On Sat, 2 Oct 2004, Jon Johanning wrote:
> But I wasn't just thinking of the computer as a Net appliance. I use
> it, with and without the Net, in my work, in which it is a vast
> improvement over the typewriter. I also use it for many applications
> that would have been impossible in the '50s. I consider it a tremendous
> invention -- even though Bill Gates has done his best to muck it up.
I've been playing and recording music for 25 years, and it's amazing how computers have changed things for the "little fish" without major label record contracts. Back in the day, we worked on 4-track machines and mixers with (if you're lucky) two effects sends for reverb/chorus/ delay. Now, using computer software, we have a hundred tracks, we can put dozens of effects on the tracks, we can screw around with the sounds in new, creative ways. Granted, there is still some stuff that sounds better on analog equipment (drums, loud guitars), but computers have really made the creation and distribution of music far more "democratic" than in the pre-computer era.
Miles