The UK electronic music scene lost its pioneer Tristram Cary this week, so it’s the perfect time to look back again at the marvels of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Low-budget but long-running Doctor Who is unlikely to be remembered for breaking new ground in, say, fancy props, sets, or visual effects (though they did plenty with what they had). But when it comes to sound and music, the BBC’s DIY approach to sound, ranging from Who to "serious" classical music (even my composition teacher Thea Musgrave worked there) remains significant today.

The BBC is again offering a look inside the storied workshop, now at its 50th birthday. (As their designs stand the test of five decades, I think perhaps electronic sound isn’t just about novelty after all.)

And one of their best finds? A lampshade.

Four sound effects that made TV history [ BBC News Magazine; happily this video works worldwide]

Thanks to Andy Tekkaz for the tip.

Yes, the green lampshade pictured above was Delia Derbyshire’s favorite toy to sample, a reminder that sometimes the non-electrified object is an electronic composer’s best friend. Other gems: the room for the largest synth the BBC ever owned, ominously titled "The Delaware" like some kind of WWII aircraft carrier, which wouldn’t fit through the door. Or room #12, in which the Doctor Who theme was born. Or what must be the world’s oddest home-built mixer, encased in plexiglass. Or, below, the suitcase synth the Workshop custom-built. (Note the prominence of EMS VCS3 synths, designed by Tristram Cary.) Updated: Okay, I was confused as well by the terminology "custom-built" in regards to the synth (evidently a Synthi-A), but then again, given the relationship between EMS and BBC, it’s possible the Radiophonic Workshop was the initial customer. Anyone have any idea?

Host and Radiophonic vet Dick Mills also settles any lingering controversy about how you make a Dalek voice: it’s what (I think) is a VCS3, a ring modulator tuned to 30 Hz, and a little bass attenuation (Dick corrects his colleague on that). If that doesn’t sound like a Dalek, you’re probably not shouting enough.

The hilarious send-up of educational films that was Look Around You: Music was only the beginning. BBC comedy show Look Around You has its own fantastic website filled with still more goodies. And it gives us a much clearer idea of the future of music technology than, say, a teaser from Moog.

Readers have been sending in “Life in the Year 2000″ entries, which include the five-string bass guitar, sex changes using Bach violin concertos, and my personal favorite, Halson Hoek’s invention that improves your keyboard chops by sending electrical shocks through metal gauntlets. At this point, that might be the only thing that can save my piano playing.

Best of all, Look Around You gives us what must be the mascot of Create Digital Music: enigmatic “musechnologist” Synthesizer Patel. He’s shown here with the watery keys of the Liquinth, perhaps inspired by a post here on the water-powered Mocean? There’s more from the new music episode, including a playable Mini-Trelm synth which has sadly been “stolen”. The TV network that gave us the Radiophonic Workshop deeply feels the trade we all ply:

“Synthesizer spends hours at these machines, carefully programming crochets, demi-clefs and arpeggionnes to achieve that special blend of sounds.”

This dead-on send-up of British educational programming takes a look at the world of music and music-making, from that music you young people like so much (”the Bensons, or the Ombudsman”) to the “Harrington 1200″ music synth shown here, which you’ve probably never seen “because it costs almost a thousand pounds.” (Boy, would that you could get a Harrington for so little. Circuit benders and vintage synth collectors recently drove up the price to almost $50,000 on eBay.)

Enjoy!

Look Around You: Music [QuickTime video, DevilyDucky.com]

It’s nice to see the Web abuzz about digital music downloads of one of the great geniuses of all time, instead of, you know, just another that mash-up. In that spirit, I point you to BBC’s Radio 3 for hours of great weekend listening:

Beethoven Symphonies 6-9, BBC Radio Orchestra

They’re quite decent recordings, though if you really love them you’ll probably want the uncompressed CD BBC will release. Gianandrea Noseda really ripped through Beethoven 5, and now some of Ludwig van’s mature masterpieces are in store. But act now, because starting Monday July 4, the downloads will start to disappear.

Roll over Beethoven, indeed.

CDM Radio of the Week

For music, you can’t beat the Beeb, and the UK radio conglomerate is now easy to hear in the rest of the world thanks to some of the best net radio support on the Earth. Just don’t overlook the high-brow Radio 3 because you think it might be stuffy. Quite the contrary; check out some highlights:

Beethoven’s symphonies are available for free download for a limited time. (Right now 1-5 are there as MP3s; others later this month. Played by the BBC Phil, of course!)

New Music section features a message board and some hip new stuff, like the “Mixing It” interview series. San Fran digital duo Matmos and Brian Eno? Sign me up!

CDM’s Radio Pick of the Week is a new feature to keep you in touch with the latest in digital radio, Net radio, satellite radio, podcasts, streams, and good `ol FM. If you’ve got a radio feed you think digital musicians will appreciate (your own or your favorite bookmark), send it my way! -PK

Visuals? Who needs visuals? The original Hitchhiker’s Guide radio show was evocative enough in sound to evoke the bizarre otherworldly imagination of Douglas Adams: close your eyes, listen to the wizardry of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop (the same team that worked on Doctor Who), and it was all there. For fans of the radio show, even Adams’ book version wasn’t quite as good; little wonder the show inspired listeners to become audio engineers.

If you haven’t heard the radio show, there’s still time — and the movie is ultimately different enough that it wouldn’t spoil much. Dave’s Imaginary Sound Space points to a bunch of links, including free streaming audio from KCRW of the original show. Radio 4 has a productivity-obliteratingly-huge website with interviews about Adams, the old show, and — of course — the new radio shows, which bring back most of the old cast. (Hell, there’s even information on the old Infocom Hitchhiker’s text adventure game — I told you you don’t need visuals.)

Douglas Adams was infamous for “raising procrastination to an art form.” (Favorite quote: “I love deadlines. I like the wooshing noise they make as they go past.”) So what are you waiting for? Procrastination as art takes practice! Have a listen! Of course, the best way to hear the show is via high-quality audio, not streaming. What’s a poor Yankee to do, now that the US version is out of print? Why, ditch Amazon.com and head straight for Amazon.co.uk! (See link at left. I purchased this a few months ago, to catch up prior to the new radio program. This is NOT that lousy MP3 CD that recently shipped in the US; these are real audio CDs. You don’t have to be in the UK to order from Amazon UK.)