GoKawiilis the Verge’s weekend editor. He’s covered the tech industry for over 18 years and knows a thing or two about synths.
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Stefan Paul Goetsch, better known as Hainbach, is a German experimental composer, artist, and YouTuber who is perhaps most famous for making music with laboratory equipment and scientific instruments. He describes it as being like the “Dark Souls of synthesis.” Despite using “hard mode” production techniques that often rely on telephone line testing equipment and gear salvaged from nuclear testing facilities, Hainbach is also incredibly prolific, releasing six albums in 2025 alone, along with a handful of singles and EPs. His latest, Gentle Hum, is a collaboration with Ah! Kosmos (Turkish composer, Başak Günak). The album is a melancholic collection of unconventional percussion, droning analog synths, processed vocals, and, of course, burbling test equipment.
His award-winning composing career and frequent musical collaborations would be enough to keep most people busy 24/7, but Hainbach is also a successful YouTuber. His channel explores experimental music techniques, obscure vintage gear, and even modern oddities like the Bastl Kalimba. As if that wasn’t enough, he also frequently collaborates with companies like AudioThing to bring the essence of his arcane music-making setup to modern DAWs. (I personally own several of them, including the amazing Wires plugin.)
With so many projects going on all the time, we wanted to know what Hainbach was most proud of and what the glue is that’s holding his intimidating studio together.
What is your most indispensable tool?
A Nagra reel-to-reel tape recorder. I use these for my live shows, in the studio, for music and sound design. A wonder of technology, the absolute high-end of its time, and still sounding fantastic many decades later.
What is the first app you install on a new phone or computer?
Gauss Field Recorder. It’s an app I made with Bram Bos to solve a problem I always had: I made a lot of field recordings with the phone, thinking I would use them at some point. I never did, and ended up with a huge library of unsorted and unnamed voice memos. With Gauss, I can immediately turn any recording into music and save and share the session.
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