A letter from our CEO
Published on
Ten years ago, Imaginando was born out of a deep curiosity and a drive to create. During my adolescence, I fell in love with electronic music and became fascinated by how computers could generate sound in real time. My first experiences with music software were with Propellerheads' Rebirth, followed by Reason. I was captivated by how these tools worked and was eager to learn how to create a computer program that could produce sound and music.
During my computer science studies, I constantly sought to apply the knowledge I was gaining toward my goal of creating music software. My passion for electronics drove me to build a hardware MIDI controller, and I conducted several experiments with microcontrollers. My first significant professional experience involved working closely with low-level hardware, firmware development, and desktop software development as part of a team developing touch technologies, just before the advent of multitouch driven by the iPhone. At the same time, I was DJing more than ever using Native Instruments Traktor Scratch and producing music with Ableton Live.
When I got my first iPad, I decided to revisit the idea of creating a MIDI controller and developed an Ableton Live controller just for fun. This marked the beginning of something significant. LIVKONTROL, my first application, gained popularity and success thanks to user feedback, convincing me that I could start my own venture. After two years, I left the company I was working for and decided to give it a shot. Imaginando was born.
When I started, I was completely alone in a small 10 m² office at Startup Braga, a company incubator. My first project was developing what would become Imaginando's first app: TKFX, a dedicated controller for Traktor effects, which was released in 2014. Following the release of TKFX, I started porting LIVKONTROL to LK, which was subsequently released in 2015.
After these two significant steps, I began collaborating with my longtime friend Rui Antunes, an analog electronics enthusiast and synth geek, on DRC. This was a huge milestone as I finally delved into actual sound generation. DRC was released in 2016.
DRC led to the creation of two sub-products, DLYM (2018) and K7D (2019), thanks to their impressive built-in chorus and tape delay effects, as well as two digital media art projects: Harpa Laser and Digital Music Box.
2018 was a year of significant changes. We were forced to move out of Startup Braga and find a new headquarters. After four years of working alone, I was finally able to hire someone to help with daily development. Following two controller applications, one synthesizer, and two effects, we began exploring sampled audio and granular synthesis. FRMS was released in 2020.
In January 2021, I had a vision: what if we could make audio-reactive visuals more accessible directly from your DAW, leveraging musical information already present? This was the genesis of VS and a longtime dream: merging music with generative visuals. After six months of hard work, we released VS in June 2021.
By this time, we had already developed controller applications, two synthesizers, two audio effects, and evolved LK into a full-fledged MIDI sequencer. However, one crucial element was still missing: a user-friendly yet powerful music production software capable of creating full songs and performances. In November 2023, this circle was completed with the release of BAM - Beat Maker & Music Maker, integrating all the knowledge we had accumulated over the years.
2024 is a year of reflection and updates for us. BAM has elevated our codebase to a new level, prompting us to revise all our products to incorporate these changes. Additionally, we are enhancing BAM further, as it is still in its early stages of development.
As a completely independent company that has grown organically without venture capital, with a small team of just 5 individuals, all our daily efforts and decisions are grounded in sustainability, resilience, and passion. Sustainability is crucial for our survival, resilience ensures our commitment to our customers and our craft, and our passion drives our love for what we do.
I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the individuals who drive this company forward daily: Lucas Palmeira, Henrique Couto, José Varela, Guilherme Pimenta, as well as to our partners and former collaborators including Bruno Brandão, Luís Oliveira, Marcus Holzmayer, Rui Antunes, Clive Mason, Ana Carvalho, and Rahyan Azin.
I would also like to express my gratitude to individuals who, while not part of the team, have played crucial roles in overcoming specific challenges we have faced: João Barbosa, Tor Arne Vestbø, Michael Tyson and Jonatan Liljedahl.
Equally important are our incredible beta testers who have dedicated their time and provided invaluable feedback to help us refine our products, including, Branislav Pakić, Laurent Cazalet, Nicholas Carn, Greg Riker, Samuel Lindeman and many others.
After a decade of development, challenges, and creative innovation, one common factor stands out: YOU. Imaginando would never have reached this point without your support, encouraging words, and invaluable feedback.
We eagerly anticipate the next 10 years and all that they will bring.
Never stop pursuing your dreams.
Nuno Santos
Founder / CEO / CTO