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.

“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:

1. First-time startup founders can learn how to build and manage successful products from seasoned pros.
2. Instrument designers and engineers can gain insight into launching products that actually sell.
3. Product managers and designers can sharpen their skills through peer exchange.
4. We can help guide the next generation of audio nerds into the industry.
5. 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! 

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)

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!