William Weir

William Weir is a writer living in New Haven, Conn. His articles have appeared in Slate and other publications.

How Humans Conquered Echo

How Humans Conquered Echo

A brief history of artificial reverb in music More »

How the Marshall Amp Changed Rock—and the Meaning of 'Loud'

How the Marshall Amp Changed Rock—and the Meaning of 'Loud'

Jim Marshall's famous black box allowed bands to be heard by larger crowds than ever before. More »

Why Is It So Hard for New Musical Instruments to Catch On?

Why Is It So Hard for New Musical Instruments to Catch On?

The turntable, invented 36 years ago, ranks as the most recently created music-making device with staying power. More »

How the (Original) 'Doctor Who' Theme Changed Music

How the (Original) 'Doctor Who' Theme Changed Music

In a former skating rink, the Radiophonic Workshop opened the world's ears to new soundscapes using little more than imagination More »

50 Years of Making Fuzz, the Sound That Defines Rock 'n' Roll

50 Years of Making Fuzz, the Sound That Defines Rock 'n' Roll

What was once revolutionary is now taken for granted: The evolution of the technologies that give rock its signature sound More »

From the Arcade to the Grammys: The Evolution of Video Game Music

From the Arcade to the Grammys: The Evolution of Video Game Music

Christopher Tin's nod for "Baba Yetu" marks the first time game music has been nominated for anything at the annual awards show. How did we get here? More »

How 'Jingle Bells' by the Singing Dogs Changed Music Forever

How 'Jingle Bells' by the Singing Dogs Changed Music Forever

The song is considered one of the season's most annoying, but it was actually a groundbreaking track when it was released in 1955 More »

The Biggest Story in Photos

Picking up the Pieces After the Tornado in Moore, Oklahoma

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