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

Electronic Music

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - My Life In Modules

Show Notes

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - My Life In Modules | Podcast

Tonight (Instrumental) (Prod.by SCAM) (79.000 BPM)

Ariana Grande - BUWYG (hidden vocals, instrumentals & ear candy)

Not EquaL | Prod. 4Formula | KairoKeyzTypeBeat

Not EquaL | Prod. 4Formula

A ballad composed and performed by Gigi Tognazzo & Beppe Bertolino
Composers: G.Bertolino-L.Tognazzo
Lyrics: G.Bertolino
Cover Graphic: Luigi Tognazzo

Higher And Over

MomentSolidEssence

After (Original Mix)
Avec After, Jarod Blade livre une techno hypnotique, tempo solide à 128 BPM, basses profondes et percussions ciselées créent un groove hypnotique qui maintient la tension du début à la fin.
Le morceau oscille entre énergie mécanique et atmosphère onirique, parfait pour prolonger l’état de transe des after-hours.

After (Original Mix) FREE DOWNLOAD

Live drums, layered guitars, and raw vocals drive this emotionally charged track. Mixed and mastered by Illinnoise, blending indie rock energy with pop clarity. A Berklee-trained engineer with 15+ years of freelance experience.

Illinnoise_SlipAndFall

A few months ago I met a girl from Belarus and we quickly became great friends. Her friendship inspired me to write a track entirely in Belarusian.

The beat is pure boom‑bap—hard‑hitting drums, dusty samples and a warm low‑end that nods to classic hip‑hop while letting the melody breathe.

Composition:
Instead of recording the vocals myself, I fed the final lyric sheet into a state‑of‑the‑art vocal synthesis engine. The AI gave me a clean, slightly otherworldly voice that respects the natural cadence of Belarusian while staying perfectly in sync with the instrumental.

Why “Зоры, зоры” is the anchor
The repeated refrain “Зоры, зоры” (the stars) became my anchor. Every time the track loops back to that line, I picture myself looking up at an unfamiliar sky, wondering where my own soul belongs. That sense of “searching for a place” is exactly what I want listeners to feel—whether they’re from Minsk, São Paulo, or anywhere in between.

Зоры в небе

Vanishing Point ruff 2

Lyrics:

She loves me then she loves me not, to be or not to be…
I must look like Hamlet huh?
I swabbed the deck when she jumped & abandoned ship
I ain’t know love did not come with a pamphlet or directions how to handle it 
I recollect my memory on shit I’ve done seen
Nothings useful, most of its ‘abuse-ful’
And it don’t really help cause I can’t tell if ya truthful
Probably not
And that sucks cause my heart solid as a rock
Any normal human being would just stop, but me, I will not
If it’s another nigga in the picture, I load up the clip 
My stick click, I call it Photoshop 
My heart sink into my stomach I can’t even eat 
And you been runnin’ through my mind it get hard to think 
As fast as time pass when I don’t see you I would hate to blink
I thought she knew I was the one because I’m so ‘NYSYNC’
Heart break, I scramble for the pieces like my name was Link
My home girl told me “If you love this bitch then let her go”
I just can’t do it, and I wonder if that means I don’t 
Hopeless romantic
I write away my sins with this pen
I start to panic cause she let me go like Rose on the side of the Titanic 
And I still swab the deck when she jump & abandon ship 
Am I crazy if I still get on my knee?
Nah, its crazy how it took a million rhymes for you to notice me 
All you gotta do is say yes like ‘Floetry’
Hallmark couldn’t even fuck wit this poetry

Rain Freestyle (Demo) feat. Kelis

I hope you enjoy my sound. Looking to collab just DM me. Follow me on IG @ scamusic and @ hiphopbeats718 #instrumental #beats #producer #artist #hiphop #rap #soul #soundtrack #flstudio #download #new

Audio engineer, producer, and sound designer blending technical precision with emotional depth. With over 15 years of freelance experience and 3 years of formal training at Berklee, I specialize in mixing, mastering, and creative effects. My work spans hip-hop, pop, and experimental soundscapes—each track shaped by hands-on EQ craftsmanship and a deep understanding of sonic space. As Illinnoise, I’m building a brand that bridges music, tutorials, and gaming—one mix at a time.

After a career as a music consultant working in films and TV, I now spend my time creating soundtracks for production music libraries. I also play guitar in a blues band and a Tom Petty tribute band.

<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;
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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;
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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.

Passionate about electronic music & mixes since the 90s

UK Music Producer ⚗
Visit The Lab www.formulaslab.xyz

Aspiring producer and graphic designer ❤️

New tracks tagged #protools