# Spitfire Audio - Christian Henson Leaves VI-C as DEV - Open Letter To Forum



## Spitfire Team (May 5, 2017)

Dear VI-C,

As it is Spitfire Audio’s 10th Birthday year I thought it only right that I should address this forum as for Paul and myself, VI-C (or “vick” as we affectionately call her), is Spitfire’s Bethlehem. For the last 10 years many of us have slapped each other’s backs, sparred, rowed, despaired, defended, and decried all matters Spitfire. From ambient spaces, to space age sounds we have prodded, and occasionally totally lost our rags…. Yeah, sorry for _that_ one.

Our journey has been shared and bared with all of you from the early days of Paul and I wanting some smaller sounding strings and conjuring up a way we could afford to pay for them, the demise of Gigastudio minutes before our first release, through an Icelandic volcano making us re-think our distribution policy and switching to a download model, to Albion (which was going to be called Blitzkrieg originally until a friend of ours suggested it was “a bad word”) through modular orchestral madness and that shaky post I made minutes after speaking to The Daddy; Hans Zimmer who rang to suggest we record some drums together and we should announce it immediately. “Paul, just to warn you that I’ve agreed to something quite expensive which I’m pretty certain you’ll be cool for us to do, but I thought I’d let you know in case you stumbled across the post I just put up on Vick”. All the way to us becoming “Teasefire” and after 4 years of furious temple scratching, software developers in our own right.

As you’ve probably guessed Spitfire Audio has gone from two guys springing rubber bands around jam jars in the shed at the bottom of the garden to a small crew of Blake, Andy and our Webmaster (now ops manager) James hacking the bejesus out of Wordpress in between editing Oscar winning scores, then came our head of production Stanley to today’s team of over 30 people with stars from companies as far afield as Net A Porter, Avid & Focusrite not to mention a exaltation of Tonmeisters! Releasing loadsa products to an ever growing group of users we occasionally stop to congratulate ourselves on the many pounds we’ve put back into the business via fees and royalties and the $200k+ we’ve raised first for Unicef and now for smaller UK children’s charities. We of course thank you for you support there.

My personal journey is mirrored in the Spitfire story from being shut out of the orchestral ‘castle’ because I didn’t share the same musical tastes as my hardcore avant gardist professors (the same musical proclivities which were successfully emptying concert halls the world over) I spent the next 25 years hacking technology to subvert the snobbish orchestral paradigm. Our hope with Spitfire is to interface a growing number of people with the possibilities of horse hair, cat guts, wood, brass & spatchcocked cow hides.

It is only relatively recently that Paul stopped chopping samples and I stopped designing the packaging. We now have a team that does the work Paul and I used to do better than we dreamed possible. We’re so proud to work with this merry bunch of total geniuses who have picked up our baton and screamed off down the track, not stopping at the finish line but running straight out of the stadium and over the horizon.

*But its not just about amazing libs, our fab art work, and marketing, it is also about our customer experience, and I guess this is why I’m posting this notice on the commercial thread as it is very much a massive investment from us into your experience with Spitfire. I’m sure we’ll be shouting this from the roof tops soon but some of you may have noticed that quietly in the background we’ve installed live chat, phone support (including a dedicated USA line so our cousins don’t have to make international calls) and a more streamlined FAQ page with a bug desk which we’re all going to see the benefits of soon. Indeed we've already had one chap saying "I had no idea you'd get back to me to say the bug I'd reported had been fixed in the latest update". Whats more there’s nice, intelligent people manning them, no more “I hope I get Paul, Christian gets pretty ratty and clearly doesn’t even know how to use Kontakt” (true…. and after ten years, tsk tsk).*

So alongside wishing you all thanks for the last decade of support, commitment and feedback my job now is to join the left hand of our marketing & social media team, to the right hand of our customer support team to create a circle of love, and efficient care for you all. So, with a tear in my eye meet Loren, Ben, Joaquim (Quim) and Sandy who are taking over from my ‘Vick” role. I hope PMs are now answered and I suspect they won’t accuse any of you “talking total bollocks”. Sorry again for that.

