The Tonearm

Aqeel Aadam: Code, Creativity, and Democratization of Sound


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Today, the Spotlight shines On musician, software engineer, and plug-in developer Aqeel Aadam.

Aqeel's got deep roots in Philadelphia's music scene—his grandfather was a jazz musician who gifted him his first guitar. That foundation led him from Princeton's computer science and music programs to a five-year stint at Google, and eventually to creating his own company, Aqeel Aadam Sound.

His plug-ins aim to bring the magic of hardware synthesizers and modular workflows into the digital realm. His latest release, Waymaker, ties together his entire ecosystem of products in what he calls "an expansive, inspirational environment to get lost in." Aqeel's here to walk us through this unique approach to music technology and share how he's democratizing complex modular synthesis for producers everywhere.

(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Aqeel Aadam album Swim, Simian)

Dig Deeper

  • Visit Aqeel Aadam Sound at aqeelaadamsound.com
  • Follow Aqeel on Instagram and Aqeel Aadam Sound Instagram
  • Listen to Aqeel's music on Bandcamp and visit his personal site at aqeelaadam.com
  • Watch Aqeel's videos on YouTube
  • Waymaker - MIDI sequencer plugin on KVR Audio
  • Weeping Wall - Microlooper effect discussion on KVR
  • Ridgewalk - Granular looper (part of AAS ecosystem)
  • Mystery Circles - Record label that released Aqeel's albums
  • Dig into this episode's complete show notes at spotlightonpodcast.com

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