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The Producer Blog - Software

Mobile recording 
Free sampling and music production in one app from Roland
For music producers who like to work from their smartphone or tablet, Roland has upgraded and modernized its Zenbeats app to version 3. The most important innovation of the update is the ZR1 Drum Samp...

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For sounddesigner 
Understanding synthesis with Learning Synths from Ableton
Aspiring sound designers who have always wanted to learn the background of sound generation and various forms of synthesis have been able to educate themselves for some time now via Ableton's Learning...

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Boing Bumm Tschak 
The perfect groove on 16 pads with ADSR sounds?
So far, ADSR Sounds has made a name for itself with high-quality tutorials and attractive sales. Now follows with ADSR Drum Machine an own drum sampler, which has 16 pads on which samples can be loade...

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Tone control for mastering 
Equalizer rarity with tube - now as plug-in from Acustica Au...
Acustica Audio has once again set out to find rare effects units and then authentically recreate them. The latest achievement is Maize, an equalizer whose hardware role model Markbass never left the p...

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Für Podcast, Livestreams und Fieldrecording 
Mobile recording on 4 channels with IK Multimedia
For the production of mobile recordings, whether for field recording, podcasts or live streams, IK Multimedia offers the compact recorder iRig Pro Quattro I/O. The compact audio and MIDI interface has...

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Synthesizer plug-in 
Wave sequencing and FM synthesis virtual with Korg
The synthesizer wavestate, appreciated for its wave sequencing engine, is also available from Korg in virtual form. This also applies to the FM expert opsix, which has been recreated as a software cou...

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Moving Sounds 
Synthesizer app with gesture control for free from Artiphon
Orbasynth is a free synthesizer from Artiphon, preferably developed for MPE-enabled MIDI controller Orba, but now also compatible with macOS and Windows as a standalone application. Orba is synth cont...

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Better mixdowns 
Free dynamics processing in the mix with United plugins
United Plugins gives all mixdown engineers the dynamics tool Autoformer worth 99 Euro for free. However, the promotion is limited until May 1, 2022. Autoformer is an effect that is used to automatical...

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Vintage dynamic processor 
Sound like a compressor of the 50s with Acustica Audio
Acustica Audio is known for emulating legendary sound characteristics of past decades. The latest dynamics tool Smoke, which consists of three elements, is designed to reproduce the radio sounds of th...

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Drum roll 
New grooves and drum kits in Toontrack's drum sampler
Toontrack launches EZdrummer 3, the next generation of their drum sampler for songwriters. Despite extensive optimizations, the concept of professional sounding drums easy, fast and intuitive for your...

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Never distortions again 
Mixdown Sweepstakes from Sonimus - Win now
Sonimus has initiated a social media competition for all mixdown engineers. Interested participants have the chance to take part in the competition until April 15, 2022. The prize is the Britson &...

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Sound supply 
More sounds for UNO Synth and UNO Drum from IK Multimedia
Registered owners and users of a sound generator UNO Synth Pro, UNO Synth or a drum machine UNO Drum can stock up their archive of sounds at the new one-stop-shop UNO Sounds from IK Multimedia - for f...

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Synthesizer en masse 
Versatile synthesis in 7 instruments from AIR Music
Seven new instruments are being released by Air Music as individual plug-ins, previously reserved for users of AKAI's MPC software and Avid's Pro Tools. These include the monophonic bass synthesizer B...

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Boing Bumm Tschak 
Affordable drum sampler and slicer from TAL Software
The TAL software guru Patrick Kunz should cause quite a stir in the plug-in folder with the inexpensive drum sampler TAL Drum. A fast workflow is promised by comfortable sample mapping via drag and dr...

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Cross-platform studio hub 
New browser and bass synthesizer with DAW update from Trackt...
Tracktion presents its DAW Waveform Pro 12 visually and technically modernized. The revised CPU-saving audio engine is joined by a user interface with day and night mode. For better organization of pl...

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Interference vacuum cleaner 
Automatically clean vocals with Waves
Optimal voice recordings are promised by the two effect plug-ins of Clarity Vx and Clarity Vx Pro from Waves, which should be in particular demand in post-production. The artificially intelligent algo...

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Vintage Sampler 
12 bit sampling as on EMU with Low Hiss Systems
After more than 30 years, EMU's sampling legend SP-1200 returns to the studio, albeit in two virtual editions as eSPI from Low Hiss Systems. The SP-1200 from 1987 was considered a milestone in house a...

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Full Tube 
Aggressive amplifier for free from IK Multimedia
Until March 28th, IK Multimedia gives all registered users of AmpliTube 5 and AmpliTube 5 CS the fat aggressive amplifier MESA/Boogie Triple Rectifier Head for free. Included in the free AmpliTube 5 C...

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More Drums 
Dancing with expansion pack from Toontrack for House and Tra...
Focused on electronic dance music is the new expansion pack Dance EZX from Toontrack for the in-house EZ Drummer sampler. The selected styles include Afro House, Bass House, Progressive House, Trance,...

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Robo vocals made easy 
Klingen wie Daft Punk und The Weeknd mit Softube
The vocoder was once developed by the military during World War II to encode voice messages. In the meantime, it has also become a tried and tested sound design tool as a software plug-in, as is the c...

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Smart patching 
Massive modulation with synthesizer from Behringer
Modernized and refreshed, Behringer reveals the secret of the new semi-modular synthesizer Proton, which succeeds Neutron. Its strength is only the pure analog signal flow with its patch field, rather...

