Andrew develops some of the world's most advanced analog modelling audio algorithms, releasing these as plugins through his own company Cytomic, and licensing technology to industry leading developers like Ableton (Live, Move, Push), and Xfer Records (Serum).

Andrew Simper Links

Mr Bill Links

Summary

In this conversation, Bill Day and Andy Simper delve into the intricacies of audio programming, DSP algorithms, and the evolution of music production tools. They discuss the challenges faced in hardware development, the early days of VST plugins, and the impact of the Glue compressor on Ableton's EQ8. The conversation also explores the technicalities of filters, the transition from bi-quad to state variable filters, and the nuances of summing engines in audio quality. Throughout, they emphasize the importance of efficiency in DSP and the future of audio processing.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background
06:02 Early Days of Audio Programming
11:56 The Glue Compressor and Its Impact
18:01 The Transition to Better Algorithms
23:55 The Future of Audio Processing
30:33 Understanding Audio Summing and Its Implications
36:06 The Complexity of DSP Equations
41:18 Optimizing CPU Usage in Audio Plugins
52:12 Challenges in Audio Feature Extraction
59:17 The Complexity of Circuit Simulation
01:06:18 Modeling Analog Gear: The Importance of Realism
01:11:39 Criteria for Meaningful Emulation vs. Mimicry
01:20:40 Imagining Unlimited Computational Power in DSP
01:25:42 Unsolved Problems in Digital Signal Processing