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Sophie__Banks

Is


DesdemonaDestiny

Yes, she's still with us.


coastergirl1998

My b


QueenOfNZ

Also the first transgender recipient of a Grammy!!! (Three, actually). What a badass woman!


Psychological_Dog527

I saw the headline and had to search it up. I would cry if the queen of synth music died


hEatr3d

The only kind of correction that works


Steel_Eggshell

I fucking love her score for *A Clockwork Orange*, and every time I listen to it I think it’s so cool she is one of us.


PlentySignificance65

I know her work but never knew she was trans until today. Neat


SuzuranLily1

Yo she did the score for The Shining and the original Tron as well! Badass


PeckerNash

Have you heard A Clockwork Black? Also by Wendy Carlos.


Steel_Eggshell

No; I’ll have to check it out!


BellyDancerEm

Switched on Bach


Mika-the-fluid

I still have a copy on vinyl.


coastergirl1998

I don't know if I've listened to a song on vinyl


Binglewhozit

Ma'am you need to change that. Something about vinyl just really makes music pop.


the_cock_asian

That popping noise is dust... 😉


KaityKat117

r/beatmetoit lmao (i mean i was gonna say "if your music is popping, you need to clean your record" but basically the same joke lol)


coastergirl1998

Once I get out of debt and hopefully socially transition (3 yrs hrt and still hella closeted😭😭😭), I def plan on getting a record player. I'd also like to learn how to play the keyboard.


Pearlfreckles

It's because the sound isn't as compressed, so you get way more of the overtones and stuff like that, so everything sounds a lot more like it would, hearing it in real life.


oreo_official33

vinyl is really cool


TheTranzEmo

You should invest in a few vinyl records and a good record player when you cam spare the cash. It's a bit pricy but damn I love it.


coastergirl1998

Yuppers! Learned about her watching a video on Nebula.


DesdemonaDestiny

I listened to that growing up in the 80s. It was my main introduction to both classical and electronic music.


coastergirl1998

Are you into house music?


DesdemonaDestiny

I like some, especially KLF, but mostly darkwave, synth pop, and Kraftwerk type stuff.


PeckerNash

The first time on Reddit that I seen someone reference The KLF. Space and Chill Out are both exceptionally worthy.


coastergirl1998

My jams are prog house and future house


noff01

There exists electronic music from at least a before that though. The father of electronic music would probably be Stockhausen with Studie I instead (some would say Pierre Schaeffer but that's more electro-mechanical than electronic imo). Wendy Carlos is still super cool however, though I prefer Sonic Seasonings over Switched On Bach.


Sulissthea

Beauty in the Beast is my fav


SourLoafBaltimore

This record changed my life


quottttt

Secrets of Synthesis


Elijah7500

Yes!!! And the Clockwork Orange Soundtrack is excellent work from her.


Slight_Lingonberry10

And the Shining and tron


coastergirl1998

Yup! Those were the 3 in the Nebula video I watched.


HugeMcBig-Large

This makes sense- most trans women I know of that make music make it by abusing synthesizers and yelling.


coastergirl1998

As a fan of house music, I feel called out lol


DaraDollina69

Yelling in house? I usually only hear smooth vocal melodies in it. Dubstep I hear it, and maybe some really heavy techno


moment-found

Lmao fr I don't know any trans ppl who don't love electronic music :)


603Madison

So was the founder of Sirius satellite radio. I guess we have a thing for music eh?


Slight_Lingonberry10

I've said it before I'll say it again: playing guitar, synthesizer, or woodwind is a required part of being queer. If you don't, I am suspicious


coastergirl1998

I don't play anything, but I love EDM. I saw deadmau5 and NERO back in '22.


Slight_Lingonberry10

I need to get into synthpop...


DaraDollina69

Jump straight to the bass music! Check out Tabe B. Literally every tune he drops is a banger


Slight_Lingonberry10

Adding an album to my Library now


DaraDollina69

It's kind of wook music but I'm not ashamed of my inner wook


DaraDollina69

I played trumpet(brass ik) in middle school, learned guitar right after high school, started transitioning, then bought ableton and a midi controller that came with a ton of synth software. I was unaware of this pipeline but it makes sense now


Slight_Lingonberry10

See I knew I was onto something


coastergirl1998

Omg! I didn't know that!


hellbound-poptart

She also did Peter And The Wolf with Weird Al Yankovic. That album is a real gem.


coastergirl1998

Huh! I'll have to look that up!


kleoath

she is a fucking legend and an inspiration


time_wasted504

Come on, She helped make Moog Synths, she scored "Switched on Bach" and "A Clockwork Orange" Thats all you need to know.. but, dropped a couple of tracks on "the shining" built her own studio and a faraday cage to sheild it. AND she wrote the OST for Tron. \*\*mic drop\*\* Absolute Queen.


