sense as a Clockwork Orange was released in 1968. Is, is a direct reference to present time.

[@stephenchappell7512]

@@Dave_Cymru You're getting your Kubrick's mixed up 2001 was 68 whereas Clockwork Orange was 71

[@Dave_Cymru]

@@stephenchappell7512 Whoops, thanks for pointing out my error. 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@thomaselers7416]

Why you say "her", isn't it a guy with those humongous sideburns?

[@DeadWhiteButterflies]

This is a genuinely good way to show a synth works. After all, it can be very intimidating as an instrument if you don't commit a huge amount of learning what every knob and setting does.

[@unknownengines]

boymode wendy out here looking like an entirely unconvincing drag king in her $5 stick-on sideburns. legend

[@broadkast477]

He was born a biological male named Walter. The sideburns are real.

[@yesterdaydream]

@@broadkast477 Wiki says sideburns were pasted on for boymode after she transitioned. Either way, she's talented and lovely and stylish and it'd be a nice sign of respect to put in the effort of typing one extra "s" at the beginning of your comment.

[@skateordie002]

I find it so funny

[@Gubbinsmcbumbersnoot]

Those sideburns were bought from a costume store lmao don’t kid yourself

[@ProfessorGroyper]

@@yesterdaydream There is no such thing as "boymode". It's literally an ugly dude with a girly voice with tacky costume pieces glued to his face. Looks ridiculous.

[@rickardlagrelius5555]

I have heard of musicians that don’t regard synthesizer players real musicians. But listen to this person and just be in awe of her knowledge.

[@maezzologymedia14]

This is both a super effective basic introduction to electronic music and epic demonstration of sideburns at the same time. Just magnificent.

[@AL-fl4jk]

They’re fake. She was undergoing hormone therapy at this point and was so self conscious and scared to leave the house she wore fake sideburns wigs and facial hair in several interviews and appearances

[@OverSoft]

What a legend. She has the rare ability to put difficult to understand concepts into easy to understand chunks. Not only that, she has enormous musical talent. What a combination.

[@thomaselers7416]

But very difficult to find his albums.

[@DonRosa949]

Además respetuosamente *"Trans.*

[@kegalormoon]

I done this as a young lad in electronics the theory teacher was teaching the practical and the practical teacher twas teaching the theory but listening to thus lady just by chance btw this is so easy to understand

[@laok0354]

@@thomaselers7416 her*

[@thomaselers7416]

@@laok0354 Are you a flat earther or something?

[@thepirate5955]

My older brother has gifted me so much cool music, to include Switched On Bach. That was in 1970. Since then, I have ALWAYS loved what a synth can do! This is great stuff!

[@kiskaloo6843]

Wendy is one of my heroes. It's a shame that she is not more well known.

[@edge4266]

start talking about her! thats what ive been doing, im making sure all my friends know how awesome she was

[@tatache5971]

To this day, Wendy Carlos "Rocky Mountains" on the Shining OST is one of the most incredible synth piece I ever heard. Great to see the artist technique here!

[@comoyoko]

I’d forgotten she did The Shining! That’s so cool. Shining and Tron!!

[@Theomite]

She did that with Rachel Elkind too I believe.

[@copee2960]

Who made the music for A Clockwork Orange?

[@spartan1347981]

@@copee2960 Wendy Carlos did

[@MelancoliaI]

Yes! Thanks to you I just looked that piece up, beautiful. What a genius

[@chegeny]

Thank you, BBC Archive. To watch a musician like Wendy Carlos give us a demo on her Moog synthesiser is a gift.

[@ludwiglanestudios]

When you mix a great pianist/keyboardist and a great gearhead/electronic engineer, you get someone like Wendy Carlos. Legend. It's rare when there's a person who can not only operate these gigantic complex synths- she can play the hell out of them as well.

[@ismaelcruz5840]

Don’t forget the fake side burns

[@bluegoldforever]

iconic moment in boymoding history

[@jtaco4101]

It's a man.

[@spartan1347981]

@@jtaco4101 how can you tell she's a man? It's Wendy Carlos. she's a woman.

[@squizzle5192]

@@jtaco4101Wendy Carlos began living as a woman in 1968 and underwent sex reassignment surgery in 1972. She's a woman. Not that it's got anything to do with her music.

