WolfTalk: Podcast About Audio Programming (People, Careers, Learning)

Phil Burk has had an amazing career as an audio developer: from writing DSP code on Z80, through creating a music language, writing code for mobile phones, PlayStation audio support, and Android, up to MIDI 2.0 contributions. He’s also a co-creator of the PortAudio library, which is one of the most popular OS-agnostic audio libraries (and it’s used not just from C/C++ but from Python as well).He’s been there from the 80s up until today; he’s seen it all!What I love about Phil is his purely interest-driven approach. He was able to make his hobby his work and thus live a life of passion. Even today, as a retiree, he still codes 8 hours a day just for fun.After listening to this episode, you will not only learn a ton of useful audio programming knowledge and feel inspired, but you will also feel thankful that the world has audio developers such as Phil; they’re a real blessing, making our lives easier and more pleasant to the ear!Episode Contents From this episode, you will learn:how Phil created his first analog synth and started programming on Z80what challenges did early music programming facehow HSML music programming language came to bethe challenges of programming digital signal processors (DSPs) and designing audio hardwarehow mobile phone audio worked in the late 90s/early 2000sPhil’s awesome audio projects: PortAudio, JSyn, WebDrum, and more (see below)the story of MIDI 2.0how the Android team fixed the latency problemwhich languages Phil has used throughout these 4 decades of audio programmingwhat are his work habits for maximum programmer productivityThis episode was recorded on February 4, 2026.00:00:00 Podcast Intro00:00:36 Introducing Phil Burk00:02:13 Early Music & Homebrew Electronics00:04:08 Building a Shoebox Synthesizer00:07:18 Z80 Programming via Hex Keypad00:10:15 Emulating a 68000 CPU on a Z8000:14:08 Sponsor: JUCE00:15:55 Phase-Locked Loops & the Commodore 6400:18:41 From Biophysics to Programming00:22:11 Meeting Larry Polansky at Mills College00:26:02 HMSL: A Music Language Built in Forth00:32:43 Motorola 56000: Real-Time Synthesis00:35:30 3DO: First Software Synth Console00:43:38 Designing a Custom DSP in Verilog00:54:38 JSyn: Interactive Music in the Browser01:02:00 Building PortAudio with Ross Bencina01:05:52 Max Neuhaus Sound Installations01:14:33 A 14KB MIDI Synth for Mobile Phones01:27:02 Designing the MIDI 2.0 Standard01:40:41 Sony PlayStation 3 Audio Libraries01:44:44 AAudio: Fixing Android Audio Latency01:53:16 Why Android Audio Lagged Behind iOS02:03:08 Reviving HMSL with JUCE & PForth02:07:07 Retirement: Kotlin, AI & New Projects02:12:17 Every Language Phil Has Programmed In02:18:42 Are Dedicated DSP Chips Still Needed?02:20:43 Developer Setup & Favorite Tools02:23:23 The Music-DSP List & Learning DSP02:30:08 Just Enough, Just in Time Learning02:33:05 Audio Is Harder Than People Think02:36:26 Shower Debugging & Work Habits02:41:40 How to Reach Phil Burk02:42:50 Outro

