The story behind HANCE

Developed from scratch to be fast, user-friendly, adaptable, and easy to deploy, the HANCE Audio Engine is the result of years of expertise in audio processing and machine learning.

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Advanced audio and machine learning technologies

 

Acon Digital and Soundly engineers collaborated to create the fastest, and most adaptable audio enhancement algorithms available.

2024

RECRUIT & RELEASE 

Building Teams & Products

Joote Michal Hika is now leading HANCE as CEO. In the beginning of 2024 a core team of executives is now in place, and the company is doing further recruitments where resources are needed. The Stem Separation model is released, and existing models are receiving continuous updates. Notably, we can now do Noise Removal with a model size of 253 kB. HANCE has signed contracts with SyncDNA and Woid, while several new deals are in the sales pipeline.

2024

2023

Technology, team, and reach 

HANCE's Growth & Impact

HANCE is experiencing growth and has two main objectives: advancing technology and establishing strong partnerships. A significant milestone was our conversation with Joote Michal Hika at a startup and AI event, which led to Joote becoming our Chief Commercial Officer.

We are expanding our team and forming valuable partnerships to progress in the industry. We are seeking professionals who share our mission and can contribute to our tech initiatives. This growth demonstrates our ongoing success and highlights our commitment to innovative audio technology.

We are continuously improving HANCE's reach and capabilities by participating in prominent industry events and implementing a focused hiring strategy. HANCE is undergoing a transformation into a comprehensive suite of audio solutions. Industries worldwide are taking notice, and our services are currently being deployed successfully in countless sectors.

2023

To the market

Introducing the HANCE Audio Engine

The highly advanced HANCE Audio Engine was finally released in 2023, after years of diligent development. Its cutting-edge audio processing technology and machine learning algorithms make it a standout product in the market. One of the standout features of the HANCE Audio Engine is its extreme CPU-efficiency, which allows it to run smoothly on small and lightweight processors. Additionally, it was specifically designed to be trainable and adaptable to individual use cases, making it a versatile solution for a wide range of industries. Companies across various sectors have shown a strong interest in HANCE, and it is available as APIs for C++, Python, and HTTP, with more languages on the horizon.

2023

2021

Getting attention

Developing partnerships

The founders of HANCE established connections with individuals and organizations to get feedback on the real-world use of their audio engine. This feedback was crucial in helping them improve their product and ensure that it met the needs of their users. By gathering this feedback and testing their system in real-world situations, HANCE could confidently move forward with their product, knowing that it had been tested and refined.

2021

HANCE is born 

Formally established HANCE as a company

The founders' shared passion and expertise made it possible for them to recognize a market for realtime and lightweight audio enhancement algorithms. As a result, they established HANCE as a company. Their mission was to develop an extremely lightweight and CPU-efficient audio engine that could be trained to tackle various audio-related challenges within a wide range of industries. They settled on the name "HANCE," derived from "enhance," as it perfectly captures the company's focus on improving audio quality.

2021

2020

Acon + Soundly

Collaborating on core technology

The collaboration between Acon Digital and Soundly was initiated when Acon Digital saw the need for additional data to further improve their already top-notch algorithms. Fortunately, Soundly could provide the necessary data through its massive sound library. As part of this collaboration, Acon Digital's audio processing tools were also used within Soundly as in-house audio processing tools and for audio processing tasks within the Soundly application. This partnership allowed both companies to improve their products and offer even better solutions to their users.

2019

NAMM 

First meeting

The first time Peder and Erling from Soundly met Stian from Acon Digital was at the NAMM Convention in Anaheim, Los Angeles. Together they discussed their shared interest in audio processing and machine learning, and soon they began brainstorming ideas for what would become HANCE.

2019

Meet the HANCE team

We all have a strong passion for sound engineering and audio processing. Collectively, we have worked in this field for over 100 years.

Stian Aagedal

Stian Aagedal

Dir. of Audio & Co-founder

In 2002, Stian Aagedal graduated from Karlsruhe University in Germany with a degree in computer science. He owns and runs the audio software company Acon Digital AS with over 30 years of experience in signal processing. At HANCE, Stian is responsible for improving HANCE's algorithms to increase their efficiency, speed, and quality.

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Peder Jørgensen

Dir. of Sound Design & Co-founder

As a sound effects and software professional, Peder Jørgensen founded the sound effects company Soundly AS in 2016. Now, Soundly has established itself as a leading player in the sound effects industry on a national and international scale. The training data for HANCE's algorithms is largely derived from Soundly's large sound database. His responsibilities include acquiring new training data and managing the server component of HANCE's web solution.

Erling

Erling Hoff

Web dev & marketing, Co-founder

Erling Hoff graduated from Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) as a sound engineer and has extensive experience in the sound industry. Besides founding Hoff Mastering, he served as an audio technology professor and developed SleepStream, a popular iPhone app. Additionally, Erling Hoff has extensive experience in web development and marketing, which he oversees at HANCE.

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Joote Michal Hika

CEO & Co-founder

Joote brings expertise in business development, product innovation, and strategic partnerships, specifically within the tech and AI startup sectors. Joote has previously co-founded 2 other AI startups and worked with in a range of startups the last 10 years. In his role at HANCE, Joote directs strategy, sales, partnerships, finance, and operations.

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Erlend Aune

CTO & Co-founder

Erlend Aune is a machine learning expert with a doctorate in Statistical Learning from NTNU. His extensive experience includes leading machine learning efforts at Exabel and Amedia, as well as leading collaborative research between industry and academia. Erlend holds an Associate Professor position at NTNU, which allows him to engage in innovative partnerships that drive advancements in the field.

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Yrjan Tangenes

Product Director

Yrjan Tangenes has been working within music technology for most of his career. Having founded several startups with backers within international music industry. Yrjan recently worked with the artist Kygo, running his lifestyle-brand X by Kygo.

Meet the founders of HANCE

We all have a strong passion for sound engineering and audio processing. Collectively, we have worked in this field for over 50 years.

Stian Aagedal

Stian Aagedal

Founder

In 2002, Stian Aagedal graduated from Karlsruhe University in Germany with a degree in computer science. He owns and runs the audio software company Acon Digital AS with over 30 years of experience in signal processing. At HANCE, Stian is responsible for improving HANCE's algorithms to increase their efficiency, speed, and quality.

peder

Peder Jørgensen

Founder

As a sound effects and software professional, Peder Jørgensen founded the sound effects company Soundly AS in 2016. Now, Soundly has established itself as a leading player in the sound effects industry on a national and international scale. The training data for HANCE's algorithms is largely derived from Soundly's large sound database. His responsibilities include acquiring new training data and managing the server component of HANCE's web solution.

Erling

Erling Hoff

Web dev & marketing

Erling Hoff graduated from Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) as a sound engineer and has extensive experience in the sound industry. Besides founding Hoff Mastering, he served as an audio technology professor and developed SleepStream, a popular iPhone app. Additionally, Erling Hoff has extensive experience in web development and marketing, which he oversees at HANCE.

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Joote Michal Hika

CEO

Joote brings expertise in business development, product innovation, and strategic partnerships, specifically within the tech and AI startup sectors. In his role at HANCE, Joote directs strategy, sales, finance, and operational elements. Beyond HANCE, he is the co-founder and managing partner at BalderX, a venture studio that focuses on nurturing and establishing AI-driven startups.

Our partners

HANCE provides audio enhancement services to a diverse range of partners, including businesses, non-profits, government agencies, academic institutions, and individuals.

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