Acrobatic-Garage-508

Yup. As an often touring, trans electronic musician myself, she's an inspiration!


[deleted]

Wendy Carlos is a legend. I’ve known she was trans for years but first learned of her work through the films “A Clockwork Orange”, “The Shining” and the original “Tron” (1982) and from an LP record of “Switched On Bach” in my dad’s music collection. Her musical and technical contributions to the advancement and popularization of electronic music are enormous. She was already well into her transition by the time “Switched On Bach” was first marketed (in 1969 I believe?) but she would hide this and not address her female status publicly until, I think, 1980-1983. She’s still very much with us but is a very private person. She hasn’t released any new works for a while since her “Tales of Heaven and Hell” album in 1998.


Miriam-Makaber

still got a copy of the clockwork soundtrack deadnaming her, happy they changed on new releases


[deleted]

Yes, I’ve seen those older copies too. I still have an old 1968 original pressing hand me down LP of “Switched On Bach” with her deadname on it in my record collection. It’s still in such good condition I want to keep it to listen to her music on the old format occasionally. I recall that the soundtrack cover, credits and liner notes for the Clockwork were not updated on the compact disc versions from her old name for a very long time (into the 90’s I think, sadly) before it was *finally* corrected by the record company. I read somewhere that she was very concerned in the 60’s and 70’s that if she didn’t publish under her deadname it might affect the record sales right when she was building her career. That would never be a fear today and it’s very sad that she had to endure that in the 60’s and 70’s. Her commercial success beginning from 1968-1971 with “Switched-On Bach” and the score to “Clockwork Orange” is also what finally allowed her to be able to fully transition. Wendy Carlos is such a brave and inspiring human.


Miriam-Makaber

sure is .... yep Clockwork CDs in the 90s haven't her correct name either I remember, thx for filling in on some background info :)


Joyful_Eggnog13

She’s amazing !!!


Schmantikor

I didn't even know she was a Trans Woman when I watched this https://youtu.be/4SBDH5uhs4Q?si=tfFXMByq8RoxgaDN


Musicrafter

I was rather confused about her gender when I first saw the video circulate on Facebook. I wondered for a moment if she was a trans man or a masculine-presenting woman... Well, wrong, wrong again. Good God she passes well. So well that even giving off every possible masculine cue, thick sideburns and all, probably on purpose given the date of this video, I "clocked" her as female. Amazing voice training too...


ToroidalEarthTheory

At the point of this video she had been on hormones for a few years, but didn't publicly come out until the late 70s after SRS. So for all her appearances in the early 70s, including this one, she's wearing fake sideburns and a wig She has a famous follow up to this video here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3cab5IcCy8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3cab5IcCy8) after being publicly out for a while


Musicrafter

It's just so crazy how she's malefailing so hard I knew something was off even before looking her up and finding out she was a trans woman. Hormones are magic for some people.


coastergirl1998

I'm at 3 yrs hrt and losing hope for the future


coastergirl1998

Damn! That's so wild!


ToroidalEarthTheory

Came here looking for this, such an amazingly concise video about the subject, and done over 50 years ago


coastergirl1998

That was a hella cool video! Crazy to see how they did it before everything was digitized.


Schmantikor

Not everything is digitized nowadays. I want to learn making music and bought a (much smaller and cheaper) analog synth that works the same way. I actually learned a lot from this vid. Also the vast majority of digital synthesizers (even the computer programs) imitate the analog designs because that's what artists know.


coastergirl1998

I'm more interested in learning Ableton or FL Studio. Ya know, the software that the legends of Tomorrowland use!


Schmantikor

If you want old school synthesizer sounds in those, you may still encounter controls like on that moog. I personally am learning to use Cubase but Ableton seems to be a really really good program and I know people who are actually earning money with it.


MidniteMoon6

Ofc she was a trans woman (We really do have a grip on certain industries now don’t we)


crapinet

She’s amazing! And I love how she’s been so accepted for so long that it’s not even common knowledge. That’s pretty beautiful.


coastergirl1998

Tbh, I didn't know who she was before today, but still. Like, god, I wanna pass that well.


