Stefan Paul Goetsch, better known as Hainbach, is a German experimental composer, artist, and YouTuber perhaps best known for making music out of laboratory equipment and scientific instruments. Defining it as “Dark Souls of synthesis.” Aside from using “hard mode” production techniques that often rely on wire test equipment and gear salvaged from nuclear test sites, Hainbach is also incredibly productive, releasing six albums in 2025 alone, as well as a handful of singles and EPs. His latest, Gentle humcollaboration with Ah! Kosmos (Turkish composer, Başak Günak). The album is a melancholic collection of strange beats, droning analog synths, processed vocals, and, of course, bubbling experimental machines.
His award-winning creative work and frequent musical collaborations may be enough to keep most people busy 24/7, but Hainbach is also a successful YouTuber. His channel explores experimental music techniques, obscure vintage gear, and modern oddities like the Bastl Kalimba. As if that wasn’t enough, he also often collaborates with companies like AudioThing to bring the essence of his arcane musical setup to today’s DAWs. (I personally own a few of them, including the amazing Wires plugin.)
With so many projects going on all the time, we wanted to know what Hainbach was most proud of and what was the glue that held his intimidating studio together.
What is your most important tool?
Nagra reel-to-reel tape recorder. I use this in my live shows, in the studio, with music and sound design. A technical marvel, the absolute high end of its time, and still sounds great decades later.
What’s the first app you install on a new phone or computer?
Gauss Field Recorder. The app I made with Bram Bos to solve a problem I always had: I made a lot of field recordings on the phone, I think I’ll use them at some point. I never did, and I ended up with a huge library of unfiltered and unedited voice memos. With Gauss, I can quickly turn any recording into music and save and share the session.
How many tabs do you have open right now?
As of this morning, I only have two Gmail accounts and this questionnaire. Later in the day, that can change to 20-plus, especially if I’m doing research.
What social media do you use the most (if any)?
It is equally well divided, as I send to all. But it’s mostly work, I’m not there for fun.
What is your happiest place on the internet?
My Patreon. I love the community and the security it brings me. I wouldn’t have started my strange musical journey without it.
What’s your favorite gadget you’ve ever owned?
Definitely a Swiss Army Knife. Both as a child and as a father now, it came in very handy. Even on stage, I use it to adjust my Swiss Nagras, as it works perfectly together. I forgot I had them on the plane, however, I had to have them shipped to me from airports around the world. That’s why I sadly don’t carry it anymore, I’m afraid of losing it.
Which was the most disappointing?
Anything that tried to replace the Swiss Army Knife. Like those stupid credit card sized devices.
What game do you have the fondest memories of?
It’s playing Wild Spirit to my children during the epidemic. They were happy, and we suffered and felt joy during the game. When it was finished, they started crying, and I had to promise that we would play it again. What we did, this time we get the full ending. After that, my oldest played it, and completed 100 percent of the temple in main mode. Finally, he would do things like switch weapons during strikes to do more damage, which was violent to me.
What tech trend do you wish would end?
AI music and sound generators. Slop machines for professionals who have never felt the joy of doing something.
What creation are you proud of?
My Destruction Loops series. A self-destructing feature track over time, which I’ve been using to get rid of hateful online comments, viewer and listener remorse, and straight talk.
What is the best advice you ever received?
Stand still. My wife watched one of my first live performances as Hainbach, and I still had all the moves I learned from years of playing in rock and electronic bands. That movement had nothing to do with my music, it was just a habit. Now I fix everything that moves, I don’t do a single thing while I’m unconscious on stage.
What is your current obsession?
Passive Bandpass Filters. I’m about to drive to East Germany to find a set that used to belong to the Deutsche Reichsbahn, the GDR’s train service. These filters often sound amazing, and I have quite a collection now. I recently converted one of them into a plug-in with Irish company AudioThing.
What do you do when you need to focus?
Not much, just for a while. I can connect quickly, something I taught myself in the little time I had while doing my mandatory government job, and I still feel the absolute need to create music in the short breaks I get.
What do you do when you feel stuck?
I’m off to renovate. Back in the studio, I challenge my ideas about what I’m working on. Most of the time, the culprit is the part that I build the track for myself, I’ve grown it by giving it all these supporting structures. But then everything plays together, and it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t evoke a feeling, a world, or a story. Maybe that part has used its help, and it can go back, or just disappear. Maybe it was just a museum, not the thing itself.
If killing the people I love is a crime, I would serve many life sentences.
When was the last time you went somewhere without your phone?
Spa area at the hotel in Karlsbad during the Easter holiday.
What was the last piece of physical media you purchased?
Daniela Mars Touching on vinyl on Bandcamp, from the artist himself. A wonderful and beautiful little piece of music.
What do you think you should spend on?
A decent bed, with a good mattress and pillow. It’s important for long-term health, especially as a touring artist.
What would be the tagline of your biopic?
In Germany, we like to add high tag lines to the title, even in American movies. Top Gun – Sie Fürchten Weder Tod Noch Teufel (“They Are Not Afraid of Death or the Devil”). So maybe: Hainbach – A Cold War Secret. I use Soviet military phone records and American nuclear and military research equipment to make music, so there is some truth to that at least.
What was the last GIF or meme you used?
I don’t think I’ve ever used a meme, although I’ve seen it myself. Now it’s eight tabs, and you absolutely have to buy my new album Ah! The Cosmos that plays in one of them.
