Robert Margouleff’s ‘Shaping Sounds’ Memoir Arrives In May

03/03/2026 4

Inset: Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil performing in the control room while monitoring in Quad. Photo: Courtesy of Robert Margouleff. — Inset: Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil using TONTO while monitoring in Quad. Photo: Courtesy of Robert Margouleff.

New York, NY (March 2, 2026)—An audio icon for decades, Robert Margouleff has always had a high profile in the industry, thanks to his groundbreaking work producing legendary albums by Stevie Wonder, Devo, Oingo Boingo, David Sanborn, The Isley Brothers and more. He’s shared his insights, production advice and incredible stories in the pages of Mix and at packed panels at NAMM, but now he’ll divulge even more in his upcoming memoir, Shaping Sounds: Stevie Wonder, Devo, The Synth Revolution and My Life Behind the Music (Jawbone Press).

Robert Margouleff ‘Shaping Sounds’ Memoir — Robert Margouleff’s ‘Shaping Sounds’ memoir arrives in May.

The tome will follow his musical journey, starting on the on the set of the film Ciao! Manhattan with Edie Sedgwick. It was there he discovered an emerging technology that would change music—the Moog synthesizer—that led him to meet his fellow collaborator, Malcolm Cecil. Together, they created the legendary analog synthesizer, ‘TONTO’ (The Original New Timbral Orchestra), which fueled much of the innovative sound behind Stevie Wonder’s classic albums Music Of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions and Fulfillingness’ First Finale.

In the book, he writes, “On countless nights I’ve stood in the recording studio, all eyes on me. Chasing the perfect sound, playing my role as a song transforms from idea into reality. Every note, every beat, every story has been a part of my journey. I’ve experienced struggles and successes, highs and lows. If I’ve learned anything from these trials and tribulations, it’s that in the end, the real joy comes from working together toward a common end, sharing your creativity, exploring uncharted waters, and, when you’re lucky enough to find the magic, giving it to the world.”

True to that collaborative spirit, Margouleff shares his travels through recording facilities like New York’s Electric Lady Studios and L.A.’s Record Plant, working to pioneer immersive audio; collaborating with the likes of Billy Preston and Jeff Beck; and working with key pros and influences that shaped his career and ethos.