Contributors / Senior Reviews Editor

Marcus Feld

Marcus has been testing synths, plugins and DAWs for over fifteen years, with a stubborn weakness for modular and anything that abuses an envelope. He leads Dubspot’s reviews desk and owns the Dubspot Score methodology.

Senior Reviews Editor

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Latest from Marcus

Pad Works DAMP dynamic resonance suppressor plugin interface showing the LOW, MID and HIGH zones

Mixing & Mastering

Pad Works DAMP Review: A 39-Dollar Resonance Suppressor

Pad Works DAMP is a 39-dollar dynamic resonance suppressor for macOS that tames ring and harshness only while it happens. Full review of features, specs and price.

Marcus FeldSep 20, 20267 min read

Mixland Grey Matter plugin, a physics-based emulation of a 1990s console digital-to-analog converter

Mixing & Mastering

Mixland Grey Matter Review: A 90s Console DAC as FX

Mixland Grey Matter is a physics-based plugin that turns a 1990s console DAC into a saturator. Full review, specs, pricing and how it compares to RC-20.

Marcus FeldSep 19, 20268 min read

Sprite Spores: A Free Multi-Chip Synth for Retro and Ruined Sound

Sprite Spores is a free multi-chip synth with AY/YM, SID and Yamaha FM engines, a drawable wavetable and glitchy video-memory effects. Full feature guide.

Marcus FeldSep 18, 20268 min read

Oddment ODD-1 granular synthesizer hardware panel, the basis for the ODD-1V plugin

Oddment ODD-1V Review: The ODD-1 Granular Synth as a Plugin

Oddment ODD-1V brings the ODD-1 hardware granular synthesizer into your DAW as a VST3, AU and standalone plugin. Full review of features, specs and price.

Marcus FeldSep 17, 20269 min read

Arturia MiniFreak V 5.0 update showing user sample and wavetable import

MiniFreak 5.0 Imports Your Own Samples and Wavetables

Arturia MiniFreak 5.0 is a free update adding user sample and wavetable import to the MiniFreak synth and MiniFreak V. Specs, limits, and Pigments comparison.

Marcus FeldSep 16, 20268 min read

SoundGhost Orbit 3-band spectral stereo sculptor with Low, Mid, and High Position, Width, and Volume

SoundGhost Orbit Pans Low, Mid, and High on Their Own

SoundGhost Orbit is a 3-band spectral stereo sculptor with independent Position, Width, and Volume per band. Current price is £29 against £39. VST3 and AU.

Marcus FeldSep 16, 20268 min read

Audio Spices Sesame step slicer with seed piles on a host-locked step grid

Audio Spices Sesame: A Step-Locked Stutter Slicer

Audio Spices Sesame is a host-locked stutter slicer. Stack seeds on four to sixteen piles to ratchet a beat. Launch $39.99 against $59.99. VST3, AU, AAX.

Marcus FeldSep 15, 20267 min read

Stagecraft Cenere subtractive synthesizer with vintage oscillators, morphing filter, unison, and onboard effects

Inside Stagecraft Cenere: Audio-Rate Vintage Subtractive

Stagecraft Cenere pairs vintage oscillators and morphing SVF filters with audio-rate automation, 9-layer unison, and 20+ FX. $200. VST3, AU, AAX, standalone.

Marcus FeldSep 14, 202610 min read

Acon Digital Acoustica 8 audio editor interface with spectral view

Acoustica 8 Adds Machine-Learning Restoration and a New UI

Acon Digital Acoustica 8 rebuilds DeNoise and DeHum on machine learning, redesigns the interface, and keeps a perpetual license. Full specs, editions, and price.

Marcus FeldSep 12, 20268 min read

Vengeance Q4ntum multi-effect delay plugin interface

Vengeance Q4ntum: Three Delay Engines, One FX Plugin

Vengeance Q4ntum is a standalone multi-FX delay with three engines, 12 FX slots, 27 effects per slot, and 673 presets. Full specs, how it compares, and price.

Marcus FeldSep 12, 20268 min read

Unusable Engineering Quadrant Modulator plugin with drawable oscillator, Clean and Diode ring-mod modes, and an eight-slot waveform sequencer

Quadrant Modulator Draws Bézier Waves for Ring-Mod

Unusable Quadrant Modulator is a €29 four-quadrant ring-mod with a drawable oscillator, pitch follow, one-shot shaping, and an 8-slot sequencer. AU/VST3.

Marcus FeldSep 11, 202610 min read

Wavea Flite 2 multi-sampler and synth plugin interface showing oscillators, sequencers and effects

Wavea Flite 2 Review: A Free Synth Built on Rare Gear

Wavea Flite 2 pairs FM, granular and wavetable synthesis with a 2.5GB library sampled from classic synths, and a genuinely usable free tier. Full review.