[@The_TinesJathian]

ikr? wikipedia says her sideburns are actually fake here. really impressive tbh, tho i feel bad for her here obviously

[@EATSLEEPDRIVE2002]

@@The_TinesJathian so wait… Why did he turn into a girl, then put fake sideburns back on?

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

You can tell Wendy is a nerd as well because of the way how passionate and well elaborate she explains everything on a level that even non-professionals can follow. I remember having seen a similar Interview for the BBC from 1989 or so when did a similar demonstration and also explaining Additive Synthesis. :) You have no idea how important of a creative musical rolemodel she is for me. We Love you, Wendy!!! 💖 🎶🎵🎹

[@Bobainthome]

I love watching people nerd out on things they love...

[@thomaselers7416]

He has been a great inspiration to many.

[@iamrococoo]

@@thomaselers7416 dude.

[@thomaselers7416]

@@iamrococoo Yes dude.

[@terezip2213]

@@thomaselers7416 commit

[@jeezlouise1902]

Tron is a huge reason as to why i love early synth music.. Wendy is amazing!

[@andreafox7267]

Me too. I love the Tron music. She is an inspiration!

[@broadkast477]

His sideburns are cool too.

[@thc_freebaser]

@@broadkast477 do you have a life? Genuine question

[@ProfessorGroyper]

Troon music

[@costabravaguy]

It's hard to believe that Switched-on Bach is 55 years old. The best electronic classical album in the world in my opinion.

[@szonda143]

Ms. Carlos. I've owned your "Switched-On-Bach" vinyl and CD forever...Never ending admiration and respect. You're a gift to us all, thank you.

[@f33fifofum]

Wendy Carlos is one of modern music's true pioneers. Massively underrated or even shunned by the wider music community after her life changes in the 1970s, so glad finally getting the recognition she deserves

[@broadkast477]

*he

[@hello-rq8kf]

*he

[@thc_freebaser]

@@hello-rq8kf do you have a life genuine question

[@thc_freebaser]

@@broadkast477 tell me you'll never accomplish anything close to what she did without telling me you won't lol

[@hello-rq8kf]

@@thc_freebaser i do thats why it only took me 3 minutes on the toilet to write all these

[@forest_green]

I love watching experts talking passionately about their subject. Wendy's such a professional, and her music is so good. I wish she could have been her true self outwardly at this point, but she shines through regardless.

[@superwhizz114]

I love how she explains the equipment she uses so eloquently

[@echoesrecordingstudio586]

I just don’t have enough words to express the massive admiration and love that I have for Wendy Carlos. Her contribution to music, movie scores, and being probably the best visionary of the Moog synthesizer is just mind blowing.

[@thomaselers7416]

Yes he made some really good tracks

[@spartan1347981]

@@thomaselers7416 she*

[@livvy94]

This is an iconic interview. She wasn't out yet so she had to put on those weird sideburn things. As a trans chiptune artist I am grateful for her for paving the way and being such a class act! I wish her music was easier to come by though!

[@InfiniteRhombus]

i thought those sideburns looked fake

[@Thunderpuddle]

So hard to get hold of her albums, on CD in the UK.

[@gjcalvert]

I found a handful of her albums on vinyl digging through the clearance shelves at different half price books, switched-on bach seems to be a fairly common one (still billed as Walter then) but you def have to do some digging

[@moogyboy6]

Two vinyl copies of SOB in my collection (one is a promo with the alternate cover photo) as well as a copy of The Well Tempered Synthesizer, the album with the 4th Brandenburg that Wendy refers to in this video. CDs of her work are hard to find since East Side Digital stopped distributing them, but if you can find their Switched-On Box Set it's an amazing collection of all six concertos, newly remastered and incmuding a couple of bonus "behind the scenes" tracks.. If you want more of Wendy's style of educational content, her Secrets Of Synthesis CD from 1988 (her last for CBS) is an excellent album-length master class that touches on all sorts of topics (with demonstrations of course) however the focus is less on synth hardware than on musical aspects like electronic orchestration techniques, scales and intonations, additive vs subtractive synthesis, etc. Think of her other BBC interview video, but greatly expanded upon.

