One person.
Every line.
Most engineers don't talk to their users. Most product people can't read the code. I wanted the job in the middle — so I built something that required both.
Why ToneLab exists
ToneLab started from a common catalyst among engineers: I wanted something that didn't exist. Every mix engineer has built this by hand — reverb on the mids but not the low end, distortion on the bottom octave only — which means a send, a bus and an EQ for each effect, rebuilt from scratch on the next session. I wanted five parallel FX lanes, each independently adjustable, with the DSP to justify its spot in the chain.
That took a year. Writing DSP that sounds good is not the same as writing DSP that compiles, and everyone knows the last 10% takes 90% of the time — but that last 10% can be grueling. There were months where shipping felt theoretical, the kind of project that exists only in your own head and on your own machine.
What made it real wasn't a feature or a milestone. It was hearing ToneLab in someone else's session for the first time. That's also when the bugs you can't catch alone start showing up. Write the thing, ship it, hear from the human using it, fix it — that loop is the most useful skill I've built, and it's why I'm the only person on the support email.
How we build
Vector DSP tools are built on industry-standard plugin architecture, in C++, and shipped in the formats professionals actually run: AU, VST3 and AAX. macOS builds are Universal and notarized with Apple. AAX builds are signed for Pro Tools. Nothing phones home, nothing requires an account to run the demo.
Each product starts from a specific problem existing plugins don't solve well. That's the only reason to make another one.