How do you get started making electronic music? And once you get there, how do you start to incorporate elements of expressivity? Is musical expression important in electronic music? Should we think of electronic music performance similarly to how we approach performing with acoustic instruments, or is it a new beast entirely?

We recently teamed up with performer-composer/educator Sarah Belle Reid to give away two Intuitive Instruments Exquis—an MPE-capable MIDI/CV controller that rings in at a surprisingly low price ($299 as of the time of publishing this article).

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Canadian-born musician and sound designer explores the noisier side of Gliss as a non-linear waveshaper. In this installment, the brilliant musician and educator, Sarah Belle Reid, explores the timbral possibilities of Gliss by using it extensively as a non-linear waveshaper.

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“She’s particularly exciting for us because we have a lot of brass players here at UCCS and in our community,” Forshee said. “Women are terribly underrepresented both in music, most broadly, and especially in computer music or electronic music. So the opportunity to bring her here and for her to share her work with all of us is kind of our pièce de résistance.”

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Originally released in March of 2021, our friend Sarah Belle Reid's MASS is a showcase of the creative possibilities a musician can pull out of a simple set of instruments. Primarily featuring the Make Noise Strega, high brass instruments (trumpet, flugelhorn), and voice, the original MASS was a c. 30-minute long journey through murky soundscapes reminiscent of classic tape music, grindcore textures, and horror soundtracks.

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This is a listening process that perhaps is insensitive to the context of the listener or alternatively demands an open and less assertive ear. When listening to this album, most probably the listeners will not have set up their own personal acousmonium or be in an auditorium decorated with grandiose loudspeaker orchestras but in their own spaces.

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I was intrigued by postrockcafe’s description of the album, and after hearing it this morning in between teaching duties, I have to say that the description is apt.  Shades of early Industrial music with a more academic bent (don’t let that scare you!), a modern, sharper and cleaner take on experimental music, and bits and bobs of something that could pass for soundtrack music underpinned by a subtle, harrowing trumpet underneath, make this an absolutely worthy listen.

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Sarah Belle Reid Returns to Pod Mod to chat about her new release, MASS, her upcoming show in Seattle, and her Modular Courses!

Electronic music composer and educator Sarah Belle Reid has released a video that offers an in-depth explanation and demonstration of the first ever modular synthesizer created by legendary designer Don Buchla.

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Composer/educator Sarah Belle Reid shares her impressions of the Mills Buchla 100 System…the first modular system that Donald Buchla ever built.

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We delve into Sarah’s fascinating work in modular synthesis, composition and even take a few detours into academia and virtual reality. If you’ve ever thought about learning or jumping into modular synthesis, Sarah has some great guidance as well.

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Sarah Belle Reid's pick is easily one of the most interesting effect pedals of the year: Fairfield Circuitry's Roger That. Roger That is difficult to describe—it sits somewhere within the realm of distortion or extreme fuzz, and, depending on the settings, can sound something like the wavefolding/waveshaping techniques you might find in a modular synthesizer.

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Far too many people use the terms listening and hearing interchangeably. But in reality, as composer Pauline Oliveros noted, “listening is not the same as hearing and hearing is not the same as listening.” The key distinction between the two is the amount of intentional effort the perceiver puts into understanding their surroundings. Listening requires mental labor that hearing does not. When one more actively engages with sound, they can find merit in almost anything they hear. Listening can reveal the emotional depths and power of sounds that mere hearing may suggest as just “noise.” This is the area in which sonic polyglot Sarah Belle Reid thrives. 

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Sarah spoke about how she combines her classical training with electronic music production and sound design. She explains how she keeps curiosity and joy central to her work.

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A post-genre excursion that can be abrasive and perplexing but is always exciting, Reid and Rosenboom make for an unconventional and highly unusual listen that you can’t help but be drawn to.

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Sarah Belle Reid is the ultimate modular multi-instrumentalist and composer. When she isn’t teaching, scoring, or tweaking, she’s also playing a unique expanded trumpet of her own invention. Dubbed the MIGSI (Minimally Invasive Gesture Sensing Interface), it’s covered in sensors, wires, and lights, expanding the control and expression possibilities of the acoustic instrument. VCV Rack is a tool for composition, sound design, performance, and a way for her to introduce others to the world of synthesis and modular creation. She joins us to share how she works, how trumpet and voice can expand performance, and how she approaches composition, scoring, and teaching.

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“Well, there are so many ways to get started in the world of electronic music. I couldn’t possibly offer them all to you right now. But what I can say is my personal belief on one of the best ways to get into electronic music is through sound synthesis, which is learning how to create sound through using electronic circuits of some kind.”

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“It really isn’t about fitting into a single genre but more about exploring sound and interactions between electric and acoustic instruments. I’m curious about sound in general, so I think my pursuit of new and unusual sounds is very central to my music making.”

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NOWS from David Rosenboom and Sarah Belle Reid is a captivating expression of the radical challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The music examines the notion of “co-presence,” or togetherness, when experienced in isolation.

