Meet The Maker: Colin McDowell | McDSP

Colin McDowell, founder of McDSP, discusses his journey in audio software development including the creation of classic plug-ins like McDSP Filter Bank and McDSP Analog Channel and the development of the APB (Analog Processing Box).

Colin, you set up McDSP in 1998, how did you get started, and what got you into the world of sound?

I always tell people that I’m a "failed musician" and a "failed hockey player." It’s funny, but I wasn’t really cut out for those paths, though I did enjoy them early on. What really got me started was my interest in synthesizers. I was about 10 or 11 years old when I borrowed a Moog synthesizer from a friend’s father who worked at Moog Music. I fell in love with the analogue sounds that led me to really get into sound design.

Sounds like that was a pivotal moment for you?

It really was. That fascination with the sound of those machines just took over. Then, my parents got me into programming and I started coding on early computers, and it just clicked. It all felt right.

I got a job in engineering during college and worked at IBM. I wore a suit—it was kind of boring. But Digidesign was just down the street, so I interviewed with them three separate times.

It was a strange experience. You can have the right skills, but if they don’t have a job that matches, it won’t work until it aligns. Eventually, I worked on Pro Tools a bit and some plug-ins, then moved on to Dolby.

At Dolby, I learned how Ray Dolby started his company and was inspired to start on my own and it’s been going ever since.

You’ve made some pretty iconic products, like Analog Channel. There’s a lot of emotional attachment to that plug-in, particularly in how it changes the feel of a mix. How do you see that connection?

I really appreciated learning everything on analogue synths. Every sound I ever understood started there and I feel McDSP Analog Channel really resonates with people. It’s one of those products that just clicks with the user’s experience. When people put it on the mix bus, it transforms everything. It makes things feel more tactile, less digital.

There’s a comfort in those analogue sounds, it reminds them of gear they’ve used in the past, and I think that emotional connection plays a big role in how people perceive the audio quality.

I remember chatting with an engineer who said he really disliked the vocal sounds on his recordings from the late 1970s because they were so over-compressed. But he had to do it that way. If he didn’t get the take to tape, he’d be fired. So he overcompensated. 

But it became a standard. So I wonder—when we say something sounds great, is it just because it’s familiar - do you think that's what analogue brings to the table?

Yeah, kind of to your point—it was like, “This is how we do it. This is why you're here. Don’t ever change it.”

And I think you're right—there's a generation that really connects with us, and then there’s another that maybe doesn’t know us well enough yet.

When people started moving to mix in Pro Tools or a DAW and moving away from analogue tape, that transition was a big moment. These engineers had a certain sound in their heads, and if they couldn't get that sound digitally, they didn’t want to use it. That’s what made it interesting—to offer them a compressor or a multiband or whatever we were doing and see whether it hit the mark.

More recently you've created the APB, which combines analogue circuitry with digital control. What was the motivation behind it?

The APB was really an experimental project, and I’m thrilled with how it turned out. We wanted to blend the warmth and character of analogue with the precision and control of digital. The result was a product that gave users a new sound and an entirely different approach to audio production. It was an exciting challenge, and I’m proud of how it worked out.

You're not going away from the software, but the APB is a way of extending the McDSP family, let's say. 

Yeah, and it was fun to do and we said it has to be really, really good, the hardware uses extremely high quality audio circuits and whenever we get time to make another APB plug-in we add them to the product for free.

[ What are the McDSP APB-16 and APB-8? ]

The McDSP APB (Analog Processing Box) comes bundled with a full suite of plug-ins, each designed to route audio through the APB hardware for true analogue processing. These plug-ins offer precise control over various aspects of the audio dynamics and tonal shaping. The APB-16 and APB-8 provide 16 or 8 channels of analogue processing and connects directly to your computer via Thunderbolt.

Included current APB plug-ins :

• TAPE: Emulates magnetic tape recording systems from the 1970s and 1980s, offering adjustable tape formulas, playback head configurations, and low-end characteristics.

• BOB (Bass Optimized Bias): Enhances low frequencies with controls for bias, frequency, squash, rate, and analog modes, including new gain and headroom adjustments.

• KD1 (Kinetic Drive): Provides direct control over analog saturation attributes, ranging from subtle harmonic overtones to more aggressive tonal effects.

• Royal Mu: A dual-channel compressor and limiter with analog biasing, saturation, mid/side processing, and equalization.