[@norahk3629]

@@InfiniteRhombus I didn't catch it when watching it but my girlfriend did and roasted me for not noticing haha

[@eduardoarmenta9232]

The way she showed the intricacies of the system made it so that even someone like me with next to zero knowledge in the matter could appreciate what a revolution this whole thing was at the time. There's always those who paved the way for the rest of us to make our dreams a reality.

[@hello-rq8kf]

*he

[@d3tuned378]

@@hello-rq8kf *she Drink windex

[@hello-rq8kf]

@@d3tuned378 is this the pc version of telling someone to drinking bleach? why beat around the bush, troon?

[@zoned7609]

@@hello-rq8kf *she

[@zoned7609]

@@hello-rq8kf how related are your parents, chud? sit in a burning car

[@KSL1972LLC]

Wendy's method of crafting the exact sound is very similar to that of an organ builder voicing a specific rank of pipes to get that 'envisioned sound'. This clip is a real gem to watch. Makes me appreciate the work from her albums and film scores. Especially the one from Kubrick's 'A Clockwork Orange'.

[@philomelodia]

The resemblance was not lost on me. I’m glad you pointed it out. I am listening to switched on Bach as I write this. The Fidelity with which she reproduced so many of the sounds of the various instruments on the Brandenburg Concerti is just astounding. You can tell it’s a synthesizer because you know what to listen for but, it does not sound overdone or overly high-tech or any of that. All of the sounds are masterfully crafted and exceedingly mellow and very beautiful. I think the maestro himself would have been pleased. He certainly would have been utterly fascinated at the concept. She did his Music justice even if her interpretation of some of these was a bit rushed in my opinion.

[@User0000000000000004]

No. No it isn't. It's not even remotely like that.

[@d3tuned378]

@@User0000000000000004 Yes it is. It's exactly like that.

[@jessicawalton3497]

Thank you, Wendy, for paving the way for women like me who truly appreciate electronic music and how it is made.

[@Weird.Dreams]

Perhaps she should win woman of the year like that other dude did? 😂

[@82892869hi]

@@Weird.Dreams get a life instead of obsessing over 0.1% of the population, if anyone did what you did about race or religion they’d be seen as a lunatic

[@WeRNthisToGetHer]

You mean Walter? Hate to break it to ya, but Wendy is a man.

[@82892869hi]

@@WeRNthisToGetHer she’s more of a woman than you are dog, get off your high horse

[@AageKush]

No one paves the way for women better than a man.

[@agorgedslug]

Embarrassed to say I hadn't heard of her, while simultaneously loving Tron and Clockwork Orange. The technical explanation is so precise that I now understand loads more about 21st century presets than I did 10 minutes ago.

[@hello-rq8kf]

*he

[@d3tuned378]

@@hello-rq8kf *she Delete yourself

[@MalachiTheBowlingGod]

Try Beauty in the Beast for her exploration into micro-tonal music.

[@Nerfherder-oo7iv]

*Him It’s a man

[@davidbarnes241]

@agorgedslug Exactly how I feel, couldn’t have put it better 👏👏👏

[@russellmurray6441]

Such a brilliant piece, Wendy Carlos is nothing short of a genius

[@femmeslash]

Been slowly studying up on classic Big Names in music as just part of a phase where i keep wondering "how did we get here?" In genres i like. So excited whenever i come across these type of videos/archives, hearing the masters at work in terms of thought process and, as well, seeing the tech they had at the time is such a gem always! I could hear her talk about producing far above any knowledge i have for hours and cant imagine getting bored

[@generalwamsler4743]

Carlos is for me the greatest Genius ever. I love her Music since 1978.

[@JC20XX]

Great to see this uploaded in higher quality She describes the fundamentals of subtractive synthesis better than anyone else I've ever heard.

[@thomaselers7416]

Yes it was perfectly explained, she did it in a way everyone can understand.

[@hunter999888]

This lady right here is such a under appreciated genius who went through hell I can’t even begin to imagine. Yet, she’s always just been curious and creative and let’s be real she is The Queen of The Synth

[@MrDastardly]

This is a man! Look at those side burns!!

[@getienne7015]

​@@MrDastardlyThat's three years before transition to female transgender.

