Sound Overflow has released Genator, a 24-voice generative synthesizer for Windows. Here’s what they say: Describe a sound with four choices (family, ambience, mood, era) and Genator’s rule engine builds the whole patch, from the oscillators to the reverb. Shape it with 14 live macros, or let it evolve on its own with Evolve and Inspire. Also inside: a built-in sequencer locked to the host tempo, a vocal tract that turns the synth into a choir, effects in six possible orders, and 240 factory presets. Every sound is computed on your machine. Pricing & Availability Genator is available for Windows (VST3 and standalone) at a launch price of €69 instead of €99 until Friday, October 9 (8 PM CEST). The discount is applied automatically from the product page. Read More

mfkne has released Goldsmelt, a multi-effect plugin in VST3 format for macOS and Windows. It is the first plugin of the developer’s Golden Series and combines reworked versions of the main stages of its seven earlier effects in one device. All stages run on a shared clock and a shared detector, so slicing, grains and texture land on the same beat and the reverb ducks under the incoming hits. The fourteen controls are arranged in three rows that follow the signal path: FORGE: PUNCH (transient shaper), LIFT (parallel upward compression), BLEED (unison voices with an octave below and above), BURN (saturation from clean through fuzz to digital decay). SHATTER: SLICE (beat-synced repeat from 1/2 to 1/128), SHIMMER (granular octave shifter in the reverb feedback), GRAIN (grain size as a note value), DUST and MATERIAL (texture level and type), plus the switches FREEZE, SYNC and a bypass for the whole row. SMELT: SPACE (tempo-synced multitap delay into a 32-line reverb network), TAPE, GOLD, WIDTH and MIX. Gold is a refining stage that did not exist in the earlier plugins. It adds even rather than odd harmonics, a gentle tonal balance and a slow compression, all following the detector, so the effect sits on the body of a note rather than on its attack. Eight factory patches are available as host programs. Goldsmelt is free. The macOS version is a Universal Binary for Apple Silicon and Intel, the Windows version is 64-bit and needs no Visual C++ redistributable. The Mac version is not notarized, and the download page explains how to clear the macOS quarantine flag. Read More

Q.Audio has released Beat Warper Pro for Windows, a beat alignment tool built for DJ/Producers who need a fast and reliable, high-quality beat-warping to the DAW grid. Beat Warper Pro is a tool for DJs, DJ-producers, and audio engineers who need instant, professional beat alignment. Whether you’re working with AI-generated music, stems, or sample packs, this tool eliminates hours of manual warping in Ableton Live, Cubase, or any DAW. Key Features: Grid Alignment: Automatically detects all beats in your audio. Creates a mathematically precise grid. Aligns every beat to the grid with sub-millisecond accuracy. Zero time-stretching artifacts – pitch remains pristine. Export DAW-ready tracks (Ableton, Cubase, Logic, FL Studio). Automatically removes silence at the beginning of tracks. Preserves the attack of the first kick drum. Essential for DJs needing cued tracks. No more manual trimming in your DAW. Universal File Support: Input: Any WAV, MP3, FLAC, M4A, AIFF, OGG. Output: 16 or 24-bit – 44.1kHz or 48kHz WAV (DAW-compatible). Handles any sample rate and bit depth automatically. Batch Processing: Process entire folders of tracks in one click. Great for sample packs, stems, and entire projects. Progress tracking and detailed logs. Professional Quality: Pitch preserved – no artifacts or pitch shift. Transparent processing – your audio sounds identical, just timed. 16/24-bit 44.1/48kHz output – ready for mastering. Availability Beat Warper Pro is available for Windows and is free / donationware. Read More

The Asylum has released The Asylum Boards of Audio – Free Edition, a free ROM-style virtual instrument for Windows and macOS. The instrument is built around the atmosphere of faded educational films, institutional documentaries, unstable tape machines and half-remembered electronic recordings. Its sound may appeal to listeners drawn to the weathered, nostalgic character associated with artists such as Boards of Canada, although the instrument is an independent production and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Boards of Canada. It contains no samples from their recordings. The Free Edition includes 20 factory programmes divided between pads, keys, basses, woodwinds and atmospheric textures. Its deliberately compact interface provides eight principal controls: Volume. Cutoff and resonance. Deterioration. Static / Vinyl. Isolation. Attack and release. Deterioration introduces tape bias, saturation, wow and flutter, bandwidth wear and dropouts. Static / Vinyl adds controllable crackle, hiss and room tone, while Isolation places the sound into a dense, distant acoustic space. Additional features include 12-voice polyphony, pitch bend, modulation-wheel vibrato, an on-screen keyboard, stereo output metering and full parameter/state recall. The Free Edition is intended as an immediate, playable introduction to the project. A larger Complete Edition is now in development, with virtual analogue oscillators, a field-recording layer, expanded modulation, additional degradation effects, editable presets and user preset saving planned. Availability The Asylum Boards of Audio – Free Edition is available free of charge for Windows and macOS in VST3 and Audio Unit formats here. Asylum Audio also develops The Asylum Analogue, its commercial tape, cassette and listening-environment processor for Windows. Also available right here on KVR: {PRODUCT-HEADER-36751-theasylumanalogue}. {PRODUCT-HEADER-38395-theasylumboardsofaudio}. Read More

The Asylum has released The Asylum Boards of Audio – Free Edition, a free ROM-style virtual instrument for Windows and macOS. The instrument is built around the atmosphere of faded educational films, institutional documentaries, unstable tape machines and half-remembered electronic recordings. Its sound may appeal to listeners drawn to the weathered, nostalgic character associated with artists such as Boards of Canada, although the instrument is an independent production and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Boards of Canada. It contains no samples from their recordings. The Free Edition includes 20 factory programmes divided between pads, keys, basses, woodwinds and atmospheric textures. Its deliberately compact interface provides eight principal controls: Volume. Cutoff and resonance. Deterioration. Static / Vinyl. Isolation. Attack and release. Deterioration introduces tape bias, saturation, wow and flutter, bandwidth wear and dropouts. Static / Vinyl adds controllable crackle, hiss and room tone, while Isolation places the sound into a dense, distant acoustic space. Additional features include 12-voice polyphony, pitch bend, modulation-wheel vibrato, an on-screen keyboard, stereo output metering and full parameter/state recall. The Free Edition is intended as an immediate, playable introduction to the project. A larger Complete Edition is now in development, with virtual analogue oscillators, a field-recording layer, expanded modulation, additional degradation effects, editable presets and user preset saving planned. Availability The Asylum Boards of Audio – Free Edition is available free of charge for Windows and macOS in VST3 and Audio Unit formats here. Asylum Audio also develops The Asylum Analogue, its commercial tape, cassette and listening-environment processor for Windows. Also available right here on KVR: {PRODUCT-HEADER-36751-theasylumanalogue}. {PRODUCT-HEADER-38395-theasylumboardsofaudio}. Read More