• Royal Q: A dual-channel 4-band equaliser with parametric and shelving EQ, mid/side processing, and trim controls, complemented by a custom analogue section.

• MC-3: The world’s first fully automated analog multi-band compressor, offering calibrated analogue channels with saturation control per band.

• Moo X: A fully automated hybrid mixing console with channel equalisation, analogue compression, saturation, and a master section under software control.

• C673-A: A dynamic range compressor with all analogue dynamics processing and a custom saturation circuit.

• El Moo: A valve limiter with an adjustable all-analogue saturation stage, providing a unique sonic levelling effect.

• Moo Tube: A valve-based compressor delivering soft-touch dynamics control with a vintage character.

• ChickenHead: A compressor utilising aggressive saturation circuits for a distinctive tonal attitude.

• L-18: A pristine all-analogue limiter with subtle tone-shaping options via knee and colour controls.

• C-18: A compressor with level-dependent attack and release times, combining utility with unique tonal characteristics.

You’ve also won an Emmy for the McDSP SA2 dialogue processor, which is a huge accomplishment. How did that feel?

Winning the Emmy was an incredible experience. I didn’t expect it, honestly. It was one of those moments that really took me by surprise. What I appreciated most, though, was the opportunity to celebrate it with my friends, family, and colleagues. It felt like recognition for all the hard work we’ve put into creating products that really make a difference. It was also a great opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come.

McDSP has had a long history of success, and a big part of that is the incredible support you’ve had from users. What does that mean to you?

Honestly, we wouldn’t be where we are without the support of our users. I’m incredibly grateful for them. It’s one thing to create a product, but when people take the time to learn about it and incorporate it into their workflows, that’s when it really feels like we’ve made a difference.

The feedback we’ve received has helped us continually improve and innovate, and I’m so appreciative of that. The success of McDSP isn’t just about the software and hardware we create, it’s about the people who use it and make it part of their creative process

[ Beta Testing with Dave Pensado ]

One of the most memorable moments for Colin McDowell in McDSP’s early days was working closely with industry professionals during product development.

"I guess those are things we should shoot for," Colin recalls. "When we were working on Filter Bank, our first EQ plugin. We started getting feedback from clients, and one was from Mix Engineer Dave Pensado, based in LA."

McDowell explains how Pensado, while working with artist Brian McKnight, would invite him to sessions to test out the new plug-in.

"He’d put Filter Bank on some vocals, and I’d be sitting there, listening. He’d say, 'What do you think about this?' And I’d respond, 'Yeah, it actually sounds pretty good.' And Dave would give me this look, like, 'If you ever change it, we’ll come find you.'"

"People were really great at giving feedback. For example, with the MC2000—the McDSP multi-band compressor—we had users demanding features, like adding more bands, but also ensuring there was no latency. It was challenging, but it helped refine the product into something industry professionals could rely on."

[ The Charles Dye Story: 'Mix It Like A Record']

I remember getting the Charles Dye DVD which came out shortly after Livin' La Vida Loca, which was one of the first critically successful tracks he mixed purely ITB in Pro Tools at that time. 

It’s a brilliant video because the first thing he says is “Hey, I put McDSP Analog Channel on the mix bus in multi-mono.” I think everyone I know then did it!

Yes, they did some Pro Tools Digiworlds—I think it was in Florida—and Charles Dye was there. He gave that talk in person, and I just sat in and watched. He put it on, and people would say, “Let’s hear it again.”

And they’d bypass and engage it one more time. By the third time, people were like, “Yeah, okay, I don’t even know what it does, don’t even care. Can we have that please!"

That’s the best marketing a company can ever have—its own customers. When your customers are talking about it and sharing it with their colleagues, that’s when you know you’ve got something good. And, yeah, that was a pretty funny moment, watching it all happen in real-time.

It’s fascinating how those emotions and associations shape the way we experience sound. AI is becoming a big topic in our industry. How do you feel about AI replacing jobs in audio production?

I think AI has its place for some of the more routine, repetitive tasks, but when it comes to the creative side of things, it’s not going to replace human expertise. AI can assist with certain functions, like automating workflows or doing some of the heavy lifting, but it can’t replace the creativity, the intuition, and the passion that people bring to the table. I’m confident that human creativity will remain essential in the field.

You've built something really special over the years. Colin, thanks so much for taking the time to share your story with us today.

Thank you, Nick. It’s been a pleasure to talk with you. There’s still so much to explore and create in this field, and I’m excited to see where it all goes.

 

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