Kurt James Werner

Dr. Kurt James Werner conducts research related to virtual analog and circuit modeling, the history of music technology (especially drum machine voice circuits), 1-bit music, circuit bending, & sound synthesis more broadly. As part of his Ph.D. in Computer-Based Music Theory and Acoustics from Stanford University’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), he wrote a doctoral dissertation “Virtual Analog Modeling of Audio Circuitry Using Wave Digital Filters.” This greatly expanded the class of circuits that can be modeled using the Wave Digital Filter approach, using the classic Roland TR-808 bass drum circuit as a case study. As a composer, his music references elements of chiptunes, musique concrète, circuit bending, algorithmic/generative composition, & breakbeat. A former Lecturer in Audio at the Sonic Arts Research Centre (SARC) of Queen’s University Belfast, he is currently a Research Engineer at iZotope, Inc. in Cambridge, MA.