Mark Verbos on Designing Modular Synths | Red Bull Music Academy

Published on Nov 2, 2018 Red Bull Music Academy

"In this episode of Studio Science, recorded at the Funkhaus as part of Red Bull Music Academy Berlin 2018, Mark Verbos explained his approach to designing hardware using his own modules as well as insights from his years as a musician, engineer and Buchla student. #RBMA20 #modular

Mark Verbos is a self-described “product of the early Midwest US underground electronic music scene.” The Milwaukee native first began performing improvised live shows in 1992 and releasing in 1994 on a variety of local and national labels. Performing on hardware from the beginning of his career, Verbos soon began to develop an interest in how the machines he used were made. Learning from the go-to repair man for vintage Buchla instruments, Verbos began to create his own machines as well as repair others. In the process he developed what he calls a deep interest in the Buchla philosophy of designing instruments and not tools. In 2014, having since relocated to Berlin, Verbos’ love affair and interest with hardware synths took a new step with the founding of his own company, Verbos Electronics, which manufactures Eurorack modules and modular systems that carry on Don Buchla's esteemed tradition to new generations of synth enthusiasts.

The Red Bull Music Academy is a global music institution committed to fostering creativity in music. We celebrate music, its culture, and the transformative minds behind it. Begun in 1998, the Academy has taken the core principles that underlie its annual workshop for selected participants and applied this curatorial approach to events, lectures, and city-wide festivals throughout the year."