Contributors / Deals & Gear Editor

Elena Marsh

A studio tech turned writer, Elena tracks gear prices the way other people track sports scores. She runs the deals desk and the buying guides, and has strong opinions about which discounts are actually discounts.

Deals & Gear Editor

DealsHardwareControllersBuying Guides

Latest from Elena

Modartt Airteq interface with virtual pipes, air envelopes, LFOs, macros, and convolution-style reverb
Software

Inside Modartt Airteq: Dynamic Aerophone Modeling

Modartt Airteq is a 99-euro physical-modeling instrument that generates sound from airflow through virtual pipes. Full specs, MPE support, and who should buy.

Elena MarshSep 21, 202611 min read
fedDSP quadCHO two-section chorus with REACT, SPACE, SWIRL, and a centre MIX, DEPTH, and TILT panel
Software

fedDSP quadCHO: A Two-Section Chorus Playground

fedDSP quadCHO is a modern chorus playground with two independent sections plus REACT, SPACE, SWIRL, WEAVE, and QUAD. Intro £35 against £75. AU, VST3, AAX.

Elena MarshSep 16, 20268 min read
Rocksolid Audio TEQ-6P six-band valve equalizer with gain, frequency, and type controls
Mixing & Mastering

Rocksolid TEQ-6P Runs a Valve EQ as a Live Circuit

Rocksolid Audio TEQ-6P is a six-band valve EQ that solves the circuit live. Standard is $109. Unique Edition is $159. VST3, AU, AAX. Free 14-day trial.

Elena MarshSep 15, 20267 min read
Rast Sound Redwood analog color rack with tape, vintage passive EQ, and valve compressor stages
Mixing & Mastering

Rast Sound Redwood Stacks Tape, Passive EQ, and Tube Comp

Rast Sound Redwood is a three-stage analog color rack: magnetic tape, vintage passive EQ, and tube compression. Intro €79 against €129. AU, VST3, AAX.

Elena MarshSep 14, 20269 min read
Sentient neural-network synthesizer by Valery Mironov
Software

Sentient: A Neural Synth That Learns Your Sounds

Sentient by Valery Mironov is a neural-network synthesizer for iOS and macOS that listens to everyday sound and builds a personal wavetable. Features, specs, and price.

Elena MarshSep 13, 20267 min read
W.A. Production Supra hybrid granular synthesizer showing twin MACRO1 and MACRO2 hubs, grain, filter, comb, and delay controls
Software

W.A. Production Supra: Hybrid Granular Mono Synth

W.A. Production Supra is a monophonic hybrid granular synth: six DSP stages, twin macros, dual randomizers. Intro $14.90 against $59.90. AU, AAX, VST3.

Elena MarshSep 11, 20268 min read
MeldaProduction MDrumCleaner plugin showing Cymbal Killer, Side-chain Remover, Spectrum Cleaner, Spectrum Gate, and Gate modules
Mixing & Mastering

MDrumCleaner Treats Drum Bleed With Five Algorithms

MDrumCleaner treats drum bleed with five algorithms. Intro €29 against a €149 list, plus a 15-day full trial. VST, VST3, AU, and AAX on Windows and macOS.

Elena MarshSep 10, 20268 min read
KaitoSato IMFMSynth interface with eight operators, filter stages, effects rack, and 8-bit output controls
Software

KaitoSato IMFMSynth: Free-Routing FM Plus Wavetables

KaitoSato IMFMSynth is an 8-operator FM and wavetable synth. Official beta is ¥3,000 ($19), list ¥7,400 ($49). Specs, DX7 import, and who should buy it.

Elena MarshSep 9, 202610 min read
Bjango Reality Distortion plugin interface with a 64-band oscillator display, waveform morph pad, and Feedback, Slice, and Blur controls
Software

Bjango Reality Distortion Tracks Audio With 64 Oscillators

Bjango Reality Distortion is a $39 launch resynthesis plugin that rebuilds incoming audio with up to 64 oscillators. Specs, price, and who should buy 1.0.1.

Elena MarshSep 8, 202610 min read
Teenage Engineering APC-2 professional record cutter in aluminum and granite
Hardware

Teenage Engineering APC-2: Cut Your Own Vinyl in Real Time

The Teenage Engineering APC-2 is a 140kg pro record cutter that presses dubplates in real time from your DAW, with automated pitch and locked grooves.

Elena MarshSep 7, 20267 min read
Quantastical CORRIDOR network reverb plugin with coupled rooms and live signal-flow display
Software

Quantastical CORRIDOR Builds Reverb From Coupled Rooms

Quantastical CORRIDOR is a network reverb of coupled rooms with freeze, inverse freeze, and a live flow display. Intro $49 until 14 September 2026, then $69.

