Feels so right (Prod. Alt Beats)

Nick Rothwell is joined by Jeff Albert, Associate Professor at Georgia Tech, and Paul McCabe, Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation at Roland, to discuss the 2025 Guthman Musical Instrument Competition - an annual event showcasing new technologies and innovations in music.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
01:10 - Jeff Albert And Georgia Tech
05:02 - Paul McCabe And Roland's Future Design Lab
10:17 - Judging The Guthman Competition
12:06 - Getting Hands-On With The Instruments
13:45 - Getting The Back Stories From The Creators
15:11 - A Wide Range Of Instruments And Technologies
17:37 - Face-To-Face Demos And Performances
18:45 - The Origins Of The Guthman Competition
21:33 - The 2025 Winner: Chromaplane
24:55 - 3rd Place: Adult Corythosaurus
30:34 - How The Instruments Are Judged

https://www.soundonsound.com/people/guthman-competition-winners-2025-sos-podcast

The Guthman Musical Instrument Competition
The Guthman Musical Instrument Competition began in 1996, founded by Georgia Tech alumnus Richard Guthman in tribute to his wife Margaret, a talented pianist. Originally a jazz piano contest, it grew steadily over a decade, drawing students from dozens of US states.
As Georgia Tech's music landscape evolved, introducing a Music Technology Master’s in 2006 and launching the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology in 2007, the competition shifted focus. In 2009, it was re-imagined as the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition, celebrating innovation in musical instrument design. Now an international event, it attracts inventors from across the globe. From experimental prototypes to market-ready products, entrants showcase their creations live, competing for recognition as the most groundbreaking idea in music technology.
https://guthman.gatech.edu/

Jeff Albert Biog
An Associate Professor and Interim Chair at Georgia Tech, Jeff Albert’s areas of research and creative practice include improvisation and interaction, jazz performance, performance paradigms for live computer music and audio production. He has performed in concerts and festivals in the U.S and throughout Europe, and contributed as a performer, producer, or engineer on over 60 recordings, including the 2017 Grammy winner for Best Traditional Blues Album. He has been named a Rising Star in the DownBeat Critics Poll and his album Unanimous Sources was named a Top 10 album of 2020 by Jan Garelick in the Boston Globe. Albert received his B.M. from Loyola University New Orleans, and his M.M. from the University of New Orleans. In May of 2013, he became the first graduate of the PhD program in Experimental Music and Digital Media at Louisiana State University, where he was a founding member of the Laptop Orchestra of Louisiana (LOLs).
https://jeffalbert.com/

Paul McCabe Biog
Paul McCabe is the Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation at Roland, where he has spearheaded the development of the Future Design Labs. Under his leadership, this global R&D team of engineers and researchers has been dedicated to exploring and harnessing emerging trends, fostering innovation, and shaping the global creative landscape for the next 50 years. In addition to his work at Future Design Labs, Paul also brings his expertise to Roland's Central Marketing Group, where he provides executive leadership to Consumer Research and Insights. Throughout his career, Paul has held numerous leadership positions, including VP of R&D and Strategic Partnerships, VP of Global CX and VP of Global Marketing. At Roland Canada, he served in various key roles such as President & CEO, COO, Product Manager, Marketing Communications Manager, Technical Marketing and Product Specialist.
https://mccabepaulj.com/
https://www.instagram.com/mccabep/

Nick Rothwell Biog
Full biog at https://www.soundonsound.com/people/guthman-competition-winners-2025-sos-podcast
Project Cassiel - https://cassiel.com

