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I started working with the Dutch Broadcasting Foundation (NOS) in 1973 as an
assistent "program engineer radio" as we call it. After I and 8
others were selected, there was first a
business training of 6 months, because the tasks I had to do are very specific
for radio broadcasting. This training was in Hilversum in a former
restaurant, "Santbergen", the NOS had bought for this purpose. Today
it's called the "Media Academy".
I was an assistant from 1973 to 1976. As an assistent I worked in many studios to place microphones in the
orchestras and go to theatres all over the country to assist in the recording
of radio programs and concerts.
This was a great time, because I went to concerts of Ella Fitzgerald and Joe
Pass, The Steve Miller Band, Charles Aznavour and many others. But also
classical concerts, for instance in the famous Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
Unfortunately I don't have any photographs of these years.
As an engineer I worked for all broadcasting associations, like the AVRO
(general), KRO (Catholic), NCRV (protestant), VARA (Social-democratic), VPRO
(social criticism), TROS (general), NOS and in later years EO (evangelical)
and VERONICA (general). There were (and are) also a great number of small broadcasters.
But none of the non-commercial broadcasters have their own technicians. They hired us
(for free) from the
NOS. The way the
radio and television in my country works is very hard to explain, so I won't
try it.
Although I was not musically active at that time, I learned about music
scoring. I heard a
musician (Tony Eyk) talk about a book he bought: "Sounds and Scores" by Henry
Mancini. I also bought the book and learned about instruments and what you can
do with them in an orchestra. I even did some arranging myself.
A colleague of
mine wanted to sing a greek song, a nice 5/4. I think it was called "Ena
Karavi" and I made an arrangement. He did sing it, but I have never heard
it. |
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I also arranged something else and I wanted to know how the saxophone-part
would sound. So I asked Piet Zonneveld, at the time conductor of the orchestra of the
KRO-program "Van Twaalf tot Twee", if the saxgroup could play this
for me. And they did and they were very serious about it too. Great guys!
Leader of the saxophone group was Karel Reys, brother of Rita Reys a famous
Dutch jazz-singer. He gave me some advice too about the key and range of the
saxophones. Saxophones just don't sound nice when they have to pitch very
high - this is something I take into consideration now when I play a sampled
saxophone sound on a keyboard.
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In 1976 I became programm engineer B. Back to "Santbergen" to
learn editing. That was a whole other kind of work. Now I had to do montage
work for news-programms. Later on all kind of other programms, like
documentaries.
Now, my aim was to become a programm engineer specialised in music
production. But when I was promoted to programm engineer A and did all kinds
of programms, except music recording and mixing, I kinda liked it. Especially montages
with music. Also documentaries were very nice to make, although that came
after a view years.
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Before that all happened, I started making a montage for myself
in 1976 as an assignment for myself after I finished my training. I called it "Muzikollage" which is comprised of
the words "muziek" (music) and "collage". The idea was to make an
arrangement using music on records. So I could manipulate the music on records
the way I wanted. Sometimes I only used a few seconds of a particular record
to use as a bridge between to other records. Some songs were used a bit longer,
spinned up or down and even looped and partly reversed.
I only used tape, a tape-spinner (speedcontrol) and
an effectunit (reverb-delay). I made two programs, each about 40 minutes long and it took me 3
years to make it (in my spare time) and I bought a lot of records during that
time. One of those programs was actually aired in 1980 in a program called
"Rauhfaser".
I like to put a few fragments on this site without further explanation. There are
8 fragments, 4 from each
montage I made. If you click on "Muzikollage 1", you can see a description of a part of Muzikollage 1.
Disclaimer: it is not my intention of publishing
other peoples music on the internet. These are however fragments of existing
records, edited in different ways. I merely want to show what you can do with
arranging existing music.
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During these years (from 1978) a group was formed
by a few engineers of the NOS. We called ourselves the
PT-Band. (PT stands for Program Technicians). We even
played on two radioshows: one (live) for the VARA
("Stoomradio") and a recorded show for the TROS (Toer ja, Toer
nee).
(Click the pictures to get to the photopage) |
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But most of the time we were just playing for ourselves
and rehearsed in a studio that was available at the time. Mostly we played in
the old VARA-studio,
now called the MCO, Music Centre of the "Omroep".(Broadcast system).
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On this photo you can see the members of the PT-band we started with.
Later on there were three more members.
Drums: Hugo Vogel
Bass : Paul Schoenmakers
Trombone: Bert van Dijk
Tenorsax: Ruud Kars
Keyboards: Herco de Boer.
We rehearsed on Tuesday evening. The idea was that we would come
together and start jamming. I decided to write a not too difficult
peace, and I called it "Tuesday Evening Session". If you click
the picture you can hear that tune, but with the newer formation. |
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Here, in studio 8, you see all the members of the PT-band except
trombone player Bert van Dijk.
From left to right: Ferry Sluyter, Jan Stellingwerf, Ruud
Kars, Herco de Boer, Paul Schoenmakers, Hugo Vogel
and Peter van den Hoogen. |
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