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Mixing und mastering 
Compressing with pressure and high resolution with PSP Audio...
PSP Audioware's Impressor, which replaces the previous compressor plug-in Mixpressor, offers more functions and a new look. The compression technology is based on a quad-sampling engine that processes...

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Trance sequences 
Creative sound design tutorial with Dune 3 by Synapse Audio
Synapse Audio has initiated a video tutorial page together with sound designer Demis Hellen for the synthesizer plug-in Dune 3. The episode describes how to generate a polyphonic trance-oriented Layer...

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Synthese and sampling 
Free synthesizer with field recording from Kia
The car manufacturer Kia has launched an unusual project together with Arthur Joly from Reco Synth using the free synthesiser move.ment. According to the manufacturer, the plug-in was used for the sou...

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Hello echo 
Free echo plug-ins from McDSP
As a limited time offer, McDSP is currently offering the EC-300 Echo Collection worth $79 for free. The collection consists of three delay types, Digital, Analog and Magnetic, which can be used to cre...

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Sequencing and modulation expert 
Sequencing plug-in with Ableton support from Devicemeister
With StepicVST, Devicemeister has created an extensive polyphonic step sequencer that combines the components modulation and sequencing. In addition to the step sequencer there are eight tracks that s...

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Vintage synthesizer 
More sound variation with synthesizer update from Synapse Au...
Synapse Audio announces an update for their synthesiser plugin Obsession. In version 1.2, a patch browser has been added. In addition, the Genetics function was adapted from Dune 3.5. This allows new ...

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Effective 
33 effect plug-ins in one bundle from Eventide
Quality and experience from 50 years, bundled in a plug-in collection Eventide offers with the effects bundle Anthology XII to the market. From sound spaces with the iconic Blackhole and SP2016 Reverb...

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All free of charge 
Studio-Knaller: 33 Plug-ins gratis von Audio Damage
Audio Damage provides all the plug-ins of the Legacy catalog for free. Due to limited resources, the developer has decided to make the collection of 33 plug-ins available to everyone without registrat...

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Hitmaker Expansion 
Synths and effects worth over €1,000 free at Focusrite
Anyone who owns a Scarlett or Clarett audio interface from Focusrite will certainly appreciate the included software package. But if you don't have one yet and are planning to buy one, you should defi...

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Analog bolide 
Portabler VA-Synthesizer von Modal Electronics
As the newest member of the popular COBALT series, Modal Electronics has introduced the COBALT5S portable VA synthesizer in a compact housing. Its sound generation makes use of 40 algorithms. This is ...

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Hello delay lay ay 
Retro-Delay ganz modern mit Solid State Logic
Inspired by iconic hardware delay effects of the 80s, Solid State Logic (SSL) has released the new plug-in X-Delay in an appealing design. As a complement to the analogue X-Echo, X-Delay is said to fe...

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Mixing and mastering 
Bessere Mixdowns mit Expansionpacks von Toontrack
Who doesn't know it? You are working on an extensive production with many tracks that all have to be balanced individually. To speed up and simplify the mixdown process, grouping and creating busses i...

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We call it Acid 
Mehr als nur ein 303-Klon von Xhun Audio
Zerobox is the latest software synthesizer from Xhun Audio that wants to be more than just a simulation of the acid legend Roland TB-303. The monophonic analog bassline synth is based on physical mode...

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Nice find! 
Free for Reason: The Sound of Mutable Instrument Plaits
There are super-comprehensive sound generators with many controls, complex structures and endless possibilities. And there are small, space-saving modules with few controls and yet incredibly flexible...

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Be invited to: The Beat Community 
Get the best deals, hidden gems & instant support for mu...
Finding the hidden gems for music production can be quite a tough task, as there’s so many VST plugins, AudioUnits or iOS apps released ever single day. And when adding sample packs, it’s getting ...

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Get more with BEAT: the Waves CR8 Sample Pack from... 
Kostenloser Download: 3,8 GB Instrumente, Vocals, Drums & Lo...
The newcomers Cosmos and CR8 Creative Sampler from Waves come with a 2 GB library of samples by default. The BEAT staff has added another 3.8 GB of must-have loops, drums, synths and vocals for slicin...

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Great deal! 
Waves präsentiert seinen ersten Sampler, die BEAT gratis Sa...
With the CR8 Creative Sampler, Waves has created an affordable sampler. The CR8 also comes with the free Cosmos sample finder, which is also available separately and uses artificial intelligence to pr...

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Digital synthesizer 
Review: Tone2 Nemesis 2
Uncompromisingly digital and proud of it - the flexible Nemesis digital synthesizer benefits from improved operation and additional waveforms and effects in Version 2.

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FM expert 
FM synthesis made easy with synthesizer from Blaess
Only recently Blaess surprised us with the synthesizer Alpha. Now follows with Omega a user-friendly FM synthesizer that wants to take away the complexity of synthesis to provide easier access especia...

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DAW update 
Ableton Live now also for Apple M1 processors
Ableton has released a free update to version 11.1 for its flagship DAW Ableton Live. The most important innovation might be the compatibility with Apple's M1 chips. In addition, the shifter effect ha...

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DAW Update 
Better mastering with PreSonus Studio One 5.5
The DAW Studio One gets a new update from PreSonus in version 5.5 with many new features. Especially for the mastering was upgraded. For the Project Page and Song Page, Track Transform was created to ...

