The latest Red Bull Music Academy video captures a session with synth designer Mark Verbos, recorded at RBMA Berlin 2018.

Verbos explained his approach to designing hardware modular systems, using his own modules, as well as insights from his years as a musician, engineer and Buchla student.

Video Summary:

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 a deep interest in the Buchla philosophy of designing instruments, 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.