Electric Sound

Electric Sound

by Joel Chadabe

I will say it was hard to read a “text book” even if it is an RA Favorite Book.  For some industries, it makes sense, especially when one has so much passion for the topic.  In this case, the book is a history of how “electric music” was added to the world of music.  The book, appropriately named Electric Sound, was written by Joel Chadabe.  Chadabe has composed music and is recognized as one of the pioneers in the creation and advancement of interactive music systems.  The book details how music was enhanced by adding systems of electronics to the sound, how it was created, how it sold, and who influenced whom in the industry.  It is a “who did what and when” and how that influenced the next generation.  Chadabe presents the early instruments that changed the entire music scene.  His book stems from the early 1900s and how the sound worked in concert with the early days of the telephone and even got mixed up in the same wires.  He later discusses the evolution of taped sound, which led to the creation of ‘sound studios’ and even outside studios to record this new music.  He profiles synthesizers, computer generated sound and then how sound is now invented.  His last chapter reflects on the next generation and what music will look like going forward.  Overall, if you aren’t into sound creation and this movement of computer/studio-created sounds, you will be bored -for much of the book, I was.  I never played an instrument (I’ll refrain from arguing that my 4^th grade violin experiment as making music), though I enjoy listening to music, so the history of the electronics influencing today’s music was simply a topic I have no interest in reading about further.  I did finish it but clearly not a fan of this type of book.  A very niched read for sure.