Hainbach’s test-equipment music reaches a wider audience

German experimental musician Stefan Paul Goetsch, who records as Hainbach, has released Gentle Hum, a new collaborative album with Turkish composer Başak Günak, who performs as Ah! Kosmos, The Verge reported. The release adds to a busy run for an artist known for turning scientific and industrial equipment into instruments.

The Verge described Hainbach as an experimental composer, artist and YouTuber whose work often uses laboratory gear, scientific instruments and other equipment outside the usual studio toolkit. Hainbach has described that approach as the “Dark Souls of synthesis,” according to The Verge, a reference to the difficulty of making music with tools that were not built for conventional composition.

Gentle Hum brings together unconventional percussion, analog synthesizer drones, altered vocals and test equipment sounds, The Verge reported. The album follows a particularly active year: Hainbach released six albums in 2025, along with singles and EPs, according to The Verge.

A studio built around unusual machines

Hainbach’s process is closely tied to old and specialized hardware. The Verge reported that his productions have used telephone line testing devices and equipment salvaged from nuclear testing sites, putting him in a small group of musicians who treat obsolete technical gear as sound sources.

Asked by The Verge to name his most essential tool, Hainbach pointed to a Nagra reel-to-reel tape recorder. He said he uses Nagra machines for live performances, studio work, music and sound design, according to The Verge.

The focus on tape machines and repurposed electronics also runs through his online work. The Verge reported that Hainbach’s YouTube channel covers experimental techniques, obscure vintage devices and newer oddities, including the Bastl Kalimba, a synthesizer modeled in part around the idea of a thumb piano.

YouTube, software and collaborations

Beyond records and performances, Hainbach has built a large public-facing practice around explaining how his sounds are made. The Verge said his channel has become a place for demonstrations of uncommon musical tools and methods, helping connect niche studio practices with viewers who may not have access to the hardware.

Hainbach also works with music software companies to bring parts of his setup into digital audio workstations, The Verge reported. Those collaborations include projects with AudioThing, which has released plugins based on aspects of his hardware-heavy approach.

The Verge said Hainbach has a new album and a new plugin, while its interview also touched on subjects outside the studio, including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Swiss Army knives and mattresses. The available details center on an artist who continues to split his time between records, video work, live performance and software built from the sounds of hard-to-find machines.

This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.