Fat Man
"He is the multimedia guru ..."
The New York Times
Since 1983, The Fat Man (George Alistair Sanger) and Team Fat have won several awards for creating high quality music, sound effects, voice, and atmospheric pieces for games, film, and television. Additionally, The Fat Man's participation in technical and aesthetic innovations has helped his clients advance the boundaries of game audio. With such groundbreaking scores as those for Wing Commander, The 7th Guest and Star Trek-25th Anniversary, and his unmatched body of work encompassing over 250 games on almost every platform, The Fat Man has become one of the most respected and influential forces in audio for games.
"Hang with Sanger for a little while at any trade show or convention and you will invariably hear an uninitiate ask him why he is called The Fatman. You will then hear the namesake offer any number of explanations. These explanations range from the absurd to the whimsical to the bullshit. Of course, having known and worked with the feller over the course of these last eight years, I know exactly why he is called Fatman. It is because he is the embodiment of FAT! His work is FAT, his talent is FAT and his soul is FAT. If quality, originality and inventiveness could be measured in pounds, then Fatman's music would require a roadside truck scale," says Rob Landeros, industry veteran and game designer.
The Fat Man hosts the annual Texas Interactive Music Conference and BBQ (Project Bar-B-Q), the computer/music industry's most prestigious and influential conference on a lovely 380-acre ranch on the Guadalupe River.
Artist Q & A:
Q: How has your new MiKo been working for you?
A: It is significant to note that by the end of tonight I will have owned my MiKo for 17 days. In those 17 days, which include a week of travel in San Diego (which is why I bought the MiKo), I will have written, produced and submitted approximately 31 pieces of music for clients, as well as several projects for friends, family, and myself. Even with this schedule I have had plenty of time to install my own software and hardware, and to customize my studio layout to optimize workflow with the MiKo.
Q: How have you liked having all the VST's available in one box?
A: I was just noticing how the "VST performance meter" on Nuendo 3/Miko refuses to register any significant strain. Pretty bad-ass. The responsiveness of the keyboard is awesome. This comes to light when I do a gliss - it just looks and sounds perfect. I haven't felt this confident in a system in years. I didn't remember what I was missing - my old Mac/MOTU system used to feel this way. You must have rediscovered some forgotten wisdom about MIDI. Another clue for me is that my Mackie control surface works without fail with MiKo, whereas in the past it had a tendency to go dead or even crash Nuendo leaving no clues. This appeared to be due to MIDI issues which would vary with the interface being used. Certain interfaces would work for weeks, some for days, some for minutes. Your's has not so much as burped.
Q: What additional software did you use on the MiKo to record Hop Daddy Bean?
A: Along with using an actual bass guitar, I used Nuendo3, Groove Agent, East-West Quantum Leap Gold library, East-West Colossus Library and UAD powered plug-in.
Q: Have you run into any issues with your new workstation?
A: You know, I bought a MiKo workstation to get me through a work crunch and I find it spectacular in dependability, particularly the responsiveness of the service department - whom I have had nice email exchanges with, but have not had to call yet. The market will soon, I think, sort out the people who test their products from those who do not. In light of my many years of experience, the fact that I have not called asking for help is remarkable. Even more remarkable is the fact that I know you are available to help me late into the night (and even in town). This it not typical of what happens when one gets an entire new system. I cannot tell you how pleased I am, and how important these issues are to my heart and my business, and to the hearts of my friends who are musicians, computer owners, industry movers and shakers, and attendees of Project Bar-B-Q.
Equipment Used
Purchased MiKo LX (Gen3)
Artist Links