Since the last issue of the newsletter, I’ve had the chance to visit Berlin twice — first, to host the very first in-person meetup for audio product professionals, Audio Product Jam, and then to attend my favorite trade show, Superbooth. Here are some thoughts from both trips.
Audio Product Jam was a blast!
“It was the best meetup in Berlin in years.” That’s what I heard after the meetup — and it meant the world to me. Honestly, I was intimidated going in. I kicked off the event with a short presentation, summarizing insights from nearly a year of hosting the Audio Products Podcast, along with the interviews and listener surveys I’ve conducted with seasoned industry veterans.
Pic 1 – Event kickoff (pic by @goestagraph)
Once it started, everything clicked.
The meetup brought together an incredible crowd: founders of plugin companies, product executives from brands like Georg Neumann, product designers and engineers from Berlin-based companies like Ableton and Native Instruments, and of course, synth programmers and musicians.
Pic 2 – After the workshops (pic by @goestagraph)
After the opening talk, we hosted an interactive workshop that quickly turned into a lively, thoughtful discussion about what a community like this could offer. Here are a few ideas that came up:
- First-time startup founders can learn how to build and manage successful products from seasoned pros.
- Instrument designers and engineers can gain insight into launching products that actually sell.
- Product managers and designers can sharpen their skills through peer exchange.
- We can help guide the next generation of audio nerds into the industry.
- We can build alpha and beta testing community where people offer feedback to product prototypes.
Big thanks to Gösta Wellmer for helping to organize the meetup! We also recorded a short recap video – see below.
Stay tuned — the next Berlin meetup is planned for June, right before the summer holidays.
If you’d like to be involved in Berlin and you would like to organise a Product Jam in other city, let me know!
Superbooth has the best vibe
There are plenty of music tech shows out there, but Superbooth is the one I never miss.
Even though I’m not a synth programmer — and my musical tastes go well beyond electronic — the vibe of Superbooth is unlike anything else. On one side, you have big names in pro audio and musical instruments — Adam Audio, Dolby, Yamaha — alongside exciting plugin and AI startups. On the other, it feels almost non-commercial — like a gathering of friends who just happen to be deeply passionate about building cool stuff.
Pic 3 – With Max Shafer and Pasha Mobini Tehrani (own pics)
The venue helps too: set in a lush park, it’s not just a trade show — it’s a three-day open-air festival. Picture this: barefoot dancing in sand by a lakeside stage, surrounded by synths and sunshine.
Of course, not everything is perfect. U.S. tariffs introduced under Trump have created challenges, especially for cash-strapped hardware startups that rely on physical shipments. And there’s real concern about growing consolidation — more music tech brands being bought up by private equity firms.
But even with those clouds, the spirit of the community is still alive and well. I also shot a few quick interviews while in Berlin — see below.
- Gösta Wellmer presents SynthLab
- Max Shafer talks about the product launch of their AI Plugin
- Moritz Surwehme from NoiseWorks talk about DynAssist, adaptive vocal editing plugin
- Leo Fogadić talks about the progress with their product Dubby (I worked with his team last year on their Kickstarter campaign and we made 600%!)
Pic 4 – One of the scenes (shot from my vlog video)
So how is Berlin doing?
Berlin’s success in the music tech scene was once the product of a rare mix: a thriving electronic music culture, low cost of living, and relatively affordable labor after reunification of Germany in the 1990s. That era is over.
Today, rents and housing prices are sky-high ( we know who to thank). Many of Berlin’s top audio companies are no longer founder-led or mission-driven. And the bureaucracy? It’s stifling creativity and entrepreneurship, many say.
But the people? Still amazing. The community? Still vibrant. Berlin may be changing, but its spirit isn’t gone — and that is why I will keep coming back!
