Podcast 107: William Mathewson of WMD

Explicit content warning

12/06/15 • 43 min

William Mathewson is one of the most active guys in the modular synthesizer community. He is one of the most inventive designers (in the podcast, you'll even hear how some modules start off as jokes...), the head of a bustling modular company, and the manufacturing source for a lot of the current modular devices available. I got the chance to spend some time with William at his office/plant, and we had a great chat.

One of the things that I'm always fascinated with is the process by which synth designers go about their business, and William was super open about how he comes up with designs, how he actually implements them, and how he sees people using them. It's also really interesting to hear his background: how he got from being a 'coffee guy' at a recording studio to the head of one of the largest modular companies in the States. Very interesting, and very inspiring.

This is one of my favorite interviews because William is one of my favorite guys in the business. Enjoy!

[Edit: A slight change to the file was done on Sunday afternoon. Sorry for any confusion!]

This is one of my favorite interviews because William is one of my favorite guys in the business. Enjoy!

[Edit: A slight change to the file was done on Sunday afternoon. Sorry for any confusion!]

Previous Episode

Podcast 106: VJ Manzo

VJ Manzo in an incredibly prolific individual - he's written several books (two out this year!), kicked off a major initiative with his EAMIR.org website, and has developed some extensive Max object libraries. He's also taking over the maxobjects.com site, which is a relief to many that depend on this resource.

So how does someone develop all these skills - and keep on generating new stuff? In VJ's case, it's a combination of drive, excitement and a desire to help people learn music technology. Enjoy this all-over-the-map chat with VJ as we talk about history/background, his ideas for education, and why he wants people to learn to make their own tools. This is a fun interview with an important voice in music tech education.

Enjoy!

Next Episode

Podcast 108: Dave Hill Jr

It seems like I've known Dave Hill Jr. forever. He was writing magazine articles and book (Ableton Live Power for versions 2-4) about the time that I was writing a lot of magazine articles, running the Creative Synth website and writing about Ableton Live myself. We first met it person at a NAMM conference, and we've kind of been in touch ever since.

So when I decided to try something different with the podcast, my first thought was to talk with Dave, and I'm glad I did. It was a great way to get some insight on how marketing works in the music/art software space, but it was also a chance to talk about the past, the future and even the hardware vs. software thing. Oh, and we get to find out that marketing in the music gear space comes via players, not via Wharton School graduates. Whew!

Dave's super busy, so I'm glad he was willing to take the time to chat. I hope you enjoy this view into a different side of the creative business space.