Backstage Burrow Ep5-2026: Moog v. Buchla: The Analog Revolution

Hop into the burrow with me, everybunny! Today we’re tracing the wild history of the synthesizer — from room‑sized, paper‑tape‑programmed giants in the 1950s to the voltage‑controlled modular marvels that shaped the sound of the ’70s and ’80s. We’ll meet the brilliant minds behind the Moog and Buchla synths, explore how culture shaped their designs, and see how one groundbreaking album launched synths into the mainstream. Get ready for waveforms, wobblies, filters, and a whole lot of musical magic!

#musichistory #musictechnology #electronicmusic #synthesizers #backstageburrow #rabbithole

https://youtu.be/5imv_usnuAE

What if your synthesizer was powered by APL (or a dumb K clone)?

https://octetta.github.io/k-synth/

#HackerNews #synthesizer #APL #Kclone #musictechnology #programming #creativity

#AcademicJob | #PostDoc

Postdoctoral Researcher – Sleeping Soundly Project

📍KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm

2-year postdoc developing sound-based, personalised and adaptive sleep interventions. Research focuses on interactive sonic prototypes supporting sleep onset, the sleep period, and awakening.

Deadline: 15/03/2026

https://www.kth.se/lediga-jobb/904526?l=en

#SoundStudies #MusicTechnology #SleepResearch #SonicInteraction

It’s Friday and in an attempt to remember what it was like when I did music cognition research here is possibly the article I am proudest of: it was a huge challenge to work on but I think it was a pretty good stab at better understanding a complex human behaviour AND testing some algorithmic approaches to solving a musical problem. Hank and I nearly came to blows because of our radically different backgrounds and personality types but all was well in the end. Fortunately Peter was good at keeping us on track ;-)

https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/BF03200827#preview

(no paywall)

#music #InformationProcessing #PatternMatching #algorithms #modeling #CognitiveScience #MusicTechnology #memories

Backstage Burrow Ep4-2026: How One File Format Sparked a Music Revolution

Today we’re hopping headfirst into a wild story in music history — the tale of the teeny‑tiny MP3 that changed EVERYTHING. We’ll explore the 80s, 90s, and early Internet chaos… So fluff up those ears and wiggle those whiskers — we’re digging deep into how one humble audio file burrowed its way into our pockets, our playlists, and the entire future of streaming!

#musictechnology #musichistory #backstageburrow #rabbithole #internet #mp3 #napster #streaming #itunes

https://youtu.be/zPn_bzDJGPo

So I am in a jam with forced upgrades for my #music #studio. Painful, really. My main workhorse is a #Yamaha #Montage 8. Since the release of the new Montage M, Yamaha has dropped support entirely for the first gen model. Its audio interface driver only supports up to #MacOS 14, but still works under 15.0. I receive daily warning messages that further OS updates will break it. Yamaha has stopped development on the driver.

To complicate things, I have an Intel #MacPro for which #Apple will be dropping support in the near future. It was and is only a matter of time. Due to the driver support issue I am forced to keep my Mac at OS 15.0.1. But wait, there's more...

If I upgrade my OS, then I risk breaking the driver and thus lose the capability o 32 channels of #audio and #MIDI over #USB. I use both the analog outputs and the USB, including feeding DAW tracks back into the #synthesizer for additional real time processing. My entire workflow, which I have developed since investing in the MacPro, *will* break and projects which I have started will not be completed. Period.

if that isn't painful enough, the New Yamaha Montage M8X is $5,000. While this is an amazing machine and does include a wealth of new features I'd immediately use (including a faster and more robust #machinelearning engine), these costs of both a new #workstation and new #computer are staggeringly high.

If Yamaha hadn't dropped support for its driver, I'd be fine continuing to use a last generation instrument.

And no, switch to a different workstation, ie #Roland or #Korg is simply not an option. Switching to #Windows also isn't an option for specifically ASIO vs CoreAudio reasons. In short, MacOS allows aggregation of audio devices. I have combined my two separate interfaces (Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 + OctoPre Dynamic via #ADAT *and* the Montage interface) for a seamless massive 50 inputs and 26 outputs. Windows uses ASIO, which can only use one interface at a time. #Windows11 still does not offer this feature. Switching to #Linux also isn't an option because neither Yamaha nor Focusrite support Linux and neither does my software.

Ugh....

#pain #musictechnology #musictech #tech #technology #musicproduction

Backstage Burrow Ep3-2026: Pipe Dreams

🎶🐰 Dive into the fascinating history of music with the Hydraulis, an ancient marvel from 3rd century BCE! Discover how Ctesibius of Alexandria invented the world's first keyboard instrument, revolutionizing sound and harmony and paving the way for Western music traditions. 🎹✨

#hydraulis #organ #musichistory #musictechnology #ancientgreece #romanempire #middleages #charlemagne #keyboardinstruments #backstageburrow #rabbithole

https://youtu.be/kK_UQvLRJ9Y

Have You Met Sadie Yet?

Introducing your new hyper and history-obsessed bunny-host, Sadie!

She’s here to uncover the roots of today’s music. You can find her videos and audio on all sorts of online platforms by visiting this link.

This is the cozy little tunnel where we dig into the wild, weird, wonderful stories that shaped the music blasting through your headphones right now. Composers causing chaos! Instruments evolving in ways no one asked for! Accidental innovations that changed EVERYTHING! I’m here for all of it.

https://youtu.be/bnUQ6zs0mGg

Backstage Burrow Ep2-2026

🎸🐰 From quiet strummer to cultural thunder — how the electric guitar found its voice.
Take a cozy hop into the hidden history of amplification, innovation, and rebellious noise as we trace the guitar’s journey from back‑row rhythm keeper to electrified icon. From Hawaiian lap steels to “broomstick with pickups” prototypes, this episode uncovers how marginalized musicians, bold tinkerers, and a few happy accidents reshaped American sound.

Major source for this episode: Braun, Hans-Joachim. "Music and Technology in the Twentieth Century." Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002.

#electricguitar #musichistory #20thcentury #backstageburrow #rabbithole #rockhistory #musictechnology

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf8fxh6THKo&feature=youtu.be