Barry Jamieson

THE INTERVIEW

How did you find out about MetaSynth?
I was first introduced to Metasynth around 8 yrs ago.  I wasn't sure what to make of it at first. It looked very alien and an odd way to approach sound design. It wasn't until a few years later that i realized what you could really do with MetaSynth.

I used to work with Bill Hamel, who I was nominated with for a Grammy in 2003, for a remix of Seal's track, Get Together.  Bill was just getting to know MetaSynth so I showed him a few tricks you can do with it for really messing up audio on the fly. Bill Hamel has been an avid user for quite a few years now.

What motivated you to add MetaSynth to your studio?
After working with Andrew Souter (who's a MetaSynth Guru) on Sasha's Invol2ver album, I knew i had to get into MetaSynth. Andrew came to New York to show us what he can do, and it blew me away.

Andrew has mad skills with MetaSynth. Can you think of something that you picked up from him or saw him do that made you sit up and say "How do you do that"?
I think Andrew's whole idea of using the Filter Room was really inspiring.  Andrew's Architecture Volume One was a huge help in getting to know what was possible within the filter room.  His filter presets give you so many options to create interesting textures in a very organized way. Huge help!

Did you (or do you) have any particular role in mind for MetaSynth?
I tend to to use it for granular stretching audio and the filter fx section. It's great for creating soundscapes of audio that can layer under a track or help you to get a vibe going quickly.

I love grain effect. It's by far the thing i use the most.

Is there anything that MetaSynth allows you to do that you are not able to do (or to do easily) with other tools?
The grain effect is the best thing about it for me. I can get things out of it that you just can't do anywhere else. The Grain effect is my thing. Huge output of ideas come from just this one effect for me. This is why Midi implementation for the faders would be killer.

Could you describe one or more things that MetaSynth enabled you to do that you were particularly pleased with?
I love creating gate effects with the grain effect. If you stretch a piece of audio really long you get these grain gate sounds that are constantly evolving. Amazing!

Is there an aspect of MetaSynth that you would like to know more about?
The Filter Room is a tough one to get to know, but it is worth the effort. It can give you unreal sounds with some work put in.  I also love the sequencer room but it's complicated at first.

What do you see as MetaSynth's most compelling feature or features?
The effects section is the most fun, but the filter room is a real creative environment, unlike anything else.

Has MetaSynth met or exceeded your expectations?
It for sure gives me tools that are unique in so many ways. I would love it if you could assign the faders to a midi controller. I often do a lot of tweaking of faders as i record the preview. This would make things much easier to do.

Are any MetaSynth-created sounds featured prominently on any recordings you have worked on that are available to the public?
Sasha's Involver 2 album is covered with Andrew Souter Metasynth sounds. He did some amazing work on the album. Also Bill Hamel's remix of Britney Spears, Madonna, New Order, Seal and many more are covered with MetaSynth sounds, we did between 2004 and 2006.

Do you have any MetaSynth anecdotes?
To give an example, the entire opening sequence of Sasha's Involver 2 album was created with messed up audio in Metasynth. All the field recordings we recorded, in and around New York, were messed with and treated with Metasynth and our Eventide Orville. It's great for making soundscapes.

Do you see MetaSynth as continuing to play a role in your music-making in the future?
After working with Andrew Souter and learning more about how to use Metasynth it will be forever in use in everything I do. I am currently working on a solo album. It has been over 7 yrs since I have put any of my own music out, so MetaSynth will be used extensively.

How far along is the solo record?
I've written quite a lot of new music. I'm hoping to have something ready by the end of October this year.

What can you tell us the project?
It seems to be developing into possibly 2 different albums. LOL!  The first would be a techno / electronica vibe and the second much more experimental / ambient. It's still in the early stages but I have some really great tunes already which has really given me confidence in what I'm trying to come up with.

Is this material that you have been working on over the years or material that is being written now?
That's a tough question. I have quite a few tracks that have never been released, which I would love to put out at some point. Not sure if they will fit into what I'm writing at the moment, but you never know.

I started from scratch with all my old analog gear. I love using all my synths, (Roland Jupiter 6, MKS80, Korg MS20, Studio Electronics SE1X). I love to be hands on with what i do. It's much more fun that way, and more unpredictable. Then I tend to do a lot of overdubs of sounds with guitar pedals and Metasynth. This approach brings out mad ideas, but still trying to keep things organic and flowing.

Do you have any advice for people thinking about using MetaSynth?
This will give you musical possibilities you simply cannot get anywhere else. It makes you think outside the box, and will always give you ideas that you didn't think you would get.

Have you had any MetaSynth surprises where you found it to be unexpectedly useful?
Yes, all the time. The Spectrum Room comes out with quite unexpected tones. Very creative and intuitive tool to use.

Every time you stretch or pitch audio in Metasynth, you are never really sure what you're gonna get. It can be quite different from what you expected from a specific sound.  That's what makes it so special. Eventually you get to learn what sonic timbres lend themselves better to what your trying to create. Anything with lots of harmonics tends to create more unpredictable and evolving sounds. Anything classical is by far the most fun. Especially if it's a quite quick tempo. Stretching an 8 bar loop over a minute will give incredible soundscapes that push your music in so many different directions. As i mentioned earlier, it makes you think outside the box.

One of the tricky things for me is how to describe what MetaSynth can do. So, I am always interested to hear how other people would describe it to their colleagues.
It makes audio manipulation become liquified. Being able to sonically deconstruct sounds in a musical yet abstractive way is so creative, in so many ways. It allows you to do things with sound that is just not possible in any other application.  It makes you approach your work in a totally different way. This gives ideas and outcomes that you wouldn't get anywhere else.

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk with us.
Thank you for continuing to be innovative and inspiring in a world that is forever changing sonically.