The BBC Radiophonic Workshop's archive is now available to sample
Attention audiophiles: the archive of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop is being made available to the public for the first name. This department was founded in the 1950s as a laboratory that could invent original music and sound effects for BBC radio, and later television, programming. Over the years, its roster of innovative musicians and composers created audio for iconic BBC productions of the 1950s and 1960s such as Doctor Who, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the Goon Show and Blake's 7. In addition to developing those signature sounds, members' work also laid early foundations for creating electronic music and sampling. In the words of Radiophonic Workshop archivist Mark Ayres, the department "was purely for making bonkers noises."
Now, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop library is being offered to today's creators to sample through a collaboration between Spitfire Audio and BBC Studios. This library includes sounds from the studio's original tapes as well as new recordings and content from the Workshop's members and associates. The collection has subheadings for topics such as found sounds, junk percussion and synths, so there's a lot of fascinating stuff to explore. It is available at an introductory price of $159 (£119/€143) until March 6; afterwards, the standard price will by $199 (£149/€179).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
King Charles' birthday isn't until November. So why is it being celebrated in June?
Trooping the Colour 2025 will take place in London on Saturday. The annual military parade serves as King Charles III's official birthday celebration. The royal family gathers on the balcony of Buckingham Palace as part of the event. King Charles III was born on November 14, 1948, which means two things: He is among the most famous Scorpios in the world, and you probably wouldn't expect him to be thinking about his birthday in June. But thousands will celebrate the king's birthday in the UK on Saturday at Trooping the Colour, one of the biggest royal events of the year. According to the royal family's website, Trooping the Colour, a massive parade that takes place in June, has been the British sovereign's official birthday celebration for over 260 years. The annual celebration occurs in June, regardless of when the reigning monarch's actual birthday is. The royal family's website says that June is the ideal time to host the parade because the chance of the weather being suitable for outdoor activities in London is high compared to other times of the year. According to History, King George II, who was born in October, was the first monarch to move his birthday pageantry to the summer, but he combined his official celebration with a summer military parade in 1748. The reigning monarch's actual birthday is still publicly acknowledged with a royal gun salute, but the sovereign typically celebrates privately otherwise. During Trooping the Colour, a parade of royals and military personnel travels from Buckingham Palace to the Horse Guards Parade at Whitehall in London. The royal family's website states that the parade includes over 1,400 soldiers, 400 musicians, and 200 horses, and the royals typically ride on horseback or in carriages. The monarch can participate in the event from either carriage or horseback. According to the BBC, Queen Elizabeth II rode a horse during the parade until 1987. Once the parade reaches Whitehall, the monarch formally inspects the troops during the ceremony. Likewise, the chosen Regimental Colour, or flag, is carried through the ranks of participating soldiers before they march back to Buckingham Palace. Thousands of onlookers cheer on the participants as they process. According to an FOIA request to the Ministry of Defence, the 2021 Trooping the Colour cost 59,662 pounds, which would be about $81,000 today. That total includes stable costs, transportation, and fuel, among other fees, though it does not factor in the cost of the police presence required to keep the event safe for the royals and attendees. Trooping the Colour culminates in a flypast by RAF pilots over Buckingham Palace as the royal family watches from the balcony. Trooping the Colour marks one of the few times a year the royal family gathers in one place, so they are always heavily photographed when they appear on the balcony. The occasion offers a chance to see how royals interact with each other, with people analyzing shots of Princess Diana and Prince Harry in years past. Royal children often steal the show when they appear at Buckingham Palace for the event as well. Royals also use the occasion to send a message to the public since it draws so much public interest. For instance, the 2024 Trooping the Colour served as the backdrop for Kate Middleton to make her return to public duty after she announced she was undergoing treatment for cancer in March 2024. She rode to the event in a carriage with her children and waved from the Buckingham Palace balcony with the royal family. The Princess of Wales announced she was in remission in January. Likewise, King Charles appeared at the 2024 Trooping the Colour amid his ongoing weekly cancer treatments, though he rode in a carriage in the parade with Queen Camilla instead of on horseback as a result of his health. The Times reported the monarch will ride in a carriage again for the 2025 event, though Prince William, his heir, and his sister Princess Anne will ride on horseback through the parade. Anne is the king's Gold-Stick-In-Waiting, his ceremonial personal protection officer, at ceremonial events. She first served as her brother's gold stick at his 2023 coronation. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Dutch Palace Gives Update on Princess Catharina-Amalia's Surgery After Future Queen's Horseback Riding Incident
Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands will remain hospitalized for monitoring after undergoing surgery after falling off her horse, the Dutch royal palace said in an update The future queen broke her arm in the accident The hospitalization resulted in a few changes in the Dutch royal family's schedule Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands is continuing her hospital stay after a horseback riding accident and undergoing surgery for a broken arm. The Dutch palace issued an update about the future queen on Wednesday, June 11, stating that the 21-year-old daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima underwent surgery the previous day for a "fracture in her upper arm." "The surgery went well," the palace said in the statement. "She will remain in the UMC Utrecht for monitoring until tomorrow." The Princess of Orange's injury also caused a few changes in the royal schedule, according to the new update. A summer photo session that was set for June 12 at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch was postponed until June 30 due to Princess Catharina-Amalia's hospitalization. In addition, Queen Maxima will miss her scheduled appearance at the CGAP congress in Amsterdam on June 11. King Willem-Alexander will carry on his outing at the opening of the Holland Festival, but he will appear without his wife. On June 10, the palace revealed that the heir to the Dutch throne had fallen from her horse, resulting in a broken arm that required surgery. Princess Amalia's equestrian hobby is a longtime passion, with the palace's official website featuring photos of her riding her horse, Mojito. The U.K.'s Princess Anne was also involved in a horse-related injury just last year. In June 2024, King Charles' sister, 74, was hospitalized with a concussion believed to be caused by an impact with a horse at her home on the Gatcombe Park estate. One month later, Princess Anne — who competed in equestrian events at the Olympics in 1976 — said she could not remember "a single thing" about the incident. Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Recalling the incident during a visit to South Africa in January, the Princess Royal said that the experience taught her that "every day is a bonus," according to the BBC. 'It just reminds you, shows you — you never quite know, something [happens] and you might not recover,' she said. 'You're jolly you can continue to be more or less compos mentis [of sound mind], and last summer I was very close to not being. Take each day as it comes, they say." Princess Anne is expected to join her family at Trooping the Colour on Saturday, June 14,and is expected to ride on horseback alongside Prince William and Prince Edward. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
'I met Race Across the World's stars and here are their biggest life lessons'
I've been lucky enough to meet all the Race Across the World 2025 contestants taking part in the BBC show this year. They shared what they learned about themselves, what they learned about each other and their biggest life lessons they have taken away from filming the BBC show. On Wednesday, one team will be crowned the winner in Race Across the World's final and take home the £20,000 prize money, but the show is as much about the personal journeys as it is the physical one. Race's youngest ever contestants Sioned, 19, and Fin, 18, have taken a lot away from the BBC show. Away from her home in the small town in Wales, Sioned's confidence has blossomed. Sioned told Yahoo UK: "For me, maybe not so much life lesson but [a] skill that's important is, well, not even skill, just confidence. So it's just like I've come back with so much more confidence and I feel like it just adds a glow to me. "I feel like I'm able to do so many more things and I can speak just more confidently. It probably stopped me from doing things before and prevented new experiences and meeting new people. "So it's nice to know that now I don't need to step away from that, I can just dive into it and you gain so much more from that." Meanwhile, Fin's biggest life lesson was discovering the kindness of strangers. Fin said: "In the UK people aren't always as friendly, but obviously