How do you become a C++ Standards Committee member?Why is C++ prevalent in audio?Should you still use it for audio software?Honestly, Timur Doumler is someone I have looked up to ever since I saw his “C++ in the audio industry” talk at CppCon 2015.He has a rich development history with C++ and/or audio:developer at Native Instrumentsdeveloper of the JUCE C++ framework (podcast sponsor ❤️)C++ linter developer and developer advocate at JetBrains (who make the CLion IDE)founder of Cradle, an audio plugin startupC++ Standards Committee memberCppCast podcast hostnotorious Audio Developer Conference and CppCon speakerI have probably missed a ton of stuff here, but that should already give you a flavor of what Timur is up to 😉I especially enjoy his technical talks on synchronization with the (real-time) audio thread; For example, at the Audio Developer Conference 2025, he made me finally understand memory ordering in C++ (or so I believe 😅)In the podcast interview, we discuss his story, tactics, and tips, which I hope will inspire you to follow his footsteps (as they sure did me).It also turns out we are both fond of the same music band… Listen to the interview to find out which one 😁All in all, this one of my favorite podcast episodes (audio & C++, what more do you need?), so don’t miss it!Note: If you like the podcast so far, please, go to Apple Podcasts and leave me a review there. You can do so on Spotify as well. It will benefit both sides: more reviews mean a broader reach on Apple Podcasts and feedback can help me to improve the show and provide better quality content to you. You can also subscribe and give a like on YouTube. Thank you for doing this 🙏Episode ContentsFrom this episode, you will learn:How Timur’s early interests and experiences led him toward audio programmingHis early engineering work at Native Instruments, including contributions to Kontakt and NI’s internal C++ librariesHow he joined ROLI and worked on the development of JUCEThe story behind founding CradleHow he became involved in the ISO C++ Standards Committee including his audio-related contributionsWhat he’s most excited for in the upcoming C++26 standardHow he approaches software development and maintaining a healthy work-life balance (that was a great one to learn for me personally, too)This episode was recorded on September 26, 2025.TIMESTAMPS00:00:00 Podcast Intro00:00:37 Timur Doumler00:01:55 Timur's Introduction and Background00:02:46 Early Interest in Music00:03:35 Linking Music to Software Development00:04:42 Studying Physics & Astrophysics (Berlin, Lyon, Potsdam)00:06:08 Learning C & Fortran through Cosmology Simulations00:07:46 Deciding to Become a Developer00:10:48 Getting Hired at Native Instruments00:12:16 Working on NI’s Internal C++ Libraries & Kontakt00:18:05 Sponsor: JUCE00:19:37 Moving to ROLI and Working on JUCE00:22:08 Lessons Learned from Jules & Fabian00:24:27 Joining JetBrains00:30:13 Becoming a Developer Advocate00:34:40 Founding Cradle & Building the First Products00:37:17 Life as CTO & Startup Reflections00:39:09 Bloomberg & C++ Contracts00:41:29 The 2015 Talk: C++ in the Audio Industry00:46:58 Representing the Audio Industry00:48:18 Joining the ISO C++ Committee00:50:19 Timur's Work in the C++ Committee00:55:24 How the C++ Committee Works01:02:20 How to Learn C++ Today01:06:48 Real-Time Audio Programming & Tools01:08:02 Personal Productivity: Meditation, Exercise, Time Management01:13:46 Tech Stack and Developer Tools01:14:13 Music Timur Codes To (Meshuggah, Animals as Leaders)01:17:15 How to Contact Timur01:18:59 Outro

Victor Zappi is a creator, researcher, and educator at the intersection of music, technology, and interaction design. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Music Technology at Northeastern University. In his career, among others, he worked on the Bela hardware platform during his time at Queen Mary University of London’s prestigious Centre for Digital Music (C4DM).In this episode, apart from Victor’s inspiring career, we focus on digital musical instruments:What is a “good” digital musical instrument like?Is it a fixed “box” that you should learn how to play?Or should it be “abused” by opening “the box,” and messing with its internals?Can an artist change the digital instrument to make it their own?We conclude with a discussion of Victor’s LDSP C++ framework, which enables low-level audio device control on Android devices.This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of musical interfaces, hackable hardware, and the technology that drives them!

Geraint Luff is a seasoned audio DSP developer and the founder of Signalsmith Audio. Geraint’s presentations, such as “Let’s Write a Reverb” and “Four Ways to Write a Pitch Shifter,” are among the most popular talks at the Audio Developer Conference (ADC) thanks to Geraint’s clarity of explanation and easy-to-understand visuals (not to mention the accompanying open-source repos).In the interview, Geraint shares his insights on his career path, freelancing in the audio industry, and digital signal processing (DSP). He discusses how he gained traction as a freelancer by joining a community, delivering audio-focused technical talks, and sharing open-source repos. We can also learn his approach to learning DSP, problem-solving, and the significance of visualization in explanations.Theory first of practice first? Listen to the podcast episode to find out! 😉Note: If you like the podcast so far, please, go to Apple Podcasts and leave me a review there. You can do so on Spotify as well. It will benefit both sides: more reviews mean a broader reach on Apple Podcasts and feedback can help me to improve the show and provide better quality content to you. You can also subscribe and give a like on YouTube. Thank you for doing this 🙏00:00:00 Podcast Intro00:00:38 Introducing Geraint Luff00:03:30 Geraint's Introduction00:04:14 Early Interest in Music & Programming00:05:53 Learning DSP: Asking Dad About MP3s00:06:50 University Studies: Maths at Cambridge00:08:25 First Job (Meridian Audio) & 2009 Crash00:10:36 Experience at Amazon00:12:26 Hobby Audio Effects Projects00:13:15 Transferable Skills from Non-Audio Roles00:15:49 Transitioning to Audio DSP Freelancing00:19:17 The Importance of Community00:21:01 Landing the First Freelance Gig00:21:28 Geraint's Learning Approach00:22:21 DSP Design Philosophy00:23:18 Creating the "Let's Write a Reverb" ADC Talk00:24:30 Sponsor Break: JUCE00:26:09 Geraint's Path as a Recipe for Others00:28:20 Approach to Talks & Teaching00:34:38 Story Behind "Four Ways to Write a Pitch Shifter"00:39:59 The Open Source signal_smith::stretch Library00:41:51 Creating Visuals for Talks00:44:46 Overview of Freelance Projects00:48:26 Freelancing Challenges & Realities00:49:45 Experience with KVR Developer Challenge00:50:19 Value of Specialization in Freelancing00:56:25 Using WebAssembly for DSP Demos01:01:05 Approach to Reading Academic Papers01:04:32 Learning Style: Creating from Scratch01:05:38 Thoughts on Deep Learning01:06:43 Testing and Verifying DSP Code01:10:06 Current Tech Stack01:16:52 Getting Started in Audio Programming01:19:00 Advice for Starting Freelancing01:20:22 Quick Fire Questions01:24:45 Final Thoughts & How to Connect01:26:03 Pocast Outro

