Sound on Sound
07/08/08 16:39
FROM PPG TO PLUG-INS
Nigel Bates: Mixing Vintage And Cutting-edge Technology
Versatile producer/engineer Nigel Bates was one of the original devotees of the PPG Wave digital synthesizer, an instrument that is still a mainstay of his music. These days, he's also enthusiastic in his use of the latest software-based mixing tools. Paul Wiffen finds out more about his fusion of the classic and the cutting-edge.
Nigel Bates is perhaps best known as the programmer who created some of the most famous and instantly recognisable synth sounds used on '80s records, thanks to his widely acknowledged mastery of the innovative PPG Wave digital synthesizer. A guitar player from an early age, engineer, synth programmer and producer for acts such as M (of 'Pop Muzik' fame), Nigel set up Ambiance Studios in the early '80s, frustrated at the lack of equipment to be found in most commercial studios. He was determined that his studio should be filled with enough gear that it would be unnecessary to call on hire companies for anything, and in the synth-driven pop climate of the times, the gamble paid off -- Ambiance became a popular New Romantic-era recording studio. Building on this work, Nigel also became a programmer to some top producers of the day, including Colin Thurston, and worked with Duran Duran, Howard Jones, Spandau Ballet, and Kajagoogoo at the height of their fame.
For complete July 2000 interview please click on link below:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug00/articles/nigelbates.htm
Nigel Bates: Mixing Vintage And Cutting-edge Technology
Versatile producer/engineer Nigel Bates was one of the original devotees of the PPG Wave digital synthesizer, an instrument that is still a mainstay of his music. These days, he's also enthusiastic in his use of the latest software-based mixing tools. Paul Wiffen finds out more about his fusion of the classic and the cutting-edge.
Nigel Bates is perhaps best known as the programmer who created some of the most famous and instantly recognisable synth sounds used on '80s records, thanks to his widely acknowledged mastery of the innovative PPG Wave digital synthesizer. A guitar player from an early age, engineer, synth programmer and producer for acts such as M (of 'Pop Muzik' fame), Nigel set up Ambiance Studios in the early '80s, frustrated at the lack of equipment to be found in most commercial studios. He was determined that his studio should be filled with enough gear that it would be unnecessary to call on hire companies for anything, and in the synth-driven pop climate of the times, the gamble paid off -- Ambiance became a popular New Romantic-era recording studio. Building on this work, Nigel also became a programmer to some top producers of the day, including Colin Thurston, and worked with Duran Duran, Howard Jones, Spandau Ballet, and Kajagoogoo at the height of their fame.
For complete July 2000 interview please click on link below:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug00/articles/nigelbates.htm