Back to the Future of Sound:
A conversation with NI’s founders

To mark the occasion of our 25th anniversary, we invited three of the most influential people in NI’s history – Stephan Schmitt, Daniel Haver, and Mate Galić – back to our Berlin HQ for an intimate reflection on our story so far. Watch as they dive into a quarter century of innovation, people, and products, and muse on the future of both the company and music technology in general.

For some of you, these three need no introduction: Stephan Schmitt, together with Volker Hinz, co-founded Native Instruments in 1996, and was the brains behind many of the earliest innovations, including our first synth, GENERATOR.

Daniel Haver was CEO of Native Instruments from 1997 until 2020. He recognized the potential of Stephan’s ideas early on, developed a structure for the business, and led NI to its current standing in the industry over his 24 years at the helm.

Joining NI in 1999, Mate Galić’s experience as a DJ and producer helped him become a driving force for product innovation and to lead the company alongside Daniel as NI’s CTO and President until 2020.

Celebrate 25 years of sound with us here. Discover limited edition hardware, and a free Play Series instrument, as well as more exclusive stories and videos from the past quarter-century of Native Instruments.