Julian’s career is incredible: from natural sciences through a master’s in physical modeling, a PhD in virtual analog modeling, an almost decade-long position at Native Instruments, all the way to TikTok and Stability AI, where he’s working now on generative music algorithms.There are few people who have such a rich background in audio research and industry and even fewer who are willing to share the details of it publicly. That makes this episode all the more exciting!Note: If you like the podcast so far, please, go to Apple Podcasts and leave me a review there. You can do so on Spotify as well. It will benefit both sides: more reviews mean a broader reach on Apple Podcasts and feedback can help me to improve the show and provide better quality content to you. You can also subscribe and give a like on YouTube. Thank you for doing this 🙏Episode contents From this podcast, you will learn:how machine learning forever changed audio plugin design and developmenthow big audio plugin companies operate internallyhow to learn C++ for audio programmingwhether you need to have a PhD to work in an R&D department of an audio companywhat is the state of the art in generative musichow to learn generating music with AIhow to be able to focus on research papers even if you read them after hourshow to produce quality researchhow to rest & recharge after intense and focused work

Dave Rowland is the CTO of Audio Squadron: a group of audio-related companies. More specifically, he’s the architect and the lead developer of the Waveform digital audio workstation (DAW) and an Audio Manager of Prism Sound (which focuses on audio hardware manufacturing). He’s also a very successful speaker, having given talks at conferences like Audio Developer Conference or C++ on Sea.Given the popularity of Dave’s talks and his 11-year long (as of 2024) experience in developing the Waveform DAW and its open source engine, I am incredibly excited to have him on the WolfTalk podcast.During the interview, we learn not only Dave’s story but we also discuss the challenges of building real-time audio software including DAWs and learning C++, software architecture, and high-performance real-time programming concerning audio. Dave shares a ton of highly useful tips and resources so you don’t want to miss out on this one!Note: If you like the podcast so far, please, go to Apple Podcasts and leave me a review there. You can do so on Spotify as well. It will benefit both sides: more reviews mean a broader reach on Apple Podcasts and feedback can help me to improve the show and provide better quality content to you. You can also subscribe and give a like on YouTube. Thank you for doing this 🙏Episode contents From this podcast episode, you will learn:how Dave organizes his day for maximum productivity,which tools he’s leveraging on the day-to-day basis,how he went from being a music technology student to a freelance audio developer to the lead developer on the Tracktion DAW (now Waveform),how he approaches creating his widely acclaimed conference talks,which resources to use to learn high-performance real-time programming.This podcast was recorded on March 25, 2024.

In this podcast episode, I was delighted to be able one of the most prominent people of the audio developer landscape: Fabian Renn-Giles.Fabian is a former lead developer of JUCE, currently working as an independent contractor. He has worked with many great companies (e.g., iZotope, Behringer) and has an incredible portfolio. He is regarded as an expert of real-time, low-latency C++ audio programming.You may know him from his talks at the Audio Developer Conference or at CppCon.He’s also an incredibly kind and modest person; anyone that I’ve talked to about Fabian only had praise for his skills and his very down-to-earth attitude.In the light of all the above, this interview is a real treat for everyone who’d like to become a real-time audio C++ expert!Note: If you like the podcast so far, please, go to Apple Podcasts and leave me a review there. You can do so on Spotify as well. It will benefit both sides: more reviews mean a broader reach on Apple Podcasts and feedback can help me to improve the show and provide better quality content to you. You can also subscribe and give a like on YouTube. Thank you for doing this 🙏Episode contents In this podcast episode, you will learn:how Fabian self-taught himself programming at the age of 6 (sic!),how he co-founded Fielding DSP, which serves as his professional outlet for programming services,how he became the lead developer of the JUCE C++ framework and what he learned from it,how to learn real-time audio C++ programming even if you are just starting out,how to become a freelance audio developer like Fabian (what you won’t learn at a university),how to optimize your audio code for maximum performance,the secret story of the “Real-Time 101” talk that Fabian did together with Dave Rowland and which is one of the most widely cited talks in the audio programming space,what are the issues in audio software architecture and how to conceptualize them,what are Fabian’s day-to-day programming tools for optimal productivity.This episode was recorded on January 26, 2024.