MeldaProduction has released MSymphonia: Bells & Mallets stating: MSymphonia: Bells & Mallets is the first release in the MSymphonia series of instruments for MSoundFactory. This nearly 10GB library is based on weeks of recording sessions with the Budapest Symphonic Orchestra, capturing every single note with high precision. Recorded using four professional microphone setups, it is ideal for everything from massive cinematic scores to classical pieces, or just adding some sparkling acoustic colour to your pop and electronic tracks. To build this collection, guys from MeldaProduction packed up their gear and spent weeks in a studio in Budapest recording the acclaimed Budapest Symphonic Orchestra. They sampled every single note of seven classic melodic percussion instruments across all dynamic expressions. The result is a massive 10GB library designed to bring genuine symphonic weight and realistic spatial depth straight into your DAW. What’s Inside the Collection? Celesta: A sweet, keyboard-style instrument with controls for hammer hardness, body resonance, and high-end shimmer. Crotales: Bright antique cymbals with a dedicated Focus control to shape transients and cut through dense mixes. Glockenspiel: Classic orchestral bell tones with customizable strike hardness and crisp attack definition. Marimba: Organic, warm wooden bars featuring per-voice decay resonance and custom mallet character profiles. Tubular Bells: Massive church-style bells built for epic, cinematic scale and weight. Vibraphone: Metallic keys featuring a fully motorised tremolo engine, attack ducking, and flexible pedal behaviour. Xylophone: Highly percussive, woody keys offering bright, dry transients suitable for fast, agile runs. Total Spatial Control and Advanced Mixing Melda recorded each instrument using a modern 4-channel microphone setup. Inside the plugin, you’ll find their unified Mixer section, allowing you to balance the Close, Decca, Mid, and Outrigger microphone signals. They’ve also included a Distance slider for fine time alignment between channels, quick Stage Depth presets (from Intimate to Cinematic), and Roll Keys to easily perform realistic, alternating-hand repetitions on your keyboard. They also added a built-in 3-band EQ and an algorithmic reverb module so you can easily place your instruments inside vast concert halls. Introductory Price & Free for MSF Owners Bells & Mallets is available for the introductory price of €19 until November 30th (reg. €69). If you already own MSoundFactory or MSoundFactoryLE, this library is free for you. Simply open your MPluginManager and claim your download. If you don’t own MSoundFactory you can buy MSymphonia: Bells & Mallets separately and run it inside the free MSoundFactoryPlayer. YouTube.com/watch?v=nYK59foCGf0 Read More

Aqua Node has released VirtualDX7 v5.0, a free and open source 6-Operator FM synthesizer for Windows, macOS and Android, which adds many user-friendly graphs and visualizers to better understand what all the parameters on a DX7 do. About VirtualDX7 All original parameters in one view At first, VirtualDX7 seems to be yet another 6-Operator FM synthesizer – and it is, but a special one: It is capable of loading the original firmware ROM file of an actual DX7 mkI, so you can get the real sound of a DX7 out of it, even in the Android version. The catch with any other emulator is: You need to provide your own ROM file legally, for example from your own hardware device. To circumvent this issue, VirtualDX7 ships with a “native” engine: A from-scratch JUCE re-implementation of all the parameters of the classic DX7 mkI, fine-tuned to sound as close as possible to the real deal. See the KVR Entry for more details. What it offers on top The additional FX section Besides the classic FM sound, the native engine contains a few valuable improvements and additions over the original and some of software competitors: Microtuning: The native engine understands MTS-ESP microtuning. Realtime Parameter changes: While the original DX7 was not able to respond to live parameter changes and you had to hit a note again for it to update its behaviour, you can turn any knob you like and the native engine responds on the fly – increase the FM ratio while sound plays and it adds the brightness live. Visualizers: ADSR works differently on a DX7, its envelope generators have 2 knobs each for Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release per operator. A helpful display graph plots the current state of all six operators, so you can see directly how your patch will behave. SysEx import and export: Play the original presets. Effects section: on top of the raw sound engine, an FX section lets you add lush chorus, phaser, delay and reverb to your sound. You can also add notes to any note you play with a chord effect module. Android Version: The developer compiled an Android version of VirtualDX7 offered in their github download section. Free and Open Source Downloads VirtualDX7 can be downloaded for free from the developer’s github page. The release section bundles all their synths and effects in one large zip file per Operating System. In it, you will not only find the VirtualDX7, but many other useful synthesizers and effects, such as Aquanode Modular and many others. All are free and open source. Windows and Android versions are provided by the developer himself, who got help from Claude, the AI by Anthropic, to develop the plugins. The emulation engine was build upon the work of the VDX7 project by chiaccona. Mac Versions are provided by CutUp Studios. Read More

Aqua Node has released VirtualDX7 v5.0, a free and open source 6-Operator FM synthesizer for Windows, macOS and Android, which adds many user-friendly graphs and visualizers to better understand what all the parameters on a DX7 do. About VirtualDX7 All original parameters in one view At first, VirtualDX7 seems to be yet another 6-Operator FM synthesizer – and it is, but a special one: It is capable of loading the original firmware ROM file of an actual DX7 mkI, so you can get the real sound of a DX7 out of it, even in the Android version. The catch with any other emulator is: You need to provide your own ROM file legally, for example from your own hardware device. To circumvent this issue, VirtualDX7 ships with a “native” engine: A from-scratch JUCE re-implementation of all the parameters of the classic DX7 mkI, fine-tuned to sound as close as possible to the real deal. See the KVR Entry for more details. What it offers on top The additional FX section Besides the classic FM sound, the native engine contains a few valuable improvements and additions over the original and some of software competitors: Microtuning: The native engine understands MTS-ESP microtuning. Realtime Parameter changes: While the original DX7 was not able to respond to live parameter changes and you had to hit a note again for it to update its behaviour, you can turn any knob you like and the native engine responds on the fly – increase the FM ratio while sound plays and it adds the brightness live. Visualizers: ADSR works differently on a DX7, its envelope generators have 2 knobs each for Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release per operator. A helpful display graph plots the current state of all six operators, so you can see directly how your patch will behave. SysEx import and export: Play the original presets. Effects section: on top of the raw sound engine, an FX section lets you add lush chorus, phaser, delay and reverb to your sound. You can also add notes to any note you play with a chord effect module. Android Version: The developer compiled an Android version of VirtualDX7 offered in their github download section. Free and Open Source Downloads VirtualDX7 can be downloaded for free from the developer’s github page. The release section bundles all their synths and effects in one large zip file per Operating System. In it, you will not only find the VirtualDX7, but many other useful synthesizers and effects, such as Aquanode Modular and many others. All are free and open source. Windows and Android versions are provided by the developer himself, who got help from Claude, the AI by Anthropic, to develop the plugins. The emulation engine was build upon the work of the VDX7 project by chiaccona. Mac Versions are provided by CutUp Studios. Read More

FRCTL Audio has released GRNi Lite, a free version of its GRNi granular sampler. Drop a sample on the waveform, set the note it’s in, and play it on the keys. Every note you hold grows its own cloud of grains from the recording. There are three controls: ROOT tunes the keyboard to the sample. SIZE sets how long each grain is, from grainy and glitchy to smooth pads. DENSITY sets how many grains play, from a sparse crackle to a solid cloud. A selection drawn on the waveform picks which part of the sample the grains come from. Pricing and Availability GRNi Lite is free, with no serial and no time limit. It runs as VST3 and CLAP on Windows, macOS and Linux, plus AU on macOS. The full GRNi, with a second sample layer, scale modes, modulation and effects, is $44.99 with a 14-day free trial. Read More

FRCTL Audio has released GRNi Lite, a free version of its GRNi granular sampler. Drop a sample on the waveform, set the note it’s in, and play it on the keys. Every note you hold grows its own cloud of grains from the recording. There are three controls: ROOT tunes the keyboard to the sample. SIZE sets how long each grain is, from grainy and glitchy to smooth pads. DENSITY sets how many grains play, from a sparse crackle to a solid cloud. A selection drawn on the waveform picks which part of the sample the grains come from. Pricing and Availability GRNi Lite is free, with no serial and no time limit. It runs as VST3 and CLAP on Windows, macOS and Linux, plus AU on macOS. The full GRNi, with a second sample layer, scale modes, modulation and effects, is $44.99 with a 14-day free trial. Read More

