Spectrasonics
Eric Persing | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth year and age United States |
| Occupation(s) | Sound designer, synthesizer specialist, keyboard player, recording artist, music producer |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Known for | Founder and Creative Director of Spectrasonics |
Eric Persing is a Los Angeles-based American professional known for his work as a sound designer, synthesizer specialist, keyboard player, recording artist, and music producer. He is primarily recognized as the founder and Creative Director of Spectrasonics, a company specializing in music software and virtual instruments.
Career
Persing's musical journey began with piano lessons in sixth grade, and his fascination with synthesizers was sparked after experiencing a Minimoog in 1975. During the early 1980s, he relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a session musician and arranger, collaborating with prominent artists such as Luther Vandross, Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Michael Jackson, and Celine Dion.
In 1982, Persing joined Goodman Music in Orange, California, where he honed his skills with synthesizers and MIDI technology. His expertise led to an invitation from Tom Beckman, then President of Roland US, to demonstrate products at the 1984 NAMM Show. From 1984 through 2004, Persing served as Roland’s Chief Sound Designer, playing a key role in the development of landmark instruments including the Roland D-50, Roland JD-800, along with the JX, JV, JP, and XP series synthesizers.
Together with his wife Lorey, Persing co-established Spectrasonics in 1994. The company initially focused on sample libraries such as Bass Legends, which featured bass performances by Marcus Miller, John Patitucci, and Abraham Laboriel. Their 1995 release Distorted Reality became one of the most successful professional sample libraries of its time. By 2002, Spectrasonics had shifted its focus toward virtual instruments with products like Atmosphere and Trilogy.
Persing has been instrumental in producing all Spectrasonics offerings, including acclaimed titles like Omnisphere, Keyscape, Trilian, and Stylus RMX. At the 2011 NAMM Show, he unveiled the OMG-1 synthesizer—a unique hybrid combining a Moog Little Phatty with an Apple Mac Mini and iPads. In the same year, Spectrasonics launched the Bob Moog Tribute Library for Omnisphere and followed up with a second edition ten years later; all proceeds from these releases were donated to the Bob Moog Foundation.
His artistic inspirations encompass figures such as Vangelis, Kraftwerk, Jan Hammer, Yes, Genesis, and Thomas Dolby.
Awards
In recognition of their work on Omnisphere version 1.5, Persing and his team received the TEC Award for "Best Musical Instrument Software" in 2011.