Cyber3

The most widely used format for streaming media is RealMedia for which you can download the
free RealPlayer. However there are heaps of other audio and video players, many of which are of better quality than RealMedia, though I guess we should be used to the politics of business where marketing and connections count for more than quality (remember the Beta and VHS war?).

One of the
most promising of the alternative formats is called Beatnik – a browser plug-in with its own sounds embedded in the software. These are triggered by midi and are a way around the inconsistent quality and instrumentation of the soundbanks on most sound cards. Added to that is the capability of using samples (converted to RMF format) which are downloaded with the midi file along with the playing instructions.

It’s also very versatile and can be used in conjunction with video, web events (eg mouseovers), and interactive media. By the last I mean things such as real time remixing of music using a specially set up virtual mixer – see
Beatnik Beats, one of the site’s showcased pages. There is also the Myst-like ‘A Musical Cave’, a sampler for Lagoon World – an interactive 3D virtual world with music
and sound effects which you explore and solve puzzles in, hence the reference to Myst (a classic cd-rom mystery adventure puzzle of this type). This and other virtual worlds can be downloaded for free and played using Quick time for Windows or Macintosh from Psykosonik Interactive.

Still at the Beatnik site, go check out the Gallery, which features the best of the original creations of all kinds of people. For example you may remember a couple of years ago there was a bit of a technology versus human-made classical music controversy because a guy called David Cope used an artificial intelligence program called EMI (Experiments in Musical Intelligence) to ‘write’ new pieces of music in the style of famous classical composers like Mozart and Beethoven (not to mention Scott Joplin). You can hear the results in the Gallery. They may lack soul but they’re remarkably true stylistically.

By the way Beatnik was created by Thomas Dolby, the slightly crazed 80’s synth wiz responsible for hits such as ‘She Blinded Me With Science’.

There are more than a few weird or esoteric pages out there, and some are quite fun to visit for some light surfing. Here are a couple I found recently – a
Burrito-Analysis form which gives you a personality
reading based on your chosen burrito ingredient combination. Then there is the
Toilet Paper Ratings page which judges (US) brands on such
criteria as softness, performance, ability to perforate, first square ease-of-use and so on.

You may remember when Judas Priest was taken to court for perceived backwards messages in their music which supposedly encouraged suicide. The prosecution case was shown up by all the other ridiculous backwards nonsense that could be heard in the music (ie if you listen hard enough you can hear whatever you want) but many people believe backmasking (as it is called) is deliberate and sinister. One site which takes it seriously is
Reverse Speech where you can hear one of the Judas Priest reversals as well as a large number of others including Queen’s ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ which reverses to ‘It’s fun to smoke marijuana’. I bet it took Queen ages to work that one out.

Actually I think listening to so much music and speech backwards may have seriously impaired the ‘researchers’ judgement. They have a theory that the reverse speech of everyday language holds the true (subconscious) message and have audio of President Clinton saying “Had sex with an Oregon Madam” as the reverse of saying he wouldn’t discuss the allegations, and Monica Lewinsky is from Oregon! Or did it say “had sex within your gun madam.” Whatever! You’ve got to hear these clips (all in Real Audio) to believe how ridiculously funny the whole thing is.

Two local DJ/Producers yet to be analysed for backmasking are The Nomad and Freq, who have each launched their debut albums and websites. The Nomad’s site features streaming
RealAudio clips of excerpts from his album ‘Movement’, as well as tour and gig dates, artist information, and photos. Freq’s site has excerpts from his album ‘Alloys’ available
for download as mp3 files (and the players required to listen) plus artist information, and on-line album sales.

Still with New Zealand electronica, a new site called Atmos Radio is showcasing different tracks from original artists
on a weekly basis, in Real Audio format. There is also bio information on each artist and the promise of live broadcasts and interactive chat with the live-to-air artist.

Finally, and still with New Zealand music,
Jazz.co.nz is an extremely well organised and informative site, including news
and events, performer profiles and Real Audio clips. They call themselves ‘New Zealand’s On-line Jazz Source’ but it’s pretty much exclusively Auckland focused. Covering jazz in Wellington there is
jazzworkshop, but the South Island appears to be ‘under-resourced’ in this area.

This article is also available on dead tree in Presto magazine, distributed for free around Christchurch, New Zealand. Email: presto@clear.net.nz