going to China, India, Nepal, all they wanted to do was help. People buy us food, tickets, there was a lot that strangers did for us that we wouldn't have expected, and I think knowing that was really nice and having that treatment was just... it was nice to kind of know people do that for people they'd never met." And Sioned agreed. She said: "Yeah, 'cause it was literally solely relying on the kindness of strangers and you don't see that day to day everywhere, but we wouldn't have been able to make it without that. We've come back with that mindset as well, to be kinder to other people because we desperately needed it." When it came to their relationship on the road, they learned a lot about each other too. Cheeky Fin said: "Without offending her... You [Sioned] can just get really annoying when you just keep speaking, it's like, 'Oh, okay, please shush.'" Check out Race Across the World's telling pictures from the final Race Across the World's Fin and Sioned are seen prioritising travel on the final leg of the race. (BBC/Studio Lambert) Sioned said: "I learned to be quiet along the way, no?" Fin asked what her opinion was. "I was gonna say something nice," she said. "I was gonna say that you were more resilient than I thought." Playful Fin then added: "Fine, fine. I didn't realise you could actually read a map, because I was shocked because even at home you struggle with... If we're driving and we have the maps on the phone, you're like, 'Oh, which roundabout, where do I go?' Fair enough." The oldest team in the race Melvyn and Brian — who are both in their sixties — come away having learned something too. Melvyn learned to never say no to new experiences. Melvyn told Yahoo UK: "I went in it with an open mind. And I've come out of it with a bigger open mind. I'm trying to leave myself open to all experiences, and as long as the body holds up, I think your mind will always hold up, keep yourself open for these experiences. And I think I have learned that never say no." Meanwhile brother Brian learned to relax more. He said: "I've learnt to be a little bit more relaxed. And not worry too much if I can't do something when I want to do it. "We've had to take it, the race has made us all drop down a few pegs and it just made it a bit more, relaxed and and in your outlook of life. Life is short, we're only here the once. You've got to enjoy it, so try and relax and enjoy it. So Race has taught me something." Having grown apart since childhood, the brothers reconnected with each other on the race. They found out they are really similar. Melvyn said: "We figured that we that we knew each other quite well and we're actually quite alike." Brian agreed: "We have the same sense of humour, we have a very wicked sense of humour at times. We do stupid little things..." He added: "Melvyn and I obviously know each other quite well but it was good to reconnect. I knew Melv's loud, because Melvyn is a very loud person. He speaks [a lot] and sitting 11 hours in a bus or a or a train next to him. He's loud when he talks. I had some earplugs that I used to use with me when I needed a break. We got used to each other again, didn't we really?" Melvyn said: "Mate, we did, it was good. Well I think the other thing about it was: we knew when to give one another space as well. You had a feeling. It wasn't a look really. It was a feeling if one of us was having a bad five minutes, walk away, give them that time. Give them chill time and then we start again. "And I think that was something we did quite well. And it helps keep you sane as well, doesn't it, and calm down a little bit." Mother and son duo Caroline, 61, and Tom, 21, also discovered the kindness of strangers. Tom told Yahoo UK: "You put so much faith in into the strangers that you meet but everyone, the majority of people you meet go above and beyond to try and help you any way they can. "And they simply do it just because they can, not because there's something in it for them, but just because they want to, which is really sweet. And it gives you a really good understanding of the country that you're in because I think the people make the country and that was really nice. "It's just good to communicate to people instead of being on your phone and relying on data or Wi-Fi to get around, it's nice to speak to the locals and then you always find something cool and they've got a cool story to tell you. [It's] just a good way to travel." Caroline said: "I think Thomas learned very quickly that a lot of the youngsters were better at English, and we even had somebody to pay for tickets because of course we couldn't change money and things like that in certain places. "So they actually paid for our tickets and they wanted to spend time with us and chat to us. It was a real revelation, and Thomas was especially good at that." Caroline and Tom have always been close but they did learn new things about each other while on the race. The mum was surprised to find out how lucky her son was and how he coped well with change along the way. She said: "We were very close