A review of the UAD AKG BX 20 spring reverb plug-in - Spring Has Sprung
Written testWhen you think of spring reverb, the sound that probably comes to mind is the “boingy” one associated with guitar amps. For mixing sources like vocals, drums and pianos, you probably wouldn't conside…
A review of East West ProDrummer - Drumming with a Pro
Written testThe drum instrument market is a crowded one, and already full of excellent choices. East West, a company renowned for its high-quality instruments and sound libraries, has just thrown its hat in the …
These instruments and effects may not be well known, bu… - 5 Cool Plug-ins You May Never Have Heard Of
LearningSome people become addicted to plug-ins; others become connoisseurs. That is, they're borderline addicts but too refined to splurge on just anything. They need a certain something, which is what the…
A review of the EastWest Composer Cloud subscription se… - Instruments from the Cloud
Written testSubscription-based plans are becoming more common for music software. While presumably a good thing for the developers, they’re not necessarily so great for users, who have to pay over and over for a…
Sonarworks Headphone Calibration Review - High Caliber
Written testYou all know what it's like to finish a mix that sounds amazing on your headphones and then try to show it to your grandma on her hi-fi system, only to discover that it sounds terrible. The mix is co…
Sensomusic Usine Hollyhock II Review - Music in Bloom
Written testBest Product awardThere are lots of software solutions for live performance. Strangely enough, Sensomusic's Usine Hollyhock II doesn't come up on the radar as often as other products. And yet...
A review of the new plug-ins in Universal Audio UAD 8.1… - Another Three from UAD
Written testUniversal Audio just released a new version of its software for Apollo and other UAD-2 devices. The release is highlighted by three new plug-ins, including spot-on emulations of the Neve 88RS Channel…
A review of SONiVOX Tony Coleman Drums - Tony Goes Virtual
Written testSONiVOX's Tony Coleman Drums (Mac/Win), is a virtual drum plug-in featuring sampled kit sounds from Coleman, who’s played with a who’s who of blues and R&B artists including B.B. King, Bobby Blue Bl…
Virtual Tone Tips for Guitarists - How to get killer sounds with your amp-modeling plug-in
LearningThe debate about real amps versus modeling amps is over. Numerous blind tests among players and engineers have revealed that it’s often impossible to distinguish modeled amps from the real thing, esp…
Review of Synchro Arts Revoice Pro 3 - Tighten it Up
Written testThe folks at Synchro Arts, renowned for their VocAlign software, recently came out with Revoice Pro 3, the latest version of their application that incorporates vocal alignment, pitch correction, dou…
Review of the Waves Butch Vig Vocals plug-in - Vocals Like Vig
Written testIn the tradition of its Jack Joseph Puig, Chris Lord Alge, Eddie Kramer, and Manny Marroquin signature plug-ins, Waves has released Butch Vig Vocals (Mac/PC), a processor plug-in designed to let you …
Signal processing and effects plug-ins that won’t break… - 12 Quality Plug-ins for $100 or Less
LearningAlthough top-of-the-line processor and effects plug-ins can be expensive, there are alternatives available that offer quality performance at budget-friendly prices. In this article, I’ll look at 12 s…
Sonokinetic Capriccio review - Sonokinetic Plays a Capriccio
Written testBest Product awardThe supply of virtual orchestras has become more and more abundant. There's a seemingly never-ending rise in the number of samples, instruments and content available, in general. But what about how t…
A synth expert picks his top 5 virtual instruments - These Are a Few of My Favorite Synths
LearningI’ve been writing about synthesizers since the 1970s and reviewing virtual instruments since the 1990s. Still, when Audiofanzine asked me to pick my "top 5" software synths, it was no easy feat, as t…
Review of the Slate Digital Virtual Mix Rack - Slated for Excellence
Written testBest Value awardThe release of a channel strip plug-in doesn’t typically generate a lot of excitement, but it sure has in the case of Slate Digital’s Virtual Mix Rack (VMR). Slate’s hardware emulations are considere…