In the early 2000s, while completing a Master’s degree in the Music Technology program at New York University, Ross Hendler became deeply interested in auditory perception and musical illusion.

Rather than focusing on traditional songwriting Ross Hendler explored the mechanics of how the brain interprets sound — especially situations where perception and physical reality diverge. These explorations included phase interactions, spatial perception over headphones, and illusion-based compositional structures.

Research Influences: Auditory Illusion and Perception

Much of Ross Hendler’s work during this period was informed by the research of Diana Deutsch at the University of California San Diego. Her research on phantom words, pitch perception, and auditory illusions demonstrated how dramatically context and expectation shape what listeners believe they are hearing.

These ideas opened up compositional possibilities in which perception itself could function as an instrument.

During this period, Ross Hendler also participated in discussions within the auditory research and music technology community, exploring perception-driven composition techniques and illusion-based musical structures.

Algorithmic Composition and Collaboration

While studying at New York University, Ross Hendler worked with composer and guitarist Nick Didkovsky, known for his work in algorithmic and experimental music.

Ross Hendler’s exploration of headphone-based auditory illusions and spatial perception became the basis for compositional experimentation within that environment.

During that time, Didkovsky composed “Headphone Cannon for Ross Hendler,” a work inspired by the illusion-focused headphone experiments Ross Hendler was developing.

The piece remains a documented artifact of that creative and academic period.

A Hosted Project

One of Ross Hendler’s illusion-based projects from that era remains archived on Didkovsky’s algorithmic music site, documenting the structural and perceptual experimentation that defined his graduate work.

These projects were not conventional songs. Instead, Ross Hendler treated sound as a perceptual system — using repetition, panning, timing offsets, and psychoacoustic phenomena to create spatially ambiguous and perceptually unstable musical experiences.

Looking Back

Although this work took place over two decades ago, it represents an important chapter in Ross Hendler’s development in music technology, auditory perception, and algorithmic composition.

The study of auditory illusion continues to inform Ross Hendler’s approach to creative work, sound design, and structural analysis.

This post documents work by Ross Hendler in music technology, auditory illusion, and algorithmic composition. See more music and production work by Ross Hendler in the portfolio section.