Interview: Takashi Kohubo Composer/Musician/Mac User

Before we talk about your Mac, tell me: why did you decide to build a log-cabin recording studio in the mountains?

In the city or an ordinary house, the walls and atmosphere are uniform; they don't convey any message. Rut in my studio, I can look over at the crack in a log, or maybe see the rings and tell that a branch was once there -- of course it's visually attractive, but it also helps to inspire me. Somehow maybe subconsciously, it conveys information and communicates with me. Also, the acoustics of the log cabin are very good.

You graduated from Telecommunication University (Tokyo). When did you cross over from the technical side of music production to the creative side?

From junior high I've been aiming at music. When encountered synthesizers in high school, it seemed to be the field for me. So I started studying computers. For me, the computer and music fields are unified; I can't separate them. What I mean is that my field is not music or computers -- my field is communication.

And you communicate through environmental music. How does that differ from "normal" music?

With normal music, there are two elements: the music and an audience. One doesn't exist without the other. My music is designed so as not to require an audience to listen. The music exists in and of itself, like the air or like breathing; it's part of the environment. The environmental musician's job is to provide the appropriate sound environment for a certain area -- music that will add value to the site. If someone asked to me provide music for some areas, like a country setting, it might be my job to tell them it isn't needed, that music would not be beneficial in that situation. In a city though, and in public buildings and offices, music can counteract all the other distracting noises that surround us.

You used to employ an NEC-9800 and Epson 98-compatibles for business use and a Fairlight CMI for composing music. When did you switch to Macintoshes, and why?

I decided to make the change about five )rears ago. The Fairlight CMI (computer music instrument) was a state-of-the-art system at that time, and cost about Y1S million. But the company that manufactured it was very slow about making new tools (software).
Meanwhile, Macintoshes equipped with good sound software started appearing on the local market. After some investigation, I decided that the Mac was superior to other systems in terms of its possibilities and software. Also, I felt that Apple had a certain "energy." The software for the Mac aimed at persons in the art and music industry was impressive. I continued for a while to use PC-96: software, such as Ichitaro and Lotus 1-2-3, for business use, but after a time I decided that I should switch to the Mac for business use also.

Why did you choose the Mac rather than an IBM-compatible or other system?

I chose, and have stayed with, the Mac primarily because of the software. In terms of the software for "creators," the Mac at that time was the best available. Manufacturers of software for "artists" wrote first for the Mac rather than other systems. Also, the Mac interface is easy -- user friendly. Of course, now Windows is doing it too, but back then the Mac was the only one available that met my needs.

How many Macs do you have right now?

Seven. In my Shibuya office, I have an LC475, LCIII, and IIsi, connected by SCSI to an MO unit and a CD-ROM, and by LocalTalk to a DeskWriter SSOC printer. In my Mukawa studio I also have three: an SE in the guest house, and a Ilvx and IIci in the studio building. These are connected by LocalTalk and hooked by SCSI interface to an MO unit, an Akai sampler, and a MIDI unit. And I have a IIsi at home. All three locations can communicate via Aiwa PV-PF144 modems.

So in each location, your Macs are connected by a network?

Yes, using AppleTalk. At the studio, the guest cabin is a bit away from the studio building, so that I connect by PhoneTalk. We've just switched the studio to an ISDN line, so with Apple Remote Access and a 14.4K bps modem, I can quickly and easily access any location and exchange files. T deal with huge files, so I do most of the file exchange at night. I eventually want to get a 64K connection between Mukawa and Tokyo.

How much time do you spend at each location, and how many other people use those seven Macs?

It depends on the work. Averaged out, I probably divide my time evenly between the studio and the office.
There are mainly two other people who use the Macs. Ms. Ishida, the secretary in my Tokyo office, uses the Macs there for coordinating, scheduling, file management, faring, other paper work.., typical business uses. The LCIII is used as a server; it has a modem attached, and it can accept fares. It's the central file repository, my "main" computer. Wherever 1 am, can connect to it via phone and modem.
In the studio, my assistant, Mr Koshimizu, and I use the IIvx to create music. And we use the SE at the studio, the LCIII in the office, and the IIsi at home to communicate with each other.

Do you still use your Fairlight CMI?

Yes, it is connected to the Macs via a MIDI cable. But nowadays I use the CMI only as an instrument. All the important software is Mac based.

What system do you run, and what software do you use most often? I use KanjiTalk 7.0. I've heard that a new version will be out soon, and I'll upgrade when it is available. For business use, I use Claris Works and Inspiration 4.05 -- an idea processor. Also communications software, for example, FAXstf for faxing and ComNifty for BBSing. Also Photoshop and Illustrator for graphics.
In the studio, for music creation, I use Cubase audio for music creation and Unisyn, an editor, for synthesizing the created sounds. Also in the studio I have digital equipment and software that is controlled via the Macs. For video, I use Macromind Director, a multimedia software package.

Are those primarily English or Japanese versions?

Most of the music programs I use do not have a Japanese version as yet Cubase and Unisyn are English only. Most of the rest of the software is a Japanese version, though.

For you, what are the Mac's greatest strengths?

I started using Macs five years ago because of the wonderful interface. And software makers were writing good programs for the Mac, software that could stimulate the creative mind. I think the Mac environment encouraged them to do so. Recently, networking ability has been built in, and the ease-of-use philosophy is the same. A printer connection to the network existed at an early stage -- networks are terrific with the Mac. With IBM-compatibles, you have to install additional boards and so on; but for the Mac, just set up hppleTalk and you're all ready.

What are the Mac's greatest weaknesses?

In my case, when running multiple, complex programs, there are sometimes conflicts, and the Mac will freeze. That's the worst part -- the whole thing sometimes stops.

Also, I think the Apple product line-up has problems. There are just too many new models coming out too soon. If, like me, you're trying to put several Macs together on a network, it can be confusing. I'm always wondering what is coming next, which makes it hard to plan, hard to put the best system together.

One final question, since you've brought up the subject of new models. Are you planning to buy a Power Mac?

Yes, of course. 1 have great expectations for the PowerPC chip. That's why I bought a IIvx -- I heard that there will be an upgrade service available.
I think there will be some confusion in the marketplace for the rest of the year, but I want to upgrade to at least one PowerPC. I'm not thinking about doing it for my whole system... but I look forward to that some day too.