Formed in 1958, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop’s roots lain in creating sound effects. As the “radiophonic” part of its name infers, the workshop was originally tasked to create incidental effects for the British Broadcasting Corporation’s radio shows, but quickly began also aiding television shows as the medium grew. A new show called Doctor Who had just hit the airwaves, and its science fiction stories needed a suitable soundtrack, a perfect task for the Radiophonic Workshop.
As the 1960’s carried on, a new way of making music, with computer synthesizers instead of traditional instruments, had just hit the scene. This was the beginning of what we know today as electronic music, and it was a time filled with experimentation, new techniques, and new instruments. What was once a unit dedicated to creating sound effects had become a hotbed of innovation in an emerging field of music.
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For the first time, the complete BBC Radiophonic Workshop library is being made available through a collaboration between Spitfire Audio and BBC Studios. In addition to original workshop’s 40 years of sounds, new content from the workshop’s members is also included.
“Dive into an immaculately sampled collection of vintage synthesisers, tape loops, iconic archives and brand new performances from Workshop members,” Spitfire Audio says of the collection. “Revitalised with Spitfire’s SOLAR engine, this library passes the torch from the most forward-thinking minds of early electronic music on to the next generation of producers.”
The BBC Radiophonic Workshop library is available for $159 until March 6th, when the price will raise to $199.
