Nick Rothwell is joined by Jeff Albert, Associate Professor at Georgia Tech, and Paul McCabe, Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation at Roland, to discuss the 2025 Guthman Musical Instrument Competition — an annual event showcasing new technologies and innovations in music.
Show Notes
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
01:10 - Jeff Albert And Georgia Tech
05:02 - Paul McCabe And Roland's Future Design Lab
10:17 - Judging The Guthman Competition
12:06 - Getting Hands-On With The Instruments
13:45 - Getting The Back Stories From The Creators
15:11 - A Wide Range Of Instruments And Technologies
17:37 - Face-To-Face Demos And Performances
18:45 - The Origins Of The Guthman Competition
21:33 - The 2025 Winner: Chromaplane
24:55 - 3rd Place: Adult Corythosaurus
30:34 - How The Instruments Are Judged
The Guthman Musical Instrument Competition - Biog
The Guthman Musical Instrument Competition began in 1996, founded by Georgia Tech alumnus Richard Guthman in tribute to his wife Margaret, a talented pianist. Originally a jazz piano contest, it grew steadily over a decade, drawing students from dozens of US states.
As Georgia Tech's music landscape evolved, introducing a Music Technology Master’s in 2006 and launching the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology in 2007, the competition shifted focus. In 2009, it was re-imagined as the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition, celebrating innovation in musical instrument design. Now an international event, it attracts inventors from across the globe. From experimental prototypes to market-ready products, entrants showcase their creations live, competing for recognition as the most groundbreaking idea in music technology.
https://guthman.gatech.edu/
Jeff Albert - Biog
An Associate Professor and Interim Chair at Georgia Tech, Jeff Albert’s areas of research and creative practice include improvisation and interaction, jazz performance, performance paradigms for live computer music and audio production. He has performed in concerts and festivals in the U.S and throughout Europe, and contributed as a performer, producer, or engineer on over 60 recordings, including the 2017 Grammy winner for Best Traditional Blues Album. He has been named a Rising Star in the DownBeat Critics Poll and his album Unanimous Sources was named a Top 10 album of 2020 by Jan Garelick in the Boston Globe. Albert received his B.M. from Loyola University New Orleans, and his M.M. from the University of New Orleans. In May of 2013, he became the first graduate of the PhD program in Experimental Music and Digital Media at Louisiana State University, where he was a founding member of the Laptop Orchestra of Louisiana (LOLs).
https://jeffalbert.com/
Paul McCabe - Biog
Paul McCabe is the Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation at Roland, where he has spearheaded the development of the Future Design Labs. Under his leadership, this global R&D team of engineers and researchers has been dedicated to exploring and harnessing emerging trends, fostering innovation, and shaping the global creative landscape for the next 50 years. In addition to his work at Future Design Labs, Paul also brings his expertise to Roland's Central Marketing Group, where he provides executive leadership to Consumer Research and Insights. Throughout his career, Paul has held numerous leadership positions, including VP of R&D and Strategic Partnerships, VP of Global CX and VP of Global Marketing. At Roland Canada, he served in various key roles such as President & CEO, COO, Product Manager, Marketing Communications Manager, Technical Marketing and Product Specialist.
https://mccabepaulj.com/
https://www.instagram.com/mccabep/
Interviewer: Nick Rothwell - Biog
Nick Rothwell is a regular Sound On Sound author, composer, performer, software architect, coder and visual artist. He has built media performance systems for projects with Ballett Frankfurt and Vienna Volksoper, composed sound scores for Aydın Teker (Istanbul / Kapadokya), AWA Dance, Luz Mannion Dance (Flamenco) and Undercurrent Theatre, programmed physical media sculptures with Simeon Nelson and Rob Godman, live coded in Mexico and in Berlin with sitar player Shama Rahman, collaborated with the body>data>space collective in Prague, Paris and Dresden, written software for Studio Wayne McGregor, Beinghuman in Kathmandu, the Pina Bausch Foundation and Nesta's FutureFest, consulted for Tate Modern, and developed algorithmic visuals for large-scale outdoor projections in Poland, Estonia, Cambridge Music Festival and Lumiere (London / Durham). He has taught design at CODE Berlin and currently runs the Computer Science undergraduate course at University of the Arts London.
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