The Art of Virtual Synth Design II : Surge XT : Open Source Powerhouse !

"It's fun working on stuff that works!"

Hosted by Vin Curigliano of AAVIM Technology, I am joined by guest co-host Pete Brown of Microsoft and special guest Paul Walker, aka BaconPaul , who is a maintainer and one of the largest contributors on the Surge Synthesizer Team, and also a contributor to several other open source audio projects, including the CLAP plugin standard.

We discuss Paul's early history with music and technology , and how he found his way to joining and forming the Surge team, and his ongoing role there.

We cover the history of Surge XT, and its initial development by Claes Johanson which he sold as a commercial product via his original company Vember Audio ( Released in 2005). We discuss how it eventuated that the development went down the open source route , and how that makes it unique regards allowing access to the source code to all developers, over more traditional closed loop development of other major synths.

We discuss how the Surge Synth Team formed, the importance of the team dynamic and tools, (both technological and sociological) , other projects in the Surge Synth Team beyond Surge XT, and the constantly expanding catalogue.

We take a deeper dive into the features and direction of Surge XT, its unique architecture and feature set, and discuss area's like MPE, CLAP, MT-ESP (Microtuning ), accessibility, etc.

We also discuss the current state of Music Technology and the incoming Zeitgeist being driven by AI, and much much more.

Host & Guest Links :

AAVIM Technology : www.aavimt.com.au

DAWbench : www.dawbench.com

Microsoft : www.microsoft.com

Pete Brown : https://twitter.com/Pete_Brown

Surge Synth Team : https://surge-synth-team.org/

VO :

Andrew Peters : www.andrewpetersvo.com

Music Themes :

Original DAWbench VI Theme Music composed by Rob John : Independent Music Productions : http://www.indmusicprods.com

DAWbench Radio Show ReMix by Erin McKimm : www.erinmckimm.com

All Rights Reserved : © AAVIMT 2025

The Art of Orchestral Sampling II : Sonuscore : Compose Without Limits !

Hosted by Vin Curigliano of AAVIM Technology, I am joined by guest co-host Pete Brown of Microsoft, and special guest Tilman Sillescu, who is the co-founder of Sonuscore, who are a leading, highly respected and widely used Orchestral sample library and instrument developer.

We discuss Tilman's history in music and technology, his early forays into scoring and composition for games, initially finding success using sample libraries which then lead to larger projects utilizing full orchestras.

We cover the motivation to venture into Orchestral sample library development , and explore some of the shortcomings with other available libraries, that the team wanted to address when developing the Sonuscore libraries and instruments.

We navigate Sonuscores milestone releases and innovations, various sample playback engines, the behind the scenes drive for creativity and design, and their partnerships with other 3rd party developers. We also cover the day to day back end mechanisms for distribution, delivery, licensing, etc.

We discuss the emerging technologies and potential impacts to the industry, weigh up the pro's and cons of AI, get side tracked with some stories of outback aussie adventures in classic cars , and much, much more !

Host & Guest Links :

AAVIM Technology : www.aavimt.com.au

DAWbench : www.dawbench.com

Microsoft : www.microsoft.com

Pete Brown : https://devblogs.microsoft.com/windows-music-dev/

Sonuscore : https://www.sonuscore.com/

Dynamedion : https://dynamedion.com

Boom Library : https://www.boomlibrary.com/

VO :

Andrew Peters : www.andrewpetersvo.com

Music Themes :

Original DAWbench VI Theme Music composed by Rob John : Independent Music Productions : http://www.indmusicprods.com

DAWbench Radio Show ReMix by Erin McKimm : www.erinmckimm.com

All Rights Reserved : © AAVIMT 2025

Music Tech Pioneers VI : Roger Linn – LinnDrum to LinnStrument and Beyond !

Hosted by Vin Curigliano of AAVIM Technology, I am joined by guest co-host Pete Brown of Microsoft and special guest Roger Linn, who is the founder of Linn Electronics and is currently the owner and lead designer at Roger Linn Design.

We discuss Rogers early history with music and technology , and how that lead a path to founding Linn Electronics, the early days exploring electronics and creating tools to expand their usability, to his eventual development of the revolutionary LM-1 Digital Drum Machine.

We cover the subsequent instrument designs and evolution, the challenges of staying ahead of an ever increasing competitive market, the fall of the company and his work with other companies in the late 80's and 90's.

We also cover Rogers return to designing innovative hardware designs with his new company Roger Linn Designs in the 00's, his work with contributing to the development of MPE ( MIDI Polyphonic Expression), his ongoing work with continuing to develop innovative instrument designs, share some great history and behind the scenes stories, and much, much more.