Elena MarshSep 3, 202610 min read
Force56 Rhyzor16 drum plugin interface with HR-16 and HR-16B pads and per-pad tuning
Software

Force56 Rhyzor16: Both Alesis HR-16 ROMs in One VST

Force56 Rhyzor16 puts all 96 Alesis HR-16 and HR-16B sounds into one $39 drum plugin with 32-step per-pad tuning. Full specs, pricing and who it suits.

Elena MarshSep 2, 202611 min read
Parish Audio Aethon granular transformation engine with Transform knob, grain controls, and finishing FX
Software

Parish Audio Aethon: Granular Transform From Any Track

Parish Audio Aethon is a $34.97 intro granular transform with Freeze, a full grain engine, and finishing FX. Specs, real prices, and who should buy v1.0.0.

Elena MarshSep 1, 202611 min read
Born Second BS-203 MacroAcidizer plugin panel with Classic, Silver, and BB modes
Software

Born Second BS-203 Packs Three Acid Boxes for $25

Born Second BS-203 is a $25 monophonic acid synth with Classic 303, Silver 202, and Bassboy modes plus a pattern generator. Specs, price, and who should buy.

Elena MarshAug 31, 20269 min read
u-he MELT analog Eurorack filter module in a modular synthesizer rack
Hardware

u-he MELT Review: The First u-he You Can Touch

u-he MELT is the software maker's first analog Eurorack module: a 14HP cascade low-pass and band-pass filter with variable slope and a Core Temperature drive. Full specs, sound, and price.

Elena MarshAug 31, 20269 min read
reFX Rippler physical modeling synthesizer plugin interface
Software

reFX Rippler: Modal Synthesis Without a Single Sample

reFX Rippler is a dual-layer physical modeling synth with 12 acoustic models and 441 presets. Full specs, sound, how it compares to Chromaphone 3, and price.

Elena MarshAug 30, 20268 min read
Scrap Brain Audio WHORL microslice sequencer on a laptop, official product artwork
Software

Scrap Brain WHORL Slices Any File on a 16-Step Grid

Scrap Brain Audio WHORL is a $39 intro microslice sequencer for VST3, AU, and standalone. Transient analysis, 16 steps, and a per-step FX matrix explained.

Elena MarshAug 28, 20269 min read
UVI Thorus XT dual-engine chorus plugin showing Analog and Digital modes with morphable voices
Software

UVI Thorus XT Adds a Morphable Analog BBD Chorus

UVI Thorus XT pairs digital chorus with an analog BBD engine on a morphable 8-voice architecture. $49 intro through 7 September. Specs and who it's for.

Elena MarshAug 27, 202610 min read
Techivation T-De-Breather breath suppression plugin interface with waveform detections
Software

Techivation T-De-Breather: Zero-Latency Breath Control

Techivation T-De-Breather is a zero-latency RNN breath suppressor for vocals and dialogue. $45 intro until 5 September, then $90. Specs and comparisons.

Elena MarshAug 26, 20268 min read
ONRI Audio REISEI mastering processor with spectrum, EQ, dynamics, and limiter on one screen
Software

ONRI Audio REISEI Keeps Mastering on One Screen

ONRI Audio REISEI is a one-screen Mac mastering processor for Apple Silicon: PARTIAL harmonic EQ, DE-DYN, limiter. $299 launch until 31 August, then $399.

Elena MarshAug 25, 202611 min read
Behringer D Mini portable analog synthesizer with three oscillators, filter section, and touch keyboard
Hardware

Behringer D Mini: Minimoog Sound for €99

Behringer D Mini is a €99 portable analog synth inspired by the Minimoog Model D, with three oscillators, a 16-step sequencer, MIDI and USB-C. Specs and verdict.

Elena MarshAug 24, 20268 min read
Parish Audio Parametric Compressor plugin with an interactive spectrum, overlapping compressor bands, and per-band dynamics controls
Software

Parish Audio Parametric Compressor Places Bands Like an EQ

Parish Audio Parametric Compressor is a $34.97 intro plugin that places up to 10 overlapping compressor bands like a parametric EQ. Specs and who it is for.

Elena MarshAug 24, 202610 min read
1010music blackbox 2 desktop sampler with 4-inch touchscreen, four encoders, and step sequencer grid
Hardware

1010music blackbox 2: Four Tracks and a Battery

1010music blackbox 2 is a $649 / £649 desktop sampler with a 4-inch touchscreen, four tracks, USB-C I/O, and a battery. Specs, price, and who it is for.

Elena MarshAug 21, 202612 min read
Harrison Flex-10 USB-C audio interface with two console-style channel strips and analog VU meters
Hardware

Harrison Flex-10: Console Preamps in a USB Interface

Harrison Flex-10 is a 10-in/12-out USB-C interface with two console preamps, H-DRIVE, ADAT, and Mixbus 12. A first look at the specs and £547 Thomann price.

Elena MarshAug 20, 20269 min read