Contributors / Production & Tutorials Editor

Priya Raman

Priya teaches the craft — arrangement, mixing, sound design — in plain language that doesn’t assume a music degree. She edits Dubspot’s tutorials and production features and still finishes her own tracks at 2am.

Production & Tutorials Editor

ProductionMixingSound DesignTutorials

Latest from Priya

Soundtoys Decapitator interface with Drive, Punish, Tone and the A, E, N, T and P style buttons, one of the best saturation plugins of 2026
Mixing & Mastering

Best Saturation Plugins 2026: Decapitator, Saturn 2 and More

The best saturation plugins of 2026 compared: Decapitator, Saturn 2, RC-20, SSL X-Saturator, Fusion Vintage Drive and TAIP, with current prices and who each suits.

Priya RamanOct 27, 202611 min read
UJAM Detunicorn free hypersaw synth plugin interface
Software

UJAM Detunicorn Is Free for 666 Hours, Then It's Gone

UJAM Detunicorn is a free single-purpose hypersaw synth with two supersaw oscillators and six macros, given away for 666 hours. Specs, controls and how it compares.

Priya RamanOct 26, 20267 min read
23audio TELEPRINTER instrument plugin title screen reading Type it, Play it
Sound Design

23audio TELEPRINTER: The Instrument That Plays Your Text

23audio TELEPRINTER is an instrument plugin that turns typed text into rhythm, melody, and robot voices. 161 presets, VST3/AU/AAX, intro $44.99 from 23audio.

Priya RamanOct 24, 202610 min read
Arturia MiniFreak 49 with 49 full-size keys and touch matrix shown above the original 37-key MiniFreak
Hardware

Arturia MiniFreak 49: Full-Size Keys, Touch Matrix, $849

Arturia MiniFreak 49 puts the six-voice hybrid synth on 49 semi-weighted keys with an XYZ touch matrix, Filter FM and 256 MB memory. Specs, prices and rivals.

Priya RamanOct 23, 20269 min read
HoRNet SpectraDuck spectral sidechain ducker with input, output and gain-reduction curves on screen
Mixing & Mastering

HoRNet SpectraDuck: Spectral Sidechain Ducking for €29.99

HoRNet SpectraDuck ducks only the frequencies your sidechain occupies, with no bands or crossovers. €29.99 as VST3, AU, AAX. Specs, rivals and who it suits.

Priya RamanOct 22, 20268 min read
Blinksonic HOLODRIFT plugin interface with the spectral visualizer, journey curve and effect sections
Software

Blinksonic HOLODRIFT: Granular Sampler Meets Spectral Synth

HOLODRIFT pairs eight granular slots with a real-time spectral engine that rebuilds any sound partial by partial. €119 launch price to Oct 30. Specs, rivals, verdict.

Priya RamanOct 21, 20269 min read
23audio V-23 Voice Processor plugin interface showing the full voice signal chain in one window
Mixing & Mastering

23audio V-23: A Channel Strip Built for the Spoken Voice

23audio V-23 is a one-window voice channel strip for podcasts, audiobooks, and voiceover, with loudness presets for ACX. Intro price GBP 49.99, from GBP 69.99.

Priya RamanOct 20, 20269 min read
Heavyocity Psychosis horror scoring library key art with the cracked Psychosis logo on a dark cracked surface
Sound Design

Heavyocity Psychosis: A Horror Scoring Toolkit for Kontakt

Heavyocity Psychosis is a horror and thriller scoring library for Kontakt Player, with 720 organic sources, 332 presets and two engines. Specs, price and rivals.

Priya RamanOct 20, 20269 min read
Soundtoys EchoBoy delay plugin interface
Mixing & Mastering

EchoBoy vs Timeless 3 (2026): Which Delay Plugin to Buy?

EchoBoy vs Timeless 3 compared: 30 vintage echo styles vs a deep modulation matrix, prices, formats, and which delay plugin suits your mixes best in 2026.

Priya RamanOct 19, 202610 min read
Universal Audio UAD Empirical Labs FATSO native plugin interface showing Warmth, Tranny and compression controls
Software

UA Empirical Labs FATSO: The Tape Box Goes Native

UA's Empirical Labs FATSO is now a native plugin for any DAW: tape-style saturation, transformer warmth and four compression modes. Intro $79, regular $149.

Priya RamanOct 19, 20268 min read
MixWave Spiritbox Courtney LaPlante vocal plugin interface showing its rearrangeable processing modules
Mixing & Mastering

Courtney LaPlante's Spiritbox Vocal Chain Is Now a Plugin

MixWave: Spiritbox - Courtney LaPlante puts the vocalist's seven-module vocal chain in one plugin, with rearrangeable processing and pitch tools. From $79.

