Table of Contents
In music production, plugins are software add-ons that expand the capabilities of your DAW; these could be virtual instruments and creative effects, EQ and compressors, or tools that make editing a lot more manageable.
This rolling list keeps you up to date on the newest plugins as they’re announced – as well as some interesting ones you might have missed – so check back regularly for the latest virtual instruments, effects, mixing plugins and more.
Latest virtual instruments, effects and mixing plugins
(Last update: 11 October 2023)
Lines by Hainbach
Musician and content creator Hainbach has released Lines, a new plugin synth. According to Hainbach, “Lines is a complex multi-effect and feedback synthesizer based on a rare 70s telecommunications unit. It does birdsong, bassdrum, psychedelic phasing, far out feedback, deep dub rhythms and the most intense robot farts.”
Lines draws inspiration from the vintage Axel Line Simulator of the 1970s, a non-musical device simulating signal loss. It offers various analogue effects like jitter, noise, and more. Feedback patching transforms it into a playable instrument, yielding liquid rhythms and tropical bird sounds. The plugin faithfully replicates this process with extended features, including filters, sequencers, and modulation options, encouraging creative exploration.
It costs €39 and is available at Audiothing.
Infinite Flow by Silen Audio
Silen Audio’s new soft synth, “Infinite Flow,” reimagines classic analogue synths for the modern era. It addresses the often sterile sound of soft synths by introducing effects like Flutter, emulating a wobbly cassette-style sound. With eight voices, seven oscillators, and five effects, it captures vintage synth warmth while offering deep modulability and unique per-voice detuning.
Silen Audio describes it as “an innovative sound-crafting tool designed for musicians seeking analogue imperfections in a digital age.” Watch the accompanying videos for a closer look at its capabilities.
It’s available for $179.99, or you can “rent to own” for $9.99 per month, for 18 months. Check it out at Silen Audio.
Soundgrid V14 by Waves
Waves has launched the 14th version of its SuperRack SoundGrid. It now features offline editing and Apple Silicon support. The offline mode allows session setup anywhere from a laptop or desktop. It’s available under a separate, free license, resembling the regular SuperRack SoundGrid minus audio pass-through. The new version (V14) adds Apple Silicon compatibility, expanded multi-language support, channel colours, performance enhancements, and bug fixes.
SuperRack SoundGrid is a high-speed plugin rack for FOH, monitor, broadcast, and AV engineers, accommodating up to 64 stereo multi-channel racks, Waves plugin instances with low latency, and customization. It processes plugins on an external SoundGrid DSP server, increasing plugin count and minimizing latency. Designed for quick setup and customization, it serves various engineering purposes.
Find out more about the $599 plugin at Waves.
80s DrumStar by SampleScience
80s DrumStar is a drum module inspired by the Elka DrumStar 80, a mid-80s Italian drum machine renowned for its distinctive lo-fi and punchy sound. The plugin includes all 32 original machine sounds and incorporates 6 built-in effects for sound customization. It stands out with its rough, cutting-edge samples that can effortlessly penetrate any mix.
Additionally, 10 reverse effect sounds not found in the original hardware provide creative options for sound effects and intros. The plugin offers a user-friendly interface, low CPU usage, and controls for amplitude range, making it a valuable tool for music producers.
This plugin is free! Check it out at samplescience.info.
Effectrix2 by Sugar Bytes
Effectrix2 is an advanced real-time audio manipulation tool featuring 14 meticulously designed effects. It offers a 32-step effect sequencer with swing and dynamic length, up to 12 setups, intelligent randomisation, flexible modulation per step, and individual Dry/Wet and global Mix control.
With over 400 handcrafted presets, it simplifies the process of adding effects to your music. From time-stretching to granular synthesis, the plugin offers a wide range of creative possibilities, making it a valuable tool for producers, DJs, and musicians looking to enhance their tracks with ease.
The plugin costs $129 and is available at sugar-bytes.de.
