Sigh . . . it’s hard to believe that the crazy, hazy days of summer are fading like a fever dream. But as the evenings get cooler, the insider gossip remains hotter than ever. So doff that sweater and enjoy this month’s warmth while it lasts!

Sharing a bill with DJs and rock bands, Kid Beyond sticks out. His arsenal doesn’t include turntables, guitars, or drum kits — he’s just a dude with a laptop and microphone. It all makes sense, though, when the Kid opens his mouth and starts to fill the room using his top-shelf beat boxing skills, expert vocals, and some of the deepest, most amazing live-looping chops we’ve ever seen. Whether he’s doing a sensual cover of Portishead’s “Wandering Star,” an eerily realistic rendition of Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer,” or one of his Fatboy Slim-esque party song originals, Kid B’s ability to pump up a crowd using zero support personnel and nominal equipment is truly impressive.

The Poly Evolver rack (reviewed Oct. ’04) built on the success of the Evolver tabletop monosynth by bundling four of the beasties in a 1U rack, and cries of “Hey man, I can’t play no chords on this!” — not heard since clueless rockers first unboxed their Minimoogs in the ’70s — once again fell silent. But here was a new cry: “All this power is hiding behind a Spartan user interface! Give us knobs!” Practically speaking, serious sound design work did require the software editor, and even the mono version had more live tweakability. We expected Dave Smith would rise to the occasion. After all, he did unleash the first truly giggable polysynth on the world: the Prophet-5. Buckle up, keep your hands and arms inside the car at all times, and please, no flash photography — this is an E-ticket ride for the ears.

Deep Throat spilled the beans on Watergate in a cloud of smoke in a darkened parking garage. Brian “BT” Transeau is about to do the same to the recording industry on his living room couch between sips of an Ultimate Ice Blended.

The Producers & Engineers Wing (P&E Wing) of The Recording Academy continues to expand its reach in the last half of 2005, following the appointment of Steph Jorgl as its new Executive Director. The group also launched a new Remix Delivery Standards committee headed by noted producer/composer/recording artist Brian Transeau (BT), a member of the Producers & Engineers Wing Steering Committee.

In addition to interviews with Alan Parsons, Herbie Hancock, BT, Todd Rundgren, Steve Reich and Phil Ramone, among many more, The Art of Digital Music relates how digital technology has shaped how music is created and heard today.

San Francisco-based Pyramind (The Institute for Advanced Digital Audio Training) had its first class session with new instructor and engineer Frank Gryner. Gryner was brought in to show Pyramind students first-hand miking and tracking techniques. Gryner was recently in from Los Angeles, along with the rap-metal band AWS, to record a track for their upcoming Peace of Mind EP. The recording session and Pyramind’s Advanced Music Production Class (MP&E 301) took place at Hibiki Studios (Mountain View, CA).

Electronic-music icon BT makes a triumphant return to Berklee

Coding Technologies, a provider of audio compression software for broadcast, mobile and Internet, announced that 5.1 broadcasts featuring artists BT and Herbie Hancock are now streamed on the Internet, launched with the recent Surround Sound 2004 conference. Hancock, winner of the 2004 Surround Pioneer Award, will have his tutorial session broadcast live. BT, winner of the 2004 Surround Maverick Award, has a broadcast featuring selected tracks.

When BT starts talking about music technology, he seems almost like a kid in a candy store; everything to him is mind-blowing, amazing, or insane. He practically bubbles over with enthusiasm about the latest, greatest gear or some cool, new software that he’s used. He could seemingly go on for hours about plug-ins, software instruments, surround mixing, time correction, and the incredible and meticulous detail that he puts into the production of his music. But awed though he might be by the technology at his disposal, he’s in control of it to a degree that few others are bending and twisting digital audio and synthesis to fit his unique musical vision.