[@ailuromantic]

@@MrDastardlytheyre not even real idiot theyre glue ons 😭

[@EllieK_814]

​@@MrDastardly The sideburns are fake lol, she had to glue them on

[@hampter3752]

I've been making music for about four years now, but I haven't heard such a great explanation of how a synth works than here from Wendy. There's so much lingo to learn but it makes perfect sense that someone teaching synthesizers to an audience of people who have no knowledge of them is one of the best synth players of all time! It amazes me how the music we have now is so alien compared to what we had decades ago, in part because of her. What a legend!

[@mspysu79]

Go look for a copy of "Secrets Of Synthesis" Originally released on CBS/Sony/Columbia, and later on East Side Digital. She goes through it all from the Moog to the Synergy.

[@SunilAruldas]

The Switched-On Bach long playing record was the first time Bach made glorious sense to me, with that wonderful clarity of the voices

[@Garionica]

She quite frankly revolutionized music, and does a great job presenting electronic sound design advice that's relevant even today. Nothing bur respect for her.

[@markspencer171]

he

[@Garionica]

@@markspencer171 let's play a game, it's called spot the dipshit found her, it's you, good job

[@srkbear1]

@@markspencer171 She, big guy. Don’t be so threatened-the longer you persist with this nonsense the more you’re going to give away how insecure you are with your own masculinity. Maybe a penis pump would help?

[@Zapidom]

@@markspencer171 she

[@thomaselers7416]

Yes, he doesn't get enough credit.

[@opwave79]

She was a huge influence on my electronic music journey. Indispensable knowledge and she shares it in the simplest terms.

[@markspencer171]

he

[@jeitoots]

She is wonderful

[@srkbear1]

@@markspencer171 There you go again. How come you’re so threatened by her? What are you doing trolling the site of a trans artist? Something you need to share with someone big guy?

[@srkbear1]

@@markspencer171 Keep on digging your hole further boss-the more you post the more obsessed with trans issues and your own insecurity about your own gender identity you appear. Keep up the gravy, you’re making it too easy…

[@Fr_87]

@@srkbear1 Dilate, seethe even.

[@zebop917]

It is absolutely the case that listening to Wendy Carlos’ albums was the start of me learning to love the music of JS Bach and I shall always be grateful to her for that

[@Nerfherder-oo7iv]

*Him It’s a male. Male humans possess XY chromosomes. Sorry you didn’t pay attention in science class.

[@zebop917]

@@Nerfherder-oo7iv Yawn…….

[@quietquitter6103]

@@zebop917 Factual science makes you tired?

[@wolfmath8615]

As a child I absorbed this music like a sponge! My great respect to Wendy for transforming this wonderful music of Bach into the electronic world of the Moog synthesizer already in 1969(!!!). The analytical presentation enabled me to delve deeply into the harmonies and melodic progressions in these early years. Thank you so much! ❤

[@tomvanbreukelen2909]

Still stunning after all these years. Wendy is a true maestro.

[@davejones4269]

Wow ❤

[@swillm3ister]

Learned of Wendy from A Clockwork Orange. What an amazing contribution this musical talent brought to that iconic movie.

[@mattapacca]

Her explanation of how a Moog works was so simple and straightforward that even I could understand it!!.

[@FastLaneLyfe]

I live in Asheville, NC where the moog was invented. There’s a museum here. I have been in it multiple times.

[@spartannl8227]

Yeah, that’s also my link to this topic, as one of the first occasions that I listened to synthesized music was “Trip into the body” from compatriot Johan Timman. He’s used the same Moog as Wendy has: “Moog, known for the impressive modular synthesizers from the 60s and 70s, released the Minimoog in 1970, an affordable, simpler version by Moog standards of the enormous machines used by Wendy Carlos and Johan Timman, among others. Although the possibilities of the Minimoog were much less than the modular Moog synthesizers, the Minimoog, with three oscillators and a noise generator, a Moog filter and an ADSR generator, was warmly received and from 1970 onwards there was not a single self-respecting keyboardist left who was not there. owned at least one. However, with a price of a few thousand guilders, it was not a hobby instrument,” Source: www.retro-lab.nl/?p=1616 Wendy was one of the absolute front runners in the area of synthesized sounds and - music. Respect!

