Real-time DSP & audio engines
Mixing, convolution, spatialisation and synthesis on the real-time thread — lock-free and within budget.
Work
Hard problems, shipped.
A selection of engagements — from framework-level C++ to mixing engines handling thousands of channels. Most of our work is under NDA; some clients below are described without naming them.
Plug-ins & JUCE
VST3, AU, AUv3, AAX, CLAP. Cross-platform plug-ins, framework work, and Apple Silicon ports.
Embedded & networked audio
Embedded audio, wireless time sync, clock recovery and distribution across devices and networks.
Performance & architecture
Profiling, vectorisation and re-architecture for systems that cannot drop a sample.
Selected engagements
What we've built.
A multi-year engagement with one of the world's largest technology companies, on performance-critical audio software at scale. The work is confidential and the client cannot be named — but it remains some of the most demanding real-time C++ engineering we've done.
C++real-timeperformanceunder NDA
We lead development of a software-defined audio mixing and synchronisation engine for a major live-entertainment venue — routing, mixing and spatialising audio across an exceptionally large number of channels in real time, on rack-mounted server hardware. For the low-level real-time networking we brought in a specialist sub-contractor from our associate network.
C++real-timemultichannel routingspatial audio
Fielding's founder was lead developer and maintainer of the JUCE C++ framework — the cross-platform toolkit behind thousands of commercial audio products. Work spanned the plug-in client layer, the multi-bus API and platform audio back-ends, including keeping separate CoreAudio input and output devices sample-synchronised.
C++JUCECoreAudiocross-platform
Lead engineering for low-level embedded audio, wireless time synchronisation and audio distribution on a next-generation surround-speaker platform. The clock-synchronisation work resulted in granted patents (co-inventor).
C++embeddedwireless time syncclock recovery
Modernised a well-known plug-in developer's flagship effects — upgrading them to a current framework version and adding native Apple-silicon support — so a much-loved product line could keep shipping on the latest platforms.
C++JUCEApple Silicon
Designed and wrote the core audio engine and the convolution engine, then onboarded the permanent software-engineering team that continued the work.
C++convolutionspatial audioteam onboarding
Code review for the IPC library of Celemony's open-source ARA (Audio Random Access) SDK, which enables out-of-process operation of plug-ins like Melodyne that are deeply integrated with the host DAW. Co-authored a share of modernisation and optimization commits.
C++ARA SDKIPCAPI design
How we work
Straightforward to work with.
// engagement
An independent consultancy operating through Fielding DSP GmbH. Remote-first, comfortable with on-site stints, and used to integrating into existing teams and codebases.
// focus
We take on a small number of engagements at a time so each gets real attention — typically the part of the system that's hardest or most critical.
// handover
The goal is code you're proud of and a team that can carry it. We document, mentor and onboard rather than leave a black box behind.
Tell us what you're building.
A short note about the problem is enough to start.