History Time! AudioCube’s Backstory…
Logo evolution!
AudioCube has been a work in progress for around 4 years now, and in this time it’s seen countless developments and changes.
You really see how far this project has come when you look back at the old versions!
In this post, I’m going to tell you about AudioCube’s background, how the project started, and what’s happened so far. I’ll also tell you more about me, so you can understand AudioCube even more!
It’s me! Noah Feasey-Kemp
For Starters: Who am I?
Before I get into the history of AudioCube, let me tell you a bit about me!
I’m Noah, based in Bristol, UK. I’ve been passionate about music and sound for as long as I can remember, and equally obsessed with computers and digital technology.
I only learnt how to program when I started this project, and I didn’t have much previous coding experience.
When I still had hair…
I’m currently working as a blogger for a range of music related websites, which has been my main employment since not long after I graduated university.
I studied a music production and audio engineering degree at dBs Music in Bristol - it was fantastic!
AudioCube’s History
Now you know who I am, let’s explore AudioCube’s history!
How Did AudioCube Start?
AudioCube started in August 2020. The idea came to me during a COVID lockdown. Basically, at the time, I was really into recording. I had a super basic recording setup in my living room. I’d record drums and other instruments. I loved to experiment with the acoustics and physics of sound.
My old home “studio”
However, I was almost completely nocturnal at the time - which isn’t ideal… most neighbours wouldn’t be thrilled about drums being recorded in the middle of the night.
I think this was one of the seeds for the idea. The frustration of not being able to experiment with the spatiality of acoustics and recording.
During this period I was also getting heavily interested in computer science, particularly simulation theory and AI. At this time I was working a pretty terrible job, it was lockdown, and there wasn’t much going on. So I was constantly studying, learning, and reading in my spare time. I was slightly directionless at the time so I just decided to learn about whatever things interested me, in this case, computer science.
Another inspiration was a Louis Cole interview. I can’t remember the specifics, but the message was something along the lines of “You can do anything you set your mind to, even if you think you can’t”. Which in some way helped give me the confidence that I could do things that I wanted to do, but had always previously lacked the self-belief.
Then, One Night I Had A Dream…
It came to me when I was sleeping. The vision of a virtual studio. Maybe software. I was imagining a digital environment, which simulated the exact physics of an acoustic drum kit. It looked very technical, like animation software or Unreal Engine, but it was for making music.
I can still visualize it today, and while AudioCube isn’t close, it’s much closer than it was at the start.
So, with the desire and the belief that I could make this software (even though it would be a life endeavour), I set out to make AudioCube…
AudioCube - Project Timeline
Now you know AudioCube’s origin story, let’s have a look at the countless evolutions it’s been through. I’ve documented the progress of this project pretty extensively, so you can really see how far it’s come.
2020 - August
Things were pretty weird back at the start. I really had no idea what I was doing. I was just starting to learn how to write code and use Unity.
The first AudioCube prototype
Some of these early versions were incredibly rough, and even pretty scary at times… but it showed me that the end goal was possible.
2020 - September
By now, I’d started to get the grips of more advanced (but still pretty basic) concepts in Unity.
This meant that I could add a user interface, make it look nicer with post-processing and lights, and integrate animation and particles. (I’ve left post-processing out for now to maximize CPU and GPU efficiency, although it will be an option later on).
I also experimented with an orchestra mode, which I may bring back at some point.
I also tried making some more interactive and complex landscapes. I think at this stage I was exploring the possibilities of software design and Unity, but I definitely deviated from the audio mission.
I learned a lot at this stage. But there was still so much more for me to discover. There were many things that I wanted to add, but I doubted that I would ever have the ability to program it… I was wrong.
It just goes to show, - never doubt your potential, and never give up on your goals.
2020 - November
Looking back, I made a lot of progress in this period - a lot of new features were added, some of which are even still in the app today.
I learnt how to make it possible for the user to spawn in items via the UI.
I also started to create a system for using effects, which has now evolved into the mixer in today’s software. There was also a time control feature, where you could change the simulation speed, and even rewind time. This was cool, but the rewind function was pretty intense as it recorded a lot of data. Maybe I’ll add it back in at some point.
A recording system was also added, which is still in AudioCube today. I also worked on a kind of ‘game mode’ and points system, which got scrapped…
2021 - February
I really started to get momentum here. I added a lot of new features, upgraded the visual aesthetic, and everything started to be a bit more polished.
One of the hardest things at the time was the import system, where you could import custom wav files and sounds. This felt like a huge achievement to me at the time, as I had thought before that I would never be able to do it.
I also refined the mixer, and was working more with physics-based machines. I made these kind of windmill things that were a rough system for rhythmically sequencing sounds. These were cool, maybe I’ll add this back in later too.
This marked the birth of 3D Sampers - although these were a bit awkward because the controls were actually in 3D, on the device, rather than linked to a 2D UI.
I also experimented with the linkable 2D sequencer, which I think was a rough precursor to the modern Ticker device.
While I made a lot of progress here, I think I also hit a wall. The other features I wanted to add in seemed impossible, like save/load…
2022 - April
Things slowed down a bit here. I’d been focusing on my blogging and digital marketing career, which had become a full-time job and a business of its own. So AudioCube went on the backseat a bit at this time. Again, I think I hit a bit of a wall.
During this phase, I learned more about UI design and how to make graphics in Photoshop. (Why is everything so dark though? Aha)
Here I started to work on a more integrated file browser system. Although now it’s completely been streamlined and the original system is obsolete - but it was a good learning curve.
I created the UI interfaces for controlling 3D devices - rather than having the devices built-in. This made things a lot easier - although the AudioCubes themselves were just simple yellow blocks.
This also involved creating the on-device FX system, where each sampler could have its own unique bank of effects processors.
There were also various instrument skins for devices, which I think looked cool but were a bit unnecessary.
I also started to develop the timeline sequencer, and I think I got the first proper logo commissioned !
2023
The start of the year was pretty slow for AudioCube. I got a fantastic new job working for DJ.Studio, which was a new DJ software startup. I realised that working for this team was going to be an incredibly valuable opportunity, as it gave me the chance to see how to professionally launch software in the audio industry.
I took some time off to work with them, and really study the process. At the end of the year, I lost a member of my family, which was a spark that reignited the drive for this project. It made me realise how little time we have on this earth, and that not a second should be squandered.
So, there was only one video to show this year. But I made a lot of progress in December, and this got me prepped for 2024.
And I finally managed to get the colours looking a bit brighter :) and I started to really nail the neumorphic UI
2024 - Today!
This takes us up to the present day - 2024. The start of the year was an intense grind. I added a load of new features, including physical emitters, tickers, and loads more. Everything has been improved and refined.
I’ve learned so much in the last few months about software engineering and programming. Of course, advancements in AI have also made some difficult elements of coding much easier, and have helped me cross hurdles that I couldn’t before.
Try AudioCube today!
That concludes the entire history of AudioCube to date - and now, you’re ready to become part of the next chapter.
I’m looking for beta testers (and supporting users) to use AudioCube and help shape the future of development. I feel like the software is at a stage where its valuable enough to share.
So, if you want to get involved, here are your options:
Register for the Beta (limited to 50 spaces)
Thanks for reading, and I’m looking forward to hearing from you!
All the best,
~Noah
