Talk-Zone #7 Interview + exclusive discount with Minimal System Group

Hello Noizefielderz,
today we had the chance to talk with Paul, the owner of the software-company Minimal System Group. He told us about his work and he has got a very special offer only for Noizefield. If you buy something in his shop, you’ll get a discount of 50 % on each product – with the special Noizefield discount code.

Hello Paul, welcome to this interview. What was your intension to start with developing own tools and when did you start?

I have been a music producer for exactly 20 years and over this time music technology has changed and the way music is produced has changed, although the foundations are still the same. I began producing music on the original version of Cubase which at the time was a fantastic software package. I am now an Ableton Live user as I find the flexibilty and workflow to be the best of all the DAW’s on the market. I then mix and master my tracks in Reaper using Minimal System Instruments plugins.

Minimal System Instruments started around five years ago when I had a requirement for a plugin with functionality that I could not find anywhere else on the market. I decided to have a go at designing and developing this plugin myself and it came out really well. This success led to me designing more plugins until eventually I had produced a complete suite of mastering tools. I shared these plugins with other producers and I asked them for their feedback and they were very positve recommending that I released them commercially. So I set up a simply website and used my marketing background to promote it and before long orders started to come in. Minimal System Instruments was born and has continued to evolve ever since.

How long do you work (on average) on a prototype / how much time do you invest to create a new plug-in, and which process makes the most fun to do?

When working on a new plugin the design and development can take a long time, on average I would say a plugin from start to finish takes approximately six months. The coding and back end design generally takes around four months and the GUI design will take two months. Then there is the testing and beta phase which also adds to the development time. The most enjoyable part of the process for me is when the GUI and the code are married together and a finished plugin starts to take shape.

You’re tools look very professional. Which utilities and developement devices do you use (e.g. Flowstone (Ex-SynthMaker), Photoshop, a tool for creating knobs etc…)?

We develop our plugins using SynthMaker but we use a lot of custom written code which allows for great flexibility especially when it comes to analogue modelling. We design and code our own modules and use the SynthMaker interface to combine these together. With regards the GUI’s of Minimal System Instruments these are all designed in Photoshop.

How much guys are working for MinimalSystem and what do they do?

Minimal System Group as it is now known consists of just myself in terms of the design and development but we also have a team of beta testers and preset designers. Depending on the project some elements may be outsourced to third parties.

What’s the top-seller from MinimalSystem (sample pack or plug-in), and what makes it different to other products from other companies?

Our top selling product is our TriComp Multiband Compressor, this plugin combines three 1176 compressors in to one plugin (one per band). This plugin stands out in the market as it is full of character and offers the user a really creative way to add compression to their tracks. TriComp is fantastic on drum tracks and has built up quite a following over the last couple of years.

Do you also produce and play music?

Yes I am a music producer and have been for 20 years. I currently run a Soundcloud record label called Minimal System Recordings which can be found at www.soundcloud.com/minimalsystemrecordings.

I produce under the aliases of Tech Star and Morphia and produce deep minimal techno.

Which interesting plug-ins or sample-packs couldd the MinimalSystem user expect next?

We are currently working on new channel strip and mix bus plugins that will form a small bundle. These two plugins have been in development for the last year and are still not close to completion. They are definately our most ambitious project to date and we think they will be extremely well recieved.

Well that sounds promising! Which interesting projects could the MinimalSystem user expect next?

The next significant development we are working on is a completely overhauled store that makes it extremely easy for customers to browse and purchase products. Our current store is good and works very well but we have big plans!

If I wouldn’t develop plug-ins I wanted to be an….

I think if I wasnt a music producer and software developer I would like to run my own graphic design business. I have always been a designer and would love to turn my love of design in to a business.

So now a final word: Tell something what you always wanted to say, to all the Noizefield readers.

I want to thank all the Noizefield reader for reading this interview and I would also like to thank all of the readers that use Minimal System plugins. If you get chance please check out our website and download the demo versions of our plugins.

Thank you so much for taking time to this interview.

Link: www.minimalsystem.com

If you want to use our exclusive discount – visit the store of www.minimalsystem.com and choose your product, that you want to buy. Before you pay, you will be asked for a coupon. There you take our exclusive couponcode: 5050 That’s it. Enjoy it!