The aim of my research is to achieve a better understanding of how composing and producing music with a very specific set of tools, and by being (by modern standards) seriously limited by the instruments and equipment, inspires the composer to use his/her own creativity in different ways.
I am conducting a practical investigation, where I have recreated (as accurately as possible using available software and hardware resources) the recording technology and instruments available at different points in recorded music history, and I have begun a series of explorative artistic experiments in composing, performing and recording music with these tools.
My intention is to try to understand how the strengths and inherent limitations of the tools available affect both the composition process and the stylistic identity of the music created. How do influences from other musical genres familiar to the composer, inspire and inform their creative decisions? How much of this is dictated by the instruments and equipment used?
During the recreated time periods, the roles of composer, artist, recording engineer and producer were usually clearly differentiated and performed by specialists. How does one person performing every task affect the process and how will the end results be different, both from an aesthetic and technical perspective?