Virtual Instruments product reviews

More than forty years after its release, the Memorymoog continues to fascinate fans of analog synthesis. With Memory V, Arturia takes on this extraordinary machine and offers a modern reinterpretatio…

Almost 40 years after the release of the Roland Alpha Juno 2, Togu Audio Line attempts to capture its essence with the TAL-Pha, a virtual synth with retro charm. Useful synth or simple software nosta…

Less than a year after Pigments 6, Arturia is back with a new version of its multifaceted software synth. With fewer new features than introduced in previous updates, will Pigments 7 bring new colors…

It's the archetype of virtual synths. More than 25 years after the first version and more than 16 years after the debut of version 5, Absynth finally returns with version 6. All the while, the compet…

Algorithmic reproduction of vocals and all their nuances is no easy task. How does the second version of Synthesizer V Studio fare?

Every year, it's a bit of a ritual: Arturia delivers a new V Collection. This eleventh edition continues the trend begun in recent years, going beyond the simple modeling of vintage instruments. What…

When one of the world's most renowned software emulators of legendary synthesizers decides to offer its own interpretation of the Yamaha CS80, curiosity is bound to be piqued. Let's find out what set…

It's become a habit now: every year, Arturia releases a new version of Pigments, its go-to virtual synthesizer. Let's find out what this sixth incarnation has in store.

With the Synthx V, Arturia further enriches its virtual museum dedicated to legendary synthesizers. This time, it's a model of the Elka Synthex. Let's find out what this new plug-in has to offer and …

Lethal Audio recently released Lethal, a crisp-sounding "rompler"-style software instrument with a heavy emphasis on EDM, but which will also be useful for pop, rock, hip-hop, and film scoring.

Recently, Cakewalk announced Rapture Session, a new member of its Rapture software-instrument family. It offers less sounds and no programmability, but it has the same synth engine as the flagship Ra…

Hive, the latest instrument from u-he, does not claim the precision of Diva the richness of Zebra 2, or the modularity of Bazille or Ace. No. Hive looks and feels simple, is easy to use, and provides…

The 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 …

Subscription-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…

SONiVOX'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…

The 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…

Eight years after releasing the first EZdrummer, Toontrack introduces version 2, which gently revolutionizes the virtual drum market. Far from trying to grow in terms of gigabytes, EZdrummer bets on …

The partnership between artist BT and iZotope has resulted in a new plug-in, the BreakTweaker. Is it just another drum machine or a more advanced tool than it seems?

Whenever we deal with a virtual orchestra, we usually end up talking about East West or the Vienna Symphonic Library. However, there are some other publishers that are just as exacting in terms of qu…

AAS renews its virtual analog synth by adding VA-2 to its name. But that is obviously not the only change. Here's a detailed overview.

Twelve years after the first version of HALion — the sampler "made in Steinberg" — came out, it's time for the fifth generation to make its debut with a lot of new features. But will it be enough to …

FXpansion recently introduced BFD3, the third version of its comprehensive drums software. A simple revision or a true update deserving a new version number? And what is its place in a universe alrea…

The newest addition to Native Instruments' Kontakt libraries is called Cuba. It was conceived to provide the typical sound of Afro-Cuban music, a territory seldom treaded by music library publishers.…

As a newcomer in the virtual acoustic pianos family, VI Labs declares its ambition right from start, and it begins with the name: True Keys. Does it hold its promises?

UVI seems to have decided to bring back to life the myths of synthesis in the form of sample libraries for its own UVI platform and compatible programs. Let's have a detailed look at one of them: Vin…