# Will Shanks > Senior Product Designer / Plug-Ins Location: Scotts Valley, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/willshanks Product designer for the world’s most successful line of recording and mix software plug-ins. Award-winning tools trusted and beloved by audio professionals worldwide. Specializing in audio tools that emulate classic and modern analog hardware and legendary recording spaces. Driven by a deep passion for customer experience and satisfaction with a twenty year background in product design and launch. Continuous success informed by years of association and experience in professional audio, software engineering, pro audio manufacturing, software business development, product support and product marketing communications. Concurrent creative audio production experience combined with international customer peer network enhances understanding of pro audio market trends and fosters practical, innovative and even game-changing product designs of the highest caliber. Broader domain includes: cross-functional team organization and communication, product requirements and specifications, circuit and GUI prototyping, critical listening and design evaluation, product research and development, competitive research and analysis, product roadmap planning and resourcing, product launch and product marketing, business development and brand licensing, technical user documentation. ## Work Experience ### Senior Product Designer @ Universal Audio Inc. Jan 2005 – Present | Scotts Valley, California Senior Product Designer / Product Manager for a market-leading professional audio company. Providing product design, product concepts and roadmap priorities for innovative, best in class plug-in audio tools for modern music production. Working cross-functionally with software engineering, program management, quality assurance, GUI design and marketing in the development and launch of software products. Work with business development and legal in support of product development and brand licensing. Key Accomplishments: • Sound City Studios-October 2023 Product concept, design and launch. Universal Audio’s TEC Award-winning studio emulator became the company’s best-selling software title of all time. • Unison Integrated Preamps-January 2014 to current Manage groundbreaking projects in mic preamp technology blending analog and digital disciplines, blurring the lines between analog and emulation. Establishing a new plug-in market for UA's Apollo interface business--UA 610 Preamp and EQ, API Vision Channel Strip, Neve 1073 Preamp and EQ, Neve 88RS Channel Strip, Manley VOXBOX and more. • Moog Multimode Filte XL-Feb. 2017 Facilitated IP/brand licensing for, and conceived award-winning digital filter set combining an amalgam of sounds and features from the original Minimoog, Sonic Six and Voyager synthesizers. • Ocean Way Studios Worked in collaboration with Ocean Way recording founder and producer Allen Sides to create a one of a kind dynamic studio room emulation with real proximity effect and 3D dispersion pattern modeling; Two rooms and $500,000 worth of vintage microphones. • Studer A800-December 2010 Created a new product category in plug-in market with tape machine emulation; delivered record-breaking revenue for a single product onUAD platform. Market research and product requirements, internal and external sonic and technical evaluation, facilitated bringing on foremost magnetic tape expert Jay McKnight (AES) in an advisorial role. ### Communications/Product Specialist @ Universal Audio Inc. Jan 2002 – Jan 2005 Served as key marketing communications contributor, Editor for monthly webzine and quarterly newsletter. Functioned as liaison to third party writers and magazine reviewers to ensure accurate marketing and technical representation of company products; Provided customer product support and pre-sales support. Provided sonic and functional quality assurance for new software and hardware products managing critical listening evaluation for prototype and final product verification for both software and hardware. Created owner's manuals for hardware products; served as trade show coordinator and support. Key Accomplishments: • EMT 140- November 2004 Provided key program data from a four-month algorithm voicing project in which I tuned UA's best-selling plate reverb emulations by ear, and provided GUI/controls development • Roland RE-201 Space Echo- March 2006 Lead an extended voicing and QA project ensuring product was highly representative of original hardware counterpart, and provided GUI/controls development • Webzine- With over 25,000 subscribing readers in 2005, regularly ranked #1 most popular contributor with monthly “Analog Obsession” column ### Audio Production @ Ear to the Ground Jan 1999 – Present | Santa Cruz, Ca. Provide passionately creative audio production and technical expertise for a diverse range of clients specializing in independent artists and labels. Extensive experience with digital audio workstations and other modern production tools as well as classic hardware/analog audio tools. ## Education ### Music in Recording and Business emphasis Cabrillo College ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/willshanks --- Source: https://flows.cv/willshanks JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/willshanks/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-13