The hills are alive... with curiosity! Why do instruments "sound" different from one another, and how do we respond to the different sounds we hear?

To explore these questions, Bey and Kirsten speak with music perception researcher Dr. Stephen McAdams, going in depth about timbre, orchestration, and the ways we perceive tone qualities. Then, the two sit down with electronic musician and educator Ben Runyan to learn about the history and technology behind synthesizers, including a live jam session!

Links for today's episode:

• Learn more about Dr. McAdams and his work with the ACTOR Project
• Check out a video of Snowball the cockatoo dancing to the Backstreet Boys!
• Learn more about Ben Runyan, and check out his recording project, City Rain
• Want to try your own hand at synthesizers? Check out SynthHacker's Youtube tutorials, along with this free online synth!