Scirocco - Dist o' Wave - Eftilo (2024)

Task: Product idea, design and development.
Role: Developer.

Scirocco is the first product I launched with Eftilo. It's a chorus/vibrato effect and a distortion box. Unlike common digital distortion techniques, Scirocco takes a different approach by utilizing a physical model of voltage-controlled filters often seen in music synthesizers. The model is pushed to its limits, resulting in a dynamic-multistage distortion with reduced aliasing.

Additionally, I designed and developed the user interface, licensing software and preset manager.

Eftilo (2024)

Task: Set up and run an audio plugin company.
Role: Owner.

Throughout 2022 and 2023, I worked during my spare time to launch Eftilo, my own audio plugin company.

For Eftilo I designed and developed a minimal but functional online store, handling both the back and front ends but also all the integrations required for the store to run automatically. I also designed and developed the software licensing scheme, preset manager and the needed DSP and UI frameworks.

At Eftilo I handle everything, from the website, framework and products design, development and maintenance, to the marketing, customer support and administration.

Audio DSP Effects - Elias Software (2022)

Task: Design and development of audio DSP effects.
Role: DSP Developer.

While working at Elias Software, I developed some audio DSP effects for their real-time sound synthesis and adaptive music engine Elias 4. The effects include anything from distortion, bitcrushing and modulation algorithms, to a fully fledged parametric reverb based on the Dattorro Plate algorithm with a custom designed early-reflections stage.

Model 82 Sequencing Mono Synth - Softube (2022)

Task: Circuit modeling and firmware emulation of a Roland SH-101 from 1982.
Role: Tech Lead and DSP Developer.

Model 82 is the last project I worked on while at Softube. Due to the tight schedule, I didn't work on the sequencer and arpeggiator emulations, if not for some small details, I instead was tasked with the modeling of the hardware unit, and the design of the drive and doubling effects. I also developed the logic needed for the sequencer and arpeggiator to interact with the main synth voice.

Model 84 Polyphonic Synthesizer - Softube (2021)

Task: Circuit modeling and firmware emulation of a Roland Juno-106 from 1984.
Role: Tech Lead and DSP Developer.

Model 84 is Softube's first fully modeled polyphonic synthesizer. This required the development of new circuit modeling techniques that combined both accuracy and a limited CPU consumption. Special care has been taken in developing the original voice allocation modes, replicating the chorus noise and in emulating the phasing artifacts characterizing the Unison mode.

Model 72 Synthesizer System - Softube (2020)

Task: Circuit modeling of a Moog Minimoog from 1972.
Role: Tech Lead and DSP Developer.

Model 72 is Softube's first fully modeled synthesizer. This required the development of new techniques and procedures that weren't previously part of the company's portfolio. Special care has been taken in replicating the feedback loop around the VCF and VCA used by many to increase the saturation in the original hardware.

Weiss EQ1 - Softube (2019)

Task: SHARC Assembly porting to C++ of the DSP running on the original hardware.
Role: DSP Developer.

This project was a different challenge since no circuit modeling was needed, being the hardware completely digital. I handled the pre-study, analysis and algorithm porting of the IIR filters, linear phase algorithm and dynamic model. I was also in charge of the set up of the main structure of the whole plugin.

This plugin received a nomination for the NAMM 36th TEC Awards in January 2020.

Chandler Limited Germanium Compressor - Softube (2019)

Task: Circuit modeling of a JFET compressor with discrete germanium amplifier.
Role: Tech Lead and DSP Developer.

The Germanium Compressor is a versatile JFET compressor with a characteristic discrete germanium amplifier. The original circuitry is characterized by multiple non-linear behaviors placed in various feedback loops; this required extreme care in the modeling process. The original mono hardware has been enhanced with stereo, mid-side, linked and un-linked processing capabilities.

This plugin received a nomination for the NAMM 36th TEC Awards in January 2020.

Buchla 296e - Softube (2019)

Task: Circuit modeling and firmware emulation of a Buchla 296e.
Role: Tech Lead and DSP Developer.

Buchla 296e is a filter bank/VCA combo with particular features that unlock spectral transfer and spectral modulation capabilities. Since the unit processes both analog and digital signals, the project required both the modeling of the analog circuitry and the emulation of the firmware running in the original hardware. Moreover, special care has been taken in modeling the AD and DA converters, in order to get the closest possible emulation.

Softube Vocoder - Softube (2018)

Task: Design of an analog inspired real-time software vocoder for UAD hardware and UA Audio Interfaces.
Role: Tech Lead and DSP Developer.

Softube Vocoder is the first project I worked on at Softube. Special care has been taken in developing an easy-to-use vocoder with built-in polyphonic synthesizer. The implementation proved to be non-trivial due to the limitations, both in memory usage and CPU performance, of the hardware the product is designed to run on.

Steerable Circular Differential Microphone Arrays - Politecnico di Milano (2018)

An efficient continuous beam steering method, applicable to differential microphones of any order.

As objective of my master thesis, I developed a novel beam steering method useful to implement up to third-order cardioids beam-patterns, with arbitrary steering direction, using circular microphone arrays.

This research has been presented at the 26th European Signal Processing Conference (EUSIPCO) in September 2018.