[@darrenwells2277]

An absolute pioneer.... I remember my Dad had Switched on Bach when I was a kid and thought it sounded so ahead of its time.

[@salwilk558]

Bravado indeed, one of the most underrated people in musical history .

[@The-KP]

My parents gifted me her 'Switched on Bach' album when I turned ten. Loved it. When later my parents learned of her transition, they tried to take back the record, so I hid it. I wasn't gonna let them delete her or her unique, highly influential music (upon me, upon the music world) from my experience without a fight! God blessed her with talent, and we all benefited. She is an icon from which the world can learn a bit about tolerance.

[@geofturner986]

Switched on Bach

[@univon4892]

@@geofturner986 Yup!

[@Weird.Dreams]

"My parents gifted me his 'Switched on Back' album when I turned ten. Loved it. When later my parents learned of his transition, they tried to take back the record, so I hid it. I wasn't gonna let them delete his or his unique, highly influential music (upon me, upon the music world) from my experience without a fight! God blessed him with talent, and we all benefited. He is an icon from which the world can learn a bit about tolerance." Fixed.

[@AoiUsagiOtoko]

her voice is so relaxing to listen to, i love it 💕 i could listen to her infodump about synths for hours

[@TheOrientalNightFish]

Her music is fascinating. She is fascinating. Her mind seems an alien landscape. I'd love to see her thought stream. Amazing.

[@Dr.Kananga]

She has been one of the biggest influences in electronic music that pushed me to love this genre, starting from A Clockwork Orange soundtrack.

[@thomaselers7416]

I don't know it was him who made it until recently. 😃🙏

[@keiyakins]

Listening to someone who truly knows and is passionate about a topic is always a joy.

[@robj2704]

I worked in an electrical supply house in the late seventies and met Bob Moog who was there buying supplies to wire his new house. I had no idea who he was but a fellow employee gave me some history about him. Seemed like a nice guy. Several years ago a factory for his synthesizer was built in the city I live.

[@K0r0n1s]

OMG, legendary material! Thanks for releasing it.

[@RandallFishwick]

What a great explanation of modular synthesis by one of earliest and greatest of masters!

[@middle-aged-mom-discoversstuff]

Wendy Carlos is the best at explaining synths. She can really make everything make sense.

[@badgerag]

absolutely amazing

[@PaulFurber]

For a finished example of all this incredible pioneering work, have a listen to the soundtrack for A Clockwork Orange.

[@sidtaylor3005]

Wendy Carlos is my idol!! Switched on Bach and her Brandenburg Moog records was a masterpiece!

[@mcbill7352]

this is actually an awesome explanation of basic synth technology

[@SPQSpartacus]

Absolutely captivating. I understand nothing of it, to be honest. But watching it unfold is magical.

[@andycordy5190]

This is such a treat. Thanks to the beeb that such footage has been preserved. The gigantic proportions of the synthesiser is one element of my fascination, of course. However, her concise explanation of sound generation and shaping, though by no means comprehensive is enough to focus the listener on the bare essentials, in order to understand what follows. For me, the magic, what helps me understand her, is the familiarity and finess with which she handles the 8 track recorder. Craft and experience, not some boffin but a seasoned musician, whose choice of musical instruments is not what other musicians of the time would recognise. I was thirteen when this was recorded and the first time I heard "Switched on Bach was about a year later. I remember the mesmerising effect. It gave music a permissive quality. Music could be more or less anything. I could not aspire to owning a synthesiser then and it was many years before I could afford a basic one, by which time, thanks largely to this music, a world wide interest and mass market interest had started the snowball that would lead to the amazing instruments of today, many of which I'm sure Wendy would have loved.

[@vincenzomarino3876]

And that "surprise when she first heard it" made the Shining. Amazing!

[@kristenisher]

It's amazing how all of these fundamentals are still in use in synthesis today - and she's better at explaining how they work than most audio courses too!

[@FreejackVesa]

Audio synthesis like this is essentially performing arithmetic on electricity. Dope af

[@MrVara411]

Amazing. I love how these artists had profound knowledge of music theory and respect for past masters... they weren't kids banging away at a drum machine. I've always had a great deal of respect for artists like Wendy, Elizabeth Parker, Peter Howell... we owe them more than we think!

