André Michelle
André Michelle started as a techno DJ in the 90s before teaching himself to code, creating games and music applications. His curiosity for both music and software quickly turned into a lifelong path.
He went on to create and develop audiotool.com for 16 years, shaping one of the first online music studios. Today, he is building openDAW, an open-source digital audio workstation for the browser, focused on accessibility, education, and creative freedom.
Talk: Why You Should Do It Anyway!
André Michelle built one of the first DAWs (Music Studio) on the internet. What began as a dream project turned into a 16-year-long lesson about persistence and ongoing failures. He now shares his story of building openDAW, a fresh and modern attempt to democratise music production without compromise.
André talks about why openness matters, why saying no is a feature, and why good ideas eventually find their place if you keep going. “If everybody owns it, nobody can steal it” has become a guiding principle for every decision.
openDAW removes barriers like sign-ups, cookie banners, and vendor locks, putting all data management in the hands of the user with no forced cloud or tracking. By working closely with music teachers and musicians, openDAW not only becomes more robust but also lays the foundation for others to extend it. With the openDAW SDK, developers can create their own music production applications.