In this podcast episode, I was lucky to interview Chase Kanipe: a cybersecurity professional, a musician, and an audio programmer (formerly C++ with JUCE, currently Rust). Chase is most widely known through his incredible Audio Developer Conference talks:Tips From a Hacker on License Checking at ADC22Writing Elegant DSP Code with Rust at ADC23 (to be released soon)Both were really insightful and of incredibly high quality. One could not overlook Chase’s personal culture and the depth with which he explained the concepts. Not to mention that both of his talks made it into my “Top 10 ADC Talks” videos for both ADC22 and ADC23!Chase is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Machine Learning at the University of Maryland. At the same time, he’s working on his breakthrough audio project in a self-grounded company Procedural Audio.In the podcast, we discuss his path of being a classically trained musician, a passionate cybersecurity specialist, and then transitioning into audio programming with Rust and into AI. He’s an incredibly inspiring individual and I have learned a lot from interviewing him!Note: If you like the podcast so far, please, go to Apple Podcasts and leave me a review there. You can do so on Spotify as well. It will benefit both sides: more reviews mean a broader reach on Apple Podcasts and feedback can help me to improve the show and provide better quality content to you. You can also subscribe and give a like on YouTube. Thank you for doing this 🙏Episode contents In this podcast episode, you will learn:Should an audio programmer learn assembly?What every audio programmer should know about cybersecurityMost common types of vulnerabilities in audio pluginsShould you use Rust instead of C++ for audio projects?How to optimize your audio code?Best resources on learning: cybersecurity, digital audio signal processing, Rust, and assembly.Music for optimal programming productivity 💪This episode was recorded on January 3, 2024.

In this podcast episode, I was very pleased to guest Linus Corneliusson: a mixing engineer and editing assistant at Fascination Street Studios who has shifted towards audio plugin development.I met Linus (and his colleague Jacek) at the Audio Developer Conference 2022 and he’s definitely one of the most friendly and funny people in the community. What is even more amazing, he’s worked in the studio with top-notch heavy metal bands, like James LaBrie, Soilwork, DragonForce, Haken, Leprous, Dark Tranquility, Between the Buried and Me, and Fates Warning (basically most of the major names in the progressive metal genre).In the podcast, we discus how Linus started creating simple audio plugins on the side which led him to pursuing a full-blown career as an audio programmer for Bogren Digital. We also discuss tools, tips, and resources he used and recommends for starting in audio programming.Are you a mixing engineer looking for a way to transition into audio development? Are you seeking advice on which path to take and which resources are the best to reach out for? Do you need inspiration and motivation? Then this episode is for you!Note: If you like the podcast so far, please, go to Apple Podcasts and leave me a review there. You can do so on Spotify as well. It will benefit both sides: more reviews mean a broader reach on Apple Podcasts and feedback can help me to improve the show and provide better quality content to you. You can also subscribe and give a like on YouTube. Thank you for doing this 🙏Episode Contents In this podcast episode, you will learn:how Linus started his studio career and ended up working with the top metal bands 🤟 in the industryhow a mixing engineer can start writing their own plugins 🎚️how Linus decided to pursue the audio programming path and which resources he usedwhat are the tools he’s using day-to-dayis the Audio Developer Conference worth going to (spoiler: it is but find out why 😉)This episode was recorded on November 29, 2023.

