Trevor Baron is a piano and theory teacher with years of experience and the creator of Illustrious Sound—a blog-style magazine and video journal shaped by student questions and a love of learning. He shares tools, reflections, and experiments from his own path into music production and home recording.
USB vs. Five-Pin MIDI: Working Through the Monosynth Problem To make things easier to follow in this post, I should clarify one thing right away. When I mention USB, I’m referring to MIDI being passed over a USB cable. When I say MIDI, I’m using that as shorthand...
Workflow, Control, and Small Problem Solvers While editing this video series, I was reminded just how much of studio design comes down to workflow—and how long it can take to truly figure out what works. To be honest, I’m still working through that part. As I’ve...
Custom, Store-Bought, or DIY? Finding the Right Way to Support Your Studio Gear When you start designing a studio, one of the first things you quickly realize is just how much gear you actually have. For some people that might be very little; for others, it can...
Why Illustrious Sound Exists Illustrious Sound began as a resource for my students, but like many things in my teaching practice, it grew out of a period of transition. In 2022, it wasn’t only my studio that was changing—my entire teaching practice was evolving as...
Returning to the DAW After a Long Pause While my studio has been under development, I’ve only been able to use bits and pieces of it. I haven’t set everything up in a DAW template yet, largely because some of the synths I ordered back in 2025 have only just arrived...
In Praise of the Small Studio Channel In a previous post, I mentioned how much I enjoy watching videos of what other people are doing in their studios. Like most people interested in synths and studio gear, I follow the big YouTube channels—the well-known synth...
Late Nights, Quiet Hours, and Finding Time to Create While editing this series, I was reminded—again—of just how many late nights went into this studio transformation. It brought back something I’ve always known about myself: there’s something special about working...
When Is a Studio Ever Really Finished? I’m still in the process of designing my studio. Yes, I’m in the final stages—but not quite at that point where you can simply sit down, press record, and get to work without thinking about what’s missing. You know the kind of...
When Studio Plans Finally Start to Take Shape There’s a moment in any studio build where things start to click. You walk into the room and, for the first time, you can actually see the studio you imagined beginning to form. For many people, that moment comes...
Finishing What I Started In a few previous posts, I mentioned how I had some projects—rack units in particular—and never quite finished them the way I intended. They worked well enough, but I always knew they weren’t done properly. This weekend was the weekend I...
The creative divisions of Bach To Basics Inc., each rooted in music education and inspired by the interests of my students—from teaching and publishing to recording and studio learning.
Live online piano and theory lessons for students of all ages—personalized and taught worldwide via Zoom through my teaching studio, Bach To Basics Music. Visit Site
My independent music label for sharing recordings, creative experiments, and behind-the-scenes studio work—often tied to lessons in recording and music production. Visit Site
A blog-style magazine for home studio learners and curious creatives—featuring real-world tutorials, tools, and discoveries inspired by my students and teaching experience. Visit Site
A personal space where I share my work as a composer and orchestrator—alongside study notes, sketches, and insights into learning music through composition. Visit Site
Educational resources and sheet music for students and teachers—designed, tested, and self-published based on real classroom and studio use. Visit Site
Each issue of Illustrious Sound brings together the blog articles you see here into a curated, downloadable PDF magazine. Whether you’re a music teacher, student, or just love learning about the creative side of music and audio, this free magazine is a great way to dive deeper. No email signup required—just click and enjoy.