Tim Conrardy, 1957-2009
This week, we received the sad news that respected sound designer Tim Conrardy of Camel Audio has passed away. Computer Music's Scot Solida, a friend and contemporary of Tim's, writes:
"The world of computer music lost one of its kindest souls on February 28th, 2009. Tim Conrardy of Camel Audio passed away while he was hiking in his home state of California.
"You might not know Tim's name, but you have undoubtedly been touched by his work. He was one of the most respected sound designers in the industry, having created sounds for the Muse Research Receptor, FL Studio Sytrus, Concrete FX Kubik, Dash Signature EVE, Wusik Station, HG Fortune Wheel of Fortune Pro, Ohm Force Symptohm Mellohman, LinPlug's Albino, Big Tick Audio Rhino, EVM Mobius, White Noise Audio Additive, NI Absynth, EMU MP7/ Proteus 2000, and the Yamaha DX7, to name just a few.
"Tim's fascination with synthesizers dated back to the 1970s. He studied under Allen Strange and maintained contact with many electronic music luminaries, including Robert Rich, Laurie Spiegal, among others. Later, he created Tim's Atari MIDI World, almost singlehandedly maintaining the Atari's relevance as a music computer and freely offering his support to users worldwide. No platform evangelist, Tim made great music and sounds with his Mac and PCs, too.
"Some of you might be familiar with Tim's own AlgoMusic products. These Windows instruments exemplified Tim's love of both generative music and sound as well as his affection for all things cosmic (Tim was a devoted astronomer).
"Tim stood out as a man ever willing to help his fellow musician (or anyone else, for that matter). Tim was a gregarious and gentle man, full of life and wonder and awe. Tim knew, really knew, that the tools we take for granted should not be taken so; that they are instead miraculous and marvelous in their ability to intrigue and inspire creativity. He appreciated each and every one of them and could wring wondrous sounds from the most meager equipment. He was old enough to remember when making sounds and music was not so easy, when playing and recording was reserved for a lofty elite who could afford the gear. He was ever thankful that he was given the opportunity to explore this art form, and he could find something to love and inspire in any instrument, application or platform.
"He touched quite a few of us here at Computer Music, and some of us were fortunate enough to call him a friend. And whether you know it or not, he probably touched you, too. We'll miss Tim. We'll miss the contributions he made to the computer music community and we'll miss his music. Good bye, Tim, and may you find peace out among your beloved stars."
As Scot says, Tim's death will undoubtedly leave a void in the computer music scene. To read more about Tim's life, work and music, see the comprehensive
dedicated to him.
