This episode archive includes gear deep-dives, synth setups, MIDI puzzles, wiring disasters, and the occasional small victory. Each year is organized into a season. Click any title to watch the episode and download companion PDFs when available.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
When Buying the Stand Just Makes Sense In past posts, I’ve talked a lot about custom stands—their cost, the limitations of space, and why I often ended up building my own solutions instead of buying something off the shelf. Most of the racks and stands in my studio...
Why Illustrious Sound Exists As we approach the end of 2025, I’m finally at the point where I’ve been able to upload and share the videos I filmed during my studio redesign from 2022 to 2025. In total, this first series ended up being 140 short videos—and to be...
Looking Back at the Studio Journey (and Forward to 2026) With the close of 2025, I can’t help but reflect on how this journey began—and how little I understood where it would eventually lead. In some ways, I’m still not entirely finished. There’s work left to do....
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.