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The concert program features five new world-premiere works, including three commissions from renowned composers Elainie Lillios, Tito Rivas and Sarah Belle Reid and two new compositions by ASU faculty Garth Paine and Gabriel Bolaños.

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A lauded synthesist and an inspiring educator, Sarah Belle Reid’s techniques are innovative, explorative and experimental in all the right ways. As well as working ably with sounds from within her systems, she is known for fusing acoustic sounds, namely trumpet and the human voice, with modular synthesis to astonishing effect.

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A Blistering Sonic Journey: Sarah Belle Reid + David Rosenboom's NOWS

NOWS, is the first ever collaborative release from Sarah Belle Reid and David Rosenboom. The nature of their past work as performer/composers, improvisors, and solo artists might give you a sense of what NOWS is like: a high-energy, intensely detailed rush of seemingly infinite sound-worlds forming, passing, and collapsing right before your ears. It's a fast-paced, dense listen, and you'll find yourself playing and re-playing tracks, noticing new details with each repeat listen.

Interestingly, NOWS was created with each artist operating completely independently in their own home studio. What we're hearing aren't 100% real-time jams—instead, this album was constructed while each performer was located on opposite sides of the US. Each track is an assemblage of sounds from each player, organized and edited by one of the duo. This isn't to say that they were each just editing together sounds from an endless array of samples from the other player, however; throughout 2021–22, Reid and Rosenboom exchanged thoughts, sounds, questions, and propositions, and set specific times and dates to dedicate to recording, editing, and mixing in isolation. They never actually heard one another's edits until relatively late in the process—instead, they were relying on the foundation of shared thoughts and isolated yet dedicated time in order to create the works that now comprise the album.

As it would turn out, this uncanny approach to collaboration seems quite effective in these artists' hands: each track takes on its own distinct character, while maintaining a sense of equal contribution from both artists, as well as a sense of place/continuity within the work as a whole. You'll hear everything from flurries of electric violin and quarter-tone trumpet to field recordings, voices, abrasive electronic feedback, distant swells of noise, and sound impossible to classify. If you're up for a dense, fast-paced, and somehow still playful listening experience, NOWS should be up your alley.

Perfect Circuit picked their favorite content creators to talk about their favorite piece of gear they got in 2021.

Always actively sharing her passion for music, as well as her knowledge of the field, Reid's name is likely to be familiar to anyone presently interested in the world of sound synthesis, and her YouTube videos often provide a refreshing perspective on the process of music-making, novel compositional strategies, and modes of listening to music and sounds in general. Thus every new release from Sarah undeniably sparks excitement and curiosity.

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In this episode, Sarah Belle Reid spoke about her latest project MASS, her journey from classical trumpet performer to experimental composer, and her philosophy on the relationship between artist and technology in improvised performance settings.

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FLON: So, I guess I’ll start out with some basics. Which came first, the synthesizer or the trumpet and how did you get into music in the first place?

SBR: The trumpet came first for me—long before I got into electronics of any kind. I actually started out playing piano from the age of 4 or so, and then switched over to trumpet when I was 7 or 8 because I really wanted to play in a band and have a portable instrument…

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Bill Kautz (DJ Silver Sprocket) interviewed the composer, improviser and electro-acoustic visionary Sarah Belle Reid aired on Something Else on KBGA Missoula on March 10, 2021.

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Promising a unique night of experimental electronic music, a trio of musicians performed a concert of all-new original pieces. Organized by Brandon University associate professor of low brass Aaron Wilson, who is also performing, the show also features Brandonite Brendon Ehinger and California-based musician Sarah Belle Reid, all live-streamed online. Reid’s inclusion is a testament to the wide-reaching nature of live-streamed music events, which have risen to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Sarah Belle Reid has dedicated much of her time to helping people find their path in modular synthesis. Though largely known for performing experimental music with trumpet and synthesizers, Reid is also an educator specializing in synthesis and music technology. After teaching electronic music at the University level for several years, Reid has created her own brand of modular synthesis training in the form of her thoughtful, thorough, and surprisingly deep online program Learning Sound and Synthesis. LSS teaches everything from acoustics and synth history to an extensive overview of modular synth technique, aimed to leave participants ready to approach any synthesizer they encounter—even if they have no prior experience with synthesis, and even if they don't own any synthesis hardware.

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Sarah Belle Reid performs an improvised set on Lumpen Radio’s Twitch channel.

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“Sarah Belle Reid is a trumpet virtuoso. But if you see her perform, you’ll hear a lot more than solo trumpet. You may recognize her from our artist profile from a few months back. If not, go watch it, it’s really enjoyable. “

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“From Sarah Belle Reid's elegant graphic scores to a piece by the improv-priestess Pauline Oliveros, the concert called for many species of creation.”

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“Sarah's myriad interests (and talents) have helped her develop a diverse body of work, including her stunning debut album with trumpet and electronics ('Underneath and Sonder') released on pfMENTUM earlier this season.”

