Tony Rolando - My Life in Modules

In this occasional series exploring modular synthesis and live performance, William Stokes talks to Tony Rolando, electronic musician and founder of modular company Make Noise. Tony talks about his beginnings in the industry and how Make Noise has relaunched in 2025 with a new team and a brand new module release, which he then showcases in an exclusive performance alongside four additional modules. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 05:22 - Creating Social Media Posts 12:10 - Recent Innovations In Modular 14:02 - Revisioning Jettisoned Music Technology 21:08 - Module 1: Maths 30:17 - Module 2: Morphagene 47:42 - Module 3: Qpas 57:57 - Module 4: Bruxa 01:12:52 - Module 5: New Universal Synthesizer System 01:27:40 - The Performance Tony Rolando Biog Tony Rolando is a self-taught musician and electronic musical instrument designer who started his career building electronics for artists, such as the light controlled mixer for Simon Lee’s “Bus Obscura,” working for Moog Music and playing in bands. He has recently released music with Important Records and the Asheville, NC based Ceremony of Seasons. Tony is the founder, lead designer and co-owner of Make Noise, a modular synth company launched in 2008, known for modules such as the Morphagene and 0-Coast, popular with artists like Thom Yorke and Robert Lowe, aka Lichens. They operate out of Asheville, NC and have global distribution through a number of music tech dealers. William Stokes Biog William Stokes is a producer, writer and artist in three-piece avant-psych band Voka Gentle. As well as being a critic and columnist for Sound On Sound, conceiving the popular Talkback column and heading up the Modular column, he has also written on music and music technology for The Guardian, MOJO, The Financial Times, Electronic Sound and more. As an artist in Voka Gentle he has made records with producers from Gareth Jones (Depeche Mode, Grizzly Bear, Nick Cave) to Sam Petts-Davies (Radiohead, The Smile, Roger Waters), has had songs featured on franchises from FIFA Football to The Sims and has toured across the UK, Europe and the USA, playing festivals from Pitchfork Avant-Garde in Paris to SXSW in Austin, Texas. He has collaborated with artists including the Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne, Morcheeba, Panda Bear and Sonic Boom. Alongside being a guitarist and pianist, he is a synthesis enthusiast with a particular interest in sampling and explorative sound manipulation. As a producer and engineer, he has made albums with acclaimed avant-garde musicians from composer Tullis Rennie to Mute Records artist Louis Carnell. “I’m always seeking out the most ‘out-there’, experimental, risk-taking musicians I can find to work with,” he says, “to capture vibrant, detailed recordings and create three-dimensional mixes of music that might otherwise struggle to know where to begin in the studio environment.” Stokes currently lectures in Music Production at City, University of London. Catch more shows on our other podcast channels:

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Tony Rolando - My Life in Modules is an episode from Electronic Music by Sound On Sound Ltd.

This episode is 98:49 long.

This episode was published on Jan 28, 2025.

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