As part of their Berklee Online courses, Erin Barra and Loudon Stearns create instructional videos that make life spring from topics that, in less capable hands, could crumble with dryness.
In these videos, the two are heard having long conversations about things like file management and MIDI controllers. And, believe it or not, these clips are popular, says Barra, an associate professor in the Songwriting Department.
Not sure how we made file management exciting, but people seem to like listening to the two of us chat, so we thought wed make a thing of it, she says.
That thing is Berklee's new podcast, Signal Flow, in which she and Stearns explore the technology, techniques, and ideas in digital music, and the interaction of audio with other arts. Signal Flow is Berklee's second podcast, following Sounds of Berklee, which features interviews and music from the College and Conservatory communities, and beyond.
I think out there, in the world, there's a desire for people to make . We've democratized creation. Everyone wants to make, everyone wants to create something new, and I want to share these insights, says Stearns, an associate professor in the Contemporary Writing and Production Department.
In advance of the first episode, Barra answered some questions about the podcast's genesis and what listeners can expect:
What inspired you and Stearns to develop Signal Flow? Loudon and I have been working together for years on lots of projects, both inside and outside of Berklee and the dynamic between the two of us is unique. Our skill sets and interests overlap in so many ways, but in terms of how our minds work, we couldnt be more different. We had just finished working on a multiyear project, closed our laptops, sort of looked at each other and asked, Whats next?
What topics will you two cover in upcoming episodes? We start the series by paying homage to, and dissecting tracks from, the [artist-] triumvirate that is Modeselektor, Apparat, and Moderat. Both Loudon and I love how these acts and artists work both separately and together to create electronic tracks that are dripping in musicianship and are so refined in their approach. In later episodes, we start to tackle concepts such as spatial audio and whats happening to the way people experience sound.
What kind of listener is Signal Flow geared toward? Signal Flow is for people who are interested in the intersection of music and technology. Listeners who are music tech nerds will love this podcast, but I think its accessible to anyone whos interested in either music or technology and wants to learn more about either.
Personally, I dont know much about cars but I still love listening to Car Talk on NPR. The same idea is true of Signal Flow; no prior experience or prerequisite knowledge is required.
Take a listen to the first episode:
Related categories:
News
Related Reading
PODCAST: Erin Barra Rethinks How Songwriters Use Technology In this episode of Inside Berklee, Erin Barra B.M. 06 talks about her anti-tech roots, walks us through the production of a new song, and discusses why she pushes students to use technology to help achieve their vision.
PODCAST: Student Dom Jones Tells Her Story Through Spoken-Word Album In this episode of Sounds of Berklee, we'll be listening to I Do This, a song in which student Dom Jones pays tribute to a long list of people who keep her motivated. Jones will be playing at the Haymarket Lounge in City Winery, Boston, on April 14.
Behind the Music of Ferdinand with Batu Sener, Film Scoring Alumnus Batu Sener, an alumnus of Berklees film scoring program, discusses his work, alongside his Oscar-nominated mentor John Powell, on the new film Ferdinand, based on the popular childrens book.
More from Berklee Now
Most Popular
Steven Grove Scores One of Hollywoods Top Internships The film scoring major spent the summer as an intern at Sparks and Shadows, where he now works.
Latest
Maureen McMullan Named Concert and Event Producer for External Affairs McMullan, previously assistant chair of Berklees Voice Department, will provide leadership and artistic direction for high-profile college events.
Berklee Gala Features LL Cool J and Nile Rodgers and Chic Berklee City Music, the events beneficiary, empowers youth from underserved communities to develop academically, socially, and emotionally through the study of contemporary music.
Hippo Campus.jpg
Erin's Prime Slices: Hippo Campus, Cumulus Read about and hear new releases recommended by BIRN staff member Erin Ober during the week of October 4.
The BIRN
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
Berklee Blogs
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
Snapchat
Soundcloud
Spotify
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
29/05/2026
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and playlists are filling up for the season. With summer around the corner, Spotify's global edito...
29/05/2026
New retro-inspired MPC announced
There are few devices that have gained the status held by Akai Pro's MPC range, and in recent years, the company have s...
29/05/2026
Save up to 30 on acclaimed titles
Following a successful launch at Superbooth 2026, Bjooks have revealed that they will be continuing the Kickstarter campa...
29/05/2026
Binaural monitoring application improved
Genelec have just released an update that brings some powerful new features to their HRTF-based binaural headphone ...
29/05/2026
6 June 2026 at SAE Institute, London, UK
IMSTA FESTA 2026 is almost upon us, with some of the biggest names in pro-audio set to descend upon SAE Institute i...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, died April 12, 2026, at his home in...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Comparing 5 AI Video Enhancers for Restoring Old Video Quality
Kate Luvis May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Digitizing VHS, MiniDV, and other legacy formats doe...
29/05/2026
Studio Hamburg Builds New Post Pipeline with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Workflow replaces a patchwork of legacy tools...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
At the Intersection of Music and Dance, an Epic Collaboration Boston Conservatory musicians and dancers found creative parallels in their recent performance o...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
The Official Trailer of Physical 100 Italy, on Netflix From Se...
29/05/2026
At just 20 years old, Sean Melia from Summerhill Co. Meath has been revealed as the winner of Super Garden 2026. Sean is the youngest ever contestant and winner...
29/05/2026
Experimental HIV vaccine achieves a long-sought goal In a first for the field, all non-human primates given a new series of vaccines generated antibodies capabl...
28/05/2026
Thomsons Climate Crisis Toolkit is already being put to work, helping journalist...
28/05/2026
FOX Sports' MLB coverage dominated the night at the 47th Annual Sports Emmy ...
28/05/2026
One of the most memorable postseasons in baseball history would have had no memo...
28/05/2026
NBC's Sunday Night Football is among the most-decorated and most-watched pro...
28/05/2026
The 2026 Sports Emmys marked a watershed moment for Prime Video Sports. After bu...
28/05/2026
Hosted by ESPN Senior Writer Ryan McGee, the ceremony honored winners from athletic departments, conference offices, professional networks, production companies...
28/05/2026
Major rights-holders rolled out their 2026 college football slates today, offering a first look at marquee windows, kickoff partners, and conference distributio...
As part of their Berklee Online courses, Erin Barra and Loudon Stearns create instructional videos that make life spring from topics that, in less capable hands, could crumble with dryness.
