Software, instrument and audio gear tests/reviews

Universal Audio has an ongoing partnership with the software whizzes at Softube to develop plug-ins for its UAD platform. This collaboration has resulted in many different plug-ins, including models of several Marshall guitar amps. The latest is the Marshall JMP 2203 Plug-In, which was released recently along with UAD 8.5 software. We took it for …

There are two clearly distinguishable schools in the software reverb world: algorithmic and convolution.

A track with too wide a dynamic range can cause problems when mixing. Rather than using automation to smooth out the levels, which is very time consuming, a compressor or limiter can do it for you automatically. The Finality Advanced limiter plug-in from Joey Sturgis Tones gives you a versatile tool set for taming dynamics, and it adds some pleasi…

Wah pedals are useful for more than just the standard “wah wah” effect. Sweeping the pedal’s filter to find a cool tone and then leaving it static as you play is also very effective. Known as the “cocked wah” effect, that’s the basis of Electro-Harmonix’s Cock Fight pedal, along with built in fuzz and a talking wah.

Let me introduce you to LUFS Meter, a downright clever plug-in that can make life easier to anyone taking the "Loudness War" seriously. And I hope there are many of you out there, considering the pains Audiofanzine goes to trying to make you aware of the issue...

The Ozone mastering suite from iZotope has gotten better with each major update. The latest, Ozone 7, adds vintage modules to its processing arsenal, which allow you to add warm, analog-like sounds. All but one of the new modules are exclusive to Ozone 7 Advanced, which is more costly than the standard version of Ozone 7. Both versions have seen …

Most software reverbs offer a choice of halls, plates, rooms and other types of virtual spaces, but Valhalla DSP takes a different approach. The company has separated its reverb offerings into individual plug-ins for different reverb flavors, and sells each for only $50. As a result, you can get a high-quality reverb, albeit of a single type, for …

Electro-Harmonix has followed its B9 and C9 Organ Machine pedals with the logical next step: the Key9 Electric-Piano Machine. This new stompbox uses the same technology as those organ pedals, and offers nine different emulations of electric keyboards and more.

When the original Magic A/B came out a couple of years ago, I was pretty blown away by it, because it made the important process of A/B-ing a mix a lot easier. Now SampleMagic has rewritten the application from the ground up, and what was already an excellent plug-in has gotten significantly better.

In the past, trying to find a guitar synth that tracked accurately was akin to searching for the Holy Grail. No product, whether it was a guitar synth or MIDI guitar controller was able to accurately reproduce guitar playing down to its nuances. Heck, most couldn’t even handle a string bend very well. But Boss has changed all that with the SY-300,…