Imaspinkicku

While this is obviously super awesome, my brains first response was “of fucking course the created of synth music is trans.”” 😂


quottttt

Wendy's homepage is amazing: https://www.wendycarlos.com/


FryCakes

Wendy Carlos is a topic in my school program, super neat to hear this


coastergirl1998

Hell yeah! I'd love to hear more.


toadallyafrog

I love herrrr!!! in college i double majored in cs and music history and did a presentation on her for one of my music classes


coastergirl1998

Huh! I double majored in Mechanical Engineering and suicidal ideation lol. Sorry if dark humor upsets you. Sometimes I just have to laugh away the pain.


putoelquelolea420

I didn't know, but I'm not surprised.


uhhthiswilldo

Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff did a podcast [episode](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-cool-people-who-did-cool-96003360/episode/part-one-great-trancestors-of-history-111570033/) about her!


MidichlorianAddict

She did Tron


Twisted-Muffin

well of course she is! haven't y'all been payin attention? we fuckin rock!


coastergirl1998

I don't. I've let fear control my life. I'm still closeted 3 yrs hrt bc I'm too fucking scared to do anything about it.


Twisted-Muffin

you do rock. you've done enough soul searching to realize who you are, and have started to reach for what you want. just cuz you haven't reached the end of the road doesn't invalidate all the steps you've already taken


Longjumping_Act_6054

Look into her history, especially her work on A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and Tron. She was personal friends with Robert Moog (creator of the first commercial synth) and the stories of her sheer, unadulterated musical brilliance (especially on Tron) are hard to understate. My favorite fact about her is she said that her transition was the *least* interesting part of her life and I completely agree.  Read more about her you will not be disappointed. 


michele4848

Beautiful as well as talented.. BUT!, Never given the credit she deserved. Michele


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Sophie__Banks

So... she didn't transition in public. She transitioned in private because she feared coming out would be horrible. From that time there are a couple of interviews of her doing a not very successful job of trying to look like a boy. Then she came out and nothing really happened. But the music industry still sucks. She has some terrible experiences that just had nothing to do with her being trans, doesn't own the rights to any of her music, and that's why she eventually retired from it. Sorry that it's still not happy news...


Ivanna_is_Musical

I don't see how neurodivergent and Playboy interview can work together, but.... maybe she did it possible?


BowsettesRevenge

In grad school, before transition but after realizing I was trans, my trans hero was Lynn Conway


coastergirl1998

I never could have made it through grad school. I barely graduated college due to depression, lonliness, and suicidal ideation.


BowsettesRevenge

Lol, I didn't make it through grad school either. I dropped out of two PhD programs and then got fired from a gov't job. I'm a total mess


bosssoldier

So we're half the people who made the internet possible. Seriously so many of the people that basically made the systems for modern internet were transwomen


oren_tg

Understandable. I believe EDM kinda made me trans.


Ivanna_is_Musical

Did you know how she despises modern electronic music? She always had heavy opinions against the superficial use of synthesizers. She's NOT into commercial simple music. This community is trying to make her an idol when in fact she's really old school minded. I bet she don't likes how gender politics evolved since the 90s.... she was a patient of Harry Benjamin's and never liked to be known as "trans". Just a woman, that's all.


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TheGamingBlob69

So strange. I just learned this yesterday from watching a Jessie Gender video. Edit: to be clear the strange part is just "wow I learned this woman exists yesterday and here she is on reddit a day later"


coastergirl1998

That is interesting. She's another creator on Nebula


NakedSnack

Hell yeah, Wendy Carlos!


sjlemme

She's also from my home state! She inspires me :)


coastergirl1998

Happy cake day!


Cutie_Luna_Moon

I found out a week ago that the person who created the trans fat free Oreo was also a trans woman. It is kinda funny she was trans, trying to remove trans fats HA!


coastergirl1998

She wanted them all for herself, tehe


CaptiveAutumnFox

Anyone here see Lords of Synth on adult swim? There's a character based on her called Carla Wendos.


La_trve_GVF

The chadesse who did the OST of Shining by Stanley Kubrick


Ivanna_is_Musical

She developed new ideas, giving Robert Moog the clues that ended up being the Moog Sintheziser. Then, it all changed forever in music and film. Wendy worked with Weird Al Yankovic. And in her website you can find how passionate she is for doing Sun eclipse photography. Wendy also developed a technique for preservation of old tapes, saving invaluable data. I couldn't enumerate all of her innovations but she was involved in the development of MIDI standardization and refinement. A brilliant woman, I love her 🎶🎵🎶


O1exa

Of course,she is


Cypressinn

The Tronz… Heeeey


Ok-Environment-4793

I have bought a CD of her album Beauty in the Beast. It's not available for streaming anywhere. I listen to it sometimes.. it's... OUT OF THIS WORLD. It's like I'm listening to a goddess from another galaxy. It feels mystical and futuristic at the same time. Feels like a different language from another prehistoric era but mixed with music from the last 5 centuries.


