
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 ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
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...
22/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/06/2026
Xilica today announced the release of Dynamic Voice Lift, a new feature in Xilica Designer v4.12 that brings adaptive speech reinforcement to large meeting spac...
22/06/2026
The next era of AI will not be defined by compute alone. Its growth will be dete...
22/06/2026
Mission, Vision and Veritas - new Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) supercom...
22/06/2026
At the ISC conference running in Hamburg this week, NVIDIA is introducing new so...
22/06/2026
For the past two years, the U.S. National Science Foundation's National Arti...
22/06/2026
JUPITER, Europe's first exascale supercomputer at Germany's Forschungszentrum J lich, runs on NVIDIA Grace Hopper Superchips and NVIDIA Quantum-X800 Inf...
21/06/2026
To call the 2026 FIFA World Cup a big undertaking would be a big understatement....
21/06/2026
New series now live on Udemy
Regular SOS contributor and Cubase workshop columnist John Walden has just released a new Cubase video course that is now avail...
21/06/2026
Hot tubs sit at about 38 to 40 degrees Celsius, warm enough that most people can only soak for about 15 minutes. NVIDIA's newest AI servers can run their co...
21/06/2026
Sunday 21 June 2026
Sky announces immersive documentary series The Wargame
The Wargame first looks
ZIP (2MB)
Sky today confirms the commission of The Wargam...
20/06/2026
New add-on creates doubles & vocal stacks
IK Multimedia's latest ReSing add-on kits the innovative software out with the ability to automatically genera...
20/06/2026
What exactly is Apogee Control V3?
Control V3 is a new mixer application that controls Apogee interfaces. The new hit feature is that V3 finally allows for...
19/06/2026
Split compound eases operational challenges at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club...
19/06/2026
North Carolina, Oklahoma meet in the best-of-three Finals as ESPN leans into spe...
19/06/2026
Company launch comprehensive mix-comparison tool
The Him DSP are a plug-in company founded by The Him, an EDM DJ and producer who has amassed over half a bi...
19/06/2026
Major Sampler upgrades introduced
The latest version of Bitwig's DAW software has just entered public beta testing, and is available now for all users w...
19/06/2026
Four times the power of their predecessors
Akai Pro have just introduced upgraded versions of two of their popular standalone MPC systems, kitting them out ...
19/06/2026
Data from May shows seasonal outdoor trends triggers lower viewing
Warsaw, Pola...
19/06/2026
Buttons is best control system in the rAVe Best of Infocomm Awards 2026...
19/06/2026
Mavis Studio Makes iPad Production More Powerful
Brie Clayton June 19, 2026
0 Comments
InfoComm update brings new NDI Preview, PTZ control, USB audio ...
19/06/2026
Immersive Studio Metaverse Stage Tackles Post with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton June 19, 2026
0 Comments
New narrative projects rely on DaVinci Reso...
19/06/2026
How to Run the Original 1993 After Effects
Graham Quince June 19, 2026
0 Comments
How to the original After Effects v1 in an emulator, and you don'...
19/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/06/2026
SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists and engineers, has announced that its entire Standards catalog is now freely available to the global medi...
19/06/2026
nsign, the digital signage SaaS platform built around its core principle of Simplify Complexity, has announced a partnership with BrightSign , expanding the dep...
19/06/2026
Visual Productions announces the availability of its new RdmRelay2 at InfoComm 2026 (ACT Entertainment, Booth N6813). A networked, four-channel DMX relay, it is...
19/06/2026
Adobe Unveils Major Expansion of Creative Agent Across Firefly and Creative Clou...
19/06/2026
Immersive Studio Metaverse Stage Innovates Storytelling with URSA Cine Immersive
Brie Clayton June 18, 2026
0 Comments
Two new narrative short films c...
19/06/2026
Friday 19 June 2026
How to watch the 2026/27 Premier League season on Sky Sports
Which matches are Sky Sports showing on the 2026/27 Premier League opening we...
19/06/2026
Catch up on the latest developments across Baselight and Daylight v7, Nara and FilmLight API Wednesday 8 July, 5pm onwards
Firehouse: DCTV, 87 Lafayette St, Ne...
19/06/2026
Lab studies explain how new cancer drug works as it enters patient testing Immunologists at Scripps Research show how a new, experimental drug revives immune ce...
18/06/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
18/06/2026
PTZOptics has unveiled new Visual Reasoning demonstrations at InfoComm 2026 (Boo...
18/06/2026
IBC2026 will take place at the RAI Amsterdam from September 11-14, bringing toge...
18/06/2026
InfoComm 2026 held its first-ever Media Day on June 17, providing journalists an...
18/06/2026
FOR-A America has announced a Trade Agreements Act (TAA)-compliant LED display solution combining Alfalite's Litepix LED displays and Brompton Technology...
18/06/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level have one major thing in common: the intensity and attention to detail ramps up dur...
18/06/2026
The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) and TMRW Sports have an...
18/06/2026
AJA Video Systems has unveiled Io Xpand, a Thunderbolt 5-enabled PCIe expansion ...
18/06/2026
ESPN has announced its coverage plans for the 30th anniversary of the WNBA's...
18/06/2026
FOX Sports' Big Noon Kickoff will broadcast live from Wembley Stadium in Lon...
18/06/2026
InfoComm 2026 opened on Wednesday at the Las Vegas Convention Center, bringing t...
18/06/2026
As media companies look to deliver more live, VOD, and snackable sports content ...
18/06/2026
Top L-R: Take Me Home, The Lake
Bottom L-R: TheyDream, Union County
Free Summer Screening Series Announced
Screenings for the Local Utah Community at...