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Special Better Vocals 
Recording Workshop: 6 AutoTune Tipps à la Post Malone
The so-called Auto-Tune effect has become an integral part of many music genres. In this workshop, we will work with Waves Tune Real-Time and ­Auto-Tune, both paid versions. However, you can also use...

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Special Better Vocals 
Recording Workshop: Mitreißende Vocoder-Harmonien à la Leo...
Whether synthetic choirs à la Kraftwerk and Air, futuristic robot voices à la Daft Punk or futuristic vocal harmonies as in Imogen Heap‘s „Hide And Seak“ are required: The vocoder is the tool ...

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Free Eqing 
Get a free equalizer plug-in from IK Multimedia
IK Multimedia versüßt allen Mixing- und Mastering-Engineers den Start ins neue Jahr mit dem Plug-in T-RackS EQ 81, das an alle Newsletter-Abonnenten des Herstellers verschenkt wird. Die Aktion ist a...

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Special Better Vocals 
Recording Workshop: Vocal-Chops à la Felix Jaehn & Robin Sc...
Creative vocal effects are a staple of genres like EDM, House, and Trap, but they‘ve also been used to create stirring accents in Pop music. One of the most popular techniques is chopping, that is, ...

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Special Better vocals 
Recording Workshop: Wie mixe ich Vocals richtig ab?
You want to enhance your songs with vocals, but don‘t want to pick up the microphone yourself? In this case, you need to find suitable singers or samples. But where can you find vocalists or samples...

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Special Better vocals 
Recording Workshop: Wie mixe ich Vocals richtig ab?
You want to enhance your songs with vocals, but don‘t want to pick up the microphone yourself? In this case, you need to find suitable singers or samples. But where can you find vocalists or samples...

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Special Better Vocals 
Recording Workshop: Create robot vocals for free
With the Alter/Ego plug-in, you can create interesting vocoder and robot songs and artificial-sounding voices in the style of Daft Punk & the like without much effort. With this voice synthesis so...

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BIG ROOM SYNTHS - 3.2 GB Best-of-patches for Techn... 
BIG ROOM SYNTHS - 3.2 GB Best-of-patches for Techno, Trance ...
When it comes to Techno, Trance and EDM, one thing is clear: you need huge sounds! But not only that, they should also be individual. That's why we didn't hesitate to marry our modular studio rack wit...

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Playful coding 
Innovative audio coding in the browser with SOUL
The browser-based platform SOUL wants to offer itself as a future model for the development of new audio processors. The project intends to achieve improvements in latency, performance, portability an...

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92 minutes of Moog DFAM for free: The Motherdrumme... 
92 minutes of Moog DFAM for free: The Motherdrummer by Drum ...
Drum Depot just released a new sample pack called The Motherdrummer. The pack features 92 minutes of evolving patterns and sequences recorded from the Moog DFAM, which is an awesome percussion- and Te...

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More vintage 
Tape effect for free from Arturia - only for a short time
As a Christmas present Arturia gives its fans the lo-fi effect plug-in Tape Mello-Fi. It specializes in authentically emulating a classic Mellotron. From analog circuits and tape reels, it aims to rep...

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Crisp vocals like Capital Bra 
Power Producer: Apple Logic Pro X
Capital Bra is not only one of the most successful German rappers of all time, he is also the artist with the most number one hits in Germany, a whole 22 by now. We‘ve created a vocal chain using on...

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Creative sessions 
Jamming together with Endlesss Studio - now for free
The once paid project Endlesss, launched via the crowdfunding platform, is now offered free of charge. In real time, (solo) musicians can jam and produce together as a community and this even independ...

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Synthesizer bundle 
User-friendly synthesizer trio from UJAM
Who doesn't know them, the overflowing plug-ins with hundreds of knobs and submenus? UJAM wants to stand out with a drastically simplified operating concept with its synthpack Usynth, which is compose...

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Attention recording! 
Versatile multi-track recorder from Zoom
As the latest achievement among mobile multitrack recorders, Zoom has introduced the R20. The recorder is equipped with 6 XLR inputs and 2 XLR/jack combo inputs for microphone, line or Hi-Z instrument...

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Review: Akai MPC Studio & OS 2.10 
Review: Akai MPC Studio & OS 2.10
Akai‘s recently released OS update 2.10 for the MPC series has already caused applause, the MPC Studio is now a brand-new controller for the software. The perfect combination to find out what the ne...

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Design your own kick drums with plug-in from Sinee... 
Gimme the kick
Sinee's kick drum designer Chop Suey is designed to help you create your own kick drum. The plug-in is a sample editor with which unique kick and bass grooves can be created. The kick drums are made u...

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Akai MPC Studio & OS-Update 2.10 
From boring to killer beat!
Turn on the MPC, load the drum kit, build the beat ... that‘s how many ­sessions start. But what if, despite legendary Akai timing, the beat doesn‘t want to groove and simply sounds thin? We have...

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Synthesizer with Motion Sequencer 
Polyphonic synthesizer from Blaess finally also as plug-in
In an attractive modern design, Blaess now introduces the polyphonic synthesizer Alpha for Windows and Mac computers, which was previously mobile only under iOS executable. The MPE-capable plug-in is ...

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Synthesizer galore 
More synthesizer legends in Syntronik 2 from IK Multimedia
The Italian software company from IK Multimedia has expanded the range of virtual synthesizer emulations in their new collection Syntronik 2 by eleven pieces in the Max version to a total of 33. A com...