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Electronic Music

Guthman Competition Winners 2025

Show Notes

Guthman Competition Winners 2025 | Podcast

Producer, mixer and engineer Cameron Craig joins Kevin Paul to discuss his traditional path into the music industry, share advice for newcomers looking to break in today and to shed light on the work of the Music Producers Guild and its positive impact on the industry.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
00:40 - Route Into The Industry
04:22 - Career Progression At Flagstaff Studios
06:56 - Learning As An Assistant
09:52 - The Blurring Of Engineer And Producer Roles
14:06 - Moving To The UK
17:52 - Setting Up As A Freelancer
19:42 - Technology Changing The Industry
25:01 - Working With Inspiring Artists
26:58 - The Music Producers Guild
30:09 - Lobbying For AI Consent
33:54 - Benefits Of Membership
35:46 - The Future Of The MPG
37:44 - Tips For Getting Into The Industry

https://www.soundonsound.com/music-business/cameron-craig-music-producers-guild-sos-podcast

We’d like to thank Neil Pickles and the management at Pierce Entertainment for letting us record this episode at their studio.
https://www.pierce-entertainment.com/

Music Producers Guild
The Music Producers Guild is a not for profit organisation that was started by producers, mixers, recording engineers, re-mixers and programmers and is run by volunteers from within the industry. Their aim is to support members in their careers, campaign for the rights of music industry workers, promote diversity within the industry and to celebrate the achievements of members via the annual MPG Awards.

https://mpg.org.uk/

Cameron Craig Biog
Cameron is a two time Grammy award-winning Producer-Mixer-Engineer. A hugely impressive credit list notably also includes several albums with U.N.K.L.E., along with names like Adele, Annie Lennox, Bjork, Tina Turner, Baxter Dury, Grace Jones, Joe Strummer, Duffy, Amy Winehouse and many more.

His work has encompasses an enormous spectrum of musical styles including indie, dance, film soundtrack and orchestral recording, picking up a Grammy award for "Album of the Year" for his part in recording Adele's 25 and collecting another Grammy award for "Best Engineered - Non classical” in 2008 for his contribution to the Suzanne Vega album Beauty and Crime also recording the orchestra on Duffy's Grammy and Brit award-winning Rockferry album.
 
Other notable accolades are Grammy nominations for Annie Lennox’s Nostalgia album that he mixed, Bjork’s Biophilia album that he recorded a track on, a nomination for MPG’s Recording Engineer of the Year 2015.

Having started out in his native Australia he achieved great success with many multi-platinum albums and a nomination for ARIA Engineer of the year in 1995 to his name. It is then Cameron decided to move to the UK to further his career.

Cameron is an Executive Director of the MPG and sits on the board of UK music representing the MPG to the wider music community.

https://www.cameroncraig.info

Kevin Paul Biog
Kevin Paul started his career as a DJ but quickly found his passion was sound engineering. His first audio job was at Soho Studios in 1991, moving to Konk Studios six months later, where he worked alongside successful producers and engineers such as Bob Clearmountain, Adam Mosley, Pascal Gabriel and Gil Norton, as well as bands such as The Kinks, Galliano, Terrorvision, UFO and Elastica.
 
After working on archiving the Depeche Mode back catalogue in 1994, he was offered an engineering role at Mute Records’ in-house studio, which eventually lead to a position as Head Engineer, which gave him access to the entire Mute Records roster. Highlights include mixing Goldfrapp’s “Felt Mountain”, David Bowie’s “Hours” and Nick Cave’s “No More Shall We Part”. He also worked in 5:1, mixing Moby’s “Hotel”, Goldfrapp’s “Black Cherry“ and more for DVD.
Full biog at https://www.soundonsound.com/music-business/cameron-craig-music-producers-guild-sos-podcast

http://www.kevin-paul.com/

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

People & Music Industry

Cameron Craig - The Music Producers Guild

Cameron Craig - The Music Producers Guild | Podcast

David Mellor explores how the Yamaha NS-10M monitors became a studio staple and why, decades after being discontinued, engineers are still seeking out second-hand pairs.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
00:15 - Why NS-10Ms Became a Studio Staple
02:11 - Making Better Mixing Decisions
03:49 - A Second Pair of NS-10Ms
05:23 - Mixing With Missing Frequencies
09:11 - Reflex vs Closed Box Monitors
11:35 - Why Pleasant Isn’t Always Better
13:29 - Mixes That Translate
15:40 - Making Rapid Mixing Decisions
18:52 - The Case for Closed-Box Monitors

The Phil Ward Article - https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/yamaha-ns10-story

https://www.soundonsound.com/sound-advice/yamaha-ns-10m-studio-monitors-sos-podcast

David Mellor Biog
David Mellor got his start in pro audio through the Tonmeister course at Surrey University studying music, piano performance, acoustics, electronics, electro-acoustics and recording.

