Rhett Shull@rhettshull
YouTube videos · by Rhett Shull
I Think AI Just Killed The Plugin Industry
Guitar-channel video where the host, a self-described non-coder, tries the viral "reverse engineer anything" (REA) repository with Claude Code and rebuilds his favourite compressor plugin as "Squish Comp" in about 30 minutes. He notes that Claude refused to copy the original code for copyright reasons and says he will delete the result, then discusses firmware hacking and modding of amp modelers, NAM on the HX Stomp, Octatrack MkII mods, right-to-repair and security risks for musicians.
About this case
YouTube video by Rhett Shull (16:25) about trying the REA repo with Claude Code and recreating a commercial compressor plugin, with chapters covering what REA is, the Squish Comp build, copyright concerns, amp-modeler firmware hacking, NAM on the HX Stomp, modding an Octatrack MkII, vendor open-sourcing, AI guardrails, bricking risk and security implications. Links point to a Substack explainer of REA and a Guitar Bomb blog post, not to the author's own project or code.
Setup
See the original source for installation instructions.
Original text / README
I Think AI Just Killed The Plugin Industry
I tried the viral "reverse engineer anything" repo with Claude Code, and in about 30 minutes it cloned my favorite compressor plugin. I have zero coding experience. Here's what that means for plugins, amp modelers, and the gear we already own.
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🔗 FROM THE VIDEO Substack on reverse engineering, by Lucija Tomšić: https://lucijatomsic.substack.com/p/rea-reverse-engineer-anything-github-explained
HX Stomp NAM hack (Guitar Bomb): https://guitarbomb.com/blog/hx-stomp-hacked-run-nam-amp/
⏱ CHAPTERS 0:00 The viral "reverse engineer anything" repo 1:02 Why I tried it as a total non-coder 1:58 What is "REA"? 2:40 Cloning my favorite compressor plugin with Claude Code 3:06 Meet Squish Comp 3:19 Why Claude wouldn't copy the code (copyright) 4:03 Squish Comp controls and sound 4:43 I'm going to delete it 4:55 What this means for audio plugin companies 5:50 Hacking amp modeler firmware 6:18 NAM on the HX Stomp 7:22 Fractal adds NAM support 7:49 Modding my Octatrack MkII 8:45 Why old amp modelers won't become e-waste 9:55 Behringer and Akai go open source 10:52 My problem with AI 11:56 Anthropic and OpenAI add guardrails 13:14 What this means for musicians 14:26 Bricking your gear 14:47 Security risks 15:14 The new normal 15:53 Tell me what you think
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#guitar #ampmodeler #audioplugins #musicproduction #reverseengineeranything #claudecode #vibecoding #neuralampmodeler #nam #helixstomp #octatrack #guitargear