Binaural Renderer by Audiomovers
Audiomovers this week brought us the Binaural Renderer for Apple Music, a plugin designed for mixing and mastering engineers working with immersive audio. It allows users to preview how their Dolby Atmos mixes will sound on Apple Music directly within their DAW. The plugin supports live monitoring on Mac speakers or headphones, including personalised HRTF and head tracking for compatible Apple headphones.
It offers additional features like Mute/Solo for each channel and rendering profile switching. Audio professionals, including mastering engineers from Abbey Road Studios and Grammy-winning producers, have praised its ability to streamline workflows and ensure accurate sound representation on Apple Music’s Dolby Atmos platform.
It costs $79.99 and is available to buy on Audiomovers.com.
Archetype: Mateus Asato by Neural DSP
Neural DSP has launched Archetype: Mateus Asato, a plugin that authentically captures the versatile guitar styles of renowned Brazilian musician Mateus Asato. It includes a range of amplifiers, from vintage-clean to modern tones, and a comprehensive cab-sim module with hundreds of impulse responses.
The plugin offers a variety of effects, including an optical compressor, overdrive pedals, modulation effects, and a 9-band equaliser per amplifier. It also features innovative delay and reverb algorithms, with stereo capabilities. Archetype: Mateus Asato can run as a standalone app and serves as a tribute to Asato’s unique talent, offering inspiration to musicians.
The plugin costs €119. Find out more at neuraldsp.com.
Oberheim SEM v1.6
GForce Software introduces Oberheim SEM 1.6, a free GUI overhaul for the officially endorsed monophonic synth emulation. This update enhances the user experience while preserving the iconic sound. Originally released last year, GForce’s SEM gained recognition and received a powerful browser update earlier this year.
Now, the refreshed graphical interface immerses users in the Oberheim SEM experience, capturing its legendary simplicity and sound. With Tom Oberheim’s endorsement, authenticity is assured. Over 400 categorised patches provide instant inspiration. Key features include an overhauled GUI, official endorsement, 3rd VCO, and a range of creative tools.
Find out more at gforcesoftware.com.
Pianoverse by IK Multimedia
IK Multimedia has unveiled Pianoverse, a versatile virtual piano instrument that seamlessly blends top-tier concert-grade pianos with cinematic effects. Pianoverse covers an extensive sonic spectrum, from ultra-realistic acoustic piano tones to imaginative, interactive textures, all within a single plugin. The instrument selection process involved years of meticulous sourcing, hand-tuning, and preparation by master tuners, with samples captured using multiple microphones and IK’s robotic sampling system, ensuring remarkable authenticity and dynamics.
The sampling robot was designed with precision and craftsmanship, emulating human touch. An innovative new engine combines redesigned round robin, voice management, and other techniques to elevate the realism. Pianoverse also provides performance controls for stage and studio work, including adjustable lid position, harp resonance, and pedal noise. It offers a superior piano experience for various music genres, from classical to pop, making it a powerful tool for composers, performers, and producers alike.
Find out more at ikmultimedia.com.
Vac Attack by Mixland
Mixland’s Vac Attack presents an analogue-modelled optical limiter plugin for precise dynamics control on individual tracks and groups. It replicates a cherished hardware unit that went out of production in 2020, known for imparting rich harmonics and warmth to vocals, drums, bass, and stereo buses. Developed by Grammy-winning mixer Jesse Ray Ernster and coding expert Eddie Lucciola, Vac Attack emphasises character over loudness changes with its Gain Link feature.
Its optical design employs a digital emulation of a light source and a light-dependent resistor for natural non-linear gain reduction. Additionally, it offers a two-band push EQ for post-compression tone shaping and a sidechain EQ to eliminate unwanted pumping effects. The Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) feature introduces harmonic depth, ideal for adding character to digital recordings. Vac Attack also includes channel linking/unlinking for precise stereo control.
Vac Attack costs $179.99. Find out more at plugin-alliance.com.