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“Instead of further perfecting her classical ability, she has taken an adventurous journey to play with the sonic extremes she can coax from her instrument. She then takes the data of her motions, and augments her trumpet with the extremes of electronic sound. The result is a magnificent soundscape that constantly surprises and sometimes offends. “

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“If I could share a little bit of wisdom with my younger self, it would be to not worry so much about fitting in, or figuring out how all the pieces will come together. Embrace the things that make you different, and know that it IS possible to create your own path forward. Don’t think too much about the big picture, or how you’ll get there—just keep what you love in mind and chip away at it, piece by piece.”

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Sarah Belle Reid performs live on KSPC Radio.

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“Sarah Belle Reid is an uncommon sort of musician—a composer, performer, and instrument designer whose work embraces technology with a strong focus on intuition, uncertainty, and the embodied relationship between performer and instrument. Her music has been described as sounding like everything from interstellar travel and pits of centipedes to falling silk...and given the sonic breadth of her debut album Underneath and Sonder, none of these descriptors feel unwarranted. She performs with a balance of meditated severity and curiosity that keeps listeners on the edge of their seats—and this intensity and depth remains evident in the context of her recordings.”

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“Ms. Reid performed works from her newly released album Underneath and Sonder. This began with a remarkable hybrid trumpet that featured two bells – one of which was muted – while both were connected to the same valving and a single mouthpiece. The formidably convoluted plumbing for this instrument was ingeniously constructed so that the performer could switch sounds between the two bells.”

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“It was hard to look away from these wizards at their apparatuses. Sunday night, Oct. 20, was a double album-release concert to celebrate Sarah Belle Reid’s debut recording Underneath and Sonder and Carolina Eyck’s Elegies for Theremin & Voice, organized by Equal Sound.”

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“I think music drew me to music. It was always playing around the house when I was younger. I remember blues and jazz in the kitchen around meal prep time. My mom started teaching me piano when I was about 4 years old. The trumpet came into my life a little later, and working with electronics and modular synthesizers even later after that. I guess you can say music has always been part of my life, but the thing that has kept me drawn to it all these years is that there’s something new around every corner… the funny thing about sound is that the more you listen, the more you hear.”

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“Reid has greatly extended the possibilities of the humble trumpet into new territory by the application of innovative sensing technology and sound processing.”

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“The sounds she creates are extraordinary and enveloping and contribute a lot to the vibe of the record. Like all the musicians I work with, she is a composer as well and on this record she brought a deep mood and sensitivity to the music, without us having played together previously almost at all. Attached to her trumpet is a thing called a MIGSI that she co-produced.”

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“Willowy, bespectacled young Sarah Belle Reid also eschews shoes, curling her toes around a barstool's crossbars as she breathes often notelessly through her trumpet, augmenting the airy sound with warm echoes selected via a notebook computer.”

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“I’m the type of person who always has a lot of different projects on the go. Over the last 6 years or so my practice has evolved from being exclusively focused on the trumpet to something that is much more interdisciplinary in nature: working with technology, incorporating different media, and exploring ways of presenting and interacting with sound-based performance that fall beyond a typical recital hall or concert setting. I find that working this way—merging music and sound art with electrical engineering, computer programming, and some elements of theatre or performance art—truly enriches my creative output and feels most genuinely like me.”

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"The program will showcase hugely important yet often overlooked contributions to the history of electronic music by women alongside new pieces written by non-cis-male composers working on the cutting edge of experimental electronic and electroacoustic music."

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"The main thing that drew me toward this event is how amazing it is to have such a concentration of female composers and such an opportunity to showcase the work that’s being created right now by women in this field,” said Sarah Reid, young composer and faculty member at California Institute of the Arts."

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"Burnt Dot is an experimental jazz/noise group that exists between LA and Ashland. The ensemble transcends the physical limitations of concert halls and recording studios by beaming into their rehearsals and shows via telepresence.

We asked them what makes for good collaboration. Here is some of what they said."

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"Noise acts are notorious as free-flowing collectives that include both sound and visual artists, and that's true of SANF8 headliners Burnt Dot. Founded by Sarah Belle Reid and Ryan Gaston, who in collaboration with visual artist Sahir Khan, strive for work that's "as quirky, fiery and thought-provoking as the world that inspires it." Festival co-curator Mark Soden of phog masheeen, who first saw Burnt Dot at NorCal Noisefest earlier this year, calls them a "dialogue duo" for the conversational discourse between Reid's trumpet and Gaston's modular synthesizer."

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"In their concerts and videos, Burnt Dot magically and literally enlarges the space of collaboration and musical potential, with old technologies like breath as their anchor (and some cutting edge network audio technology).

Listen to Burnt Dot and you’ll enter a sound world so enmeshed and teeming it’s difficult to tell where one instrument begins or ends."

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"Sarah Belle Reid (b.1989) is a Canadian born, Los Angeles based trumpet player, improvisor, intermedia artist, and composer who is often cited as having an onstage presence that is both captivating and passionate."

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