1. who or what got you interested in developing audio software (if not necessity - self interest or work).
2. What did you do before?
Did a particular brand or plugin get you into developing your own?
-
- KVRist
- 235 posts since 6 Sep, 2015
1. I wanted to play piano when I was young, but could not get one .I thought I could use my computer keyboard instead, and I fell in love with the software .
This all made me pursue computer science, but I did not focus on math or EE at all so playing a lot of catch up
I did a lot of web engineering as there was a lot more job postings when I graduated now trying to see if I can make this work instead since 2024 full time.
I was always developing synths the whole time but at a very basic understanding but the post history here helped me a lot.
I was big on sylenth1 fm8 then serum came out and was huge influence for me .
I recently picked up goodhertz megaverb and Valhalla shimmer
Some stuff I would want to pick up now is the Uhe repro-1
I’m working on a synth I really like right now .
I end up just making sound demos and stop working.
This all made me pursue computer science, but I did not focus on math or EE at all so playing a lot of catch up
I did a lot of web engineering as there was a lot more job postings when I graduated now trying to see if I can make this work instead since 2024 full time.
I was always developing synths the whole time but at a very basic understanding but the post history here helped me a lot.
I was big on sylenth1 fm8 then serum came out and was huge influence for me .
I recently picked up goodhertz megaverb and Valhalla shimmer
Some stuff I would want to pick up now is the Uhe repro-1
I’m working on a synth I really like right now .
I end up just making sound demos and stop working.
-
Reasonable Audio Reasonable Audio https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=815469
- KVRer
- 2 posts since 22 Jul, 2026
Hey 35mm, I'm curious why you're asking these questions? Is this for an assignment or are you considering getting into audio dev yourself? Either way, your title doesn't really match your questions so you might not get people looking at the thread.35mm wrote: Sun Jul 19, 2026 10:42 pm So I guess this question asks several things e.g. 1. who or what got you interested in developing audio software (if not necessity - self interest or work). 2. Why? 3. What was your favourite software/plugin (before you developed something much better - of course)? 4. What did you do before? 5. What keeps you doing it?
-
- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 5 posts since 28 Mar, 2026 from Uk
I see your point. Maybe the title should have been, "Which plugin did you use that inspired you to become a dev & other questions..."Reasonable Audio wrote: Wed Jul 22, 2026 1:35 amHey 35mm, I'm curious why you're asking these questions? Is this for an assignment or are you considering getting into audio dev yourself? Either way, your title doesn't really match your questions so you might not get people looking at the thread.35mm wrote: Sun Jul 19, 2026 10:42 pm So I guess this question asks several things e.g. 1. who or what got you interested in developing audio software (if not necessity - self interest or work). 2. Why? 3. What was your favourite software/plugin (before you developed something much better - of course)? 4. What did you do before? 5. What keeps you doing it?
I also failed to answer the questions myself! I will fix that soon.
As for why I asked, I just thought it would be interesting to know what inspires people and how they went from whatever they were doing before to DSP.
Music, competition & sound is all you need. Q. Would you rather be deaf or blind?-
- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 5 posts since 28 Mar, 2026 from Uk
I forgot to answer my own questions!
1. I think it was called Spektral Delay from Native Instruments. I was really impressed with what I could get out of it, then when I got a new computer and reinstalled everything, Spektral Delay had been discontinued. So, I thought, "How hard can it be to make my own?" It turned out to be hard! So I started messing about making more simple things as I learnt.
2. In the late 80s I got a job in a studio as a tape op. Then later on I teamed up with a friend to build our own analogue studio. We had an Atari ST running CLab Creator (which later became Logic). That got me interested in software. Later I had kids and needed to work from home, so I went into developing web apps, databases and running servers. That's when I started messing about with DSP in my spare time.
1. I think it was called Spektral Delay from Native Instruments. I was really impressed with what I could get out of it, then when I got a new computer and reinstalled everything, Spektral Delay had been discontinued. So, I thought, "How hard can it be to make my own?" It turned out to be hard! So I started messing about making more simple things as I learnt.
2. In the late 80s I got a job in a studio as a tape op. Then later on I teamed up with a friend to build our own analogue studio. We had an Atari ST running CLab Creator (which later became Logic). That got me interested in software. Later I had kids and needed to work from home, so I went into developing web apps, databases and running servers. That's when I started messing about with DSP in my spare time.
Music, competition & sound is all you need. Q. Would you rather be deaf or blind?-
Music Engineer Music Engineer https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=15959 - KVRAF
- 4391 posts since 8 Mar, 2004 from Berlin, Germany
I wrote my first VST plugins in the early 2000s after stumbling over the VST-SDK online (I think, it was at version 2.1 at that time) while being a university student of an adjacent field and privately a sort of hobbyist dilettante bedroom producer who got dragged ever deeper into the rabbit hole of sound design. Before really getting hooked on exploring DSP algorithms in depth, I was quite a big fan of NI Reaktor and its predecessor Generator, so maybe _if_ there is any particular product that inspired me, it would probably have to be that. Today, I don't really use Reaktor (or any similar modular system) anymore because now I usually go straight into coding it up in C++ when I have an algorithmic idea but I still consider Reaktor as one of the most amazing products in the audio software market. Well done, NI! 
One of the reasons for why I was dissatisfied with many of the plugins of that era and why I wanted to make my own was the then common approach to GUIs of trying to replicate hardware UIs (virtual wood-panels, rack-mounts, etc.). I considered that as something that can and should be done better in software. We have a big screen and I'm a math nerd, so show me some plots instead of virtual screws and wood panels!
That's a much better use of screen real estate. I would make an exception for an emulation of a concrete hardware synth, though. In this case, a skeuomorphic GUI is appropriate. But otherwise: Dear plugin, please take advantage of being software rather than pretending to be something that you are clearly not and can never be (namely, a hardware unit). Hardware has genuine advantages over software - but so does software over hardware, iff done right. Be completely unapologetic for what you are (namely, a piece of software) and take advantage of it where you do have the advantage (for example, for loading waveforms from files, giving good visual feedback (i.e. show plots), allowing totally flexible MSEG envelopes, etc.). Fortunately, with modern synths, that has become much better, when you look at the UI approach of Serum or Phase Plant, for example. That's also the reason why I personally like "node based" modulars like Reaktor much more than virtual "eurorack like" modulars with their virtual cables. The former approach takes full advantage of being software rather than being a meek makeshift imitation of "the real thing".
One of the reasons for why I was dissatisfied with many of the plugins of that era and why I wanted to make my own was the then common approach to GUIs of trying to replicate hardware UIs (virtual wood-panels, rack-mounts, etc.). I considered that as something that can and should be done better in software. We have a big screen and I'm a math nerd, so show me some plots instead of virtual screws and wood panels!
That's a much better use of screen real estate. I would make an exception for an emulation of a concrete hardware synth, though. In this case, a skeuomorphic GUI is appropriate. But otherwise: Dear plugin, please take advantage of being software rather than pretending to be something that you are clearly not and can never be (namely, a hardware unit). Hardware has genuine advantages over software - but so does software over hardware, iff done right. Be completely unapologetic for what you are (namely, a piece of software) and take advantage of it where you do have the advantage (for example, for loading waveforms from files, giving good visual feedback (i.e. show plots), allowing totally flexible MSEG envelopes, etc.). Fortunately, with modern synths, that has become much better, when you look at the UI approach of Serum or Phase Plant, for example. That's also the reason why I personally like "node based" modulars like Reaktor much more than virtual "eurorack like" modulars with their virtual cables. The former approach takes full advantage of being software rather than being a meek makeshift imitation of "the real thing".