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Completely modular 
VCV Modular System now also as plug-in
Fans of modular systems take note! Expanding the popular virtual Eurorack concept, VCV has introduced the cross-platform VCV Rack 2 in Free and Pro editions. Most noticeable is the redesigned user int...

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Vintage-Filter 
More vintage character with Volcano 3 from FabFilter
With a refreshed look, improved workflow and some new technical enhancements, FabFilter presents the updated Volcano3 effects plug-in. Among the most important innovations are the four analog-modeled,...

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Software bundle 
Jetzt über 1.000 Euro sparen mit Focusrite
After last year's huge success, Focusrite has once again put together a Hitmaker Expansion Pack software bundle that delivers over £1,000 in added value to all Focusrite customers of a Scarlett 3rd G...

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Effect cube 
Gratis Modulationseffekt im Würfel-Design von BABY Audio
You can never have enough effects, especially if they are free and sound good. This includes the new Magic Dice modulation effect from BABY Audio. The plug-in is said to have the same sonic capabiliti...

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Vintage Vibe 
Rare dynamics processors plug-in from United Plugins
UniChannel is the name of the latest emulation achievement from United Plugins, a plug-in in which rare dynamics processors are to be reproduced authentically. It includes preamps, equalizers and comp...

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More features 
Kreatives DAW Update von Bitwig jetzt mit Note FX
With version 4.1 the DAW Bitwig Studio gets a new update. The Berlin developers of Bitwig have worked out various functions, one of the highlights of which is the Note FX. While Humanize varies the ac...

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Wavetable expert 
Synthesizer update from Arturia - now with wavetable import
With the firmware update version 4.0 Arturia provides the users of the synthesizer Microfreak, whose focus is mainly the new WaveUser engine. Using the MIDI Control Center you can now import your own ...

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Virtual robot sound 
Creative Vocoder effects and additive synthesis with Rob Pap...
An innovative concept of classic vocoder effects, additive synthesis and noise synthesis is pursued by Rob Papen's effect plug-in RoCoder. The core functions include the 32-band vocoder, which generat...

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Hello Delay lay ay 
Emulate tape machine echo with SSL plug-in
Native X-Echo is the latest effect plug-in from Solid State Logic (SSL) that takes you back in time to the sound of tape echo devices from the 1960s. The visually appealing and modernly designed delay...

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For sounddesigners 
Granular grenade in a plugin from accSone
A granular expert as a synthesizer and effect in one, combines the plugin crusher-X 9 from accSone from Munich. The sound generator engine is owed to the grain-controlled oscillators GCOs. Significant...

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Sounddesign granat 
Frischer Look und fetter Sound mit Hybrid-Synthesizer von Ro...
With a completely revised user interface and new functions, Rob Papen surprises with his modernized hybrid synthesizer Predator-3. With a combination of analog sound and wavetables, the third generati...

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More Sound 
Sonic enhancements for Omnisphere from Spectrasonics
Spectrasonics announces to expand the sound giant Omnisphere with Sonic Extensions. To start with, there are the four instruments Undercurrent, Nylon Sky, Unclean Machine and Seismic Shock, which are ...

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Cleaner Sound 
The new genius of audio restoration from iZotope?
For professional audio restoration and post-production, iZotope helps out with the modernized RX 9 restoration suite. Both the Standard and the full-featured Advanced versions are offered. In the Adva...

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Make some noise! 
More noise with new Lo-Fi specialist from Cableguys
Cableguys sends with NoiseShaper a new Lo-Fi effect plug-in into the studios of this world. The central element are the typical for Cableguys, freely drawable or synchronizable LFOs. This also makes e...

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Totally plug-ins 
The ultimate plug-in bundle from MeldaProduction?
A handsome package of 112 plug-ins is included in the new V15 update of MeldaProduction. Since the previous version, 90 improvements and enhancements are said to have been made to the plug-in bundle, ...

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Modular system as a PC game 
Learn Modular System with The Iterative Collective
When a new future begins after the end of apocalysis and it's time to build a new existence, it's time for The Signal State by The Iterative Collective. This scenario is the basis of the computer game...

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More than Auto-Tune 
Creative vocal slicing with Antares sampler plug-in
Extending the Unlimited product line, Antares presents its new special sampler Slice. Its primary task is to slice vocal elements. Using the drag-n-drop method, the samples are dragged onto the user i...

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Professional restoration 
The perfect solution for audio restoration from Accusonus ?
ERA 6 is the latest update to Accusonus' restoration suite, which has now grown to a total of 15 tools with 1-button functionality. Voice Deepener, Voice AutoEQ and Voice Leveler can be used to optimi...

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Workstation deluxe 
Big deal: 30 percent discount + free expansions from UVI
UVI has a great deal for all tinkerers, fricklers, nerds and sound designers. Until October 18, 2021, the manufacturer offers its hybrid synthesizer Falcon 2.5 with a discount of 30%. And that's not a...

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Reverb specialist 
Professional reverberation processing with Acon Digital
To effectively reduce or amplify the reverberation of an existing recording, Acon Digital has released and enhanced DeVerberate 3, the latest generation. The algorithm of the mixing plug-in is based o...

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For sound creators 
Free modular DAW from Bespoke Synth
Bespoke is a project by developer Ryan Challinor that works like a modular DAW platform on which various audio elements can be linked. Hit-ready sounds are less to be expected here, rather the constru...

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Effect for special cases 
Hall specialist for small spaces from Klevgränd
Swedish plug-in developers Klevgränd are known for their unconventional studio tools. No exception is made by the new plain but modern designed reverb plug-in Rum. Its specialty is recreating acousti...