He went on to work at London's Royal Opera House, with responsibilities including sound design, front-of-house operation, stage monitoring and electronic design satisfying the likes of Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Karlheinz Stockhausen. David has also had over 600 works published in the field of production music. Notable uses of his music include the BBC's Horizon, Fahrenheit 911, and the Oprah Winfrey Show.

David has been actively involved in Audio Education since 1986, teaching students of City of Westminster College and Westminster University, also returning to guest lecture at Surrey University. From 2001 until recently David has offered courses in audio online with Audio Masterclass. 

David now enjoys making YouTube videos for his 84,000 subscribers and releasing music on streaming services and Bandcamp for his dozen or so listeners.

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@audiomasterclass
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/6OkaDx4vB4O2ssUA5p4M8g
Bandcamp - https://davidmellor.bandcamp.com/

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Recording & Mixing

Yamaha NS-10M Studio Monitors

Yamaha NS-10M Studio Monitors | Podcast

Composer and musician Yann Tiersen talks to William Stokes about his love of modular synthesis, the joys and challenges of touring and performing and how he found himself unexpectedly involved in film composition, followed by an exclusive performance using five selected modules.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
01:26 - An Accidental Film Composer
05:44 - Recording And Mixing Process
11:38 - Visiting Erica Synths
13:21 - Trans Musicale Festival In Rennes
18:47 - Eskal Studio On Ouessant Island
21:00 - Module 1: Serge New Timbral Oscillator
25:51 - Module 2: Instruō Lúbadh
31:06 - Module 3: Mutable Instruments Beads
32:58 - Module 4: Erica Synths Black Stereo Delay
37:21 - Module 5: TouellSkouarn Ar Merc'het Brao
41:30 - Yann Tiersen Performance

https://www.soundonsound.com/people/yann-tiersen-my-life-modules-sos-podcast

Yann Tiersen Biog
Yann Tiersen is a French composer and multi-instrumentalist whose work spans classical, electronic, and experimental music. He gained international recognition in 2001 for his soundtrack to Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain (Amélie), following the success of his 1998 album Le Phare, which achieved gold status in France.

Since then, Tiersen has released numerous studio albums and has performed extensively across Europe, North America and Asia. His discography includes collaborations with artists such as Jane Birkin, Elizabeth Fraser and Matt Elliott. His work has been featured in films, theatre productions and contemporary art installations.

Tiersen's compositions have appeared in a range of films beyond Amélie, including Good Bye, Lenin! (2003), Alice et Martin (1998) and Tabarly (2008), as well as various short films and documentaries. His music is frequently used for its emotive and atmospheric qualities, particularly in European cinema.

His latest release, Rathlin from a Distance | The Liquid Hour (2024), is a double album where the first part comprises eight solo piano pieces written during a 2023 sailing trip, each linked to a specific location. The second part shifts to electronic production, incorporating modular synths, samples and rhythmic textures, created following a night at sea near Belfast. The project reflects Tiersen’s ongoing interest in location-based composition and the integration of acoustic and electronic elements.

Tiersen records at his studio on the island of Ushant, off the coast of Brittany and continues to tour internationally.

https://www.yanntiersen.com/
https://www.instagram.com/yanntiersen
https://www.facebook.com/yanntiersen.official
https://www.youtube.com/yanntiersen

William Stokes Biog
William Stokes is a producer, writer and artist in three-piece avant-psych band Voka Gentle. As well as being a critic and columnist for Sound On Sound, conceiving the popular Talkback column and heading up the Modular column, he has also written on music and music technology for The Guardian, MOJO, The Financial Times, Electronic Sound and more. 

