Lois Macdonald Lecturer in Music and Sound Design

Lois Macdonald

I am Lecturer in Music and Sound Design at SODA and a multidisciplinary artist and musician, with over a decade of experience working in the music industry. My background is as a writing, recording and touring musician.

I am experienced with a range of media, working primarily with sound and composition, but also video, performance, and costume. I have managed a number of events, exhibitions and festivals. I teach across all levels at SODA. I encourage a heuristic approach to learning, and aim to support students finding their own path to their chosen career.  

I am guitarist/synths in Manchester group PINS, and vocalist/guitarist in art punk project Grave Goods. Music from both these projects is available across all platforms. Throughout my career I have had the pleasure of working with some talented producers and musicians. These include Iggy Pop, Jamie Hince, Dave Catching at Rancho de La Luna, Rich Woodcraft at the Firepit (Warner, London) and Stu Matthews at Invada Studios.  With PINS I have worked with label Bella Union, and publishers Just Isn’t Music and have secured syncs across multiple streaming services, games, and film. 

I have toured extensively across the UK, Europe and North America both headline tours and as support for bands such as Sterophonics, The Breeders, Sleater Kinney, Wire, and The Subways. I have played festivals including SXSW, Reading/Leeds, and BBC 6music festival amongst many others. I have performed live sessions for institutions such as KEXP, Rough Trade, BBC radio 1 and 6music.

My research interest is the use of emerging technologies in music composition. Currently I am investigating AI use in music creation with particular focus on the voice, and the resulting impact on artists, the music industry and income streams. I am interested in how musicians interact with new technologies, and how we navigate the democratisation of emerging tech in the creative industries. I investigate these ideas practically through an evolving series of projects ‘PATIENCE’.

I am a member of the Speculative Technologies research group at SODA. I co-run the annual ‘Storytellers + Machines’ events which focus on the unstable relationships between AI  generative media and the storytellers and artists that adopt them.