Host & Guest Links :

AAVIM Technology : www.aavimt.com.au

DAWbench : www.dawbench.com

Microsoft : www.microsoft.com

Pete Brown : https://twitter.com/Pete_Brown

Roger Linn Design : https://www.rogerlinndesign.com/

VO :

Andrew Peters : www.andrewpetersvo.com

Music Themes :

Original DAWbench VI Theme Music composed by Rob John : Independent Music Productions : http://www.indmusicprods.com

DAWbench Radio Show ReMix by Erin McKimm : www.erinmckimm.com

All Rights Reserved : © AAVIMT 2025

TechBytes 10 : 2025 Music Technology Mid Year Review !

Hosted by Vin Curigliano of AAVIM Technology , I am joined by guest co-hosts Pete Brown of Microsoft and Chris Mann of Link Audio.

We catch up again on what Pete and Chris have been up to since last show, get an overview of NAMM and Super Booth, Petes work on MIDI 2.0, WoA Dev, and the inbox Windows ASIO Driver, etc

We do a general catch up and summary of the last 12 Months in DAWbench testing and development work. Revisit thread management on respective DAW's, highlighting the additional curves being navigated due to the new Intel 15th Gen Ultra's P/E core order layout throwing out previous core affinity assignments, etc.

Host & Guest Links :

AAVIM Technology : www.aavimt.com.au

DAWbench : www.dawbench.com

Microsoft : www.microsoft.com

Pete Brown : https://twitter.com/Pete_Brown

Link Audio : www.linkaudio.com.au


VO :

Andrew Peters : www.andrewpetersvo.com

Music Themes :

Original DAWbench VI Theme Music composed by Rob John : Independent Music Productions : http://www.indmusicprods.com

DAWbench Radio Show ReMix by Erin McKimm : www.erinmckimm.com

All Rights Reserved : © AAVIMT 2025

Honouring the Legendary : Bob Moog Foundation : Innovation, Inspiration, and Igniting Creativity !

" It's Moog, Rhymes with Vogue ! "

Hosted by Vin Curigliano of AAVIM Technology, I am joined by guest co-host Pete Brown of Microsoft, and special guest Michelle Moog-Koussa who is the founder and Executive Director of the Bob Moog Foundation , which she established in 2006 to honour the legacy of her father, Bob Moog , who is the legendary and revolutionary music tech pioneer that invented the first commercial analog synthesizer.

We discuss Bob Moog's early history first building and selling Theremins in his teens, and how that lead the path to developing the first series of voltage controlled modules that would eventually evolve into the Moog Modular Synthesizers. We cover the difficulty in first getting the instruments accepted , the paradigm shift in the late 60's and early 70's to a wider audience with the Wendy Carlos Switched on Back Album and other key artist using the instruments , and the development of the MiniMoog.

We detail the history of the company throughout its numerous stages and ownership's, Bob's loss of his trading name/trademark and eventual exit to found Big Briar. We discuss his tenure at Kurzweil, and subsequent innovations and developments throughout the 90's, leading back to the eventual reclaiming of his name in the early 2000's, and his return to creating synthesizers with the Moog Voyager.

We also discuss Michelle growing up as the daughter of Bob Moog, where she shares some great behind the scenes stories and memories of the man behind the legend, what inspired her to take the path of founding the Bob Moog Foundation, managing and maintaining the extensive historical archive, the Moogseum and the expanding educational programs.

We cover the support provided by industry partnerships with software developers, as well as also discussing how the Foundation is an independent non-profit , donor driven organisation, and detail several ways that people can get involved to support the Foundation, and much, much more.

Host & Guest Links :

AAVIM Technology : www.aavimt.com.au

DAWbench : www.dawbench.com

Microsoft : www.microsoft.com

Pete Brown : https://twitter.com/Pete_Brown

The Bob Moog Foundation : https://moogfoundation.org/

VO :

Andrew Peters : www.andrewpetersvo.com

Music Themes :

Original DAWbench VI Theme Music composed by Rob John : Independent Music Productions : http://www.indmusicprods.com

DAWbench Radio Show ReMix by Erin McKimm : www.erinmckimm.com

All Rights Reserved : © AAVIMT 2025

The Master of Synthesizer Design : Axel Hartmann : From Inspiration to Iconic !

Hosted by Vin Curigliano of AAVIM Technology, I am joined by guest co-host Pete Brown of Microsoft, and special guest Axel Hartmann who has been the go to designer for some of the most iconic synthesizers of the last 35 years, and continues to be one of the leading designers in the field. Chances are, you have seen or played one of his designs.