Pro Tools Sketch by Avid
Avid has introduced Pro Tools Sketch, a clip-based music creation tool available in Pro Tools software and as a free iPad app. It aids musicians in capturing and exploring creative ideas with a vast library of loops, virtual instruments, and effects. Pro Tools Sketch complements traditional linear audio recording with non-linear creation capabilities, allowing users to organize loops, MIDI, and recordings freely, export sketches, and seamlessly integrate them into Pro Tools for further production.
The iPad app is free on the Apple App Store, while the Pro Tools 2023.9 update is accessible to subscribers and Pro Tools Intro users. Sketch offers 16 tracks, limitless scenes, and 1 GB of loops and effects.
Find out more at avid.com.
LowSane by Rob Papen Inspiration Soundware
Rob Papen’s LowSane plugin specializes in ‘lo-fi’ sound sculpting. It crushes digital bits, embracing lo-fi as a creative tool. Featuring a GUI-dominating DISRUPT sphere for dynamic sound manipulation. With distortion, filters, noise gate, and audio follower, it offers versatile sound shaping.
The DISRUPT sphere allows simultaneous control of eight parameters, including tempo-based features. LowSane empowers artists to explore innovative soundscapes beyond 8-bit nostalgia, catering to modern creativity.
The plugin costs $25. Find out more at robpapen.com.
Infinity Bass by Slate Digital
Slate Digital has launched Infinity Bass, a versatile bass enhancement plugin included in the All Access Pass subscription. Designed for EDM, hip-hop, rock, and pop, it enriches low-end frequencies. Four processing modes – Punchy, Warm, Deep, and Phased – offer flexibility. With control knobs and a Listen button for precise adjustments, it excels as a bass exciter, subharmonic synthesizer, sub-bass generator, and all-pass filter.
From subtle tweaks to radical transformations, Infinity Bass elevates your sound. Access it through the subscription for comprehensive mixing and sound shaping.
Find out more at slatedigital.com.
IQ-Series Limiter V2 by HOFA-Plugins
The HOFA IQ-Series Limiter V2 is an advanced mastering tool designed for precision audio processing. It introduces three new limiting algorithms (Transparent, Hard, Electronic) alongside the existing V1 modes (Fast, Med, Slow), catering to various audio applications and genres. The plugin offers an XY pad for intuitive adjustment of the “Clip” and “Pump” parameters, allowing users to shape the limiter’s sound with ease.
It features comprehensive loudness metering, including short-term & integrated LUFS, loudness range, and true peak measurements. Additional enhancements include up to 32x oversampling, DC cut, sidechain input, channel link control, and OpenGL-accelerated graphics.
Available starting September 18, 2023, with an introductory price of €143.90 (€169.90 later) and upgrade options. Head to hofa-plugins.de to find out more.
How to install plugins on Windows, Mac and iOS
If your plugin came as a .zip file, and not an installer, you may have to manually install it. Here’s how…
VST3 plugins:
- Unzip the plugin folder
- Copy the .VST file to your default plugin folder (Windows default: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3, Mac default: /Library/Audio/Plugins/VST)
- Start your DAW
- Rescan your plugin directory
AUv3 plugins:
- Download and install plugin from the App Store
- Insert plugin in your DAW
- Select the AUv3 plugin from the Audio Unit Extensions tab
Where to download freeware plugins and VSTs
Our freeware section is an excellent place to start; each month, we also compile round-ups of the best free plugins and samples to download.
The production community is full of passionate developers who’ve given away instruments, effects and other plugins as freeware. Some of our favourites include Valhalla’s Supermassive reverb, Apogee’s Soft Limit and Matt Tytel’s Helm polysynth. Remember, most developers also offer free trials for their plugins.
Are DAW stock plugins good enough?
Most major DAWs these days will come with a more-than-serviceable collection of ‘stock’ plugins for music-making: Logic Pro’s software instrument library is rich and varied; Ableton Live’s synth engines cover additive, subtractive and granular methods, and the Pro Tools suite of mixing plugins is still widely used by pro engineers.
A good producer isn’t their plugin folder, but their ability to make good decisions. Increase your knowledge: instead of buying a synth samples, learn about the fundamentals of synthesis; kick drum sounding too skinny? learn to compress properly.