#29 Make hardware great again with Ross Totino

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Our guest is Ross Totino — Product Developer, Sound Designer, and expert in audio hardware and DSP systems who worked on many iconic products we love.

In this episode, we talk about:

✅ How to build a career in hardware product development
Ross shares how he moved from technician roles into sound design and product development in Electro-Harmonix and Line 6 and how those helped me to further work with iconic brands Eventide Audio.

✅ How analog gear is modelled in the digital world
We explore DSP modeling, perception vs. accuracy, and how developers recreate character — not just circuits.

✅ Why Silicon Valley VC capitalist mentality severely impacted the economy and the music industry
Can we get away from the totally software-focused, short-term profit-seeking, fake it ’til you make it” approach?

✅ The state of the industry today
“𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦… 𝘏𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺’𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳.”

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Ross’s band

➡️ Fans of Collision Bandcamp:

https://fansofcollision.bandcamp.com/

➡️ Fans of Collision Sounds on Gumroad:

https://rtotino.gumroad.com/

Products Ross worked on:

➡️ EHX Holy Grail:

https://youtu.be/tCXxuyu_N8g?si=6hLGibQaBsvERIsK