Blue Cat Audio has released Free Amp 2.0, a major update to its free guitar and bass amp simulation plug-in. The company has also updated its complete collection of seven additional freeware plug-ins with expanded MIDI control, preset management improvements and user-interface enhancements. Blue Cat’s Free Amp 2.0 Free Amp 2.0 introduces a new generation of amp models built using technology from Blue Cat Audio’s Destructor V2 amp-modeling and distortion system. The update also adds a dedicated bass amp model and integrated reverb derived from the company’s Axiom multi-effects and amp-processing software. Free Amp can now operate as a standalone application in addition to running as a plug-in within a DAW or other compatible host. Blue Cat Audio has retained the original V1 amp models for compatibility with existing sessions. Version 2.0 also provides smoother transitions between presets, particularly when switching between presets using impulse responses and modeled cabinets, along with redesigned 3D HD graphics. Free Amp 2.0 highlights include: New amp models based on the Destructor V2 engine. New dedicated bass amp model. Built-in reverb based on technology from Axiom. Standalone application in addition to plug-in operation. Original V1 models for compatibility with existing projects. Smoother preset transitions, including switching between IR and modeled cabinets. Updated 3D HD graphics. Blue Cat’s Gain Suite 3.6 Blue Cat Audio has also expanded the linking capabilities of Gain Suite 3.6. The suite now supports up to 26 link groups, compared with nine in previous versions. Plug-in instances can also be linked across mono and stereo tracks, and the stereo version can now be used on mono tracks. This makes it possible to control considerably larger groups of Gain plug-in instances simultaneously across a mix. Updates Across the Freeware Collection Blue Cat Audio’s other free plug-ins; Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, FreqAnalyst, Triple EQ and Freeceiver have also received updates. MIDI control has been expanded substantially. Plug-in parameters can now be controlled using MIDI notes, pitch bend, NRPN, 14-bit MIDI CC, aftertouch and channel pressure, in addition to standard MIDI CC messages. A new “learn once” MIDI mode automatically exits learning mode after a parameter has been assigned. The plug-ins can also transmit Bank Select and Program Change messages when presets are changed from the user interface, allowing external MIDI controllers to remain synchronized. Preset management has been improved as well. The currently selected preset is easier to locate within menus, presets can be revealed directly in macOS Finder or Windows Explorer, and users can choose to cycle through presets within the current bank only. Windows users gain multitouch support, allowing several controls to be manipulated simultaneously on compatible touchscreen systems. Blue Cat Audio has also made a variety of accessibility, host zoom, text editing, undo and general interface improvements. Free With No Registration All eight Blue Cat Audio freeware products remain completely free. No registration, hardware dongle or mailing-list subscription is required, and the software is not being offered as part of a limited-time promotion. Some of Blue Cat Audio’s freeware plug-ins have now been available free of charge for more than 20 years. The plug-ins are available individually or as part of the Blue Cat Audio Freeware Pack. Read More

idealism has released hetki, a piano instrument built around a single 1908 Steinway Model O recorded at Greystoke Studio, London, and engineered by Andy Whitmore. hetki includes about 5,100 samples recorded at 96 kHz/24-bit from three mic positions (close, overhead and room), with six velocity layers, up to three round robins, recorded releases, and sustain-pedal and una corda banks. Four piano-noise layers (the sustain pedal, the keys going down and coming back up, the pianist moving, and the felt) each have their own level, and the room, vinyl and tape noise floors are recordings. hetki comes with ten presets. Four are the piano itself. Six are textures: the piano at half speed on tape, at quarter speed on a crackling old record, an ambient pad played from the keys, two felt-piano textures, and a slow blend of piano tremolo, synth pad, guitars and a Rhodes. The interface is hand-drawn, with MIDI learn on the round knobs. The sound library, about 10 GB, downloads from inside the plugin after the licence is entered. Pricing & Availability hetki is €24.99 (including VAT) as VST3, AU and standalone for macOS 10.15 or later (Apple silicon and Intel) and Windows 10/11 64-bit. A seven-day trial of the full instrument is available. The licence is a key file checked offline; it never expires and covers one person on every computer they use. Read More

Most drum mic lists start with an SM57 on the snare and a 421 in the kick. Sylvia Massy’s does too. Then she walks over to a bench of stuff she picked up at a French thrift store and adds a rotary phone, a kid’s cassette recorder, a garden hose taped around the kit and a bottle of water with a mic hanging in it. That’s the setup behind The Drum Factory SDX, the seven-kit Superior Drummer 3 expansion Toontrack recorded with Massy at La Fabrique in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Toontrack kept every one of those extra mics as its own channel in the mixer, so you can ride the phone up for eight bars and pull it back out, the same way she would on a real session. Toontrack likes to pair an engineer with a room they know. James Farber got Power Station for The Jazz Sessions. Massy chose La Fabrique, a converted silk mill that also hosts Mix With The Masters, and brought Grammy-winning engineer Ian Rickard to run the rig while she chased sounds. On day one they went shopping. The standard mics first Massy is clear about this in Toontrack’s session film. The library is meant to be big, punchy drums first. The weird stuff goes on top. If you’ve tracked a kit, her close mics will look familiar. Snare top is a Shure SM57. “Yeah, I know it’s a $100 mic,” she says, “but that’s a serious mic for studio work as well.” Snare bottom is a Sennheiser MD 441, tight enough that it mostly hears the wires. The two point at each other, so one gets flipped out of phase or the snare goes thin. The kick has three mics in every room: a Sennheiser MD 421 inside, a Neumann U 47 FET out front for the air coming off the head, and a Yamaha SKRM-100 Subkick for the low thump. In the Arcades she also ran a spare 421 into a PA aimed at the room. The PA’s only job was to push more kick into the stone so the room mics had something fat to pick up. Toms vary by room. Three rooms use a clip-on Shure Beta 98A on top for the attack, and where there’s a second mic underneath for the body, it’s a 421 in the Mill and an SM57 in the Dark Room. The Arcades toms get 421s. She blends top and bottom on the desk and bounces them to one track before they hit the recorder. Hats and rides get AKG C480s in every room. Overheads are an AKG C 24 stereo tube mic, except in the Library, where a Neumann M 149 takes over. The Arcades and Library add a pair of Coles 4038 ribbons too. Those are figure-8, so they hear the cymbals and the ceiling at the same time. The room mics depend on the space. Neumann TLM 50 omnis go toward the back wall to catch the slap coming back (the Library uses sE4400s instead). A Sennheiser MD 21-U, the older omni cousin of the 421, sits closer and hears the whole kit. The Arcades and Library also get an Electro-Voice RE20 as a mono room mic. The Dark Room and Library have a Violet Design Black Knight out in the stairwell, and for the Dark Room kit she stuck a Sony ECM-100N in the Mill next door as a far mic. Stop there and you already have a solid rock kit. Plenty of SDXs do stop there. Then the weirdos That’s Massy’s word for them on camera. Each one has its own fader in Superior, and the names below match the channel names in the mixer. Hose. A garden hose wraps around the base of the kit with an SM57 taped into one end. The tube strips out most of the cymbal wash and leaves a darker, thicker drum sound. She usually compresses it and slides it in under the kit until the whole thing sounds rounder. You can try this at home with a cheap hose and a 57. The hose is doing the filtering, so any old garden hose will do. It’s the only weird channel that shows up in all four rooms. Love. A bottle of water with an SM57 hanging in it, parked in front of the kick. It picks up the low end of the kick and toms through the water. Massy calls it wobbly, which is about right. It’s in the Arcades and the Library. Phone. A rotary telephone, rewired so the receiver works as a mic, then DI’d. Think narrow, mid-heavy, old radio. Her advice is not to leave it on for the whole song. Find the section that needs a lift, open the phone, then shut it again. You’ll find it in the Arcades and the Mill. Tape. A cassette recorder, sometimes shut in a cabinet. It’s DI’d in the Arcades and the Mill, and in the Library she put a Shure Green Bullet on it. It’s dirty on purpose. As Ian Rickard puts it, sometimes you want the whole kit a little fuzzy, so you bring those channels up until you hear it. Toontrack’s notes also mention guitar pickups used as a second room mic. Massy has done this sort of thing for years on guitar amps and pianos: try the “wrong” transducer and keep it if it does something the right one can’t. You’ll still build most mixes on the standard mics. The weird channels are for the bars where you want the kit to suddenly sound like something else. Here’s Massy walking through the setup in the Arcades. She used the same plan in the other three rooms. YouTube.com/watch?v=WN4T399KFA0 The making-of film is worth your time as well. She explains why La Fabrique was on her list and why the vintage kits didn’t go in the biggest room. Four rooms, seven kits La Fabrique was a silk mill in the 19th century, and parts of the building are far older. All that stone is why the four rooms sound nothing alike. The Dark Room is windowless stone, about 100 square meters with a 10-meter ceiling. Massy put the biggest kit in here: a 1990s Sonor Designer Maple Light (Octagon) with eight toms and four Tama Octobans. This is the loud rock and metal room, with a long, hard slap off the walls. The Library is wood-panelled and lined with books, with daylight coming through tall doors. It’s around 150 square meters, but the wood and all those shelves keep the sound close and warm. That’s where the two 1960s oddballs went: a Trixon Speedfire (Crocodile) and a Trixon Telstar (Orbit), both with shells that look like props from a 60s sci-fi film. The Arcades is a long stone gallery, 33 by 10 meters with a six-meter ceiling. Wooden beams break up the reflections and Massy boxed the kits in with heavy curtains, so the reverb is shorter than you’d expect from a room that size. The kits here are a 2000s DW Timeless Timber (Sunset) and a 1970s Tama Fibrestar (Cobalt). The Mill is built from 12th-century stone. Massy set the kits up in a back corner, facing out into the open room, so you get a tight hit up front and a long stone tail behind it. The Ayotte Custom (Ombre) and Brady Jarrah (Hardwood) were recorded here. In total there are 13 kicks, 15 snares, 30 toms, 21 cymbals and four pairs of hi-hats, counting the extra kicks and snares. Norman Garschke played everything, and the console you see in the films is a Neve 88R. What you get in Superior Drummer 3 The SDX loads as four separate libraries, one per room, each with its own mic channels. That means the Hose in the Dark Room and the Hose in the Mill are different faders with different sounds. Selected kits also have extra ambience and surround mics. There are close to 70 mix-ready presets from Massy and Toontrack’s sound design team, and some of Massy’s layer her own one-shot samples on top of the kit. The MIDI leans toward heavy rock and metal. It’s MIDI, though, so edit it into whatever you need. It came out on 4 November 2025 and lists at $179. [NATE: It’s currently $143 in Toontrack’s Session September sale until X. Confirm end date with Toontrack or delete this line.] You’ll need Superior Drummer 3.4.1 or later, around 140 GB of drive space, and another 140 GB free during the install. Our release news story has the launch details. {PRODUCT-HEADER-STANDALONE-14056-superiordrummer3} Who it’s for If you only use dry, close-miked kits, the Superior Drummer 3 core library and other SDXs already cover that. This one is for people who want the extra channels. If you like Massy’s records (Tool’s Undertow, System of a Down’s debut, Johnny Cash’s Unchained, Jason Isbell’s Weathervanes) and you’ve always wondered how much of that drum sound is the room and how much is the junk she points at it, you can find out one fader at a time. The standard mics are there when you want a straight rock kit, and the thrift-store channels are there when a chorus needs to sound like someone just opened a door. There’s a lesson in here for anyone recording live drums, too. Top and bottom snare mics face each other, so flip one. Do the same on any tom with a mic underneath. Massy has said she’ll get the drummer playing a simple beat, solo two mics at a time and flip the phase switch until the pair gets fatter. Sort that out before you start buying garden hoses. The Drum Factory SDX is available from Toontrack, and the full mic list for each room is on the product page. Sources: Sylvia Massy, The Drum Factory SDX mic walkthrough and making-of (Toontrack, 2025); Toontrack product page and mic placement charts for The Drum Factory SDX; John Walden, Sound on Sound review of The Drum Factory SDX; Sylvia Massy, interview on drum sound and tuning at drumacoustics.com. This article is sponsored by Toontrack. YouTube/di8C90UDQrQ Read More