The many hours I’ve put in here will now be diverted to my efforts to continue to subvert the snobbish middle aged white male dominated world of orchestral and my secondary fascination the scourge of narcissistic personality disorder in creative industries and how to avoid abuse and exploitation in our world (Alongside quite a lot of gear porn)..
I’m going to be on these channels, and would love to see you there too…








MY NEW YOUTUBE CHANNEL • MY NEW INSTAGRAM • MY NEW TWITTER FEED​
Oh, and did you know Spitfire is big on socials too now?:

SPITFIRE'S YOUTUBE • SPITFIRE'S FACEBOOK • SPITFIRE'S TWITTER
SPITFIRE'S INSTAGRAM​
I will naturally pipe up here from time to time to talk up our continued efforts with Spitfire, but now firmly as the jobbing journeyman composer hat on. So here’s to you all, I love this community very much adieu for now as ‘Spitfire Team’ and see you back here from time to time as myself, a new user.

Much love.

CH


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## woodsdenis (May 5, 2017)

Rock on CH. You guys have played a huge part in making mere sampling instruments, real playable instruments with a heart and soul.


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## synthpunk (May 5, 2017)

Cheers CH. Enjoy your new role and have a glass of your favorite red on us.

Welcome new Spitfire Team. SF choir teaser's very welcome.


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## mc_deli (May 5, 2017)

It's been great. Please pop by with your other hats on. 

I guess you now have time for all those projects... "saucy Jack, he's a naughty one..."


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## Ian Dorsch (May 5, 2017)

Thanks for everything, CH. Your enthusiasm and love for music is an inspiration. I'll look forward to following you over at the YouTubes and Twitters


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## Craig Sharmat (May 5, 2017)

You certainly have contributed to the community, thanks for being here.


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## mickeyl (May 5, 2017)

Thanks, and CU Elsewhere!


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## Ashermusic (May 5, 2017)

Thanks Christian, you are, as we say in Yiddish, a mensch.


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## playz123 (May 5, 2017)

In spite of excellent new members of the team, and the company's expansion, in my mind Christian and Paul will always be "Spitfire Audio". They are the ones who have inspired me and even taught me much over the years. Even though I've never met them in person, there's always this feeling that we could sit down with a pint sometime and talk long into the night (wives willing of course  ). Christian's presence here has, for me, greatly enhanced the forum's value, and he has also been here to guide, explain and elaborate during the release of each new Spitfire product. And let's not forget his enthusiasm, which is so contagious! Many of us spend hours alone with our art, so it is always good to hear from others who share our interests and offer inspiration at the same time.

Christian, if you see this, all the best with your new endeavours, and it's reassuring to know we can still follow your adventures in other ways. And once again I thank you too for your generosity to me in the past, and I wish you continued success in the future. Cheers...............frank


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## SoNowWhat? (May 5, 2017)

Au revoir Christian and thank you.


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## thov72 (May 5, 2017)

Boy, you can *write*!! 

See you around Christian ....errr and thank you for the edu discount.
Nice to have a company in the biz with such a positive vibe.


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## erica-grace (May 5, 2017)

I don't get it. Are you no longer a part of SFA, Christian? I read your post twice, and still do not understand.


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## playz123 (May 5, 2017)

erica-grace said:


> I don't get it. Are you no longer a part of SFA, Christian? I read your post twice, and still do not understand.


As Christian wrote: "I will naturally pipe up here from time to time to talk up our continued efforts with Spitfire". So, as I see it, he's still very much part of Spitfire; just turning forum participation over to his team and moving on to do other things.... as well as remaining part of Spitfire.


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## maclaine (May 5, 2017)

Thanks for all your hard work and dedication, Christian. No one can fault you for wanting to focus on the thing we all value the most, making music. It's amazing to see what you, Paul, and the rest of the team have done with Spitfire over the years. You've earned a break.


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## tack (May 5, 2017)

As I click the like button, it occurs to me that all those likes _could_ be interpreted as "oh thank God Christian is leaving!"

Good luck with your new focus, Christian.


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## desert (May 6, 2017)

Thanks Christian and Paul for your 10 years!

Hope you still browse on a secret account


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## wst3 (May 6, 2017)

Have fun on the new(ish) path(s) Christian, and everyone at SFA!

We'll be watching/learning/enjoying...


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## pranitkhedekar (May 6, 2017)

Thanks Christian! and Good Luck


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## Rodney Money (May 6, 2017)

Spitfire Team said:


> My personal journey is mirrored in the Spitfire story from being shut out of the orchestral ‘castle’ because I didn’t share the same musical tastes as my hardcore avant gardist professors (the same musical proclivities which were successfully emptying concert halls the world over) I spent the next 25 years hacking technology to subvert the snobbish orchestral paradigm.