As an artist in Voka Gentle he has made records with producers from Gareth Jones (Depeche Mode, Grizzly Bear, Nick Cave) to Sam Petts-Davies (Radiohead, The Smile, Roger Waters), has had songs featured on franchises from FIFA Football to The Sims and has toured across the UK, Europe and the USA, playing festivals from Pitchfork Avant-Garde in Paris to SXSW in Austin, Texas. He has collaborated with artists including the Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne, Morcheeba, Panda Bear and Sonic Boom. 

Full biog at https://www.soundonsound.com/people/yann-tiersen-my-life-modules-sos-podcast

https://www.vokagentle.com/

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Yann Tiersen - My Life In Modules

Yann Tiersen - My Life In Modules | Podcast

Paul White explores the creative potential of using 'found' sounds, demonstrating how items found within your surroundings can be sampled, manipulated and transformed into complete tracks within your DAW using a few simple tools.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
00:36 - Software Options
01:27 - Methods Used For This Demo
01:58 - Creating A String Patch
04:49 - A Few More Examples
08:03 - Constructing A Unique Percussion Kit
11:01 - Layering Sounds With Synth Pads
12:13 - Using The Voice Creatively
13:00 - A Finished Track Using The Sampled Sounds

Paul White Biog
Paul White initially trained in electronics at The Royal Radar Establishment in Malvern then went on to work with Malvern Instruments, a company specialising in laser analysis equipment, before moving into technical writing. 

He joined the Sound On Sound team in 1991 where he became Editor In Chief, a position he held for many years before recently becoming Executive Editor. Paul has written more than 20 recording and music technology textbooks, the latest being The Producer’s Manual.

Having established his own multitrack home studio in the 1980s he’s worked with many notable names including Bert Jansch and Gordon Giltrap. He’s played in various bands over the years and currently collaborates with Malvern musician Mark Soden, under the name of Cydonia Collective. Paul still performs live claiming that as he has suffered for his music he doesn’t see why everyone else shouldn’t too!

http://www.cydoniacollective.co.uk/

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Create Your Own Samples

Create Your Own Samples | Podcast

[dreamer]

Catherine Anne Davies, also known as The Anchoress, joins Caro C to discuss her preferred recording methods, the decision to invest in her own studio and receiving three consecutive MPG Award nominations.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
01:14 - From Multitrack To MPG Nominations
04:09 - Balancing Locations And Condensed Hours
08:14 - Old School Recording Techniques
11:20 - Recording Piano And Vocals
12:51 - Piano Recording Technique
14:09 - Re-releasing Communion
18:57 - Last Night From Glasgow
21:39 - Favourite Synths
24:41 - New Album Project
27:20 - Recording Own Vocals
32:24 - Teaching

Catherine Anne Davies Biog
Catherine Anne Davies (The Anchoress) is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer from Wales. From her early roots as a classically-trained flautist to her current obsession with vintage synthesizers, Davies has spent much of the last five years developing her writing and engineering skills, winning a PRS Writer/Producer award in 2019. She has previously collaborated with the London Philharmonic, Nitin Sawhney, Liam Howe (Jessie Ware, Marina), Paul Statham (Kylie, Dido) and has supported Manic Street Preachers, as well as duetting on their song ‘Dylan & Caitlin’.

Catherine joined the line-up of Simple Minds in 2014, appearing on the Big Music (2015) and Walk Between Worlds (2018) albums before departing in 2019. She released her debut solo album 'Confessions of a Romance Novelist' in 2016, a collaborative album 'In Memory of My Feelings' with Bernard Butlerin 2020 and her second solo release, 'The Art Of Losing', in 2021. The latter features guest performances from James Dean Bradfield (Manic Street Preachers) and Sterling Campbell (David Bowie, Duran Duran) and reached the #1 spot on iTunes.

http://theanchoress.co.uk/
http://www.facebook.com/theanchoress
http://instagram.com/theanchoressofficial
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCprifKdWotavrgXSy_qelEw

Caro C Biog
Caro C is an artist, engineer and teacher specialising in electronic music. Her self-produced fourth album 'Electric Mountain' is out now. Described as a "one-woman electronic avalanche" (BBC), Caro started making music thanks to being laid up whilst living in a double decker bus and listening to the likes of Warp Records in the late 1990's. This 'sonic enchantress' (BBC Radio 3) has now played in most of the cultural hotspots of her current hometown of Manchester, UK. Caro is also the instigator and project manager of electronic music charity Delia Derbyshire Day.
URL: http://carocsound.com/
Twitter: @carocsound
Inst: @carocsound
FB: https://www.facebook.com/carocsound/

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Catherine Anne Davies

Catherine Anne Davies | Podcast

(c) Noise 2025
(c) Michal Hajník 2025

crash sample by Jali (c) 2025
recorded @MashroomSoundStudio

samples from Roland MC-707
synths by StudioLogic Sledge 2.0

new album Fraktwerk25 soon...

Crash on Bandcamp >

Crash

Composer, producer and Buchla enthusiast Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith joins William J. Stokes to discuss her latest album Gush. She also treats listeners to a live set, performed on a carefully curated selection of Buchla 200e modules.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
01:10 - Peacock Moments
06:24 - Working With Suzanne Ciani
10:54 - Discovering Buchla And Eurorack
16:40 - Blending Sensibilities
23:21 - Buchla 200e Modular System And 223e Input
28:48 - 259e and 261e Waveform Generators
36:58 - 296e Spectral Processor
43:37 - 227e System Interface
51:25 - The Performance

#buchla200e #buchla223e #buchla259e #buchla #261e #buchla296e #buchla227e

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith Biog
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith is a classically trained American composer, producer and performer originally from the Pacific Northwest who now lives in Los Angeles. Drawing upon her formal training in composition and sound engineering from Berklee College of Music, she initially explored vocal performance, classical guitar and piano before her creative trajectory shifted when a neighbour lent her a Buchla 100 modular synthesizer. Her music combines the use of modular, analogue and rare synthesizers, orchestral textures and voice.

Her early self-released works, including Cows Will Eat the Weeds and Tides: Music for Meditation and Yoga (2014), were followed by Euclid (2015), her first official album with Western Vinyl, which combined structured songwriting with ambient exploration. This was succeeded by EARS (2016), which critics praised for its seamless layering of organic instrumentation and analogue synthesis to evoke feelings of awe and disorientation. Her 2017 release, The Kid, marked a conceptual leap, tracing stages of human development through richly textured, emotionally resonant compositions that bolstered her status among experimental music audiences.

Kaitlyn has performed alongside artists like Hot Chip, Glass Beams, RY X, Caribou and Four Tet, composed original works for Apple, BBC Orchestra, Adult Swim, MoMA, Red Bull and others, plus her song “Stratus” was also synced in the 2023 film Priscilla Motion Picture Soundtrack. She has also collaborated with longtime inspiration Suzanne Ciani and other artists like Emile Mosseri, while exploring multidisciplinary projects through her label, Touchtheplants. On her latest album, GUSH, Kaitlyn sets her sights on aesthetics, focusing on the heightened awareness of and presence in the world where every interaction, whether with people, objects or nature, has the potential to become a moment of connection and personification.

https://kaitlynaureliasmith.com/
https://www.instagram.com/kaitlynaurelia/
https://www.facebook.com/kaitlynaurelia/
https://x.com/kaitlynaurelia

William J. Stokes Biog
William J. Stokes is a producer, writer and artist in three-piece avant-psych band Voka Gentle. As well as being a critic and columnist for Sound On Sound, conceiving the popular Talkback column and heading up the Modular column, he has also written on music and music technology for The Guardian, MOJO, The Financial Times, Electronic Sound and more. 

As an artist in Voka Gentle he has made records with producers from Gareth Jones (Depeche Mode, Grizzly Bear, Nick Cave) to Sam Petts-Davies (Radiohead, The Smile, Roger Waters), has had songs featured on franchises from FIFA Football to The Sims and has toured across the UK, Europe and the USA, playing festivals from Pitchfork Avant-Garde in Paris to SXSW in Austin, Texas. He has collaborated with artists including the Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne, Morcheeba, Panda Bear and Sonic Boom. 

