It Begins...

It's been a year of sampling, sample editing, brainstorming, instrument development, manual writing, more brainstorming, graphic design, web development, and testing testing testing, and finally, Symplesound is a reality. After retiring from DJing back in March 2015 (though I still love releasing tracks on Audiophile Deep), it became clear that the next phase of my career would focus on sound design. Since 2000, I've worked on products for Ableton, Korg, Xfer, iZotope and Roland – and the goal in tracks like Yin/Yang and Servo vs Colossus was to create sounds that stand apart from the pack – so sound design was never just a hobby, it's in my blood. In fact, after 15 years of writing the Dance Mix column for Keyboard Magazine, last year I shifted its focus to pure sound design. In the end, it's all electronic music. Right?

As for the company itself, I'm doing a bit of everything. From product development to marketing and design, starting a business from scratch is a lot of work that I hadn't fully anticipated. Fortunately, an amazing array of interns and colleagues have pitched in and helped this process along in countless ways. For example, Steven Mashaka slaved over sample editing for an entire semester and was integral to ensuring that the multisamples in The Analog Collection were properly edited. As for the website and branding, spending part of the 90s as a web developer for companies like IBM and AMD certainly helped, but when it came to picking the perfect font and treatment for the Symplesound logo, I turned to designer extraordinaire Wesley Miller. He nailed it.

Then there's the squad of beta testers who kicked the tires hard and provided valuable insight into perfecting these libraries. Some were alumni of my college classes. Others were DJs and artists whose work I profoundly respect. A few brilliant tech industry veterans also gave The Analog Collection a thorough workout and offered suggestions, for which I'm truly grateful.

So while Symplesound may seem like a solo operation (for now), it's anything but. I couldn't have done it without the generous assistance and thoughtful input of these contributors, so cheers to everyone who made this project possible. Thank you.