Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this episode, Max Shafer, founder of Just 4 Noise, walks us through building an AI sample-generation model from scratch, why he recorded drum machines across four cities to beat open-source, and the raw reality of raising $1M for a music-tech startup.
đ Resources mentioned:
Just 4 Noise: just4noise.com
Sound Hub Denmark: https://soundhub.dk
00:00 Welcome â Max Shafer & Just for Noise
01:07 Origin story: from LA to Berlin
04:24 The jam-session "aha" moment behind Just for Noise
06:48 Why generate samples instead of searching for them
07:20 Designing the interface (the video-game spider graph)
10:33 First beta testers came from the TAP Discord
11:55 Product-first vs. tech-first thinking
13:56 Real users over celebrity testimonials
15:45 Going grassroots instead of chasing the top
19:15 Raising a round â and whether to take the VC path at all
20:25 Why they decided to take investment
23:16 Licensing the foundation model (the B2B angle)
25:51 Choosing the right investors
27:56 Inside the raise: 170 meetings, 7 yeses
30:31 Venture funds vs. angel investors
32:37 Fixing the pitch: storytelling & the "moat"
35:02 The model â the quality ceiling and the data problem
36:37 Building their own dataset in studios across the world
39:19 The state of music tech & AI tools
41:44 Functional AI that supports the creative process
43:17 Wrap-up
====
đ Learn Audio Programming
theaudioprogrammer.com/books
đ¤ Join our Community
theaudioprogrammer.com/community
đź Hire Audio Programmers & Music Tech Professionals
theaudioprogrammer.com/recruitment
đ Create Your Own Audio Plug-in with Our Experienced Team
theaudioprogrammer.com/development
Stay connected with us
Instagram: instagram.com/theaudioprogrammer
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In this episode, Max Shafer, founder of Just 4 Noise, walks us through building an AI sample-generation model from scratch, why he recorded drum machines across four cities to beat open-source, and the raw reality of raising $1M for a music-tech startup.
đ Resources mentioned:
Just 4 Noise: just4noise.com
Sound Hub Denmark: https://soundhub.dk
00:00 Welcome â Max Shafer & Just for Noise
01:07 Origin story: from LA to Berlin
04:24 The jam-session "aha" moment behind Just for Noise
06:48 Why generate samples instead of searching for them
07:20 Designing the interface (the video-game spider graph)
10:33 First beta testers came from the TAP Discord
11:55 Product-first vs. tech-first thinking
13:56 Real users over celebrity testimonials
15:45 Going grassroots instead of chasing the top
19:15 Raising a round â and whether to take the VC path at all
20:25 Why they decided to take investment
23:16 Licensing the foundation model (the B2B angle)
25:51 Choosing the right investors
27:56 Inside the raise: 170 meetings, 7 yeses
30:31 Venture funds vs. angel investors
32:37 Fixing the pitch: storytelling & the "moat"
35:02 The model â the quality ceiling and the data problem
36:37 Building their own dataset in studios across the world
39:19 The state of music tech & AI tools
41:44 Functional AI that supports the creative process
43:17 Wrap-up
====
đ Learn Audio Programming
theaudioprogrammer.com/books
đ¤ Join our Community
theaudioprogrammer.com/community
đź Hire Audio Programmers & Music Tech Professionals
theaudioprogrammer.com/recruitment
đ Create Your Own Audio Plug-in with Our Experienced Team
theaudioprogrammer.com/development
Stay connected with us
Instagram: instagram.com/theaudioprogrammer
Facebook: facebook.com/theaudioprogrammer
Twitter: twitter.com/audioprogrammer