I'm happy to see that you edited this from what you originally wrote.  I had one of the toughest, most avant-gardist professors ever who showed extreme favoritism for student compositions demonstrating numerous extended techniques, but even though our styles were completely different, I took what he taught me and made it my own. What's interesting is that I know that my old professor from back in the day would absolutely love your London Contemporary Orchestral String library now, and a lot of the techniques he was teaching me back then sounded similar to the advant-garde techniques and textures of that library and Albion V.


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## Joram (May 6, 2017)

Hey Christian, good luck with your renewed adventure! Was nice meeting you last MPG Awards. We might meet again.


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## LamaRose (May 6, 2017)

Good for you, Christian. Look forward to the expanded youtube coverage, interviews, etc. Did I see Olafur in Air Lyndhurst finally recording those strings for his SF toolkit?


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## Anders Wall (May 6, 2017)

Best of luck with your adventures!!!

/Anders


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## AllanH (May 7, 2017)

@CH - Sounds like you're getting some amount of freedom to focus on your music again - congratulations!

I've always thought that a key strength of Spitfire was that the company was run by dedicated and involved musicians. I hope this doesn't mean you and Paul are handing over the management of the company to someone else (if you took outside investors, this tends to be one of the first things that happens). 

Congratulations on the Edinburgh move and the ability to focus on music creation again.


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## D Halgren (May 7, 2017)

Christian, your life is such an inspiration! I love watching your videos and peeking behind the curtain of one of my favorite developers. Cheers! Keep up the good work and mind the gap.


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## TGV (May 8, 2017)

You can look back on a job well done. Spitfire Audio is one of the few great samplers in this world. May your future be as successful.


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## enyawg (May 10, 2017)

Hi Christian,
Whether you're fully, partly or semi-partly (is that a word?) departing, I must say I'm so proud of what you guys have achieved at SFA over the last 10 years.
Every score or mockup I write have Spitfire Audio content, and it is THE sample sound to my ears... classic. chamber, Aleatoric, brass, perc or somewhere in the reeds (bad joke), whatever is needed. Spitfire Audio produce libraries of absolutely fathomless musical quality.

Btw loving the support and quick problem solving I've experienced lately at 'vick' by Sandy, Joaquim, and Harnek.

Cheers,
Wayne (aka John) Gardner
(Proud SFA customer)
Sydney - Australia


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## Musicam (May 10, 2017)

Spitfire Team said:


> Dear VI-C,
> 
> As it is Spitfire Audio’s 10th Birthday year I thought it only right that I should address this forum as for Paul and myself, VI-C (or “vick” as we affectionately call her), is Spitfire’s Bethlehem. For the last 10 years many of us have slapped each other’s backs, sparred, rowed, despaired, defended, and decried all matters Spitfire. From ambient spaces, to space age sounds we have prodded, and occasionally totally lost our rags…. Yeah, sorry for _that_ one.
> 
> ...


Where can I find an ukelele? In Labs please?


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## windyweekend (May 10, 2017)

Great team. The best products. The best ideas. Never stop what you're doing. It works.


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## higgs (May 11, 2017)

Christian,

Thanks for being so active in the community.
Thanks for your hard work and determination.
Thanks for pushing the limits.
Thanks for raising the bar.

I hope you'll continue to be active here, as a civilian.


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## noises on (May 12, 2017)

thereus said:


> I wish you luck also, Christian, but your message has a bit of an edge, it seems to me.
> 
> When the money men arrive, communities of fellow collaborators become markets of target punters. Creative relationships give way to those that are commercially defined.
> 
> It's the way of our capitalist world, but it still always feels like a loss.


There is always the risk that this happens.....Christian will need to resist the corporate pervasiveness.


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## Musicam (May 12, 2017)

A cup of tea, please.


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## KallumS (May 14, 2019)

paularthur said:


> Thank you sir!



This thread is 2 years old by this point


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## paularthur (May 14, 2019)

KallumS said:


> This thread is 2 years old by this point


i commented back on the wrong thread my mistake lol


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## JasonSchoepfer (Sep 10, 2022)

Commenting as I never knew this thread existed… and a lot has changed recently. Nice to read this from way back.


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## enyawg (Sep 10, 2022)

Thanks so much CH… what a ride!!!
I still rate my Spitfire Audio libraries and instruments amongst my best… actually my best.


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