#Plugins

21 articles tagged Plugins.

Arturia Rev OCEAN tidal reverb plugin interface

Arturia Rev OCEAN: A Motion-First FDN Reverb for $49

Arturia Rev OCEAN is a $49 motion-first FDN reverb with Abyss, Tide, and Foam modes plus tail freeze. Here's how it sounds, who it's for, and the cost.

Priya RamanJun 28, 20262 min read

d16 Group PunchBox 2 kick drum design plugin interface

Sound Design

d16 PunchBox 2 Adds a Wavetable Engine for Kick Design

d16 PunchBox 2 adds a wavetable engine, four sound generators, and 1,100+ presets to the kick-design plugin, launching at €79. Here's what changed.

Marcus FeldJun 28, 20263 min read

Waldorf Microwave 1 Plugin Version 2 wavetable synthesizer interface

Software

Waldorf Microwave 1 Plugin V2: From 8 to 32 Voices

Waldorf Microwave 1 Plugin V2 quadruples polyphony to 32 voices and adds two arpeggiators, a new delay, and Robin modes. Here's what changed and the €99 price.

Theo NakamuraJun 28, 20263 min read

Software

Cherry Audio Ensoniq ESQ-1: The 1986 Hybrid, Licensed

Cherry Audio's Ensoniq ESQ-1 revives the 1986 hybrid synth as an officially licensed $69 plugin, built from the original 32 waveforms with modern extras.

Theo NakamuraJun 23, 20263 min read

UVI Rumble multiband bass synthesizer plugin interface

Software

UVI Rumble: A Multiband Bass Synth, 3 Frequency Engines

UVI Rumble is a multiband bass synth splitting sound into Body, Character, and Air engines, with 9 oscillators, deep modulation, and 500 presets. Price inside.

Theo NakamuraJun 22, 20263 min read

Universal Audio UAD Topline Vocal Tune pitch-correction plugin interface

Mixing & Mastering

UAD Topline Vocal Tune: Native Real-Time Pitch Correction

UAD Topline Vocal Tune is a native pitch-correction plugin with ultra-low-latency monitoring, Shift mode, MIDI repitching, and a key finder. $99, $79 intro.

Marcus FeldJun 18, 20263 min read

Sound Design

The Best Free Synth VSTs in 2026 (That Actually Compete With Paid)

The best free synth VSTs of 2026, tested honestly: Vital, Surge XT, Dexed, OB-Xd, Odin 2, and Tunefish. Synthesis types, CPU load, sound, and real limits.

Marcus FeldJun 12, 20268 min read

Mixing & Mastering

The Best Reverb Plugins in 2026: Free and Paid Picks for Every Mix

The best reverb plugins of 2026, free and paid. We compare Valhalla VintageVerb, FabFilter Pro-R 2, Eventide, free Supermassive, and more by use case.

Marcus FeldJun 12, 20267 min read

Insert Tape plugin interface from Insert Session showing saturation and tone-shaping controls

Mixing & Mastering

Insert Session's Insert Tape Plugin: A Focused New Saturation Tool With a $39 Intro Price

Insert Session's new Insert Tape plugin pairs tape-style saturation with a Vintage DSP mode, 32x oversampling, and full mid/side processing for $39 intro.

Priya RamanMay 26, 20266 min read

Audio effects plugin chain on a producer's screen

Production

Understanding Audio Effects: A Producer's Overview for 2026

A working producer's tour through reverb, delay, modulation, dynamics, EQ, saturation, pitch, and creative effects — what they do, where they go in the chain, and which plugins to reach for in 2026.

Priya RamanMay 10, 202611 min read

UAD Explore FREE — eight free Universal Audio plugins and LUNA DAW from Universal Audio

Mixing & Mastering

UAD Explore FREE: 8 Free Universal Audio Plugins and LUNA DAW with No Hardware Required

Universal Audio's UAD Explore FREE bundle delivers 8 free plugins (1176, LA-2A, 610, more) plus LUNA DAW. No UA hardware, no subscription — full unrestricted versions.

Priya RamanApr 28, 20264 min read