ivoschi has released version 2.1 of MidiBro 2, the MIDI file browser and manager plugin (VST3, AU and AAX on macOS, VST3 on Windows). The update adds a Linux version, a new Rhythm Transform tool tab, a MIDI output setting for previews and several changes to the Groove tab, Variations and MIDIStack. What’s new: Linux: .deb installer for Ubuntu 24.04 or newer, with the VST3 plugins and the standalone app. New Rhythm Transform tab: lays another rhythmic style over a 4/4 drum file while keeping your kit and dynamics. Algorithms: half time, double time, simpler, busier or syncopated, polymeter most with a slider that the preview follows. Rhythm Transform results can be previewed against the original, saved to the library, sent to the MIDIStack or dragged into the DAW. New Settings tab “MIDI”: preview can play through any MIDI output device instead of the built-in sound, with connection status and a test chord. Groove tab: a strength bar for each note in the “Moves” section, so hi-hats can be swung while the kick stays in place. Variations: new Mirror method that flips pitches around an axis, plays the file backwards, or both. MIDIStack: MIDI channel can be set per row; multitrack files can be split automatically into Drums, Bass, Harmony and Melody. Internal synth on Auto now picks a drum kit for drum loops and a matching instrument for Chord or Bass collections. Tool tabs are colour-coded by function. Double-click a genre in the left panel to open the genre editor. Several fixes, including Stop All now clearing stuck notes on external MIDI devices. Pricing & Availability MidiBro 2.1 is a free update for MIDIBro 2 owners ($45 for new customers) at midibro.de {PRODUCT-HEADER-33585-midibro2plugin}. See in action on: YouTube Read More

DAWJunkie has announced the release of two new reverb plug-ins for macOS and Windos (VST2, VST3, AU & AAX): VerbJunkie, a creative stereo reverb processor combining convolution and algorithmic reverbs with rhythmic movement, and Convolute, a streamlined convolution reverb available completely free. VerbJunkie VerbJunkie is designed as a creative stereo reverb processor that combines two different reverb engines. A full convolution section can use the included sounds or load the user’s own waveforms, while a wide algorithmic reverb section can be panned to create stereo combinations between the two reverb types. The plug-in’s Movement section is designed to add rhythmic swells and modulation specifically to the reverb tail, allowing static reverbs to be transformed into moving, rhythmic textures. VerbJunkie also includes dozens of presets designed for instruments and vocals. VerbJunkie has a regular price of $39 and is currently available for an introductory price of $9.95 at DAWJUnkie.com Convolute Convolute is a free convolution reverb plug-in designed to provide a crisp, pristine convolution reverb with a straightforward interface. Users can load their own impulse responses (IRs) and adjust the available controls to create customized reverb spaces. Read More

Virharmonic has Started their Fall Sale with a limited time Build Your Own Bundle (BYOB). This is the first BYOB sale offered by Virharmonic. Add any 2 or 3 instruments to the cart and a Bundle price will be applied. Bundle prices range from €249 up to €399 depending on the instruments added to the cart with savings of up to €348 off. BYOB excludes the Instant Violin and Instant Cello which are on a 50% off sale at €49 each Read More

AudioBrain has released MixBrain V3, a redesigned Master + Node mixing system for macOS that combines corrective processing, character shaping, mix-priority management and a built-in Local LLM. MixBrain V3 is built around a session-level workflow rather than isolated channel processing. The Master plug-in defines the sonic direction of the mix, while Node instances on individual tracks apply the corrective and character-processing decisions. Core V3 workflow: Master Mix — choose Genre, Era and Character, then set the overall mix direction. Priority / Reciprocal Yielding — rank competing elements such as vocals, bass, drums and instruments so they can make space for one another. QuickMix — corrective EQ, dynamics and transient processing for individual tracks. Transform — shape body, clarity, punch, smoothness, forwardness and width using linked processors and macros. Local LLM — discuss mix direction in natural language without relying on a cloud AI service for the core workflow. Three editions use the same core QuickMix / Transform processing, 20-second analysis and Local LLM workflow. FREE supports up to 8 Nodes, Studio up to 32, and Pro up to 128. Pro also adds Auto Rank, advanced masking views and deeper history. Pricing & Availability MixBrain V3 is available in three editions as VST3 and Audio Unit for macOS: FREE $0, Studio $99, Pro $249. A 30% launch discount is available through October 16, 2026, bringing Studio to $69.30 and Pro to $174.30. Read More

