About Aspen Instruments
Aspen Instruments is an independent software studio built and run by one person: John Janiczek.
John is an electrical engineer by training and a musician by obsession. These plugins are built with the same rigor you’d expect from scientific instrumentation—but with a musical instinct for what inspires. Carefully engineered. Musically driven. Built for exploration.
The Engineering Side
Over the past decade, John has worked on six NASA missions, contributed to the UAE Mars Mission, published peer-reviewed research in computer vision, planetary science, and audio and speech processing. He holds a patent for detecting minerals on other planets.
In other words: signal processing is not a buzzword here—it's the core skillset.
The Music Side
John is also a working music producer and live performer, with years of real stage experience behind the work. In 2023, under his artist name Astrobear, his remix of Hyperlandia was discovered by deadmau5 after winning the Microsoft Original by Design competition, leading to an official release on the We Are Friends compilation on the renowned mau5trap record label.
Carving Our Own Path
Aspen Instruments sits where engineering meets artistry. These plugins are exploration tools—built to reward curiosity and let you shape sound with real intent.
The Black Diamond series is named after expert ski terrain for a reason: pro-level control, no guardrails. Carve your own path and build a sound that’s unmistakably yours.
Building a Community
The work doesn't stop at shipping a plugin: John teaches advanced audio and signal processing concepts on his YouTube channel, focused on clear explanations and practical tools that make the “why” behind the sound easy to understand.
Viewers often ask where ideas like "Building the world's first dispersion kick drum" come from. It comes from fundamentals: when you understand what’s happening under the hood, sound design becomes intentional—not accidental.
Why "Aspen"?
Aspen Instruments is named after John's dog.
"While I’m writing the software, Aspen’s usually curled up nearby, adding that much-needed element of cozy to the studio. Every so often she decides it’s walk time—and that’s usually right when the ears and the ol’ noodle needed a break anyway."