Mac king

Musician Barry Adamson has contributed to numerous soundtracks. His album, The King of Notting Hill, is out now .

Interviewed by Hamish Mackintosh
Thursday September 26, 2002
Guardian

How important is the computer to your music making?

I call it the "invisible spine" of my music. You listen to the record and you think "big studio _ lots of musicians", which is very deceptive as this new album is basically a home recording. I've made the transition from old school to new school and I embrace what the technology allows you to do.

What set-up do you use?

I use Emagic Logic with Pro-Tools running on a Mac G4. I'm hoping Apple's takeover of Emagic might serve me in some way, too. Apple is like a strange drug that you just can't quite get enough of! I went to buy a Cinema Display monitor for the G4, but you have to buy so many ancillary devices that I gave up! My G4 is only 18 months old but there are already better versions. They shouldn't call it Mac - they should call it crack!

Will the net become the focus for music delivery?

I think something else might transpire in the next five years that will amalgamate the process. It might be that you can select what you want from a menu, order it, then it will be delivered to your door a la Amazon. Perhaps even some instantaneous plug-in will bypass the download or delivery processes. It might be an extension of current subscription models, where you pay to have access and play it when you want.

Regulation?

I wouldn't object to having an identification that plugged me into the mainframe of the net if it meant keeping things cleaner. It's tricky, though, as you get into personal freedom issues. I would like to see more protection and perhaps tighter controls on what children can access.

What's the strangest thing you've encountered online?

I remember being shocked the first time I typed my name into a search engine at just how much stuff came back! At the time, I didn't feel my profile was particularly high and it was bizarre being able to read my views on this and that. You realise how much information is going around!

Favourite gadgets?

My Olympus V90 Dictaphone is beautiful and looks like how I imagined things would in the 21st century. I use that as a portable idea book. I'd love an X10, fully automated, interactive house, with the computer telling me what's been happening that day!

Favourite sites?

Film Threat lets you click into independent short films that you can send off for on DVD if you like them. Sites such as Atom Films are good! I have One-Click set up with Amazon and I use health food shops.

Visit: www.barryadamson.com or www.mute.com/barryadamson