[@orionishi6737]

Everyone was a kid banging away at some point. Even Wendy, Elizabeth Parker, and Peter Howell

[@TheNinja94a]

@@orionishi6737 Every random ass commenter who's never touched an instrument becomes an old dude complaining about the current generation on any old music video. Take it from me, a fan of old school hip-hop. Every video has those comments. It's weird, as if the generation before Wendy didn't call her music fake, talentless garbage that was a result of some rando twisting knobs and screwing with wires.

[@scaredyfish]

Amazing stuff! Great to see such a pioneer at work!

[@veesonnets9457]

Thank you Wendy! Much love and admiration for your expertise, innovations, and music. ❤

[@Nooticus]

So happy that the BBC Archive is posting this excellent clip again!

[@soundsof...]

So precise, straight to the point. A masterclass as we rarely see. Thank you for sharing. Hope to see more !!!

[@clarenceboddicker9360]

This was the first clip I've seen of her talking and I kind of chuckled at how thick her New England accent is. Pure Rhode Island right there.

[@Hideotronic]

As a synthwave artist, I think it’s fair to say I owe a lot to the Moog Pioneers such as Wendy Carlos.

[@marcelobrunorodrigues7630]

Perhaps the best expert in synthesizer music in the world. The demonstration is very didactic. Hooray!

[@phpn99]

Switched On Bach changed my life when it came out. Isao Tomita came close second but no less of a brilliant synthesist.

[@michman2]

Mine too. I can still hear every note.

[@claytonbouldin9381]

I have only seen small pieces of this interview with Wendy. Thanks for posting the whole interview!

[@jdmresearch]

One word: GENIUS

[@milk1fan552]

this video amazes me, how she can explain everything so easily and make it look so simple

[@Kbedard90391]

I loved the shining theme. Did not know she helped write that. What an incredible mind and talent

[@MikeBracewell]

Just stunning. Her intelligence, articulation, musicianship, technical know-how & sheer compositional taste. They don't make 'em like that anymore.

[@hello-rq8kf]

*he

[@thc_freebaser]

@@hello-rq8kf motherless

[@thc_freebaser]

@@Tar.o do you know basic English genuine question

[@Tar.o]

@@thc_freebaser My sentence is a perfect example of basic english knowledge

[@patrickhector]

​@@Tar.oyes, and this is why you didn't use the contraction "it's", preferring the completely irrelevant possessive "its"

[@barbd5607]

Our music teacher taught us so much about Moog in 1970. Great memories 🇬🇧

[@vampoftrance]

Well, Wendy Carlos has had an impact on our music for sure.

[@mraide]

Epic - shivers as she makes those Stanley Kubrick sounds

[@jasonpeters9716]

Just fantastic. Music of "Clockwork Orange" grabbed me fr first note-Alex jumping out window

[@macpakinga1271]

Wow very cool Wendy thank you for sharing Amazed 😮. ❤

[@DefendTheStar]

This is so very cool. My father was a rather accomplished pianist and it makes me a bit sad he's not still here to share this with. Knowing him he'd be like "oh yeah Wendy Carlos, I played with her in the 70s at the Clam Shack w Jimmy Jones and Bobby Maddox." I miss the big guy 😥

[@EmlynInTheMix]

That was one of the best explanations of just how a synth works 🎉

[@AForestDwellingSpirit]

Wow she’s incredible!!

[@iceman213]

I know someone who has one of these and it always blows me away how awesome it is…

[@hallamhal]

"it goes owf awn owf awn" Love her accent 😄

[@archdukeofsynth]

Wow, nice to finally see what looks like the whole film segment.

[@mjears]

Major fan since the original S-OB (I was 5). If I could have seen THIS when I was 7 or 8, my musical life would have gone differently! As it was, I had to wait about 10 years to get access to a Mini-Moog one summer, and see for myself how all these things worked. And so soon after came digital synthesis and everything changed.

[@unicornsandrainbowsandchic2336]

This is absolutely mind blowing. That they don't just know the sounds but the why. So much admiration!

[@johnnytoobad7785]

"Switched On Bach" was one of the first non-rock records I ever purchased and I still have it !

[@wordsisnukes]

frickin' marvelous