Marcus Ryle: Music-making Technology, How We Got Here & What the Future Holds

Technology and music have a fickle relationship. On the one hand, the world of sound production has never been larger and more diverse, with advances in software emulation from synths to amps to three-dimensional spaces giving reality a run for its money. On the other hand, the limitations of older, often slower technologies helped to create guardrails where physical and financial means of access played an integral role in developing and formalizing the bands, tracks, artists, and genres we revere as iconic to this day. Sweetwater’s studio scholar, Mitch Gallagher, sits down with industry veteran Marcus Ryle — who cut his teeth alongside Tom Oberheim before founding Line 6, taking major positions with Yamaha, and establishing his WRiiG consultation group, alongside Susan Wolf — to dive into these elusive questions surrounding music-making technology: how did we get here, where are we now, and what does the future hold? Check it out!