Our SyncDNA story
In 2019, music editor Dominic Castro and I met while working on the music score of a Jackie Chan film. With the director in Nashville and the composer in Hollywood, collaboration between them was crucial. The director was very hands-on in the composing of the music and up to that point, they were flying back and forth, which was time-consuming and expensive. Both the director and composer insisted that Dominic find a way to solve the problem of them being in the same place, at the same time, virtually. He found that existing technologies were limited and subject to latency issues due to the elasticity and inconsistencies of streaming over the internet. Dominic attempted using different software’s to accomplish the director’s goal: to work remotely, as if they were in the same studio, at the same time. It failed!
On March 12 of 2020, literally one day before the world shut down due to the pandemic, Dominic came over to my studio to show me his “idea”. While he had a guitarist friend in Arizona, we fed a music track over the internet from my studio in Los Angeles to the guitarist to overdub. The track came back to us in LA horribly out of sync. I might even have said “this sucks” but I knew what he was up to. I was sold on the idea, and I told Dominic I’d be with him all the way.
The quarantine allowed five of the most forward-thinking producer/engineer minds to come together from Canada, US, and Norway, to solve a problem. For eighteen months, we met online for 8-10 hours a day brainstorming the solution. When we started on this SyncDNA journey, I knew from the beginning that for our system to be accepted by the entertainment industry and by my industry peers, the result would have to be sample accurate audio, perfect sync from anywhere in the world without compromise. That was the key. We were determined to crack the code on real time collaboration.
For this innovation to truly revolutionize the industry, and for artists to feel like they were all together in the same studio, the visual component would have to complement the audio. To that point, it was important that the feeling of togetherness and camaraderie that I’ve known for 45 years as a producer/engineer in Hollywood, would have to be achieved. It has….. Digital took analog to another level and SyncDNA has taken digital real time!
Gary Lux
Sr. VP of Industry Relations/Brand Ambassador & Founder
“Never let technology
get in the way of creativity.”
Gary Lux
Sr. VP of Industry Relations/Brand Ambassador & Founder
The executive team
SyncDNA’s executive team is a dynamic group of producers and mixing engineers passionate about music production and technological innovation. Each member brings a unique expertise in their respective areas. We are a team built on fresh ideas, creativity and hard work. Our passion for delivering the best product in the world is in our DNA.
Arne Wilhelmsen
CEO, Chairman & Founder
Arne Wilhelmsen is an experienced music producer/engineer who has recorded with Norwegian artists for over 40 years and has successfully developed an artist Social Media Platform at Google+ with over 2.1 million followers. In Norway, Arne was partnered with Artesia Capital for several years, serving as a Business and Technology Advisor for startup companies in Norway.
Arne has an extensive project management background from the Norwegian Oil and Gas industry, including building a National Center for Crisis Management and Contingency Training (Command and Control) where more than 5,000 executives from the Norwegian offshore industry, government bodies, Police and National Rescue Centres, gained Crisis Management Training under Arne’s supervision.
Through this, Arne was instrumental in developing a real-time collaborative 3D training environment with vessel bridges and helicopter cockpit simulators allowing emergency response teams to train in real-time within a simulated 3D replica of the Norwegian Oil & Gas Sector.
In 1996, he founded Seven Mountains, an internet-based technology startup company with offices in Bergen, Oslo, London, as well as Boston and Silicon Valley. Arne ran the company’s USA operation for six years.
As a founder of Seven Mountains, Arne was instrumental in developing a collaborative system between US and Russian Health Sector Scientists over the Telstar Satellite communication. Arne initiated the development of an office application suite - a remote real-time collaboration system for corporations utilizing "thin" clients architecture over LAN, WAN and internet.
John Bailey
CTO & Founder
Alongside his career as a Grammy and Juno Award-winning Recording Engineer, John Bailey’s passion is technology. Many of the projects he has undertaken involved extensive R&D and working with Canada's S-R-E-D (Scientific Research & Experimental Development) program. Innovation with Audio Technology is where his heart lies.
As Chief Technology Officer, John oversees the architecture, development plans, and milestones, ensuring that SyncDNA brings the best-designed, customer-driven and competitive system to market. Working closely with chief architects, VP of Products, marketing & sales departments, overseeing R&D, and synchronizing architecture and development teams with the Product Roadmap, John leads the technology team at SyncDNA.
Gary Lux
Sr. VP of Industry Relations/Brand Ambassador & Founder
Known as the “Brand Father” of SyncDNA, Gary Lux has assembled five of the most forward-thinking producer/engineer minds he knew to come together from Canada, US, and Norway, to solve a problem; crack the code on real time collaboration. As a 45-year studio veteran, it was at his insistence that SyncDNA have the feeling of togetherness and camaraderie he knew that is essential to making music and artwork remotely.
Gary Lux is one of Hollywood’s premier music mixers, with literally thousands of projects to his credit. Gary holds a sterling reputation within the industry for musical excellence and for accomplishing high volume projects, on time, and within budget, all while maintaining the integrity of musicianship and quality that the industry requires. Gary's influence extends far and wide among industry peers who actively seek his guidance on human behavior and cultivating robust business relationships.
Dominic Castro
VP of Products & Founder
Dominic Castro is a prodigious American music producer, mixer, and sound editor, who embarked on an extraordinary journey in the entertainment industry at the tender age of 14. Castro's narrative is nothing short of inspirational, highlighted by milestones such as establishing his own studio, Blueprint Records LLC. His impressive mixing credits encompass a diverse array of artists and studios, including the likes of Halsey, Jay-Z, Shawn Mendes, Universal, Netflix, Amazon and more.
What truly distinguishes Dominic Castro is his unwavering commitment to efficiency. Armed with a robust understanding of leading workflows in the music and film industry, coupled with his visionary outlook on the future of remote collaboration, he currently holds the pivotal positions of Vice President of Product & Product Manager at SyncDNA Inc. This underscores his relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation in the dynamic realm of entertainment production.
Jan Erik Hårvei
Chief Financial Officer
Jan Erik has a been leader in the ICT industry for more than three decades, serving as CEO with a number of companies. Between 2007 and 2018 he CEOed maritime software developer Tero Marine, where his team built the company into a global player.
From 2018, he was a partner in a financial advisory, counting a number of early phase tech companies among his clients. His primary focus was strategic positioning, financial analysis and business model development.
Jan Erik has worked as an advisor to the Founders of SyncDNA since early 2020, an early believer in the disruptive technology he characterises as «absolutely brilliant".