German sample manufacturer Ueberschall is running a two-week sale with discounts of up to 90% across their massive catalog of sample libraries and loop packs. All Ueberschall sample libraries are optimized for use with the Elastik player but can also be exported to WAV format. More info about Elastik can be found here: ueberschall.com/elastik Browse all Ueberschall products here: ueberschall.com/products Read More

Remi Blaze Misomidix is 40% off through October 11. Misomidix is a MIDI generator that writes a whole arrangement: drums, chords, bass, melody, stabs and arp generated together across 14 genres so the parts agree, with lockable parts, six macros, shareable pattern codes and multi-track MIDI export. macOS: AU / VST3 / CLAP / AAX; Windows: VST3 / CLAP. Read More

Remi Blaze has released Misomidix, a genre-driven MIDI generator for macOS and Windows. Misomidix writes six parts together, drums, chords, bass, melody, stabs and arp, in dependency order, so the parts agree instead of fighting each other. Each part carries its own musical logic, with per-genre bass modes, voicing and drum programming rather than a shared groove template. Lock any part you like and re-roll the rest. Fourteen genres are built in: Tech House, Deep Tech, House, Deep House, Melodic House, Progressive, Afro, Organic, Bass House, Techno, Minimal, Drum & Bass, Hip Hop and Rock. Each brings its own progressions, drum programming and part behaviour. Six macros shape the result: Complexity, Density, Swing, Humanize, Length and Groove. A/B/C/D snapshots hold specific results, and checksummed pattern codes reproduce an exact result. Drag the piano roll onto the timeline or export every part as one multi-track MIDI file, and drop your own .mid on the window to re-groove it; drums are never scale-quantised. The One-Knob Raw Version and Micro Editions For a single part there are six micro editions on the same engine, one each for drums, chords, bass, melody, stabs and arp. There’s also Misomidix Raw, the one-knob edition: turn BUILD to take a loop from a stripped intro to a peak-time arrangement, press NEW for a different loop in a different genre and key, and drag all five parts into your DAW as one multi-track file. Availability Misomidix, the Micro editions, and the Raw One-Knob edition are each a one-time purchase. Prices range from $5 to $39. On macOS they require 15.0 or later and ship as AU, VST3, CLAP, AAX and Standalone, a Universal Binary for Apple Silicon and Intel, code-signed and notarized by Apple. On Windows 10 and 11 they ship as VST3, CLAP and Standalone, 64-bit and code-signed. Read More

Audio Modeling has updated Camelot to v2.5.4 with fixes and improvements covering stability, MIDI timing, audio performance and live workflow. The update improves MIDI Clock synchronization and optimizes MIDI messages sent to External Devices during Scene recall, reducing simultaneous message bursts for more reliable timing. Camelot also now automatically reloads the current Song when the audio device changes, helping maintain a consistent setup when switching or reconnecting audio hardware. Additional improvements include: More accurate MIDI CC values for External Devices and plug-in mappings. Fixed Sustain Pedal behavior when changing Scenes, addressing stuck notes. Fixed audio glitches when using multiple MIDI Devices. Improved Timeline playback and Metronome behavior. Fixes for MIDI Remote navigation and device assignments. Further stability, UI, Windows and iOS improvements. {PRODUCT-HEADER-19933-camelot}. For full details, see the Camelot v2.5.4 release notes. Read More

Salonebeats has released SLB Key, a free key and tempo detection plugin in VST3 format for macOS and Windows, available as a public beta. SLB Key analyzes audio live on a mixer track. After a few seconds of playback it displays the detected key with Camelot number and confidence, the relative key, two clickable alternatives, the tempo with half or double time, and the matching keys on a Camelot wheel. For pads and other material without a pulse it reports “No rhythm detected” instead of a tempo. The interface is available in seven languages. The current version 1.2.2 was retrained on real samples and beats. On 20 real samples it had never heard, the key was right in 16 cases. It is strongest on minor keys; major keys are sometimes shown as their relative minor, which is why the relative key is always displayed. Tempo detection also works on instrumentals without drums and was exact on 85 % of real samples. Pricing & Availability SLB Key is available now for free (pay what you want) from Gumroad as a VST3 plugin for Windows and macOS. The installers are not code-signed yet; the included manual explains the security warning on install. Read More

UVI has announced a deal on Emulation II+, “the Ultimate ’80s Sampler Suite”, now available for $/€49 until October 5, 2026. Emulation II+ gathers mythic sample-synths: the Emulator I, II, III, and the Drumulator. From bass, lead and bell sounds, to pads, orchestral and rhythmic elements, dive into endless sonic possibilities. Watch Emulation II+ in action: YouTube.com/watch?v=wTwAgbS95cI Read More

discoDSP has released Discovery Pro 9.5, OPL 3.2, Corona 7.1, Bliss 3.26 and Retromulator 1.9. Discovery Pro 9.5 Discovery Pro is a virtual analog synthesizer and sampler with 4 layers, 12 oscillators, 16 filter types including Nord Lead 2, Moog Ladder and Oberheim SEM models, SFZ/WAV/SoundFont/DWB/Bliss and Nord Sample Library support, PADsynth re-synthesis and Nord Lead 2 SysEx import/export. Version 9.5 adds a zoom window for the Gate and Mod sequencers, with curve editing, a bipolar mode and an OSC1+2 pitch destination. The Nordic filter is rebuilt from the Nord Lead 2X hardware, and the filter menu is split into models and modes. This update is free for all Discovery Pro 8.x and 9.x customers. Discovery Pro is available for Windows, macOS and Linux in VST, VST3, AU and standalone formats. Bliss 3.26 Adds Gigasampler (.gig) import and an import picker for large disk images: Export Bank to Individual Programs writes every program as its own .zbp file. Velocity Curve in the Play Mode menu, saved per program. Third party imports run in the background with a progress bar and can be cancelled. Fixed Akai S3000 samples being read 42 bytes late, which added noise at the end. Free for all Bliss 2.x and 3.x customers. Corona 7.1 Improves oscillator hard sync and the oversampling decimation filter: Sync reset lands between samples, removing inharmonic sidebands around the slave partials. New half-band decimation filters, flat to 20 kHz with over 120 dB of alias rejection and lower CPU use. MacOS 12 or later is now required. Free for all Corona 6.x and 7.x customers. OPL 3.2 Adds a multi-operator mode with up to four modulators and four carriers per note on a pool of eight OPL3 chips: Eight preset algorithms plus Custom, edited on a Yamaha-style algorithm chart. Loads WOPL, WOPLX and OPLI banks and TX81Z, DX21, DX27 and DX100 sysex dumps, with over 9,000 new bank instruments. Master Volume with output meter, and a Saturator with Valve and Tape voicings. Sample-accurate MIDI timing, sustain pedal support and stuck note fixes. Free for all OPL customers. Retromulator 1.9 Adds an Oberheim Matrix-1000 and updates OpenWurli cores: The original firmware runs on an emulated Motorola 6809 board driving six CEM3396 voice models, oversampled 2x. Banks 2 to 9 load from the patch EPROM, and all 96 patch parameters have a MIDI CC. LFO 1 and LFO 2 can sync to the host tempo or incoming MIDI clock. The iOS firmware picker accepts several files at once. The Wurlitzer 200A OpenWurli core is updated to 0.9, with a field-solved pickup model, reed swing and air damping from per-note hammer tables, a new preamp solver, a tremolo with the real LED response, and the power amp and volume control networks from the schematic. YouTube.com/watch?v=f8oNQlbjxbk YouTube.com/watch?v=L1IRK9Ok4HA Read More

