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Google’s VR team hires developer behind one of the Vive’s best apps

Google’s VR team hires developer behind one of the Vive’s best apps

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Logan Olson, developer of awesome virtual reality music creation tool SoundStage, is joining Clay Bavor’s VR team at Google. SoundStage lets you assemble and operate a music studio in the virtual space around you using the HTC Vive headset and wireless controllers — it’s like Tilt Brush for techno. I said it “feels like a visionary application” after spending time with it last year.

“We’re excited to welcome Logan to the Google VR team,” a Google spokesperson tells The Verge. “As a leader in thinking about creating in VR with his app SoundStage, we’re really inspired by what he’s built and for the potential for VR and creativity.“

SoundStage came out of its Early Access state on Steam last month with a 1.0 release that brought several new features but marked the end of active development. (It’s also since been made available for the Oculus Rift.) Olson joining Google does confirm that SoundStage will never grow into a serious Logic Pro or Ableton Live competitor — not that it could have anyway, in all likelihood — but Google says it’ll build on what he’s learned for existing and upcoming products. 

Google launched its promising Daydream VR platform alongside the Pixel and Pixel XL phones last fall, but news has been quiet in recent months. Few other manufacturers have announced Daydream-compatible devices since then, and the Pixel’s limited availability may well have limited Daydream’s visibility. If nothing else, though, Olson’s hiring shows that Google is still interested in investing in the creative possibilities of VR following the 2015 acquisition of the team behind Tilt Brush.