Musician and YouTuber Hainbach in “Breath of the Wild” and Swiss Army Knives

Stefan Paul Goetsch, known professionally as Heinbach, is an experimental composer, artist, and YouTuber, perhaps best known for making music using laboratory equipment and scientific instruments. He describes it as “Dark souls Of synthesisDespite employing “hard mode” production techniques often based on telephone line test equipment and gear salvaged from nuclear testing facilities, Heinbach is also incredulous. Prolificand released six albums in 2025 alone, along with a few singles and EPs. His latest works, Nice humis to cooperate with Yes! Cosmos (Turkish composer Başak Gunak). The album is a melancholy collection of funky beats, analogue synths, processed vocals, and of course, noisy test gear.

His award-winning composing career and frequent musical collaborations would be enough to keep most people busy 24/7, but Hainbach is also a successful YouTuber. Explore his channel Experimental music techniques, mysterious Vintage equipmentAnd even Modern anomalies like Pastel kalimba. As if that wasn’t enough, he also frequently collaborates with companies like AudioThing to bring the essence of his obscure music-making setup to modern DAWs. (I personally own several, including the amazing Wires plugin.)

With so many projects going on all the time, we wanted to know what Heinbach is most proud of and what the glue holds his studio together.

What is your indispensable tool?

Nagra reel-to-reel tape recorder. I use it in my live performances and in the studio for music and sound design. A wonder of technology, the absolute pinnacle of sophistication for its time, and still looks amazing decades later.

What was the first app you installed on your new phone or computer?

Gauss field recorder. It’s an app I created with Bram Bos to solve a problem I’ve always had: I did a lot of field recordings with the phone, thinking I’d use it at some point. I never did, and ended up with a huge library of uncategorized and unlabeled voice memos. With Gauss, I can instantly turn any recording into music, save the session, and share it.

How many tabs do you have open now?

Since this morning, only my Gmail account and this questionnaire. Later in the day, that could turn into 20+, especially if you do your research.

What social media platform do you use the most (if any)?

It’s fairly evenly divided, and I also post it to everyone. But it’s mostly work, and I’m not there to entertain.

What is your happy place on the Internet?

My Patreon. I love the community and security it has brought me. I couldn’t have embarked on my strange musical journey without her.

What’s your favorite gadget you’ve ever owned?

Definitely a Swiss Army knife. Whether as a child or as a parent now, it has come in very handy. Even on stage, I use it to fix my Swiss Naga, as they work together perfectly. I forgot I had it with me on flights, so I had to have it mailed to me from airports all over the world. For this reason, unfortunately, I no longer carry it with me, for fear of losing it.

Which was the most disappointing?

Anything tried to replace a Swiss Army Knife. Like those stupid credit card sized gadgets.

What game do you have the best memories of?

Playing Breath of the wild For my children during the pandemic. They were busy, we struggled and had fun throughout the match. When they finished, they burst into tears, and I had to promise them that we would play it back. Which we did, this time we got the full ending. My eldest daughter then played it, completing the shrine 100 percent in master mode. Eventually, she was doing things like changing weapons between hits to deal maximum damage, which was weird to me.

What’s a tech trend you wish would go away?

AI music and sound generators. Dirty machines for technocrats who have never felt the joy of mastering something.

What creation are you most proud of?

My series of episodes of destruction. A synthetic piece of music that self-destructs over time, which I used to exorcise evil spirits online Hate commentsViewers and listeners regret Far-right rhetoric.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Stand still. My wife was watching one of my early live shows as Hainbach, and I still have all the moves in me that I learned from playing years after years in rock bands and electronic bands. These movements were not related to my music at all, they were just a habit. Now I nurture every movement, and there is not a single unconscious thing I do on stage.

What is your current obsession?

Passive bandpass filters. I’m about to drive to East Germany to pick up a set that used to belong to Deutsche Reichsbahn, the German Democratic Republic’s train service. These filters often look great, and I have a great collection now. Just me I turned one of them into a plugin With Irish company AudioThing.

What do you do when you need to focus?

Not much, just a little time. I can move quickly, something I learned myself during the little time I had while doing my mandatory government service, and I still feel the absolute need to make music in the short breaks I get.

What do you do when you feel stuck?

I go for a walk to reset. Back in the studio, I challenge my assumptions about what I’m working on. A lot of times, the comet is the part that I build the track around, and I nourish it by giving it all these supporting structures. But then it’s all played together, and it doesn’t happen, and it doesn’t evoke a feeling or a world or a story. This part may have served its usefulness, and could recede into the background, or simply disappear. Maybe it was just an inspiration, not the thing itself.

If killing my loved ones were a crime, I would serve several life sentences.

When was the last time you went somewhere without your phone?

Spa area at a hotel in Carlsbad during the Easter weekend.

What’s the last piece of physical media you purchased?

Daniela Mars Heart weave On vinyl on Bandcamp, from the artist herself. Surprisingly simple and beautiful music.

What do you think is worth spending on?

Decent bed with good mattress and pillow. Important for long-term health, especially as a touring musician.

What will your resume slogan be?

In Germany, we like to add completely exaggerated logos to the title, even for American films. Top Gun – They fear neither death nor the devil (“They fear neither death nor Satan”). So maybe: Heinbach – Secret Cold War. I use Soviet Army wire recorders and US military and nuclear research equipment to make the music, so there’s at least some truth to that.

What’s the last GIF or meme you used?

I don’t think I’ve ever used a meme, although I’ve seen memes myself. And now, by the way, there are eight tabs, and you have to buy my whole new album Yes! Cosmos Who plays in one of them.