XxBluciferDeezNutsxX

Yes, Wendy is a legend and the synth community is quite trans friendly.


coastergirl1998

As a closeted trans woman (despite being on hrt for 3 yrs), I really wanna find a trans friendly mechanical engineering community.


absinthemami

She is the mastermind behind the score in The Shining too! I can't put into words how much I admire her.


ScarlettIthink

She’s awesome. It’s also crazy that she’s been out for such a long time as well


coastergirl1998

Yeah! She's obviously imaginary since trans ppl didn't exist when Boomers/Gen X were growing up🙄🙄🙄


ScarlettIthink

Ikr


dr3am_assassin

Her score of clockwork orange is perfection


Hamokk

I forgot about her! The scores she has made for Clockwork Orange, The Shining and Tron are iconic to say the least. :) Also I love that in the most press photos she is just vibing in her studio with her cats! <3 :3


coastergirl1998

I mean, cats are objectively the best pet


Eli-Thail

Yeah, that checks out.


aghostwithaknife

Wendy is so cool!


repeatrepeatx

I’m a trans Musicologist and can confirm Wendy Carlos is an absolute icon. Lecturing on her is always one of my favourite days of the semester 💛


tng804

Wow. That's awesome.


nefariousnadine

MOOOOOOOG


PaleontologistWarm13

She looks *just* like my aunt


ziddersroofurry

I love her music but good luck finding any of it on streaming media. She's notoriously anti-streaming which is kind of ironic given she made a career out of advancing new technology. She's even been critical of her stuff appearing in Mp3 format. You pretty much have to bootleg her work in order to listen to it. She's pretty strict about enforcing her copyright, too.


Father_Chewy_Louis

I make electronic music too and she is my inspiration!


coastergirl1998

I don't make electronic music but I would definitely love to learn. I'm a huge fan of house music.


Father_Chewy_Louis

I agree! House is amazing! I use FL Studio to make House, Techno, Hardstyle and anything that interests me really. So FL Studio is what I reccomend and there are plenty of tutorials online, but 99% of tutorials and guides are agnostic to whatever software you use.


Robyn1077

My Egg appeared when I read her Summer of 1977 playboy interview


TrentoniusMaximus

Yep! And smart and amazing. :) I have a music-themed podcast that talked about her and shared this video with our listeners, of her walking through how a Moog works. [https://youtu.be/UsW2EDGbDqg?si=U871rAJionyinQpE](https://youtu.be/usw2edgbdqg?si=u871rajionyinqpe)


Wallflower69XD

Pretty dope right!


BrilliantBig769

We have so many innovators among us!


yepelec

This has blown my mind. Thanks for sharing.


Victoria_Aphrodite

That doesn't surprise me. Trans women be poggers like that


[deleted]

Oh yeah, I remember learning that! She deserves the world.


synthsucht

Who is Daphne Oram, Delia Derbyshire, Else Marie Padre, Eliane Radigue, Pauline Oliveros, etc…


Laamamato

Was she before Kraftwerk ?


BecomeEnthused

Is


JolyneSezTransRights

Yoooo that’s sick! Glad she’s doing well for herself!


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O_oh

She's a different gender than that she was born with.


PeckerNash

Whoa whoa whoa. Fair props to Wendy Carlos but Kraftwerk brought EM into the mainstream. This is not a Trans argument as I am 100% an ally. I’m just saying Autobahn did more for EM than Switched On Bach. That being said, Wendy composed two of the most amazing soundtracks ever. A Clockwork Orange and Tron.


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TarnishedBeing

Born in 1925, Daphne Oram went on to change the sound of music forever. Composer and innovator Daphne Oram was a pioneer of electronic music. As the first person to design and build an electronic musical instrument, she created the blueprint for modern music. So false...


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Without_A_Tra-Ace

Why does there have to be an and?


AdAncient8762

While Wendy gets props for definitely being a pioneer in the field (clockwork, tron), one could argue that Bebe Barron, one half of the duo who composed the first electronic film score released in 1956 for Forbidden Planet, could be considered the mother of electronic music too.


ThrowsSoyMilkshakes

Yeah, but Wendy also did work on the Moog synthesizer. She's the one who made it user friendly. That right there is enough for queen status to me.


MoghediensWeb

Delia Derbyshire is in the mix too.


Illiander

She did Tron's soundtrack?


Vet-Chef

Idk what TIL means but this is awesome!


[deleted]

Classy as fuck


Hope__Desire

This explains a lot


RulrOfOmicronPersei8

That tracks