Karl Hoefner is a pioneering German synthesizer designer and engineer who has had a long and successful career in the synthesizer industry. He is best known for his work with the legendary Roland Corporation, where he helped to develop several classic synthesizer models, such as the SH-101, Juno-106, JX-3P and D-50. He is also credited with the invention of the ‘virtual analog’ synthesis technique, which is widely used in modern synthesizers.