Development Log

The Devlog

Follow the journey from concept to virtual reality

2026.06.02

Unreal

API 1608 recording console VU meter bridge showing needle meters above the mixing board

The Needle Knows: VU Meters and the Analog Soul of Our SSL 4000

The VU meter: eighty years of engineering argument behind one swinging needle. We dig into EBU vs SMPTE calibration, 300ms ballistics, and how it all…

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2026.05.05

Audio Unreal

The patchbay of the virtual console with all ports glowing green during interaction

The patchbay is alive (and a lot of invisible cleanup)

The patchbay went from decorative to fully interactive — 122 ports, virtual cables, live feedback. Plus a lot of invisible cleanup, including a bus compressor…

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2025.12.19

Audio Unreal

Making a mix in the new Unreal Retro recordings studio

What’s Going On: A Real Mix Session in the Studio

Loading Marvin Gaye stems into the virtual SSL and mixing a classic track from scratch — the studio finally does what it was built to…

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2024.01.30

Audio Plugin Unreal

Making the Console Real: Audio and Interaction in Unreal

Building the audio engine with MetaSounds, wrestling with VR interaction frameworks, and finally getting the LLC console working in Unreal Engine 5.

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2023.01.19

Plugin Unity

now with sim rig

The Case for Flatscreen: Why I Added Desktop Mode

Sometimes the best VR development decision is making it work without VR.

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2026.05.08

Unreal

A VR gloved hand gripping a fader on the virtual console, with a readout showing Fader CH 1 at -15.13 dB

Recording your moves — automation, first version

Automation v0.1 is in the studio: record your fader moves, the console plays them back. The bigger design problem is how you edit an automation…

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2026.03.31

Audio Unity Unreal

Point-of-view from the mixing console in the Retro Recordings XR virtual studio

10 Years Building a VR Recording Studio — Why I Left Unity for Unreal Engine 5

After seven years in Unity and a pricing crisis that broke the relationship, I migrated a VR music production studio to Unreal Engine 5 —…

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2024.06.25

Unreal

Unreal 5.4: What Changed and What Broke

Upgrading to Unreal Engine 5.4 — what improved, what broke, and whether it was worth the downtime.

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2023.07.19

Unity Unreal

Burning the Ships: Why I Left Unity for Unreal After 8 Years

After 8 years in Unity, the decision to rebuild everything in Unreal Engine 5 felt terrifying — until it didn't.

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2022.12.19

Audio Unity

A Detour Worth Taking: Building a Social Mixing Room

A side project with a friend turned into a multiplayer music mixing room — with basketball.

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