In audio manufacturing, the only way to trust your work is to measure it
Neural DSP builds some of the most sought-after gear in modern music; tools that have to perform flawlessly on stage, on the road and under a musician's full body weight, every single time. Behind that promise is a quiet discipline: measurement. From R&D to the final unit on the line, every product is validated against exacting standards. To keep those measurements accurate and local, Neural DSP partnered with MIP Electronics.
Imagine a device that has to work flawlessly at +40°C one week and -10°C the next.
On a plane. On a stage. Under the full weight of someone standing on it.
In front of a hundred thousand people.
Every single time, with no exceptions.
This is the everyday reality of building audio gear for working musicians, quality control and measurements are how you guarantee it.
Neural DSP is a Helsinki-based audio company founded in 2017 by Douglas Castro and Francisco Cresp. It is best known for the Quad Cortex, a powerful guitar amp modeller, alongside a celebrated range of plugins. In just a few years the company has grown from a small group to over 150 and recognized by all the leading professionals in the industry.
Gonzalo Muruaga arrived in Finland from Argentina in 2019 with a background in electronics engineering and music. He joined the founders' world early and today works as the Project Manager for all Cortex Product Line, looking after maintenance of released products as well as new development.
BUILT BY PEOPLE WHO USE WHAT THEY BUILD
Ask Gonzalo what sets Neural DSP apart, and he keeps returning to the people. The founders, he says, nailed a few things from the start: they are sharp and hardworking, but they also share a real passion for music. That passion turns out to be a magnet for talent.
They are super intelligent, sharp people, very hardworking, but they also share the passion for music. When you have a core team of super experts in different fields all working together to develop something new, something is going to happen."
- Gonzalo Muruaga, Project Manager, Hardware Products, Neural DSP
It helps that the people designing the products are also the people who use them. That dual identity, expert and user, keeps the bar high and the work personal.
Most of us are really users of our own products so we push ourselves toward something we would feel proud of, but at the same time something we can share with the rest of the people and make it work."
- Gonzalo Muruaga
A PRODUCT UNLIKE MOST ENGINEERING PRODUCTS
What makes the field genuinely unusual is the sheer range of demands a single product has to meet. A touring musician might use the unit at 30 or 40 degrees one week and minus ten the next, with a flight in between. It gets stepped on, with full body weight. And on top of all that, it has to look the part.
You have a tool that needs to perform very well, every time. It's a tool that you step on, so it needs to be sturdy. And on top of that, in our industry, especially guitars, it needs to be beautiful. The combination of all these points is very unique to the industry."
- Gonzalo Muruaga
The same care goes into what you can't see. The sounds and algorithms are heavily curated, with whole teams working behind each effect. The hardware itself is designed to last: the Quad Cortex was planned around a long life cycle, kept fresh through regular Core OS updates rather than frozen at launch.
The idea was that this product will have a life-cycle of many years - something that is not a snapshot in time. It's actually something that is very alive, and we can keep on improving it."
- Gonzalo Muruaga
The R&D and manufacturing processes are handled at Neural DSP's Helsinki location. Photo: Topias Kupiainen
WHERE MEASUREMENT COMES IN
For Neural DSP, measurement isn't a final checkbox but something that runs through the whole process. In development, the team uses measurement tools to validate a design against precise targets for frequency, noise and levels. As Gonzalo puts it, once you have a sample, the only way to really know if the design meets its standard is to measure it.
At the prototype and quality-control stage, the work converges on a familiar set of audio fundamentals.
We run what we call the Big Six: frequency response, total harmonic distortion plus noise, signal-to-noise ratio, level, phase and crosstalk. These are the basics that tell you a piece of audio equipment is within the standards you're looking for."
- Gonzalo Muruaga
In manufacturing, every component is tested before assembly, and every assembled unit is tested again on the production line: visual checks, functional measurement, a hands-on test, and a final inspection before packing.
Everything that leaves our factories is tested at least three to four times. Quality is not a compromise for us. It's never a question."
- Gonzalo Muruaga
WORKING WITH MIP ELECTRONICS
Neural DSP first crossed paths with MIP in 2022, through one of its contract manufacturers in Oulu. The team had developed all its component testing in-house and needed the equipment carefully calibrated. Until then they had relied on a service in the UK. The process was workable but inconvenient - especially after Brexit. MIP changed that: a local, Finnish source for the very same Audio Precision measurement tools they were already using.
The first contact with MIP's Jouni Lukkari set the tone. He visited, understood the company and what it needed, and the calibration was handled without a hitch. For Gonzalo, that responsiveness is the whole point of working with a service partner rather than a faceless supplier.
There's a reason why we use the service. It's not just a cold email, there's something there that makes a difference. From the moment I called him, he understood what I was looking for and he knew our company. That's the added value I see."
- Gonzalo Muruaga
As volumes grew, so did the relationship with MIP: from a couple of measuring tools in 2022 to equipping every new production line, with a fresh unit purchased earlier this year.
Through MIP Electronics, Neural DSP has access to the newest Audio Precision products as well as a clear process for calibration services close to the actual manufacturing site in Helsinki, saving time and effort. Photo: Topias Kupiainen
If there's a thread that ties Neural DSP and MIP together, Gonzalo lands on a single word: commitment. It shows up in the small things - a production supervisor proud of zero failures over six months in the audio testing stage - and in the bigger ones, like standing up a modest manufacturing operation in Helsinki in under a year that is constantly developing.
The industry is very unique. There's a lot of passion, and even the tasks that aren't the most exciting get transformed to the next level. The measurements mean all our products and quality standards are exactly where we want them. Those are the things we're proud of."
- Gonzalo Muruaga
It's a pride that's hard to fake, and hard to hide. Some 80-90% of the company plays an instrument, which is rare in engineering, so most of the team are users of the very products they build. It shows at the company parties, too. By Gonzalo's account, the pre-Christmas party (pikkujoulu) jams are next level. Exactly what you'd expect from a room full of people who love what they make and make what they love.
MIP ELECTRONICS OY
MIP Electronics Oy is Finland's leading expert in acoustic and vibration measurement. Beyond top-tier instruments from manufacturers such as Audio Precision and Norsonic, MIP provides the know-how that carries from choosing the right tool to commissioning and long-term calibration service.
You can find the Audio Precision products Neural DSP uses here: https://www.mip.fi/fi/tuotteet/manufacturer/audio-precision
