Interview with the CrumplePop Team Members
In the ever-evolving world of content creation, one company is making waves by shifting its focus from video to audio. CrumplePop, a trailblazer in the realm of video plugins, has expanded its horizons to encompass audio plugins and standalone audio apps.
While the specific background details of the co-founders are not readily available, it is clear that CrumplePop's journey began with a focus on video plugins, primarily designed for video editing applications. However, the company's vision has grown, recognising the increasing importance of audio quality in video content and podcasting.
This shift is evident in their 2025 release of "SoundApp," an AI-powered standalone audio cleanup app that enhances audio clarity, levels, and removes noise and echo without requiring a non-linear editor (NLE) or digital audio workstation (DAW). The product lineup has evolved towards audio enhancement tools such as noise reduction plugins, catering to the growing need for easy, effective audio cleanup and enhancement solutions in content creation.
One of the fruits of this transformation is EchoRemover, a plugin by CrumplePop, which uses AI to remove reverb, a capability not possible using classical EQ, compressors, limiters, and other traditional audio tools.
The journey for CrumplePop began with humble beginnings, running a small video production shop, making short-form video content and commercial work. They worked on low-budget music videos and instructional videos about making greenhouses. Their first AI-powered audio plugin, WindRemover, was released in early 2020.
The collaboration between CrumplePop and Boris FX brings audio tools designed for video editors to the Boris FX community. This partnership combines AI and usability, focusing on the needs of video and podcast creators. CrumplePop's experience with building AI tech will be beneficial to Boris FX's internal engineers and products.
The AI tools developed by CrumplePop, such as EchoRemover, offer new ways for audio and video editors to work faster and deliver more polished projects. These tools are not intended to replace audio experts but to give everyone new capabilities.
AI tools will provide opportunities for "fix-it" type tools and utilities for visual effects artists and editors. The shift to audio plugins was due to the realization that audio was a huge unaddressed problem for video editors. The underlying technology for WindRemover was developed over a couple of years.
Before co-founding CrumplePop, one of the co-founders worked at a couple of small tech startups. The first video they worked on together was about a farm-to-table kitchen in Wisconsin. The landlord of their video production shop got them jobs shooting crescent dinner rolls, sinks, and showers.
In summary, CrumplePop's shift from video plugins to audio plugins signifies a recognition of the growing need for effective audio solutions in content creation. Their AI-powered tools offer new possibilities for visual effects artists, editors, and content creators alike, aiming to make audio enhancement faster, easier, and more accessible.
- Recognizing the growing importance of audio quality in video content and podcasting, CrumplePop, a company initially focused on video plugins, expanded its horizons to encompass audio plugins and standalone audio apps.
- The AI-powered tools developed by CrumplePop, such as EchoRemover, are designed to make audio enhancement faster, easier, and more accessible for visual effects artists, editors, and content creators, offering new capabilities that were previously not possible with traditional audio tools.