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Back to the 70's 
Powerful synthesizer clone from Cherry Audio
Cherry Audio presents the Mercury-4 as a visually and technically precise replica of Roland's Jupiter 4 from 1978. Instead of the four-voice hardware role model, the software synthesizer has been expa...

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Vintage modulation 
Freeware banger with modulation effect from Overloud
As part of the GEM Modula effects unit, Overloud has released the Dimension module, worth 99 Euros, for free download - albeit for a short time. The legendary hardware example of Dimension was charact...

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Totally analog 
Filter mit Verzerrer für lau von Eplex7
To give a production that fat, analog sound character, a suitable filter must not be lacking during mixdown, which ideally provides the necessary warmth and coloration with a saturation unit. This is ...

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Back to the 80s 
Fat retro synthesizer with 400 waveforms from Arturia
Arturia emulates the classic SQ80 from Ensoniq with the new SQ-80 V digital synthesizer. Three digital oscillators serve as generators, plus four analog DCA's and over 400 waveforms from four banks. A...

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More Groove 
New drum legends in the cloud from Roland
The TR-707 and TR-727 are two legendary drum machines of the 80s that have now been virtually recreated by Roland as the TR-707 and TR-727 Software Rhythm Composer, adding new plugins to the already e...

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Sounddesign galore 
Modular system miRack now also for VST format
Attention sound wizards! The virtual miRack from mifki Limited or Vitaly Pronkin is composed of over 600 modules with synthesizers, drum elements, sequencers, mixers and various effects from different...

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You never have enough vocals 
38% off: VOX BOX - 7 GB of Voices, Robot-Adlibs, Mantras, Pa...
ZamplerSounds just compiled the VOX BOX, a collection of four sound banks that feature extravagant vocals, robot phrases, mantras, atmospheric formant pads, electronic monks, real and synthetic choirs...

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Analog deluxe 
Over 1000 presets in Tone2 analog synthesizer
With Saurus 3 Tone2 sends the third guard of the analog synthesizer into the studios, which wants to prove itself not only with new features, but also with many improvements. The latter include the ne...

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Vintage alert 
Back to the 80s with EMU samplers from UVI
UVI expands its emulation sound libraries of the legendary samplers of the 80s with the Emulation II collection, which has a size of over 11 GB. Plenty of material to browse through should be provide...

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Fix it in the mix 
Never make mixing mistakes again with Mastering The Mix?
With Expose 2, the developers of Mastering The Mix claim to have found the patent remedy against mistakes in mixing. Too many tracks are mixed with a bad EQ balance, overdriving, overcompression or ph...

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Instruments full 
The ultimate software studio of instruments from Steinberg?
A gigantic 130 GB of instruments and over 7500 presets make up Steinberg's Absolute Collection 5, which can be used for all kinds of music production. The instruments include the sampler workstations ...

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Rock 'n' Roll 
Brutally good? UJAM virtual drummer
Loud, edgy and piercing, that's how UJAM's latest drum extension Virtual Drummer BRUTE can be described, miked with three sets of microphones, each with its own sonic character. Sonically, it covers h...

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Plugin update 
Powerful plug-in performance boost with Apple Silicon CPUs f...
The team of Urs Heckmann's software forge u-He presents updated plug-in versions of their instruments. The goal is to achieve the best possible overall cross-platform performance for all plug-ins. Thi...

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Well noted 
Compose like a pro on the iPad with AVID
Writing simple scores or composing complete new songs on the go is possible with AVID's Sibelius for Mobile music notation software. The addition to the desktop app not only appeals to younger audienc...

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Boing bumm tschak 
Virtual sampler racket in the style of an MPC from Apisonic ...
The Speedrum tool from Apisonic Labs is a drum and percussion sampler that has strong associations with the AKAI MPC. The main focus is on the 16 pads, which can be expanded to 32 pads via A/B switchi...

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The legends are back 
Three new synthesizer classics from Korg
With the Korg Collection 3 Korg puts together a new bundle of software synthesizers and expands it with three classics. In addition to the previous legends Wavestation, M1, Polysix MS-20, ARP Odyssey ...

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Remixing with Garageband 
Free Garageband remix sessions with Dua Lipa and Lady Gaga f...
If you want to produce music on the go with iOS and iPadOS, you can create first-class remix sessions of the top stars Dua Lipa and Lady Gaga with the new Garageband update. Videos demonstrate how to ...

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Back to the future 
Review: Softube Model 84 - This synth sets new standards
Model 84 is the most convincing emulation of a Roland Juno-106 to date and sets new standards in the field of virtual polyphonic analog synthesizers. There are already some virtual replicas of the Jun...

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Freeware synthesizer 
Free plugins from Noise Engineering makes sound designers dr...
With a three-dimensional user interface, Noise Engineering delivers three free plugins that are currently in a beta phase, but should make the hearts of sound designers beat faster. Sinc Vereor, Virt ...

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DAW for beginner 
Free DAW Upgrade for Ableton Live 11 Lite
Following the successful launch of the professional DAW Ableton Live to version 11, the entry-level version Ableton Live Lite has now also been updated and expanded with new functions and sounds. For ...

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Effect quartet 
USB effect pedals for guitarists from IK Multimedia
With X-Gear, IK Multimedia ventures into the digital effects pedal market, which is supposed to give guitarists the Amplitube sound. While X-Space includes a reverb effect, the pedal X-Time provides a...