Full biog at https://www.soundonsound.com/people/kaitlyn-aurelia-smith-talks-buchla-sos-podcast

https://www.vokagentle.com/

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - My Life In Modules

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - My Life In Modules | Podcast

Music By: Mohab Attalah 
Mixing & Mastering: Andrew Dawood & Shery Shokry 
Lyrics: Shady Fakhry

ya fattah - يا فتَاح

Music by: Mohab Attalah
Vocal: Hosni 
Mixing & Mastering: Andrew Dawood & Shery Shokry
Lyrics: Shady Fakhry

Hansa - هنسى

Music, Mixing & Mastering: Peter Samuel 
Oud: Mohab Attalah 
Cello: Ashraf Saleeb

Ya Elah El7ob - با اله الحب

(c) Noise 2025
(c) Michal Hajník 2025

recorded @MashroomSoundStudio

Noise on BandCamp...

intrigue

Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe, Product Specialist for AMPS Industry Partner NUGEN Audio in conversation with Martyn Harries AMPS - NUGEN's plugins explored - their latest offering DialogCheck along with VisLM, AB Assist 2, Halo Upmix, ISL and Paragon Immersive Reverb - all explained - A must for students and those who want to know more about what NUGEN's Plugins can do for your sound mix.

This episode is sponsored by URSA straps https://ursastraps.com

Ep48 - NUGEN Audio - Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe  opens up the world of plugins

Hey Jessie!!!!!  +Furaloo

@xsintashi Certified Leaker Archiver

Archived Artists:
@jun
@usr0
@y4ndere
@plaguexiii
@eagerly
@autodecapitation
@chewy
@broketeen
@fucktwintails
@wr1th3r
@prodsky
@gummonster
@lezewaptece
@extema_da_sickomane
@lyvvarealm
@largemilitaryforces
and others

Some tracks contain original metadata

[the max revival]

dedicated to the memory of Jonathan Hatheway Farkas

<b>SOUND ON SOUND is the world's premier music recording technology magazine</b> - available in 5 formats: Paper, Web Sub, Replica, Full Issue PDF download or Tablet/Mobile apps. Based in Cambridge, England; independently-owned and continually published since 1985).&#13;
&#13;
Every month our UK and USA editions deliver consistently more pages than any competing title, packed full of in-depth product tests of Recording Systems, Music Software, DAWs, Virtual Instruments, Plug-ins, Synthesizers, Keyboards & Rack Modules, Music Computers, Samplers, Audio Interfaces/Soundcards, Mixing Consoles, Effects & Signal Processors — and not forgetting studio essentials like Microphones and Monitors.&#13;
&#13;
Plus the best Musician/Mix Engineer/Record Producer interviews you'll read anywhere. &#13;
&#13;
Our regular DAW techniques and practical 'how to' Tutorials offer no-nonsense advice for beginners and professionals alike, helping our global readership gain the most from their studio equipment.

DJ & Music Producer from Western Bohemia, Czech Republic.
Creating electronic music — Techno, House, Tech House, Drum & Bass.
Working with Roland MC-707, Roland SP-404mkII, Studiologic Sledge 2.0, Miditech Minicontrol-32, Evolution UC-33, AKAI APC Mini,
TC Electronic Master X HD, tons of VST plugins — and, of course, cables. Everywhere.
Recording sounds and people, things, instruments... and life itself.

Playing vinyl is my hobby.

Enjoy my music — like I enjoy being right where I am.

My new alter ego:
Noise pres. Dozen12"
@dozen12inches

Second profile on SoundCloud:
@oldskooldj-1

Collab project with Tomi Akada:
@bacherols-of-silence

Music Producer, Sound Engineer, Keyboardist, Lutenist, Composer and Special needs music teacher.

New tracks tagged #Plugins