Behind the counter at Switched On

Impose photographer Alex Kacha recently accompanied Michael Stein of S U R V I V E on a trip to Austin, TX’s analog and modular synthesizer mecca, Switched On. Recognized by musicians the world over—from Trent Reznor to Suzanne Ciani—as a go-to source for vintage synthesizer sales and repair, Switched On is veritable gold mine of rare equipment in all stages of completion. Stein, along with a host of other musicians, including co-owner Chad Allen, formerly of Zom Zoms, and Patrick Edwards of Pataphysics, all work at the store and were on hand the day Alex visited. This slideshow highlights some of the many one-of-a-kind synths the store has in stock, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at an electrical engineer’s day at Switched On.

The Austin store is like heaven for synthesizer gear heads.