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Studio dream 
Powerful DAW Upgrade: The 4th Generation of Bitwig-Studio
After a beta test phase, Bitwig finally announces the official release of the studio DAW Bitwig Studio 4. The upgrade comes with a host of new features, including significant comping, so that the best...

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Future Retro! 
Over 90 sounds for Synthwave & Chillwave for Zampler &am...
Born 40 years ago and still hot: with their synth-heavy sound, the Eighties already made themselves a legend back then and are experiencing their renewed flight of fancy. No surprise, the mixture of r...

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All for free! 
The best plugin freeware 2021 at KVR Audio
As part of the "KVR Developer Challenge 2021" competition, the plug-in developer scene at the online portal KVR Audio has published their latest sound generators, effects and sound libraries. The comp...

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DAW-Update 
Extensive update for studio DAW from MOTU
MOTU launches Digital Performer 11, the next generation of its all-in-one studio, which is now also supported by macOS Big Sur. With the modernized Nanosampler 2.0, samples can not only be played in t...

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Zampler & MPC Expansion: Model 1978 
Klingen wie The Prodigy in 15 Schritten: Mit Zampler Model 1...
Bass monster, hammerhead, synth powerhouse ... the Korg MS-20 from 1978 is a born rock star, because with the roaring sound of its two filters, it can cut through every mix. No wonder that artists lik...

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New effect plug-ins 
Review: Sonimus SonEQ 2
Equalizers are a common species and what they do is relatively clear. Or? At least in broad terms, but there are always specialists that offer either exceptional features or special sound. Or both ......

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From groove to a finished track: 5 eBooks bundle f... 
From groove to a finished track: 5 eBooks bundle for produce...
Whether Techno, EDM, Hip-Hop or Chillout, tracks have to sound crisp and above all: they have to groove. But what do you have to look out for when searching for sounds, how can you combine ready-made ...

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Vintage for the studio 
LoFi delays at their best with Softube Tape Echoes
Swedish emulation experts Softube have released Tape Echoes, a new, easy-to-use effects plugin for old-school tape sounds. The aim is supposed to be to reproduce realistic tape effects with crushing f...

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Review 
Test: Arturia Pigments3 - Must-have für Sounddesign
In version 3, Arturia brings additive synthesis, along with several other synthesis features. This makes Pigments 3 better, flexible and more productive for sound and music design. 

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Spin it! 
DJ dream: combine Traktor DJ software with Pioneer DJ
The specialists from Native Instruments announce that the new update of their DJ software Traktor Pro 3.5, is now supported by the media player flagship CDJ-3000 from Pioneer DJ. This allows for conte...

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Well roared 
The ultimate amp and cab solution from United Plugins?
Attention guitarists! United Plugins offers with Electrum a comprehensive collection of emulated amps and cabinets in one plugin - and currently at an absolute bargain price! From 16 types of cabinet ...

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Turn up the volume 
Gratis Clipper mit Mastering-Plug-in von IK Multimedia
Happy news for all newsletter subscribers of IK Multimedia: For a limited time only, you have the chance to use the Classic Clipper effects plugin as a mastering tool in your mixes for free. Save 59 E...

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Totally vintage 
Retro effects full of character from PreSonus
PreSonus Retro Mix Legends is a new trio of effects plug-ins from the house of PreSonus. Alpine Desk emulates the character of American mix consoles of the 70s, while BritConsole focuses on the Britis...

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Vocals for sounddesigners 
Creative vocal alienation with Accusonus
Accusonus expands its portfolio of effects with the Voice Changer plugin presented, which is suitable for creative alienation of speech and vocals. The mixing and sound design tool is divided into thr...

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Novation Deal 
Get Moog clone from GForce for free
As part of the Novation Sound Collective, Gforce is offering its Minimoog emulation synth Minimosta for free until August 5, 2021, worth £99. Instead of the hardware role model, the plugin is eight-v...

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FM expert 
Synthesizer giant for FM synthesis from Tone2

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Solid features, neutral sound and affordable price... 
M-Audio M-Track Solo/Duo
A bout two decades ago, M-Audio launched the Duo, one of the first small and affordable USB audio interfaces for the home studio. Now, the great-grandchildren M-Track Duo and Solo are on our test desk...

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Next DAW-Generation 
Comping and more with Bitwig's DAW update
A wealth of exciting new features is promised by the DAW update Bitwig Studio 4 from the Berlin developers. The core feature should be the comping to combine the best parts from different recording ru...

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Applied Acoustics Systems update the well-known Ch... 
Test: AAS Chromaphone 3 - Physical Modeling Drums & Percussi...
The Chromaphone 3 comes as an „Acoustic Object Synthesizer“. Physical modeling serves as the basis for the sound generation; therefore, this virtual synth follows the same concept as its predecess...

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Back to oldschool 
Rare vintage sampler from IK Multimedia
In the 60s and 70s, sound loops on tape formed the early age of today's digital samplers. With more than eight GB of vintage and tape-based samples, IK Multimedia's SampleTron 2 instrument emulates th...

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Creative Echo 
Delay effect for ambitious sound designers from FabFilter
Timeless 3 is a feedback specialist from FabFilter, which not only wants to make an appearance with a new design, exciting functions have also been improved or added. The effect plugin is not intended...

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Warlock has no classic synthesizer as its model, b... 
Review: Tone2 Warlock
At first glance, Warlock looks like just another virtual analog synthesizer with two oscillators, filter, ADSR envelopes and LFO, but under the hood it has some special features to offer. The sound ge...

