THE TEAM OF "Synthrilla"
Daniel Jösch @joesch
Founder of Synthrilla, transcriber, arranger, sound designer, and video creator from Southern Germany. A multi-instrumentalist on keyboards, drums, and violin, Daniel built Synthrilla from the ground up—designing the entire website, setting up the shop infrastructure, developing the brand identity and graphics, and editing all video content.
Beyond the creative work, he's constantly working on growing Synthrilla to dedicate even more time and resources to these projects. His vision is to expand the team's reach and impact while maintaining the quality and authenticity that defines our work.
Andy Hoang @nefspring
Co-Founder of Synthrilla, Minimoog player, sound designer, mixing engineer, and trumpet player from San Diego / San Francisco, California. He organized and recorded all the horn sections for our projects, mobilizing his musician friends to capture authentic brass performances. He also handled the drum recordings, bringing both technical expertise and a network of talented players to the team.
Antonio Santiago @antonio
Antonio is a talented sound designer, engineer, arranger and remixer from Lanzarote, Spain. A skilled keyboardist and bass player, he quickly became a key member through his exceptional analog synth recreations. His unconventional techniques bring sounds incredibly close to the original multitracks, and his mixes are consistently clean and precise.
Tape Vault
Tapevault is our sound designer, Rhodes specialist, and research expert. His exceptional talent lies in recreating authentic electric piano sounds, particularly capturing the flow and feel that Greg Phillinganes brought to the originals. Beyond his keyboard skills, he keeps the team organized and digs deep into research to ensure every detail is historically accurate.
🌱 A Growing Creative Community
What started as a solo project has grown into a collaborative effort involving incredibly talented people from around the globe. Synthrilla is becoming a community-driven movement, and I’m proud to highlight three key contributors who have elevated this project to a new level:
🎚️ Andy Hoang aka @nefspring (San Diego / San Francisco, USA)
Andy reached out to me via YouTube and provided a key insight: the iconic Thriller bassline wasn’t played on an ARP2600, as many believe, but on a Jupiter-8. His contribution went far beyond: he and his friends recorded entire brass sections, including flutes, based on my transcriptions from the Thriller multitracks using Steinberg Dorico.
Andy will also master the first official Synthrilla release in 2025.
🎹 @TapeVault (Poland)
A passionate collector of multitracks and vintage gear, TapeVault re-recorded the Thriller Rhodes piano part on his own authentic Rhodes keyboard. His dedication to sonic detail and historical accuracy is a huge asset to the project.
🎧 Antonio (Lanzarote, Spain)
Antonio possesses an exceptional ear and outstanding talent for sound recreation. His ability to dissect and rebuild iconic patches is second to none and brings enormous value to our sound design process.
Together, these talents represent the core of a growing, passionate Synthrilla community that’s built on creativity, generosity, and a love for great sound.
👤 About Daniel
Daniel Jösch is a certified media design specialist and lifelong music enthusiast. Music has been woven into his life since early childhood—beginning with drums, piano, and violin. By age 10, he was already exploring digital music production on a Commodore C64 with C-LAB Scoretrack, a Roland Alpha Juno-2, and a Roland D110. These instruments, gifted by his father, ignited a passion for recreating music entirely by ear.
Over the decades, Daniel’s journey evolved from C-LAB to Steinberg Cubase, now working with Cubase 15 alongside industry-leading tools: Spectrasonics, Arturia Collection, Roland Cloud, Native Instruments Komplete, Universal Audio interfaces, SWAM Audio Modelling Instruments, and Steinberg Dorico for transcribing our work to share it for educational purposes.
🎛️ Why Synthrilla
Our journey into recreating the legendary synth sounds from Michael Jackson’s Thriller led us to create Synthrilla. After three major projects focused on reproducing every synth detail from the album, we’re now sharing this work with fellow musicians.
Synthrilla is where we offer meticulously crafted presets to the music community. Sounds that capture the authenticity and character of the originals. Whether you’re producing in your bedroom or running a professional studio, these VST presets deliver the iconic tones you’re looking for.
🚀 The Mission
Synthrilla is here to make high-end sound design accessible to musicians, producers, and hobbyists around the world. Every preset we craft comes with precision, historical accuracy, and a story worth sharing.
We’re about trusting our ears, challenging myths, and sharing knowledge. As Quincy Jones said:
“Check your ego at the door.”
🎯 Explore the Sounds
Join us in recreating these iconic sounds. Whether you’re after the Thriller vibe or looking for inspiration for your own productions, Synthrilla offers authentic, studio-grade presets that work.