Watch The Sound with Mark Ronson
Can you really watch sound? You can most certainly watch it change and evolve, and that’s exactly what you see through the series Watch The Sound, with Mark Ronson, available exclusively on Apple TV Plus.
Ronson interviews music makers in each episode who have helped to shape the sounds that you hear today and that have influenced him as a producer. Topics covered in this six-part series include: Auto-Tune, Sampling, Reverb, Synthesizers, Drum Machines, and Distortion.
Here are a few of the highlights and things I pondered or learned about during each episode:
Ep 1: Auto-Tune – Did you know that Auto-tune was designed by a scientist who originally came up with the technology through an invention to help find underwater oil deposits.
Ep 2: Sampling – Roger Linn didn’t know hip hop existed when he designed the original Akai MPC drum machine. He was just hoping someone would use it to be creative. And here we are today.
Ep 3: Reverb – Did you know that there is a concrete underground chamber in Scotland where they use to store oil that has the longest reverb in the world.
Ep 4: Synthesizers - After watching this episode, Gary Numan’s “Cars” played on repeat in my head for about two weeks. It was sad to hear about all of the negative press that Numan received when he came out with his style of music. He was trying to show people that you didn’t need guitars on an album to make it sound heavy. He really was an innovator for those who have followed in his footsteps.
Ep 5: Drum Machines – The human touch. Is it truly needed, or can a drum machine replace and emulate the groove better than an actual musician.
Ep 6: Distortion – Is it something that “amplifies emotion” or is it noise? You decide.
If you dig music as much as I do, this is a must watch series.