An Interview with David Wessel

We were saddened to learn of the passing earlier this week of David Wessel, Professor of Music at UC Berkeley and founder of the Center for New Music and Audio Technologies (CNMAT). More than any other single individual, David was responsible for the shape of the music tools we all use today. His innovations are everywhere in the field of real-time computer music: scheduling and operating system design, music perception, instrument building, real-time performance analysis, networking, timbre spaces, machine learning, complex synthesis control, gesture analysis — the list goes on and on. He defined new concepts of musicianship and performance, whether in a solo context or in collaboration with musicians across an amazing variety of genres. This interview we published in 2005 is a small peek into David's remarkable life and career. I hope you enjoy it.