FFmpeg and MCP

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been processing a lot of field recordings lately, and found myself repeatedly running the same FFmpeg commands across directories full of audio files. Convert to a consistent format, apply some normalization, maybe add EQ + whatever. Each time, I’d write a quick bash script, tweak it for the specific task, and move on. But after the dozenth time doing this dance, I started thinking about building something more robust.

Music

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I try to listen to new music every day, and I keep a spreadsheet of all the albums I wanna listen to. Each day my computer generates a little website that shows what I’m currently listening to, plus what I’ve recently added and finished. You can check it out and see what albums are on my radar any given day.

The whole thing runs itself, so day to day I just add music to my library in Apple Music, see what album comes up in my daily notes, and mark it as done after I listen. I’ve been listening to way more music this way! The website updates automatically and includes embedded players so you can listen along if something catches your eye.

Echo Bridge Effects Pedal

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I recently visited a well-known local landmark called Echo Bridge and was inspired by it for my work. At first I thought I’d do a true convolution reverb, in the style of the Tasty Chips pedal, but I realized that I could create something much more flexible than just a distillation of the landmark.

The Sound of Echo Bridge

Echo Bridge is well known for its near-perfect natural acoustics and incredible echo effects. The concrete arch structure of the Mrs. Frank W. Sorrell Bridge creates an acoustic phenomenon where sounds can return up to 15 reverberations, with sharp sounds like handclaps repeating as many as 25 times. Around San Antonio, there are often concerts that take place here specifically because of its acoustic properties. It’s pre-delay sounded to me like something close to around 0.4 seconds, with a dark and almost plate-y sound – probably because of the metal on top of the bridge, not sure. It’s definitely unique and provided the perfect inspo for this project.

MCPs and Merlet

Fri, 16 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In 2017, I was a student of French composer Michel Merlet, and he introduced me to his theoretical framework called “Genèse Dodécaphonique des Modes” – a systematic approach to understanding modal structures within the twelve-tone system. This framework has profoundly influenced my approach to composition and sound design over the years.

I’ve been thinking about Merlet recently, and how musical frameworks like his create a stable foundation for tonal exploration. “Shoulders of giants” and all that. I was trying to see if I could come up with a way to codify this foundation in a tool that I can mess around with and prod a bit – I love the determinism of this system, but I wanted a way to visualize it a bit better, and maybe even bounce ideas off of it.

Portfolio Problems

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been pretty inconsistent with portfolio documentation. I’ll either:

Forget to capture cool moments entirely
Hastily record something but never find the file again
End up with a scattered collection of clips with no context
Put off making an actual reel until a job opportunity forced my hand

I’ve been needing a system that’s low-friction enough that I’ll actually use it, but structured enough that it would automatically organize everything for me.

Lua in REAPER

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I first got introduced to Lua a few years ago while messing around with a monome norns. At the time, I was just downloading Lua scripts that others had made, but I found myself really interested in reading through the code and inspired by how accessible the norns was as a platform for creating new instruments and effects. The simplicity of the language combined with its power to transform hardware into entirely new sonic tools fascinated me, even though I wasn’t writing my own scripts yet.

Extract Wisdom

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I came back from GDC 2025 full of ideas and insights from the Audio Summit sessions. While in San Francisco, I recorded numerous personal audio notes after talks like Wilbert Roget’s lecture on the Helldivers 2 score and Cody Matthew Johnson’s session on diegetic music in Star Wars Outlaws.

But at least for me, when it comes to these types of audio recordings - they often sit untouched 🥹😅 Because reviewing them takes alot of time! So I tried to figure this out with a simple script.

MIDI & Audio Recorder

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve wanted a tool like this for years, because I’ve always found myself sitting at my piano and wishing that with one button I could very easily record a jam. Something way more pared down than a daw, with less setup time and complexity, and that won’t tempt me to start piling on effects.

Field Recorder on Steroids

Taking inspiration from the simplicity of tape machines and field recorders, I wanted to create a modern hybrid that could capture both audio and MIDI simultaneously. The goal was to preserve that spontaneous “just hit record” feeling while adding the flexibility of digital recording.

Books

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I’ll link to some books here. The good stuff.

People

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I’ll link to other people’s websites here. These are either folks whose work I enjoy, or who have directly/indirectly helped me learn something.

Music

Audio Tech

Tech

Indieweb Stuff

Resume

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Daniel Ramirez

Sound Designer

Sound Designer specializing in interactive audio implementation, sound synthesis, and audio pipeline development for mobile applications and live performances. Experienced in working with industry-leading professionals and managing complex audio workflows.

Contact

daniel@blog.daniel-ramirez.io

Technical Proficiency

Audio Software & Hardware

Wwise
Logic Pro X, Pro Tools, Cubase/Nuendo, Ableton Live
Max/MSP, Pure Data
Eurorack/Buchla/MOTM systems
Unreal Engine 5, Unity

Development Tools

Python: Audio scripting and automation
Node-based audio systems
- Max/MSP
- Pure Data
- Metasounds
Jira, Docker, Arch Linux

Professional Experience

Sound Designer | LUFS Audio

July 2024–Present

Spotify Canvas Generator

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been working on some new music and wanted to have a way to create a Spotify Canvas from my album artwork. This script needed to do a few things:

Take album artwork as input (or any still image)
Resize to 9:16 for phone screens
Apply the effect(s)
- random digital artifacting
- glitches from the glitch-this library
- vertical pixel smearing
output a few different filetypes in a new directory:
- png
- gif
- final mp4 for spotify

Here’s an example with the album artwork:

About

Sun, 29 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I make interactive audio experiences and compose music for physical and digital spaces.

Composer, Sound Designer, and tinkerer. Currently building LUFS Audio, with clients in the Bay Area.

When I’m not working, you’ll find me trying to learn something new.

LUFS Retro Button

Resume

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000