Here is a copy of Mathew Herbert’s philosophy of making music. Certainly an interesting way to do things. - 909

PERSONAL CONTRACT FOR THE COMPOSITION OF MUSIC
[INCORPORATING THE MANIFESTO OF MISTAKES]

1. The use of sounds that exist already, subject to article 2, is not allowed. In particular:
a. No drum machines.
b. All keyboard sounds must be edited in some way: no factory presets or pre programmed patches are allowed.2. Only sounds that are generated at the start of the compositional process or taken from the artist’s own previously unused archive are available for sampling. The use of, ordering and manipulation of noise-sound/found-sound is to be held as the highest priority in composition.

3. The sampling of other people’s music is strictly forbidden.

4. No replication of traditional acoustic instruments is allowed where the financial and physical possibility of using the real ones exists.

5. The inclusion, development, propogation, existence, replication, acknowledgement, patterns and beauty of what are commonly known as accidents, is encouraged. Furthermore, they have equal rights within the composition as deliberate, conscious, or premeditated compositional actions or decisions.

6. The mixing desk is not to be reset before the start of a new track, for the specific purpose of applying a random eq and fx setting across
the new sounds. Once the ordering and recording of the music has begun, the desk may be used as normal.

7. All fx settings must be edited: no factory preset or pre-programmed patches are allowed.

8. Samples themselves are not to be truncated from the rear since extra audio and recording information is often heard at the end.

9. A notation of every sound, its source and a full description of all technical equipment used per track to be taken and made available at a future date.

10. Remixes must be completed using only the sounds provided by the original artist including any packaging the media was provided in.

MATTHEW HERBERT 27-11-00