 
Ross Bencina Creator of AudioMulch Talks...
The following interview is between Ross Bencina and Locopomo of AudiOracle.
AudiOracle: Has your own creative output moulded AudioMulch or vice-versa?
Ross Bencina: I don't think there's a clear dominance here, the two have been evolving along side each other for the last seven years or so. Sometimes AudioMulch influences the music I make and at other times I modify AudioMulch to achieve a particular musical result.
That said, I don't think there's a way to avoid the influence of the software/instrument/tool which you use, but because I created the software for my own music originally I think it's reasonably well aligned with the kind of music I like to create.
AudiOracle: There have often been requests for the addition of more traditional elements such as MIDI sequencing. Have you consciously resisted nudging AudioMulch towards a more mainstream user base?
Ross Bencina: It's not really about the user-base, but rather that I'm not really interested in creating software with capabilities which are already well supported by other software systems. If I need a MIDI sequencer there are many existing options, and I can't really compete with that. To some degree the MIDI thing also reflects my own disinterest in MIDI as a paradigm for musical expression. I prefer to work directly processing sound than to work with abstract specifications based on traditional westeren music practice.
 AudiOracle: AudioMulch has been through an extraordinarily long Beta phase. What prompted the announcement of version 1.0?
Ross Bencina: One reason for the decision was that the software has become quite stable for live use and I think it's important for people to understand that. The best way I have to communicate that is to stop calling the software Beta. The main reason for the long beta phase has been due to the time taked to develop what I have considered "required features" for a 1.0 release. The problem has been that the concept of what are "required features" changes over time, and in the end I decided that wasn't the best criteria to decide when to call it 1.0 -- and it's not really the usual way to do a beta phase.. which is usually concerned with bugs and stability, not with features.
AudiOracle: Until now AudioMulch has sported a rather austere look - is the planned move to a new interface purely functional, or have you felt the need to enhance its overall appearance?
Ross Bencina: The primary reason for a move to new tools to develop the user interface is a pragmatic one based on current technology trends. I'm happy with the current user interface look because I'm mostly concerned about the sound of the program and usability at the level of interaction and workflow. The interface look doesn't impact these things so much. I know not everyone shares my sonic bias and I'll be considering a more updated look for the future.
AudiOracle: If a RissetTone falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does it make a drone?
Ross Bencina: I think it depends on whether the speakers are plugged in and turned up.
For more information on AudioMulch visit the website.
To discuss AudioMulch with some if it's users including Locopomo the author of this interview click here to go to the Audioracle Forums.
Thanks from the AudiOracle team go out to Ross for granting us this interview but even more so for creating AudioMulch, a genius piece of music production software.
Interview by Kenneth Brown aka Locopomo. |
Thanks for the interview Audioracle, and Kenneth Brown!