We discuss Axel's history in music and technology, what lead him to follow the path to Industrial Design, and what motivated and inspired him to focus his attention and creativity, primarily in the area of musical instruments.

Starting with his early career at Waldorf that was initially in graphic design but expanded into the area of industrial design and the eventual design and development of the iconic Waldorf Wave synthesizer, as well as many other well-known and much-loved synthesizer designs for numerous other manufacturers.

We then cover a large number of his better-known designs, and get first-hand insights and behind the scenes details of what is actually involved in bringing these instruments to market.

Throughout, we dive into Axel's design philosophy and how he works in collaboration with the clients to bring the designs to life and to market. We navigate the highs, lows, hits, and misses over his career, and much, much more, with some great stories and laughs along the way.

Host & Guest Links :

AAVIM Technology : www.aavimt.com.au

DAWbench : www.dawbench.com

Microsoft : www.microsoft.com

Pete Brown : https://twitter.com/Pete_Brown

Axel Hartmann : https://axelhartmanndesign.com/

VO :

Andrew Peters : www.andrewpetersvo.com

Music Themes :

Original DAWbench VI Theme Music composed by Rob John : Independent Music Productions : http://www.indmusicprods.com

DAWbench Radio Show ReMix by Erin McKimm : www.erinmckimm.com

All Rights Reserved : © AAVIMT 2025

The Art Of Analog Modeling II : Cherry Audio : Reviving Analog Legends !

Hosted by Vin Curigliano of AAVIM Technology, I am joined by guest co-host Pete Brown of Microsoft, and special guests Dan Goldstein (CTO) and Mitchell Sigman (Lead Designer) @ Cherry Audio.

We discuss Dan and Mitchell's history with music and technology, their shared passion for early synths and computers, and how their paths merged at Cherry Audio. We discuss Dan's early coding career at Sonic Foundry, his initial explorations with analog physical modeling, and how that set the foundations for later developments explored at Cherry Audio. We cover Mitchell's adventures in live performance and touring with some major artists and discuss his time in tech journalism and authoring.

We dive into and explore the catalogue of classic vintage instruments that have been modeled, how the original instruments have been sourced, the impressive array of instruments the guys have in their respective collections, and share some stories of our mutual and collective passion for classic and iconic instruments.

We also cover the ongoing drive and philosophy for the company and the products, community feedback and interaction, and much, much more

Host & Guest Links :

AAVIM Technology : www.aavimt.com.au

DAWbench : www.dawbench.com

Microsoft : www.microsoft.com

Pete Brown : https://twitter.com/Pete_Brown

Cherry Audio : https://cherryaudio.com/

VO :

Andrew Peters : www.andrewpetersvo.com

Music Themes :

Original DAWbench VI Theme Music composed by Rob John : Independent Music Productions : http://www.indmusicprods.com

DAWbench Radio Show ReMix by Erin McKimm : www.erinmckimm.com

All Rights Reserved : © AAVIMT 2024

Music Tech Pioneers V : Peter Gorges: Wizoo to UJAM and Beyond !

Hosted by Vin Curigliano of AAVIM Technology, I am joined by guest co-host Pete Brown of Microsoft and special guest Peter Gorges who has been involved with the ever evolving area of Music Technology in varying capacities for over 4 decades, from sound design, authoring and publishing, journalism, to co-founding numerous innovative Music Software companies.

We discuss Peters' early history with music and technology , and how that lead a path to his initial explorations in synth programming and sound design , his continuing journey to working in Music Tech journalism , further adventures in sound design and programming , collaborating with companies like Kawai, Waldorf, Nord, and his eventual co-founding of his first company, Wizoo.

We cover the evolution of Wizoo, the partnership with Steinberg and joining Digidesign after it acquired Wizoo, which resulted in numerous innovative virtual instrument designs, concepts and technologies. We then move to the initial co-founding, concept and roll out of the first iteration of uJam in partnership with Hans Zimmer and Pharrell Williams, and how that eventually pivoted and evolved to the current company with its expanding and highly regarded virtual instrument lines.

We also cover Company Culture and Philosophy, End User and Community , the emerging and evolving impact of AI, and much much more.

Host & Guest Links :

AAVIM Technology : www.aavimt.com.au

DAWbench : www.dawbench.com

Microsoft : www.microsoft.com

Pete Brown : https://twitter.com/Pete_Brown

uJam : https://www.ujam.com

VO :

Andrew Peters : www.andrewpetersvo.com

Music Themes :

Original DAWbench VI Theme Music composed by Rob John : Independent Music Productions : http://www.indmusicprods.com

DAWbench Radio Show ReMix by Erin McKimm : www.erinmckimm.com

All Rights Reserved : © AAVIMT 2024