before we went on the show, but I learned that Thomas is incredibly lucky and I don't know if you saw the money belt incident because he always does things like that and he always gets lucky and sometimes it always turns out right. "I thought he would get lucky and we'd be okay. And I thought from then on perhaps we wouldn't get eliminated and we would be okay. "I have since learned that he is very adaptable and he's very easy going and wonderful with people, and that was such a big help because, of course, not speaking the language or feeling lost with no phone, we had to ask for help, and Thomas always stepped up and he was brilliant. He's a really marvellous travel companion. He's the best travel companion." Tom's time with his mum changed his opinion of her. He said: "For me, the main thing I learned is that basically people of all ages can still be cool and fun. She is really cool. I didn't realise but now I know!" He added: "We're lucky enough to have this memory that we'll share forever, really, it's something that no one can take away from us." Sisters Elizabeth, 33, and Letitia, 26, had a lot to learn about each other on the journey, having spent 10 years apart when the older sister lived in Italy. Elizabeth told Yahoo UK: "[On RATW] you learn a lot about yourself as well and then when you learn about yourself, then it's easier to then like integrate with other people, so I think we were learning about ourselves as well in a way." She added: "For me, I learned that I'm not as decisive as I would like to be. It was quite difficult to make decisions under pressure. It was gonna be a difficult thing anyway. So I definitely learned that about myself and then I learned how Letitia was actually quite more relaxed than me at some times, which makes me feel like, 'Okay, I don't have to be the big older sister all the time'." Letitia said: "Similar to what you [Elizabeth] said, I was surprised, when we're put in situations making difficult decisions, you really wanted to think it out and make sure you know it was the right decision and things like that. Because for me I thought... older sister — you know exactly what you exactly what to do. "But there's a little more that goes into your thought process and I was like, 'Oh, that's quite surprising', but it helped me communicate better with you. We gave each other that time to go through the process of decision making. "And what did I learn about myself? I was just mixed emotions where I didn't think I would be able to do it. It's chaos everywhere! Being on buses for so long. It was so noisy. I thought I would complain a lot more." Elizabeth also shared her own feelings on this: "I feel like you gained so much more confidence." Former married couple Yin and Gaz may have been eliminated at week three but they learned a lot through the Race experience. Gaz urged everyone to follow their dreams. He told Yahoo UK: "Don't put off tomorrow! Whatever that expression is. Just do it, if you can afford it, do it. We're just so more open to any experience, good or bad. "That's definitely one thing that race has taught us was there was some extreme highs. There was obviously some extreme lows as well but it was just the whole experience and something to talk about with friends, family. It was just a great moment. If you can do it, do it." Yin learned a lot about communicating better with her former partner Gaz. She said: "In those quiet moments I think what I've learned is communication. Those quiet moments between me and Gaz, there were hangovers from the relationship we hadn't dealt with, we really communicated really well because we didn't have the distractions. "Returning back from Race, that's really resonated with me. Communication and supporting each other. Being more honest with our feelings." The former couple had been married for more than 30 years, have a grown up daughter Autumn and ran a Chinese takeaway together. But in doing Race Across the World together, they still learned things about one another. Gaz told Yahoo UK: "[Doing Race] I just realised what a wonderful person is, how strong Yin is. She is an amazing person. She is my best friend... So, you know, I do look back and reflect and I think if maybe we'd been a lot more open at that crucial point in the relationship when we both closed down, we probably would still be husband and wife. "Race is a good and a bad experience, because we probably wouldn't have done it if we were still together, but you just don't know, and I think [it's] one of the things that you've just got to go grab everything else you can." Yin said: "In doing Race, it made me realise how strong Gaz was because in those low moments he was always there for me. At the point of marriage breakdown, we lost that. Having that back in Race, he really did show his true strength of character... We were both there for each other and that's really cemented our relationship going forward as well. I've got a best friend in my life and I wouldn't change that ever." Race Across the World's final airs at 9pm on BBC One on Wednesday.