In this podcast episode, I was lucky to interview Oliver Larkin: an audio programming legend from the UK.Starting with a passion for music, going through Max, SynthEdit, PureData, then C++ to JavaScript and others, there is no audio technology that's not known to him. He has worked on projects with Arturia and Focusrite (among many more) and nowadays works for Ableton. He has conducted research in spatial audio, and has created successful plugins, like the Casio CZ-101 synthesizer emulation.He is most widely known as the co-author of Web Audio Modules and iPlug2: an C++ framework for creating audio plugins and web-hosted audio apps. It allows you to have a single codebase that builds various plugin formats out of the box, e.g., VST, AAX, and AU. Sounds familiar? That's because it is an alternative to the JUCE framework.With 20 years of experience in audio programming, he can be a role model for aspiring audio programmers.All this and more, including Oli’s learning path is discussed in this podcast episode!Note: If you like the podcast so far, please, go to Apple Podcasts and leave me a review there. It will benefit both sides: more reviews mean a broader reach on Apple Podcasts and feedback can help me to improve the show and provide better quality content to you. Thank you for doing this 🙏Episode Contents In this podcast episode, you will learn:how Oli has learned audio programming thanks to his passion for musichow his carreer path unfolded from the university up until today when he’s working full-time for Ableton in Berlinhow he collaborated with Plugin Boutique at its very starthow he came up with the idea of iPlug2 and what are the challenges involvedhow he came across the idea of Web Audio Modules and helped develop them furtherhow to be a successful freelancer in the field of audio programminghow indie developers can make their audio plugins successfulwhat’s his tech stackbest resources on learning music DSP

In this podcast episode, I was lucky to interview Jay Pocknell; a production and mixing engineer from the UK.Not only is he a skilled sound engineer and a lovely person to talk to but also a proactive member of the audio community. He founded the Sound Without Sight organization and currently works at the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) advocating for music software, music hardware, and music instruments accessible to everyone: including musicians and sound engineers with disabilities.Basing on his lived experience with sight loss, he gives invaluable advice on how any audio programmer can make their software accessible. This is a gold mine of first-hand information!In the podcast episode, we discuss his path to becoming a sound engineer, which obstacles he needed to overcome, and how we as the audio community can remove some of these obstacles permanently.Note: If you like the podcast so far, please, go to Apple Podcasts and leave me a review there. It will benefit both sides: more reviews mean a broader reach on Apple Podcasts and feedback can help me to improve the show and provide better quality content to you. Thank you for doing this 🙏Episode ContentsIn this podcast episode, you will learn:how Jay became a sound engineer,how he came up with the idea to start the Sound Without Sight organization,what is the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and how they invite industry collaborations for an accessible music experience for everyone,why you should even consider making your software accessible (hint: 💵),how audio developers can make their software accessible,how to test the accessibility of your software,what are typical difficulties of musicians and sound engineers with blindness or partial blindness,how Audio Developers Conference 2022 tackled the issue of accessibility and how ADC23 can improve upon it.This podcast was recorded on April 5, 2023.

In this episode, I was honored to interview Andrew Fyfe; a musician, a software engineer, and a researcher in the field of deep learning applied to audio.In particular, Andrew is working on an exciting new technology, Neutone. Neutone allows quick deployment of trained neural networks to audio plugins and running them in the digital audio workstation for verification, testing, up to full-blown product releases for users.At the same time, Andrew is wrapping up his PhD while working full time from Japan. He was kind enough to share his story and his journey to becoming an audio researcher.Don’t forget to submit your plugins for the Neural Audio Plugin Competition until March the 17th of 2023!Note: If you like the podcast so far, please, go to Apple Podcasts and leave me a review there. It will benefit both sides: more reviews mean a broader reach on Apple Podcasts and feedback can help me to improve the show and provide better quality content to you. Thank you for doing this 🙏Episode ContentsIn this podcast episode, you will learn:how Andrew learned audio processing and became an audio researcher after a successful rock band musician career,how he explored AI for music creation in his PhD,what is Neutone about and how to use it to deploy trained neural networks from PyTorch to audio plugins,what is Neural Audio Plugin competition,how is living and working in Japan for a person from the UK.Episode notes: https://thewolfsound.com/talk011/

In this episode, I was incredibly excited to interview Stefano D’Angelo: a freelancer in the field of audio programming.Episode notes: https://thewolfsound.com/talk009Stefano comes from Italy and is well known in the field. He’s completed his PhD thesis at the Acoustics Lab of the Aalto University, then worked for Arturia for some time, and then decided to start his own freelance gig, which eventually led to him grounding the Orastron company. During this time, he’s been incredibly active in the programming field as well as in the research field.Many WolfTalk listeners ask “how to become an audio programming freelancer?”Well, in this podcast episode, you will learn a way of how this could be done 😉Episode ContentsIn this podcast episode, you will learn:how Stefano pursued his interest in music to eventually become an audio programmer and a researcher,how developing audio software at Arturia looks like,what challenges must audio programming freelancers overcome,how to “productify” your audio programming expertise,what is the Brickworks library about,how to approach the development of novel audio products,how does work in an R&D department at a company differs from research work at the university,what are the challenges when it comes to creating virtual analog plugins,useful tools for audio research and programming,how do the Digital Audio FX conference and the Audio Developers Conference compare.