Marcus FeldSep 11, 20268 min read

Tapechild UDS-16 drum synthesizer plugin showing 16 voice pads, model selector, tone noise and click controls, tape and gated reverb

Tapechild UDS-16: 16 Voices, No Samples

Tapechild UDS-16 is a $49, 16-voice drum synth with four models, tape saturation, and gated reverb. Real-time synthesis, no samples. VST3, AU, standalone.

Marcus FeldSep 10, 20268 min read

Iftah Sting plugin showing the Algo engine, Type and Density knobs, smiley generate control, modulation matrix, and 16-step note grid

Iftah Sting: Acid Lines, Counterpoint, Any DAW

Iftah Sting is a 35€ VST3, AU, and CLAP acid sequencer with four engines, Launchpad and monome support, plus a seven-download daily free tier. Specs inside.

Marcus FeldSep 9, 202610 min read

XILS-lab MemoryTone software synthesizer, a recreation of the 1982 Memorymoog polyphonic analog synth

XILS-lab MemoryTone Review: A Software Memorymoog

XILS-lab MemoryTone recreates the 1982 Memorymoog: 16 voices, three oscillators each, a 24 dB ladder filter, MPE and six effects. Full review and specs.

Marcus FeldSep 8, 20269 min read

Full Bucket FB3 free Kawai K3 emulation synthesizer plugin interface

Full Bucket FB3 Review: The Kawai K3 Is Free Now

Full Bucket FB3 is a free plugin emulation of the 1986 Kawai K3 hybrid synth, with a user additive wave, an analog-style filter, and 64-voice polyphony.

Marcus FeldSep 7, 20267 min read

RIPPLES Pulse free sidechain plugin showing the Deep House Duck curve, Sync mode, and Depth Mix controls

RIPPLES Pulse: A Free Volume Shaper You Can Draw

RIPPLES Pulse is a free sidechain, gate, and LFO volume shaper for VST3 and AU. Five drawable shapes, Sync or Trig, 16 presets. Specs and who it's for.

Marcus FeldSep 7, 20268 min read

IK Multimedia TONEX Board floor amp modeler with 5-inch touchscreen and footswitches

IK Multimedia TONEX Board Review: The $999 Capture Rig

IK Multimedia's TONEX Board runs four AI tone models across two paths with 76 effects, a 5-inch touchscreen and USB audio, for $999.99. Full review.

Marcus FeldSep 4, 20268 min read

Martinic Prodigy virtual analog synthesizer interface with two VCOs, ladder filter, and performance keyboard

Martinic Prodigy Adds a Sequencer to the 1979 Moog

Martinic Prodigy ACE-models the 1979 Moog with a sequencer, Multidrive and spring reverb. Intro €38.99 / $38.99 at Best Service through 17 September 2026.

Marcus FeldSep 4, 202611 min read

Reason Free rack plugin showing Europa, Kong and Scream 4 devices loaded in a DAW

Reason Free Puts 15 Legendary Rack Devices in Any DAW

Reason Free gives away 15 classic Reason Rack devices as a VST3, AU and AAX plugin, plus a 16-track free DAW. Full device list, specs, limits and how it compares.

Marcus FeldSep 3, 20268 min read

TONE3000 free NAM plugin interface showing amp captures loaded in a signal chain

TONE3000's Free Plugin Opens 700,000 Amp Captures

TONE3000 launched a free, open-source Neural Amp Modeler plugin and standalone app with 700,000+ amp and pedal captures. Formats, features, specs and how it compares.

Marcus FeldSep 3, 20267 min read

Softube Reference 1998 Equalizer passive tube EQ plugin interface

Mixing & Mastering

Softube Reference 1998 & 1956: Passive EQs Reviewed

Softube's Reference 1998 and 1956 Equalizers model classic passive tube EQs with parallel bands and tube saturation. Specs, pricing and how they compare.

Marcus FeldSep 2, 20268 min read

Arturia KeyStep 37 mk2 MIDI controller and sequencer on a studio desk

Arturia KeyStep 37 mk2 Review: Sequencer Grows Up

The Arturia KeyStep 37 mk2 adds an OLED screen, four encoders, LED key guides, and generative tools. Full specs, how it compares to the mk1, and price.

Marcus FeldSep 1, 20269 min read

WET VST WetEQ British console equalizer and WetCompressor 76-style FET compressor

WetEQ and WetCompressor: Free Desk EQ and 76 Comp

WET VST ships WetEQ and WetCompressor as free MIT-licensed VST3 plugins for Windows, Linux, and macOS. Specs, how they work, and who should download them.

Marcus FeldSep 1, 202612 min read