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Synthesizer legend 
Update for Oberheim clone by Synapse Audio - now also for Bi...
The OX-1 synthesizer is one of the most important sound generators in history. Once developed by Oberheim, it enjoys great popularity from Synapse Audio as a low-cost plug-in emulation Obsession. The ...

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Must-have 
Voices From The Dark: 3.2 GB dark spheres and whispering voc...
Spherical pads, rumbling textures, whispered mantras... our current sound bank is all about atmosphere. Whether you want to give your Techno or Ambient tracks more musical depth with intimate voices a...

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Groove it, Baby! 
Essenziell: 16 Tipps für viel mehr Groove im Beat
The groove is one of those things: Either it‘s there or it‘s not. But there are lots of tricks for it, 16 of which we list here. Finger drumming workshop included.  1 Groove is not only beat When...

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Ultimate compressor for mixing by IK Multimedia? 
Professional mixing
T-RackS Comprexxor is the name of IK Multimedia's latest mixing utensil, which evokes associations with Empirical Labs' Distressor compressor. The aim is to combine the analog sound of the classic wit...

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Editing and restauration 
Audio Editor from Acon Digital - now combatible with Apple S...
Acon Digital updates its popular audio editor Acoustica to version 7.3, oth for the Standard Edition and the Premium Edition as well. Mac users now have the advantage that the software runs natively o...

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Intelligent Eqing 
More transparency in the mix with Multitrack EQ from Sonible
Filigree work on the equalization during mixdown can be a tedious undertaking. But with Sonible's innovative smart:EQ3 multitrack equalizer, troublesome resonances, difficult frequency ranges and spec...

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How does the latest version of the DAW perform in ... 
Review: Steinberg Cubase Pro 11
Since its first version in 1989, Cubase has evolved into one of the most powerful programs for composing, recording, editing and mixing. So we were very eager to see what new features version 11 woul...

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An eight-voice Oberheim that delivers much more th... 
Review: GForce Software OB-E
An eight-voice Oberheim that delivers much more than the familiar jump sound? With the OB-E, GForce Software revitalizes the vintage sector. The unique concept and the individual analog sounds define ...

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Arturia continues to expand its collection of effe... 
Review: Arturia 3 Modulation FX
We start with an emulation of an analog chorus called Dimension D. The obvious role model Roland Dimension D is a true effect classic. That‘s because this bucket brigade circuit-based chorus adds wi...

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Comparison test 
Duel: NI Guitar Rig 6 Pro. IK Multimedia Amplitube 5 MAX
The new versions of the virtual guitar and bass studios AmpliTube and Guitar Rig have been released just a few weeks apart. That’s reason enough to let the two plug-ins compete against each other in...

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The qualitative upper class? 
Review: Arturia V-Collection 8 - 28 instruments in one bundl...
In addition to the two analog classics OB-Xa (review in BEAT 08-2020) and Juno-6, Arturia‘s V Collection 8 features another sampler in the form of the E-mu Emulator II, as well as a 16-channel voco...

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Power Producer: Studio One 5 
The Melodic Techno Template
With its latest update to version 5, Studio One not only becomes a full fledged live performance machine (more on this in the next issue), but also brings out new plug-ins and sounds in addition to r...

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Power Producer: Cubase 
Stealing Grooves from any Loop
You have a rhythmically exciting drumloop as an audio file, but the sounds are just not right? No problem. In this workshop, you will learn how to filter out individual drum elements from a complex dr...

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Evil sounds! 
Basses à la Nero & Zomboy
Most evil sounds and screaming basses rule, don‘t they? Skrillex did not invent glitches, hypergrowls and neuro basses, but he made them marketable - even beyond the boundaries of Dubstep. Today, th...

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Does the world need yet another Minimoog emulation... 
Review: Softube Model 72
The name „Model 72“ is already a good hint - a look at the lovingly designed user interface of the plug-in removes any last doubts: This is a reproduction of a Minimoog Model D from 1972. As there...

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Live 11 is ready to start and should be available ... 
Review: Ableton Live 11
Live 11 is ready to start and should be available in spring 2021. Anticipation is fueled by the announcement of numerous new features. On board are comping, MPE support, new instruments and effects, r...

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User-friendly lead synthesizer 
Review: Softube Statement Lead
Statement Lead is a kind of supplement to Monoment, another synthesizer plug-in by the Swedes. Monoment is specialized on basses and can, therefore, only be played monophonically in the lower part of...

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Feature: Instant Mastering 
Song Fine-Tuning – Online and Automatic?
From mixdown to finished, mastered song in minutes: With its new Instant Mastering Service, iMusician provides a high-quality finish for productions of any genre. Who is Instant Mastering for? What ca...

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Crazy! 
Win in December: Annual PreSonus Sphere membership incl. Stu...
The annual PreSonus Sphere membership includes licenses for essential software tools to build the core of your studio. Studio One Professional is the only DAW that lets you record, produce, compose, m...

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Creative DAW? check. 
Bitwig 8-Track comes with Beat Workzone issue for only 9,99 ...
Creative DAW? check. Audio tracks, automation? - Check. Synths, effects, VST plug-ins? - Check. Whether for producing, jamming, for the live set or as modular playground: Bitwig 8-Track has just about...

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The Wild 13 - plug-in package of superlatives! 
Review: NI Komplete 13 Ultimate
The Play series has been significantly expanded in Komplete 13 Ultimate and now includes Modular Icons, Butch Vig Drums, Lo-Fi Glow and Cloud Supply in addition to Analog Dreams, Hybrid Keys and Ether...

