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

Behringer KICK standalone sampler with a 7-inch touchscreen, 16 RGB pads, four knobs, a jog wheel and a touch strip
Hardware

Behringer KICK: A $150 Open-Source Sampler Shaped Like an MPC

Behringer KICK is an MPC-style sampler with a 7-inch touchscreen, 16 RGB pads, 300+ effects and open-source firmware, at a target price of around $150. Specs and rivals.

Marcus FeldOct 30, 20269 min read
DSP Bricks Optigan plugin interface showing the chord buttons, tempo and reverb controls and the disc track strip
Software

DSP Bricks Optigan: The 1971 Optical Organ, Rebuilt

DSP Bricks Optigan recreates the 1971 Mattel optical organ as a plugin, with all 40 program discs, DAW sync, chord detection and spring reverb. Specs and price.

Marcus FeldOct 30, 20268 min read
Native Instruments Massive XL wavetable synthesizer plugin interface
Software

Inside Massive XL: NI's New Flagship Wavetable Synth

Native Instruments Massive XL is the new flagship wavetable synth. It succeeds Massive X, adding a sample-based Preset Generator, Mutator and poly aftertouch.

Marcus FeldOct 28, 20269 min read
Pittsburgh Modular Microvolt 3901 software synthesizer interface
Software

Microvolt 3901 Puts Pittsburgh Modular's Synth in a Plugin

Pittsburgh Modular's Microvolt 3901 rebuilds the 3900 semi-modular synth in software: seven oscillators, 19 effects, a full patch bay and six-voice polyphony.

Marcus FeldOct 28, 20269 min read
Isla Electronics ASYX, a software recreation of the Alesis Andromeda A6, shown in its graphite interface theme
Software

Isla Electronics ASYX Recreates the Alesis Andromeda A6

Isla Electronics ASYX is a software recreation of the Alesis Andromeda A6: dual filters, 16-part multitimbral, 1,200+ patches and SysEx import, for £99.

Marcus FeldOct 27, 20269 min read
Klevgrand Altitude Harmony vocal tuner and harmonizer interface with Style, Harmonies and the Clones, Droid, Vibrato and Tremolo buttons
Mixing & Mastering

Klevgrand Altitude Harmony: Tuning and Three Harmonies for $29.99

Klevgrand Altitude Harmony tunes vocals and stacks up to three in-key harmonies with four one-button effects. $29.99 intro, from $49.99. Specs, rivals and verdict.

Marcus FeldOct 27, 20268 min read
Behringer Polyeight analog polyphonic synthesizer with a blue panel, wooden end cheeks and 49-key keyboard
Hardware

Behringer Polyeight: An 8-Voice Polysix With Poly Aftertouch

Behringer Polyeight is an 8-voice analog synth built on the Korg Polysix: 2044 filters, BBD chorus and ensemble, 49 keys with poly aftertouch. Specs and rivals.

Marcus FeldOct 26, 20269 min read
discoDSP TED-8 software synthesizer interface, a model of the Oberheim TEO-5
Software

discoDSP TED-8: The Oberheim TEO-5 as a $99 Plugin

discoDSP TED-8 models the Oberheim TEO-5 in software, with 8 voices, up to 48-voice Poly Unison, an SEM-style filter and USB sync. Specs, pricing and how it compares.

Marcus FeldOct 26, 20267 min read
Arturia Pigments 7 synth plugin with two sample engines, filters and the Combinate modulation view
Software

Best Synth VST Plugins 2026: 8 Paid Synths Worth Buying

The best paid synth VST plugins of 2026: Pigments 7, Serum 2, Diva, Phase Plant, Falcon, Omnisphere 3, V Collection 11 and Spire, with prices and trade-offs.

Marcus FeldOct 22, 202610 min read
GForce Axxess software synthesizer interface based on the ARP Axxe
Software

GForce Gives Away Axxess and M-Tron Select 2 Free

GForce relaunched its website and is giving away two plugins free: Axxess, an ARP Axxe synth, and M-Tron Select 2, a curated Mellotron M400 instrument.

Marcus FeldOct 22, 20268 min read
Rast Sound Splitz plugin in Loud/Soft mode with Glue compression and a third-party EQ on the loud lane
Mixing & Mastering

Rast Sound Splitz: Split Effects Rack for Your Own Plugins

Splitz splits audio into mid/side, three bands, loud/soft or hits/tails and runs each part through its own effects, even your VST3 plugins in Pro Tools. €59 intro.

Marcus FeldOct 21, 20268 min read
Carbonated Audio SPRITZ multi-effect plugin with Time, Filter and Volume modules on the rail and a drawn tape-stop curve
Software

Carbonated Audio SPRITZ: A $49 ShaperBox Rival for Beat Flips

SPRITZ chains 11 curve-driven effects, from tape stops to pitch flips, with eight scenes per preset and 912 presets for $49. Specs, rivals and who should buy.

