Softube has released Console 1 Compact, a smaller and lower-priced version of its Console 1 mixing control surface. It brings the knob-per-function workflow of the larger Console 1 system to a desk-friendly footprint, aimed at engineers who want hands-on control without the space and cost of the full-size unit. Console 1 is a hardware controller…
Tracktion’s Waveform Free has been updated to v14, remaining our best free DAW for macOS, Windows, and Linux. We’ve covered Tracktion’s Waveform Free multiple times, and we like it. So much so that we named it our best free DAW in 2026, despite sme stiff competition from the likes of Cakewalk and GarageBand. The reason…
The Crow Hill Company has released its latest addition to the free Vaults collection – Vintage String Synth. The Crow Hill Company’s Vaults collection is an absolute treasure trove of incredible sounds. Although I’m a big fan of cinematic and atmospheric sounds, which is where the Vaults shines most, one of my favorite things about…
We talk to Tom Cosm, the technical director of Kevin Parker’s Telepathic Instruments, about how they made their uber-popular Orchid synthesizer. Few recent synthesizers have had the success of Orchid, the debut release from Telepathic Instruments. It probably doesn’t hurt that the chord machine came from the mind of Kevin Parker of Tame Impala. It’s…
Writing a good bassline sounds simple until you actually have to do it. I know this problem well. You start with chords, drums, maybe a synth hook or vocal chop, and then the bass becomes the thing you add at the end because the track needs low end. That is how you end up with…
Kensuke Okumura (AudioBrain) has released MixBrain v2.5, a macOS mix assistant plugin system that analyzes the relationship between tracks in a session and suggests corrective and tonal moves. The update separates the system’s two processing modes more clearly and adds a free edition. MixBrain runs as two plugins working together. MixBrain Node is inserted on…
DSPTone has announced a number of updates to their plugins: ExoDelay ExoDelay is a Modulation delay, inspired by Ibanez digital delay pedals with own character Update 1.0.8 includes: Performance improvements (Improved CPU usage). Add DRIFT control (Spread modulation depth with positive/negative polarity). Presets updated for backward compatibility with DRIFT parameter. Price of plugin (VST3, AU,…
Sonimus has released S-Console, a console emulation plugin that models the channel preamp and summing busses of a British solid-state desk. It is positioned as the successor to Satson, the company’s earlier console plugin, and combines channel and buss processing in a single instance. S-Console is built around what Sonimus describes as an evolution of…