discoDSP has released Discovery Pro 9.5, OPL 3.2, Corona 7.1, Bliss 3.26 and Retromulator 1.9. Discovery Pro 9.5 Discovery Pro is a virtual analog synthesizer and sampler with 4 layers, 12 oscillators, 16 filter types including Nord Lead 2, Moog Ladder and Oberheim SEM models, SFZ/WAV/SoundFont/DWB/Bliss and Nord Sample Library support, PADsynth re-synthesis and Nord Lead 2 SysEx import/export. Version 9.5 adds a zoom window for the Gate and Mod sequencers, with curve editing, a bipolar mode and an OSC1+2 pitch destination. The Nordic filter is rebuilt from the Nord Lead 2X hardware, and the filter menu is split into models and modes. This update is free for all Discovery Pro 8.x and 9.x customers. Discovery Pro is available for Windows, macOS and Linux in VST, VST3, AU and standalone formats. Bliss 3.26 Adds Gigasampler (.gig) import and an import picker for large disk images: Export Bank to Individual Programs writes every program as its own .zbp file. Velocity Curve in the Play Mode menu, saved per program. Third party imports run in the background with a progress bar and can be cancelled. Fixed Akai S3000 samples being read 42 bytes late, which added noise at the end. Free for all Bliss 2.x and 3.x customers. Corona 7.1 Improves oscillator hard sync and the oversampling decimation filter: Sync reset lands between samples, removing inharmonic sidebands around the slave partials. New half-band decimation filters, flat to 20 kHz with over 120 dB of alias rejection and lower CPU use. MacOS 12 or later is now required. Free for all Corona 6.x and 7.x customers. OPL 3.2 Adds a multi-operator mode with up to four modulators and four carriers per note on a pool of eight OPL3 chips: Eight preset algorithms plus Custom, edited on a Yamaha-style algorithm chart. Loads WOPL, WOPLX and OPLI banks and TX81Z, DX21, DX27 and DX100 sysex dumps, with over 9,000 new bank instruments. Master Volume with output meter, and a Saturator with Valve and Tape voicings. Sample-accurate MIDI timing, sustain pedal support and stuck note fixes. Free for all OPL customers. Retromulator 1.9 Adds an Oberheim Matrix-1000 and updates OpenWurli cores: The original firmware runs on an emulated Motorola 6809 board driving six CEM3396 voice models, oversampled 2x. Banks 2 to 9 load from the patch EPROM, and all 96 patch parameters have a MIDI CC. LFO 1 and LFO 2 can sync to the host tempo or incoming MIDI clock. The iOS firmware picker accepts several files at once. The Wurlitzer 200A OpenWurli core is updated to 0.9, with a field-solved pickup model, reed swing and air damping from per-note hammer tables, a new preamp solver, a tremolo with the real LED response, and the power amp and volume control networks from the schematic. YouTube.com/watch?v=f8oNQlbjxbk YouTube.com/watch?v=L1IRK9Ok4HA Read More

Xeni-Audio has updated Palimpsest, the modal instrument whose memory is its timbre, which now ships with two companions in the same installer: PalimpsestFx is an audio effect: place it after any synth and Palimpsest’s sympathetic strings answer that synth’s sound, shaped by the same machine memory the instrument carves — what you play through it engraves the memory too. It takes the notes from the track’s MIDI, or from PalimpsestNotes, a MIDI helper placed before the synth that passes the notes to PalimpsestFx over a shared link, with no routing. Body, Sympathy, Imprint, Decay, Inharm, Damper, Dry and Level; the memory’s Forget and Engrave are shared with every instance on the machine. Palimpsest is available for Windows, Linux and macOS in VST3, CLAP and Audio Unit plugin formats. One €49 licence covers Palimpsest and PalimpsestFx; PalimpsestNotes is free of licence. It’s a free update for existing owners. Read More

Audiomodern has released Riffer 4, a major upgrade to its MIDI sequencer, featuring five purpose-built generation engines for creating melodies, hooks, basslines, arpeggios, and sequences. Each engine offers its own musical character, from hypnotic sequences and guitar-inspired patterns to animated arpeggios and weighty basslines. Users can choose a key and scale, generate a riff, and shape it with direct note editing and controls for range, density, timing, and feel. YouTube.com/watch?v=7w4YF0YmadU Key Features: Five distinct MIDI generation engines. Work in any key and scale. Control note range, density, timing, and feel. Edit individual notes and develop variations. Export MIDI for use in your preferred music-making environment. Pricing & Availability Riffer 4 is available now for €49 during the introductory offer (regularly €69). Upgrades are €29. YouTube.com/watch?v=Dqz3mTte_WU Read More

Jun Murakami has released Synth81Z, a four-operator FM software synthesizer inspired by the Yamaha TX81Z. Features The TX81Z’s YM2414 (OPZ) chip and output stage are emulated from measurements of original hardware, including operator phase resolution, eight operator waveforms, algorithm-dependent output levels, envelope timing, and the frequency response of the DAC and output stage. A single-screen interface shows all four operators with a color-coded algorithm diagram and envelope graphs. Polyphony can be set to 8, 16, 24, or 32 voices, and the eight-part Performance mode supports layers, splits, and multitimbral setups. The five-slot effects rack includes 12 effects shared with Synth-80: four chorus types, delay, phaser, flanger, EQ, compressor, distortion, reverb, and an arpeggiator. The editor and librarian connect to a TX81Z over MIDI, with SysEx transfer for voices, Performances, and tables, .syx/.mid import, and a bank builder. MIDI Learn, DAW automation, 360+ factory presets, and a browser-based WebAssembly version are included. The product page also provides comparisons with recordings of the original hardware. Pricing & Availability Synth81Z is available for an introductory price of $39 until October 31, 2026. The regular price is $59. It is available in Standalone, VST3, AAX, and AU formats for Windows 10 or later and macOS 10.15 or later. YouTube.com/watch?v=HOWjh5E_8xI Read More

OVNI Audio has released version 0.1 of Eyepiece and updated Telescope to v0.2. Eyepiece Eyepiece is a free macOS app that reads an Ableton Live, Logic, GarageBand or FL Studio project and writes a snapshot of it in text, to paste into the AI the user already works with. The AI gives the advice; Eyepiece only reads. Eyepiece finds the most recently saved project on its own, or takes one dropped on its window. The snapshot lists what is in the session — the DAW and its version, tempo, time signature, tracks, clips, notes and devices — the shape of the arrangement, the mixer, the preset loaded in Arturia plugins, and findings, each with its number and the id of the rule that produced it. A coverage section lists what it did not read or could not verify, each with its reason. Detail stays out of the summary: the AI can ask for a code (eq:, notes:, plug:, …) and Eyepiece copies only that block. The user sees the snapshot before copying it, and the button copies exactly what is shown. Ableton Live projects are read in depth, including third-party plugins and the mix; the reader is verified up to Live 12.3.7. Logic, GarageBand and FL Studio projects are read at their first level. Eyepiece does not listen to the audio: every number in the snapshot comes from the project file. It needs no internet connection, sends nothing and has no AI inside. An example project comes with the app. Features: Reads Ableton Live projects in depth: tracks, clips, notes, devices, third-party plugins and the mix. Reads Logic, GarageBand and FL Studio projects at their first level (FL Studio verified with 181 projects, from FL 10 to FL 2026). Findings with their numbers and rule ids, and a coverage report of what was not read. Detail on request, by code. Interface in English, Spanish and Japanese (the Japanese is a machine translation nobody has reviewed yet, and the app says so). No network access and no telemetry. The project is read, never modified. Eyepiece 0.1.0 is free, for macOS 11 or later (Apple Silicon and Intel). It is closed-source. Telescope 0.2 Telescope, the free and open-source audio analyser, has been updated to version 0.2.0. The main fix: an open Telescope window no longer stalls the DAW. The update also adds a light theme, raises every axis label to 4.5:1 contrast or better, lets VERDICT reflow at 125% and 150%, and lets TONAL BALANCE compare against a chosen section of the reference track. What a file measures is unchanged: bit-identical to 0.1.0. Telescope 0.2.0 is free and open-source (AGPLv3): VST3 and AU for macOS 11 or later, and VST3 for Windows 10 or later (x64). Read More

