Podcast
DSP and Analog Modeling w/ Ivan Cohen (Musical Entropy) | Ep 9
DSP engineer Ivan Cohen discusses analog modeling techniques, his journey from Two Notes to freelance development, and contributions to JUCE while sharing insights on learning audio programming fundamentals.
In this episode of The Audio Programmer podcast, host Joshua Hodge speaks with Ivan Cohen, an experienced DSP engineer from France who has contributed to major audio products including work with Two Notes, Sonic Academy, and the JUCE DSP module. Ivan shares his journey from starting in DSP development in 2006 to becoming a freelance developer, discussing his work on notable projects like Sonic Academy's ANA synthesizer and KICK drum synthesizer. The conversation explores the technical depth required for audio plugin development, from analog modeling techniques to the challenges of bringing products to market.
The discussion dives into white box versus black box modeling approaches for analog gear emulation, with Ivan explaining how tools like LTspice and nodal analysis methods help simulate electronic circuits. He emphasizes that successful DSP engineering requires continuous learning and the ability to research new topics independently. Ivan also details his contributions to JUCE 6, including new audio effects classes, delay lines, convolution improvements, and interpolation tools. The episode concludes with insights about the upcoming DSP fundamentals course that Ivan and Joshua created together, designed to help beginners bridge the gap between basic programming knowledge and commercial plugin development.
Originally recorded on June 22nd, 2020.