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Remastering old recordings and guitar editing 
Review: iZotope RX8 Advanced - Extract Vocals easy
iZotope RX8 offers detailed enhancements and advanced features for remastering old recordings and editing guitars.

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Kicks created in no time 
Drum sound design with Ableton: The ultimate hardtek kick
Hardstyle, Hardtek, Frenchcore, Gabber... all four styles have one thing in common - brutal bass drums, which are hard to beat. The cool thing about it: With Ableton‘s Wavetable Synth, these kinds o...

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We’ll fix it in the mix! 
Mixing Guide: The most important tools & tricks
A good mix is characterized by an evenly distributed sound image and a balanced depth of sound. In thismini feature, we‘ll give you practical tips for the use of equalizers, dynamics tools and other...

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New sounds and samples 
New samples: Omnisphere, Zero-G, Zenhiser and more...
New samples: Omnisphere, Zero-G, Zenhiser and more...

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Mix-Tricks: Professional Sound for Vocal Recording... 
Tight Vocals in 6 Steps
While drums and EDM hooklines are mostly about brute pumping, vocal recording is subject to completely different laws. Here, sensitivity and subtly coloring compression are more important, so that the...

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Orchestral Tools free orchestra instrument 
Free orchestral instrument: Orchestral Tools releases Layer
Orchestral Tools announces the release of Layers, a free orchestral VST instrument that gives composers, producers, and songwriters according to manufacturer an easy way to add high-quality orchestral...

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Peak clipping to tame unsteady peaks 
T-RackS Classic Clipper - Finally levelled Harmonics?
T-RackS Classic Clipper uses peak clipping to tame unruly peaks, rather than the usual peak limiting, giving you another dynamics control option. Peak clipping is often a more transparent process tha...

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Achieve fast results as a video editing beginner 
Free video software: Create music videos with SpotOn 11
A great new song, which is created in the rehearsal room, the highlights of the last concerts before the time without an appearance or simply a short sign of life of your band for the fans - with Acti...

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The Must-Have Sequencer 
Review: PreSonus Studio One 5
Studio One has been around for a few years now and has grown from a simple to use recording platform into a powerful digital audio workstation. Studio One has become one of the major players in the r...

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Hands-on: Percussion Synth 
DIY: A Moog DFAM for everyone? Easy replicated with Voltage ...
Moog has always been a legend, whether with classics like the Minimoog, Voyager, Sub Phatty or the beefy System 55; but even the current „handy“ ones like Mother-32 and DFAM are well on their way ...

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New: Statement Lead Synthesizer 
Statement Lead Synthesizer - Does Softube make a statement w...
For a producer or songwriter the trick is to find inspiration. But it can also be very helpful if they have an easy way to transfer their ideas to a flawless recording that is ready to be shared with ...

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Latest version of the Native Flagship Collection 
Native Instruments announces KOMPLETE 13 with Guitar Rig 6 P...
Native Instruments announced KOMPLETE 13, the latest generation of its flagship production suite, with new additions including some of the company’s biggest releases from the last two years. The lau...

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Audio correction without hassle? iZotope releases ... 
Audio correction without hassle? iZotope releases RX 8
iZotope Inc. releases RX 8, the latest version of its renowned audio restoration software, and RX Post Production Suite 5, with Music Production Suite 4 to be released later this fall. RX, which has b...

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New: Pendulate Chaos Synthesizer 
Newfangled Audio's Pendulate Chaos Synthesizer - Contro...
Bored of the same old synth sounds? Newfangled Audio's Pendulate is refreshingly different. Pendulate is a chaotic monosynth that uses a brand new double-pendulum-oscillator to create previously unhea...

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Budget tip 
Review: Toontrack EZBass - Helper for arranging and composin...
Infectious grooves for the DAW: Toontrack‘s EZBass is a competent virtual bass player to assist musicians and producers with arranging and composing. A basstastic plug-in? Long developed, even long...

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Oberheim Emulation 
Review: Synapse Audio Obsession
Only a few weeks after Arturia released a software replica of the legendary Oberheim OB-Xa, Synapse Audio presents its own emulation of the cult synthesizer and it promises to herald in a new era of a...

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Toy or game changer? 
Review: Steinberg Backbone
Backbone is neither a classic drum synthesizer nor does it simply fire off samples. Instead, it resynthesizes samples. The plug-in has eight layer slots where you can load your own samples or sounds f...

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Power Producer: Ableton Drum Design 
How to make your snares pop!
Welcome to our four-part series on drum design with Ableton Live! This second part is dedicated to programming the most iconic snare ever. But we‘re not just recreating the umpteenth 808, we‘re pr...

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Workshop: First steps with the live mixer 
Tascam Model 12
Tascam Model 12 (can definitely be called a jack of all trades: The compact mixing console with a multi-track audio recorder and a media player can be the central unit in your music studio. It not on...

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Acoustic room correction via software 
Review: IKM ARC System 3 - easily adapt mixes to room acoust...
ARC stands for acoustic room correction. This involves first measuring the room using your studio monitors, a microphone and the appropriate software to calculate a corrected frequency curve. This cur...

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Is the collection enough for the big "produce... 
Review: Softube Volume 4 - Plug-in collection with many high...
For those who want to expand the basic plugin offer of their DAW, bundle packages - just like our test candidate - are recommended because of the significantly lower price. This one has 31 different p...

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