Dirk Ulrich Is Back: Brainworx and Plugin Alliance Are Once Again in Their Founder's Hands

16 Jul by Marcus Schmahl | |

5,0 / 5,0 | Reading time: 4 min

Dirk Ulrich Is Back: Brainworx and Plugin Alliance Are Once Again in Their Founder's Hands · Source: Plugin Alliance

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Dirk Ulrich, founder of Brainworx and Plugin Alliance, unexpectedly bought back both companies on July 15, 2026. The acquisition runs through RCKFRC, Ulrich’s new venture, which already includes Apogee and Manley Labs. In a personal letter to the community, Dirk Ulrich explains why he came back and what’s coming next. Respect and congratulations from GEARNEWS!

Dirk Ulrich Returns to Brainworx and Plugin Alliance: The Full Story of a Comeback

From His Own Baby to a Corporate Subsidiary

Dirk Ulrich founded Plugin Alliance in 2011, folding his own company Brainworx into a lineup alongside respected analog manufacturers like SPL, elysia, and Vertigo Sound. What started as a pragmatic solution grew over the years into one of the most recognized names in professional audio plugins.

In 2021, Ulrich sold Brainworx and Plugin Alliance to the Native Instruments group, initially staying on as CEO before moving into an advisory board role at the end of 2022. In early 2024, he left that board entirely, ending his active involvement in the company group. In 2025, he acquired Manley Laboratories from founder EveAnna Manley, his first return to actively running a pro audio company since stepping away.

RCKFRC: Ulrich’s New Home for PA/BX, Apogee, and Manley

According to Dirk Ulrich’s letter, Brainworx and Plugin Alliance now belong to RCKFRC, his newly founded company, which already houses Apogee and Manley under the same roof. Ulrich is explicit that he doesn’t see this as a restart, but as a continuation, “with renewed focus and renewed responsibility.”

What triggered the comeback, according to Ulrich, was the flood of messages he received from customers worldwide over the past months, most of which weren’t actually about the next plugin. They were about the future of PA/BX: whether their software would keep working, whether licenses would stay valid, whether the products would keep evolving at all. When the opportunity came up to bring the companies back under founder leadership, he says he didn’t hesitate.

What Happens Next

Ulrich lays out four concrete priorities: protecting existing customer plugins, licenses, and projects; continuing product development; communicating transparently and directly; and, in the coming weeks, introducing the new team behind Brainworx and Plugin Alliance along with a more detailed roadmap. Further updates are expected to roll out on the announcement page as milestones get reached.

Worth noting: Ulrich specifically thanks Jack O’Donnell and the entire inMusic team for their “professional and constructive collaboration” throughout the transition, which suggests this deal happened in close coordination with the previous owner rather than as a clean break.

Why This Is More Than Just a Personnel Change

Ulrich was never just the founder for Brainworx and Plugin Alliance, he was the face of the brand for years, gave interviews, explained product philosophy personally, and was, for a lot of users, the recognizable person behind the plugins. His 2024 departure left plenty of longtime users with a genuine sense of disconnect from a brand that increasingly felt like part of a larger corporate machine, complete with the “Soundwide” rebrand chaos and multiple rounds of layoffs at Native Instruments.

Just this past April, Plugin Alliance showed the substance was still there with a massive free update covering 64 Brainworx plugins, its first major portfolio update since 2018. That the founder himself is stepping back in to actively take the wheel right now fits neatly into the picture of a brand that seems ready to reconnect with its roots.

Bottom Line

Dirk Ulrich’s history with his own companies has rarely run in a straight line: sale, step back, complete exit, a detour through Manley Labs and Apogee, and now a return through his own new holding company, RCKFRC. For a community that knew Ulrich as the face and go-to person behind these brands for well over a decade, this news still lands as a genuine moment.

How much his return actually changes product development, pricing, or communication remains to be seen over the coming weeks, once Dirk Ulrich introduces the new team and roadmap. We’ll keep you posted. But the simple fact that the man who built Brainworx and Plugin Alliance from nothing is back at the wheel is already reason enough for plenty of people in the scene to celebrate. Welcome back, Dirk!