Priya RamanOct 18, 20267 min read
UJAM Usynth BOUNCE Y2K R&B synthesizer plugin interface
Software

UJAM BOUNCE Bottles the Y2K R&B Sound in Two Plugins

UJAM BOUNCE is a Y2K R&B and hip-hop pair: Beatmaker BOUNCE for drums and Usynth BOUNCE for synths. Full specs, pricing, demos, and how it compares.

Priya RamanOct 16, 202610 min read
Universal Audio Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection plugin showing the LA-2A Silver, LA-2A Gray, and LA-2 optical compressors
Mixing & Mastering

Best LA-2A Plugin in 2026: CLA-2A vs UAD vs Softube, White 2A, and VC 2A

An honest 2026 buyer's comparison of LA-2A optical leveling amplifier plugins: Waves CLA-2A, UAD Teletronix LA-2A Collection, Softube CL 1B Mk II, White 2A, Arturia Comp TUBE-STA, and NI VC 2A.

Priya RamanOct 14, 202612 min read
AudioThing Materia additive re-synthesizer plugin showing partials and envelope editor
Software

AudioThing Materia Turns Any Sample Into an Additive Synth

AudioThing Materia is an additive re-synthesizer that rebuilds any sample from 96 harmonic partials, with 10 filter types and four FX, from 39 euros.

Priya RamanOct 13, 20268 min read
Softube Limit Pro and Limit Go plugin windows on a dark background
Mixing & Mastering

Softube Limit Pro: Three Peak Limiters for $99

Softube Limit Pro puts Standard, Adaptive, and Fast peak suppression in one limiter. Limit Go is included, and the intro price is $99 through 7 November.

Priya RamanOct 12, 20269 min read
Carbonated Audio FOAM ducking reverb plugin showing the Size and Bloom field and the Tail Shaper
Software

Carbonated Audio FOAM Ducks Reverb Into the Gaps

Carbonated Audio FOAM is a $49 ducking reverb that pulls its own tail down while the dry signal plays, then lets it bloom in the gaps. Specs, comparison, FAQ.

Priya RamanOct 10, 202612 min read
Baby Audio HyperWarp plugin with the time-warp graph, pitch control, and effect profile macros
Software

Baby Audio HyperWarp Sequences Time in Grains

Baby Audio HyperWarp is a time-bending granular effect at $49 intro, from $99. A graph sequencer and seven profiles cover stutters, scratches, and warps.

Priya RamanOct 7, 202613 min read
Leit Audio Places free reverb plugin interface showing its space selector and three controls
Software

Leit Audio Places: A Free Reverb With Twelve Spaces

Places by Leit Audio is a free algorithmic reverb with twelve spaces, three controls and VST3/AU builds for macOS, Windows and Linux. Specs, comparison, FAQ.

Priya RamanOct 7, 20267 min read
Parish Audio Warpfield time-manipulation plugin reshaping audio into new melodies and rhythms
Software

Warpfield: Parish Audio's Six-Mode Time Manipulator

Parish Audio Warpfield is a $34.97 intro time-manipulation effect with six modes that turn any audio into new melodies and rhythms. Specs, pricing, FAQ.

Priya RamanOct 5, 20268 min read
Plugin Boutique Analogue Emulations campaign art showing Roland and Universal Audio plugin interfaces
Software

Analogue Emulations: October Picks at Plugin Boutique

Plugin Boutique Analogue Emulations: Roland JUPITER-8 at $69, the polysynth bundle at $199, plus UA Minimoog, Ampex ATR-102, 1176, Distressor, and Pultec.

Priya RamanOct 5, 20268 min read
W.A. Production Asymo Reverb plugin interface showing the geometric room display with draggable boundary nodes and orbital motion controls
Mixing & Mastering

W.A. Production Asymo Reverb Rotates the Room in Real Time

W.A. Production Asymo Reverb is a dynamic reverb whose room geometry warps and rotates. Launch price is $14.90, regular $49.90. Specs, FAQ, and who it suits.

Priya RamanOct 3, 20267 min read
Jas-i Khorlo physical-modeling synth plugin with its rotating cylinder of strings
Software

Jas-i Khorlo: A Free Synth Built on a Spinning Cylinder

Jas-i Khorlo is a free physical-modeling synth built on a rotating cylinder with eight strings and eight pluckers. Full feature breakdown, specs, and how it compares.

Priya RamanOct 1, 20268 min read
Atavism spectral pad effect from Parallel Minds, with the main knob and a dusk landscape behind the controls
Sound Design

Atavism Makes a Pad From the Track Itself

Atavism by Parallel Minds turns a track into an in-key spectral pad. Launch price is $29, then $39. VST3 and AU on Mac and Windows, about 300 ms latency.

Priya RamanSep 30, 202610 min read
AudioThing The Orb 2 vowel formant filter plugin interface
Software

AudioThing The Orb 2 Adds Custom Vowels and an iOS App

AudioThing The Orb 2 is a free update to the vowel formant filter, adding custom vowels, stereo controls, a new interface and a first iOS version, on sale at $19.

Priya RamanSep 29, 20268 min read