NEXTALE Audio has updated GranularBreaker to v1.1.0, a free update to its game-driven granular instrument for Windows and macOS. In GranularBreaker, balls bounce through a grid of bricks and every collision fires a spatialized grain from your own sample, with a step sequencer, three LFOs, MIDI output and built-in delay and convolution reverb. Version 1.1.0 makes spawners much quicker to set up, lets the sequencer play with your DAW stopped and drive other instruments over MIDI, and brings a long list of sound, timing and stability improvements. New features: Drag & drop spawners: drag a numbered spawner from the SPAWNERS panel straight onto the grid to place it, or drag a placed one to move it with all its settings, then click to aim. Right-click delete: right-click a spawner in the SPAWNERS panel to delete it (Ctrl+Z brings it back). Sequencer MIDI OUT: a new button sends the sequencer’s notes to GranularBreaker’s MIDI output, to play other instruments. Sequencer with the DAW stopped: in SYNC DAW mode the sequencer keeps playing when the DAW is stopped, so you can audition a pattern at the project tempo. Press Play and it locks back onto the DAW timeline, with accents that follow the DAW’s bars. Hotkeys window: a new window in the Options menu lists every shortcut and mouse gesture. Better undo: undo now works one gesture at a time, and CLEAR can be undone. Manual on macOS: the macOS installer now includes the user manual (PDF). Sound: Every grain now follows its own envelope: overlapping grains fade naturally, without a click at the end of each grain. Tighter TRIG retriggers: the previous note stops exactly where the new one starts, and the new note keeps its delay echoes and reverb. Cleaner loops, click-free LP/HP filter switching and smoother LFO modulation at any buffer size. The delay stays under control when Drive is up, and glides smoothly when its time changes. MIDI and timing: Ball notes land exactly with their grains, and offline bounces now sound like live playback. No more stuck notes, and incoming MIDI notes start their grain right on time. Pentatonic scales now round every row to the nearest note of the scale. Workflow and stability: Your DAW now knows when you change bricks, spawners, the sample or the reverb IR, and offers to save the project. Missing samples are remembered and load again once the file is back. Readable multi-line tooltips, and a crisp pixel look on high-DPI displays. Many stability fixes, including a rare crash when loading a reverb impulse response during playback. Price & Availability GranularBreaker is currently 22% off until the 10th of October. GranularBreaker 1.1.0 is available now for Windows and macOS in VST3, AU and standalone formats. The full version comes with free updates for life. A free, unlimited demo (10×10 grid, 4 balls, 1 LFO) can be unlocked to the full version without another download. Read More

Delta plays only the signal the EQ removes 13x Audio has released version 1.5 of Aurora, its free 24-band dynamic EQ for Windows, macOS and Linux. Aurora offers up to 24 parametric EQ bands with per-band dynamics, a live spectrum analyzer with direct curve editing, stereo, mid/side and left/right band placement, and zero-latency, natural and linear phase modes. Its Smart Ops analyse incoming audio and create editable EQ bands for reference matching, resonance control, de-essing and unmasking. The update adds a Delta mode that plays only the signal the EQ removes, making it easy to check that dynamic bands or Smart Ops are not taking out too much. A new auto gain option compensates level changes for fair before/after comparisons, and an instance overview lets users view and edit every Aurora instance in a project from a single window. Version 1.5 also introduces a redesigned interface, a De-harsh stage that can work on the whole signal, and several fixes reported by users, including a REAPER issue where the selected band was not remembered when switching between plugins in the FX chain. Aurora 1.5 is available as a free download for Windows 10/11 (VST3, CLAP), macOS 11 or later as a universal build for Apple Silicon and Intel (AU, VST3, CLAP), and Linux x86_64 (VST3, CLAP, LV2). No account, licence key or trial period is required. Read More

Applied Acoustics Systems has announced the official release of a new version of its free AAS Player for macOS and Windows. The AAS Player is a dedicated player for AAS’s sound packs. It brings together the sound engines of AAS’s instruments—Chromaphone 3, Strum GS-2, Ultra Analog VA-3, String Studio VS-3, Lounge Lizard EP-5, and Multiphonics CV-3—with a streamlined performance interface featuring carefully selected controls for expressive sound shaping. At the heart of the AAS Player lies a vast collection of curated sound packs created by some of the world’s leading sound designers. Together, these collections form an evolving sonic library of thousands of carefully crafted presets, united by the signature AAS sound—rich, responsive, and uniquely expressive. Explore your AAS sound pack collection with a powerful preset browser designed for effortless discovery. vWith eight free presets from every sound pack, AAS Player gives you instant access to more than 650 sounds to explore and play—completely free. The AAS Player has always been a popular way to explore our Sound Pack Series but, as the collection of packs grew, we felt it had become too limited.This has now completely changed with the addition of a comprehensive preset browser. We’ve also added a Play view with key macro controls for each of the synthesis engines embedded in the AAS Player, allowing users to tweak sounds and explore their full depth. With an interface focused on essential parameters and efficient browsing, the AAS Player creates an inspiring, distraction-free musical environment where users can dive into an exceptionally rich sound library, explore ideas, and simply have fun making music. Alexandre Arsenault, lead product designer at Applied Acoustics Systems AAS Player features include: Comprehensive browser with search function: quickly find the sound you need. Key macro controls for each engine: shape your sound. Expanding collection of free sounds, now over 650: discover our collection of sound packs. Availability AAS Player is free and runs on both macOS and Windows in 64-bit DAWs that support the VST3, Audio Units, and AAX Native formats. It is also NKS-compatible. Introductory Promotion To mark the release of the new AAS Player, until October 27, 2026, all sound pack titles and bundles are 50% off. YouTube.com/watch?v=SqECrA8bzEI YouTube.com/watch?v=Jud8pzMmPaQ Read More

Applied Acoustics Systems has announced the official release of a new version of its free AAS Player for macOS and Windows. The AAS Player is a dedicated player for AAS’s sound packs. It brings together the sound engines of AAS’s instruments—Chromaphone 3, Strum GS-2, Ultra Analog VA-3, String Studio VS-3, Lounge Lizard EP-5, and Multiphonics CV-3—with a streamlined performance interface featuring carefully selected controls for expressive sound shaping. At the heart of the AAS Player lies a vast collection of curated sound packs created by some of the world’s leading sound designers. Together, these collections form an evolving sonic library of thousands of carefully crafted presets, united by the signature AAS sound—rich, responsive, and uniquely expressive. Explore your AAS sound pack collection with a powerful preset browser designed for effortless discovery. vWith eight free presets from every sound pack, AAS Player gives you instant access to more than 650 sounds to explore and play—completely free. The AAS Player has always been a popular way to explore our Sound Pack Series but, as the collection of packs grew, we felt it had become too limited.This has now completely changed with the addition of a comprehensive preset browser. We’ve also added a Play view with key macro controls for each of the synthesis engines embedded in the AAS Player, allowing users to tweak sounds and explore their full depth. With an interface focused on essential parameters and efficient browsing, the AAS Player creates an inspiring, distraction-free musical environment where users can dive into an exceptionally rich sound library, explore ideas, and simply have fun making music. Alexandre Arsenault, lead product designer at Applied Acoustics Systems AAS Player features include: Comprehensive browser with search function: quickly find the sound you need. Key macro controls for each engine: shape your sound. Expanding collection of free sounds, now over 650: discover our collection of sound packs. Availability AAS Player is free and runs on both macOS and Windows in 64-bit DAWs that support the VST3, Audio Units, and AAX Native formats. It is also NKS-compatible. Introductory Promotion To mark the release of the new AAS Player, until October 27, 2026, all sound pack titles and bundles are 50% off. YouTube.com/watch?v=SqECrA8bzEI YouTube.com/watch?v=Jud8pzMmPaQ Read More

