IN FOCUS

- User in Focus -

SoundForce aka Darren Flinders

Yorkshire's 27-year-old Soundforce, (aka Darren Flinders) has been using OctaMED for 6 years, and now he is here to tell you all about his music.

I first got into music on computers when my freind bought a Spectrum 128+2 computer, I only had a 48k (with rubber keys) at the time and to hear the sound on the +2 was quite amazing, I can always remember the first time I saw the game "Glider Rider" (music by David Whittaker), I thought, that's what I wanna do, write music for computer games.

By the time I had enough money for a 128k, all my freinds had moved onto the Commodore 64, so to get one, I took the back off my interface for the joystick and gently touched the solder with a screw driver, so, that sorted my spectrum out, I took it back to the shop (naughty I know) and exchanged it for a Commodore 64, then that's when my music really started comming out, I got myself a copy of "Ubik's music" and I played for hours with it (not that I did anything anygood with it). I really loved tunes by The Maniacs of Noise and also Robb Hubbard (just to mention a few), I really into the demo scene aswell.

Future Composer Main Editor - Does this bring back memorys for you too? - Click to enlarge

I tried all different types of music programs that was available on the commodore 64, one of my favorites was a program called "Future Composer", it was really good, it allowed you to compose sid tunes but in "The maniacs of noise" format.

Future Composer options - As you can see, this program was quite primitive. - Click to enlarge

This was future composer on the commodore 64, as you can see, a very primitive program, I did spend hours and hours on this, which does bring back memorys of when I wanted to be games musician. How times change.

Then, a few years later, I got hold of an Amiga 500, I'd heard alot about this program called "Protracker", I thought, I want that, so I went round to one of my freinds houses who had an Amiga. I said to him "Have you got protracker?", he replied "no, but this OctaMED is alot better", he gave me the disk (which he got off CU Amiga magazine), I brought it home and loaded it up, it was OctaMED V4, which you could have 8 channels of sound on it, wow!

I also got a job at "Music Factory records", this led me to become a DJ, also got me listening to different music styles (Normally Hardcore music & Techno), it also inspired me to become a remixer/producer. After finishing my course (ok it was a training scheme, normally training to remember how many sugars people had in their coffee), I concentrated on my dj'ing. I still played with OctaMED but I thought I will never get anything sounding professional using 4 channels (If I used 8 the sound quality got worse).

After Dj'ing until about 1997, I had upgraded to an Amiga 1200, I also upgraded the memory to 18mb and got a CD-Rom and 1gb Hard drive, and accelarated it to a 68030/50, and a copy of OctaMED Soundstudio, this is the program which opened up new avenues for my music. I did a few more tunes and sent them to CU Amiga magazine, and they released them on their cover cd's, this was inspirational, looking back now, the tune's aren't all that good, but I got a realease.

Then after having a bad set dj'ing (one of those when nothing goes right), I decided to give my Dj'ing a rest (I think I just had enough, I was considered one of the best in Rotherham at the time), I started to concentrate on my more on my music.

I then bought myself a Yamaha CS1-x keyboard and then that was it, I could do the music that I wanted to do without using samples from different sources and they was all in key for me, I really got into trance music and this is the type I still like to compose.

I have not really tried to do music for computer games, for some twist in fate I have gone into the club scene. I sent a demo off to a record company (Devinyl Dance) and I forgot all about it, then a week or two later my mum phoned me at work and said that a record company had phoned for me, they gave me a number to get intouch, what a feeling I can tell you, so I phoned them, he said "I like the stuff you have sent me and would you like to remix one of our tunes?", I was over the moon "Sure!", I said, so they sent me a song to remix, I did the remix using my Amiga 1200 and my PC for sampling (this was before SoundStudio came out on the PC), I sent them the remix back, and I waited......and waited......and waited.......so I decided to give them a ring, he said "It is really good, the production is good, everything is ok with it", I thought, this is too good to be true, then he said "But, I had to pull it out of the pressing stage at the last minute, but I still want you to remix some more of our stuff". I haven't recieved anything else from them, but, I always live in hope.

In 1999 I got intouch with a group called "The Time Frequency", I used to love their stuff in the early/mid 1990's, I accidentally came across their website and I managed to get intouch with Jon Campbell (the main guy of the group (he also produced "Set you free" by N-Trance (classic tune)). I talked them into letting me do a remix for them, he gave me tips on my production etc and there is no looking back for me now, my music has come on in leaps and bounds, and it is all done using med soundstudio.

I know own a copy of SoundStudio on the PC, and it is excellent, I have remixed stuff for "The Crazyheads" and for groups such as "Digital Aura", "The Time Frequency", and I've got some more projects coming in from "Inventive Music" (Jon Campbell's new label).

Discography

East (Al Sharma mix) - Ashmore (2002) On the Aura LP

Oppenheimer (sound of the atom splitting mix)- Ashmore. (2002)

Me & my DJ (Shonk the DJ mix) - Dave Elyzium (2002)

Sanctuary - The Time Frequency (co written by Darren Flinders) to be released on the forthcoming TTF Album "Escape", (2002).

Now & Forever (Eternity Mix) - Astral (aka TTF), (Feb 2002) (This version will only be available on the European edition). Import it!

Shine Forever (Dazzy's Dancefloor mix) - Poison flow feat Rareform.

Fear of mind giving way (Amnesia mix) - Poison Flow (2002)

Lethal Justice (Dazzy's Progression mix) - Poison Flow, (2002)

Real love 2002 - Dazzy's real passion mix - The Time Frequency

Comin' on strong - Double Dee remix - Signum

I don't need this - Double Dee remix - Heaven's Cry (in production)

There's good and bad everywhere - Soundforce mix - Ashmore (in production)

Soundforce's Gear

Roland MC-303 Groovebox, Yamaha CS1-x Keyboard, Roland MKS-50 Synth Module (Juno 2 rack).

Software

MED SoundStudio V1 (Windows), Cool edit pro v1.2 and Rebirth V1.5 (Both bought second hand, nice and cheap) Reason, Orion, Pro52, Fm7 and plenty more softsynths and software..

For more info on Soundforce visit his own web site at:
SoundForce where his "MED Archive" can be found.

If you use the program in your music and would like to help promote MED Soundstudio please download the official logo from here : MED Logo

If you, or someone you know, uses MED and would like to be featured in this
section, please download the in-focus details : Here

Close This Window