About

Knives on Strings is an independent engineering house. We make plugins for musicians and producers, browser tools, mobile games, MR experiences - whatever floats our boats. Most of them work.

The Name

A knife, swung on a string, traces an orbital arc. It's precise, a little dangerous, and completely impractical as a metaphor for software development. We went with it anyway.

What We Build

Audio plugins — VST3, AU, AAX — for the DAWs you're already not finishing tracks in. Browser extensions for workflows that didn't quite exist yet. Occasionally, things that fit neither category and get filed under Lab.

The plugins lean old. XCent is about FM synthesis and the particular madness of DX-era programming. DSKlusion is about the Ensoniq Mirage, a sampler that cost a fortune in 1985, sounds like cardboard, and is still used on records. Mample takes the DSKlusion engine and makes it bring its own disks. These are not accidental obsessions.

The Philosophy

Opinionated, technically precise, and unapologetic about it. We don't make things that do everything. We make things that do one thing and know exactly what that thing is.

The brand voice is irreverent because audio software takes itself too seriously. The products are serious because irreverence doesn't ship.

Distribution

Plugins live on Gumroad and KVR Audio. Browser extensions are on the Chrome Web Store. A Ko-fi page exists for those who want to fund the habit directly.

We Also Do Other Things

Audio DSP, plugin architecture, browser extension development, signal processing, embedded systems, consulting — if it sounds like something we'd build for ourselves, we can probably build it for you.