Signal Tools Co. has released Pro Knob Rack, a free host for chaining the Pro Knob Series single-control mixing plugins. Chains can be saved and recalled in any session and any DAW. Pro Knob Trimmer and Pro Knob Unlock are also free with every account. Pro Knob Series The launch includes fifteen paid plugins, plus Trimmer and Unlock. Each module runs a full process behind one control: Pro Knob Clamp Pro Knob Compressor Pro Knob De-Esser Pro Knob De-Harsh Pro Knob De-Mud Pro Knob Delay Pro Knob Gate Pro Knob Glue Pro Knob Plate Pro Knob Presence Pro Knob Saturator Pro Knob Shimmer Pro Knob Tape Pro Knob Tilt Pro Knob Width Aux send versions are included with Pro Knob Delay, Pro Knob Plate and Pro Knob Shimmer. Pro Knob Rack Pro Knob Rack is a free 10-bay host. It can load up to ten modules into one window, save chain presets for recall in any DAW, and keep module settings with a module when its position changes. New Rack modules are planned, and Pro Knob All Access includes each new module as it ships. Pricing & Availability The Pro Knob Series is available now at intro prices through December 4, 2026: $7.95 per paid plugin. $79.95 for the Pro Knob Essentials Bundle of all fifteen paid plugins. $9.95 per month or $79 per year for Pro Knob All Access. Founding subscribers keep their rate until at least December 6, 2029. From December 5, 2026, prices rise to $14.95 per plugin, $129 for the bundle, and $14.95 per month or $149 per year for All Access. Pro Knob Rack, Pro Knob Trimmer and Pro Knob Unlock are free with every account. Read More

ISOREK has updates Gates to v1.3.5, with faster MIDI kit setup and a favourite kit option for new instances. Gates is a drum-pattern MIDI generator with six sequencer lanes. It lets users browse a curated rhythm library, edit patterns, chain grooves and fills, and organize them into song sections. Humanize controls add timing variation, while MIDI drag-and-drop exports the complete pattern chain or individual drum parts to a DAW. Gates sends MIDI to a connected drum machine, sampler or software instrument, which provides the sounds. The included library offers 17 preconfigured MIDI kits covering software and hardware drum instruments, General MIDI and multichannel routing. Examples include Roland TR-8S, Cre8audio Boom Chick, XLN Audio XO, Algonaut Atlas 2, Sugar Bytes DrumComputer, Wave Alchemy Triaz and Sonic Charge Microtonic. Elektron Digitakt / Syntakt and Generic Multi-Channel templates route the six Gates lanes to separate MIDI channels. Users can adapt the routing to their instrument’s receiving channels. Read More

Gazillion Industries has released Winnetka, a polysynth with a vocoder and the second instrument from Gazillion Industries. Features: 350 presets across bass, lead, pads, FX, percussion, arps and vocoder. Presets save, export and trade. The arpeggiator runs from 1/1 down to 1/64. Winnetka is available for macOS and Windows in Audio Unit, VST3 and standalone formats for $49. Read More

Reyes Amps has updated Kill Filter to v1.1.3. New in this update brings extended support for Reason, automation fixes and updated graphics. Kill Filter is a DJM-style high-pass/low-pass filter with momentary kill switch. The free plugin features aggressive resonance for satisfying filter sweeps. Made to emulate the DJ mixer single knob HP/LP function with a resonant filter like the kind you’d find in a vintage synth. Kill Filter is available for free for VST3 and AU, Windows and macOS, at Reyes-Amps.com and on MuseHub. YouTube/BaE-MlThT3k Read More

SubverseLab has released its first two plugins, Kubbe and Kaset, for macOS (VST3/AU, Apple Silicon and Intel) and Windows (VST3). Kubbe Kubbe is an algorithmic reverb with three rooms – Hammam, Cistern and Valley – with Duck, Freeze and tempo-synced echoes in Valley. Its display shows the decay time the engine measures for the current settings rather than a nominal value. Kaset Kaset is cassette tape colour for the mix bus: choose a generation from Master to 4th Dub and a tape type (Normal, Chrome, Metal). Each generation loses top end and gains hiss, wow and saturation; Auto Gain keeps the level steady. Pricing & Availability The first 1,000 people can download both free at subverselab.com/launch (sign in, no licence key). After that they are $9 each or $15 for the pair. Read More

Forma Labs Audio has released Filament 1.2.0, a free update to its real-time MIDI orchestration plugin and plugin host for composers and producers. Filament hosts up to 64 instruments within a single DAW track, distributing and revoicing incoming MIDI across orchestral libraries, synths and layered setups. Version 1.2.0 adds per-note expression, automatic voice distribution and a workflow for moving between live orchestration and DAW editing. Key Features: MPE support: Per-note pitch bend, pressure and timbre follow the orchestration to MPE-enabled hosted instruments, with expression preserved in MIDI recording and export. Auto Divisi: Distributes chord notes across connected parts, doubling notes when needed and preserving the outer voices when there are more notes than parts. Host Mode: Record an orchestration, drag its MIDI into the DAW, edit the individual parts and play them back through the same hosted instruments. Note Off Revoice: Choose whether remaining notes redistribute when keys are released. Arpeggiator chord following: Sustained notes can follow chord changes while shared pitches continue without retriggering. Clearer routing: Routes from other input layers remain visible, with indicators showing which layers contain routes. Keyswitch labels: Orchestration names remain visible and follow slots when copied or swapped. Matrix Mute/Solo: Optional controls accessible directly from output rows. CC curve controls: Values appear while dragging, with Shift for finer adjustments. Improvements to MIDI recording and export, hosted plugin window recall and interface rendering. Pricing and Availability Filament 1.2.0 is a free update for existing owners, downloadable from their Forma Labs Audio account. Filament costs £149 as a one-time purchase and is available for macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Windows, in VST3, AU (macOS) and standalone formats. YouTube/Q8KKldWYXlQ Read More

3DigitSamples has released SynthSYS, a hybrid synthesizer for macOS in AU, VST3 and standalone formats. We started out making presets and sample packs, and building thousands of sounds taught us that a preset is only a snapshot. It remembers a sound, but not how it was made. SynthSYS is built around a different idea: every sound is made of parts. Each of its four oscillators can run any of six engines: virtual analogue, wavetable, 6-operator FM, sample and granular, a multisampled ROM, and noise. An FM bell, a wavetable pad and a sampled texture can play as one patch, through two modelled filters, into an effects section that works like a studio patchbay rather than a plugin chain. Every preset is split into six parts (Core, FX, Motion, Matrix, Macros and Arp), and each one loads on its own. Keep the sound and swap the effects, or keep the effects and try another arp. It’s built to be played, not just programmed. Key features: Four oscillators, each switchable between six engines: Virtual Analogue, Wavetable, 6-operator FM, Sample & Granular, ROM and Noise. Two filters per voice with six modelled filter circuits, in serial or parallel. A 32-slot modulation matrix with 520 destinations. Drag any source onto any knob. Motion: two lanes of hand-drawn modulation shapes, sequenced like notes. A generative arpeggiator and 64-step sequencer. Pick a key, scale, style and phrase form, and it writes the line. A semi-modular effects section with 6 modules: a Eurorack-style case and a 19″ rack of 20 outboard units, connected through a patchbay. Presets in parts. Core, FX, Motion, Matrix, Macros and Arp all load independently. An ever expanding preset factory library, with genre Expansions and tasters. Selectable oversampling up to 4x. Runs on macOS 12 or later, on Apple Silicon and Intel. Launch Price: SynthSYS is available now for macOS in VST3 and AU formats for an introductory price of £129 (Reg. £179). A free demo is also available. A Windows version is “coming soon”. Read More