Desislava Ilieva
Software engineer/
Audio Engineer
.README.md
Hi, I'm Dessy, an audio developer, audio engineer and a digital nomad.
With 10 years of experience in audio engineering, I gradually transitioned into software engineering and audio development. Now, I enjoy building audio tools and plugins and share the knowledge I've gained along the way.
I am primarily focused on low-level software development, working close to the hardware to solve complex problems and gain a deep understanding of systems at a fundamental level. Alongside native audio plugin development, I have recently expanded into web-based audio tools, building C++ backends and cloud-based machine learning pipelines for audio processing while exploring modern web front-end technologies in depth. I also work professionally with Figma, which is my preferred tool for designing application interfaces, audio plugin UIs,and related visual assets for marketing materials, advertisements, and posters.
dev
Languages:
- C (C99)
- C++ (modern C++/11/14/17/20)
- Bash
- Matlab (scripting, signal plotting)
- OpenGL
Libraries, Frameworks & Tools:
- JUCE
- OpenGL
- GCC, Clang, Valgrind
- VSC, XCode
- CMake/Makefile
- Git/Github
dev
Core Focus & Skills:
- Audio Tools and Plugins development (JUCE, C++)
- Real-time DSP systems & performance optimization
- Audio visualization/analysis
- Audio UI/UX design
- Cross-platform development
- Version control & build systems (Git, CMake, Makefile, Projucer)
audio
Audio Technologies & Tools:
- DAWs (Ableton Live, Logic Pro X, Reaper, Studio One)
- Plugin formats: VST3,AU,AAX
- Hardware: Digital/Analog Mixers, Amps, DI Boxes, Cabinets, Audio over IP
- Audio Interfaces (Focusrite, Antelope, RME)
- Calibration & Tools: Sonarworks SoundID, Clocking (BNC)
audio
Skills & Concept:
- Studio and Live Recording
- Front of House (FoH) engineering
- Field recording and mic arrangements
- On-stage routing and cable management
- Post-production FX processing
- Dante-certified networking
- PA system Calibration (Sonarworks)
- FX chains, subgroups, bus routing
- Analog/digital routing
design
Design & Tools:
- Figma
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Illustrator
- HTML, CSS
- Tailwind CSS
- React
design
Skills & Concept:
- Responsive Layouts (Flexbox & Grid)
- Component-Based Development
- UI Prototyping
- Figma to Code
- UI/UX Design
experience
Education:
B.A. in Audio Engineering
NBU, Sofia, Bulgaria
Software Development Program in 42Berlin
Berlin, Germany
Experience:
Founder & Audio Developer
daudio::dev
Technical Support Specialist
Antelope Audio.ltd
Audio Production Assistant
Antelope Audio.ltd
Freelance Projects:
· Audio developer
(remote)
· FoH Audio Engineer
(HALE3 alternative sports & music space)
· Recording and Jams Studio
(co-founded creative and event space)
· Event organiser
(remote)
Projects:
DSaturator – Audio Saturation Plugin
DSaturator is an audio saturation plugin that combines multiple saturation algorithms with advanced oversampling, output control, and dry/wet control.
- Role: Audio DSP Developer & Audio UI/UX Designer
- Tools & Languages: C++, JUCE
- Core Features: Multiple saturation types (Tanh, Atan, Cubic Soft Clipper, Triangle & Sine Wavefolding, BLAMP Anti-Aliased Folding),bypass button, oversampling (2x-16x), dry/wet mixing, and output scaling.
- Technical Highlights: Real-time DSP processing, parameter smoothing, cross-platform plugin support, and advanced wavefolding with anti-aliasing for high-quality audio.
DIRLoader – Parellel Impulse Response Loader
DIRLoader is a impulse response loader plugin with dual parallel impulse response load, crossfade, bias, and tune control.
- Role: Audio DSP Developer & Audio UI/UX Designer
- Tools & Languages: C++, JUCE framework
- Core Features: Parallel IR processing with independent impulse response loading. Each IR includes real-time spectrogram visualization, per-IR bypass control, and the ability to unload or replace impulse responses on the fly. Global mix bias allows precise control over the combined output, while an integrated waveform display shows the input signal in either dry or wet mode. The XFade control enables smooth crossfading between impulse responses, and Tune reshapes the active IR by morphing its frequency response into a target response, allowing for creative spectral blending and tonal transformation.
- Technical Highlights: Parallel multi-IR convolution processing, real-time IR spectrogram analysis, phase-coherent crossfading between impulse responses, frequency-response morphing for tonal reshaping, global mix bias control, and low-latency real-time–safe DSP across platforms.
We will love to get in touch with you!
If you have an idea for plugin, tool, or you want to add an article for someting exiting you've learned or created feel free to reach out!