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! 😉
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00:00:00 Podcast Intro
00:00:38 Introducing Geraint Luff
00:03:30 Geraint's Introduction
00:04:14 Early Interest in Music & Programming
00:05:53 Learning DSP: Asking Dad About MP3s
00:06:50 University Studies: Maths at Cambridge
00:08:25 First Job (Meridian Audio) & 2009 Crash
00:10:36 Experience at Amazon
00:12:26 Hobby Audio Effects Projects
00:13:15 Transferable Skills from Non-Audio Roles
00:15:49 Transitioning to Audio DSP Freelancing
00:19:17 The Importance of Community
00:21:01 Landing the First Freelance Gig
00:21:28 Geraint's Learning Approach
00:22:21 DSP Design Philosophy
00:23:18 Creating the "Let's Write a Reverb" ADC Talk
00:24:30 Sponsor Break: JUCE
00:26:09 Geraint's Path as a Recipe for Others
00:28:20 Approach to Talks & Teaching
00:34:38 Story Behind "Four Ways to Write a Pitch Shifter"
00:39:59 The Open Source signal_smith::stretch Library
00:41:51 Creating Visuals for Talks
00:44:46 Overview of Freelance Projects
00:48:26 Freelancing Challenges & Realities
00:49:45 Experience with KVR Developer Challenge
00:50:19 Value of Specialization in Freelancing
00:56:25 Using WebAssembly for DSP Demos
01:01:05 Approach to Reading Academic Papers
01:04:32 Learning Style: Creating from Scratch
01:05:38 Thoughts on Deep Learning
01:06:43 Testing and Verifying DSP Code
01:10:06 Current Tech Stack
01:16:52 Getting Started in Audio Programming
01:19:00 Advice for Starting Freelancing
01:20:22 Quick Fire Questions
01:24:45 Final Thoughts & How to Connect
01:26:03 Pocast Outro
