Michael Appel
Music Producer / Sound Designer turned Web Developer with 5+ years of experience focused on frontend and CMS.
Building things to help people.
Projects
I started this dynamic web app to get more fluent in React and Tailwind. This also provided the opportunity to build an API with Supabase and to get familiar with PostgreSQL.
In this CRUD application, users can manage their reading logs, write reviews, rate books, mark favorites, add titles to their Top 5 lists, and more.
My primary goal is to deliver an exceptional user experience enhanced by engaging animations.
Stack
• JavaScript
• React
• Tailwind
• Framer Motion
• Shadcn
• Radix
• D3
• Supabase
• OpenAI API
• Tanstack Table
• Tanstack Router
• Vite
Demo Mode
At this point the demo works with a full functional API for 420 books, 156 authors and 29 extensive notes &
quotes on my favorite nonfiction books, for one user only.
Roadmap
Right now I'm finishing
building a book library API with 80K books in the English language to finally implement the
'Search / Add Book' and 'Browse Genre' functionality.
I launched this portfolio project to provide an inspiring tool
when working with colors.
My main objective was to deliver a user-friendly and intuitive UX/UI.
I personally use this web app to explore color combinations for the artwork of sound packs I sell on SparkPackers, to copycat and to create new color palettes.
- Vanilla JavaScript
- CSS
- HTML
- Dynamic color selection via a gradient bar, paired with a precise saturation and brightness slider
- Contextual tooltips that explain each color palette’s application through the lens of color theory
- A versatile mixing palette that incorporates HSL, LAB, and LCh for accurate color blending
- An export function for saving palettes in both text and image formats
- A feature allowing users to upload images, pinpoint and store specific color values, and automatically extract dominant colors
Jobs
SparkPackers provides a world class library of high-quality sound & sample packs for electronic music producers.
Stack
• WordPress
• Woocommerce
• CSS
• AWS S3
• SEO
• ConvertKit
• Photoshop
• After Effects
• Keyshot
• Camtasia
- Development and maintenance of a high-performing e-commerce store
- Built on WordPress & Woocommerce
- The CMS is heavily customized with CSS, WP-Hooks and JavaScript
- Seamless implementation of secure payment systems
- Product funnels and automated downloads for digital product
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Planning and executing social media campaigns
- Running facebook and instagram ads
- Cultivating an email list of 20K subscribers
- Running email campaigns
- Creating showcase videos for youtube
- Recording and providing tutorials
- Creative sound design
- Strategic packaging
- Appealing artwork
- Working independently with publishing deals at BMG, Sony/ATV, and Universal
- Producing and mixing albums and singles for emerging and established artists
- Providing creative guidance and consultation to help up-and-coming talent bring their projects to life
- Offering songwriting coaching in both German and English
- Managing an independent music studio at Kunsthaus Rhenania in Cologne
- Organizing and leading songwriting camps and songwriting sessions in collaboration with Sony/ATV
Profile
Hey, I'm Michael
Whilst studying economics, I always felt different.
I cared deeply about producing music and writing
songs
for
bands and singers. I would spend my nights learning not only about music software and mixing but also about
aspects of graphics and web design (my first contact with HTML, CSS and flash) - fields
that seemed relevant for packaging and presenting
music projects as products.
I started cultivating a passion for the intersection of creativity and business.
By the time I got my degree (Dipl.-Vw), it was clear to me that
I would pursue a career
as a freelance producer
and ghostwriter in the music industry. I went on to work for clients like BMG Germany, Sony/ATV and Universal.
In the late 2000's I ran a small indipendent music studio at Kunsthaus Rhenania in Cologne Rheinauhafen,
recorded and produced vocals and audio
and helped emerging independent artists bring their ideas to life.
After 15 years I needed another challenge and decided to launch SparkPackers, an online store for sounds and
samples where I sell preset packs for software synthesizers.
I specialized in creating presets based on custom wavetables, giving customers an easy way to shape sounds to
their vision. This approach made Sparkpackers a niche success and allowed me to help musicians, DJs, and
producers worldwide find their signature sound.
A significant part of launching and running SparkPackers involves coding product pages and heavily customizing
CMS platforms — an experience that re-sparked my passion for coding and led me to start projects like
BookGridd and ColPal Studio.
I have very good underlying knowledge of JavaScript itself and currently specialize in the React ecosystem.
I have strong knowledge of browsers and devices capabilities, care about writing clear code and always try to
keep accessibility in mind.
With great collaboration skills and a hands-on mentallity, I am a solid addition to any team. I’m now seeking opportunities in front-end development, driven by a deep passion for the web.