Marcus FeldOct 20, 20269 min read
AlphaTheta HDJ-F9 on-ear wireless DJ headphones in black
DJing

AlphaTheta HDJ-F9 Puts SonicLink in an On-Ear DJ Headphone

AlphaTheta's HDJ-F9 brings 9 ms SonicLink wireless to a $349 on-ear DJ headphone. Specs, battery life, HP-TX01 costs and how it compares to the HDJ-F10.

Marcus FeldOct 19, 202610 min read
Cableguys TimeStop tape-stop plugin showing the large Pitch knob and automation curve
Software

Cableguys TimeStop: Tape-Stops You Draw as Automation

Cableguys TimeStop is a tape-stop plugin that draws slowdowns as DAW automation, with Classic, Modern and Loop modes. From 16 EUR in VST3, AU and AAX.

Marcus FeldOct 19, 20268 min read
Carbonated Audio On Tap sidechain ducking plugin showing a hand-drawn ducking curve and trigger controls
Mixing & Mastering

Carbonated Audio On Tap: Ducking Without the Routing

Carbonated Audio On Tap is a $20 sidechain ducking plugin with 16 curves, three trigger modes and a band-split crossover, for macOS and Windows.

Marcus FeldOct 17, 20268 min read
Audio Blast V10F monophonic virtual analog synthesizer inspired by the Kawai 100F
Software

Audio Blast V10F: a Modern Kawai 100F Mono Synth

Audio Blast V10F is a monophonic virtual analog synth inspired by the Kawai 100F, with a step sequencer and 512 presets. EUR 77 until 30 October 2026, then EUR 129.

Marcus FeldOct 14, 20268 min read
UB DSP Filter Blender triangle interface blending three analog-style filter models
Software

UB DSP Filter Blender First Look 2026

UB DSP Filter Blender mixes three of twelve analog filters on a triangle, for Mac, Windows, and Linux. It is $39 until 15 November 2026, then $68 USD.

Marcus FeldOct 14, 20269 min read
Delta Sound Labs Stream Pro granular synthesizer plugin interface
Sound Design

Delta Sound Labs Stream Pro: Granular Synthesis in 3D

Delta Sound Labs Stream Pro is a granular synth with live capture, 8-voice polyphony and Steam Audio HRTF spatialization, for macOS, Windows and Linux at 99 dollars.

Marcus FeldOct 13, 20268 min read
Behringer JAM 32-key USB MIDI controller keyboard with built-in sequencer
Hardware

Behringer JAM Packs a 64-Step Sequencer Into 32 Keys

Behringer JAM is a 32-key USB MIDI controller with a 64-step polyphonic sequencer, Chord Play, an arpeggiator, and CV/Gate plus Sync, at around £89.

Marcus FeldOct 10, 202611 min read
Rupert Neve Designs Portico II Master Buss Processor, 551 Inductor EQ, and 542 Tape Emulator plugin interfaces
Mixing & Mastering

Rupert Neve Designs' First Plugins: Portico II, 551, 542

Rupert Neve Designs released its first in-house plugins: the Portico II Master Buss Processor, 551 Inductor EQ, and 542 Tape Emulator, built with McDSP. Specs, price, and verdict.

Marcus FeldOct 6, 20267 min read
Idle Foundry CA-72 synthesizer plugin panel modelled on the Minimoog Model D
Software

CA-72: A Free Minimoog Model D Built From Its Circuit

Idle Foundry CA-72 is a free, open-source Minimoog Model D emulation modelled from the real circuit in SPICE. Specs, polyphony, pricing and FAQ.

Marcus FeldOct 5, 20269 min read
Novation FLpad and the smaller FLpad Mini grid controllers for FL Studio
Hardware

Novation FLpad Puts FL Studio's Grid on the Desk

Novation FLpad and FLpad Mini are FL Studio grid controllers at $229.99 and $139.99, with sequencer, channel rack, and graph editor views across 64 pads.

Marcus FeldOct 5, 202610 min read
Blue Cat Free Amp 2.0 plugin interface showing an amplifier model with 3D graphics, controls, and cabinet section
Software

Blue Cat Free Amp 2.0: Four Guitar Amps at No Cost

Blue Cat Free Amp 2.0 rebuilds its four amps on the Destructor V2 engine, adds reverb and IR loading, and stays free. Full specs, FAQ, and who it suits.

Marcus FeldOct 3, 20268 min read
Mastering The Mix CARBON Q interface with connected EQ curves for the mix, vocals, drums, and bass
Mixing & Mastering

CARBON Q Sets EQ and Level Across the Session

Mastering The Mix CARBON Q sets EQ and level for vocals, drums, bass, and music from one window. The launch price is $55 from $78, or £41.30 from £59.

Marcus FeldOct 2, 20269 min read