Category Archives: Music Software

Principle Pleasure Studios Releases 1GB of Analogue Synth and Drums

No point in adding much fluff to this one. Here’s a link to the 1GB treasure trove of samples released for free by Principle Pleasure Studios.

DOWNLOAD LINK

DOWNLOAD LINK 2

In another selfless act designed to help bored stuck-at-home producers, Sharooz Raoofi of Sample Magic, has made this 1GB sample pack available for free.

These are the result of sampling over 100 analogue synths and drums located in the LA based principle pleasure studio.

How can you use them?

Simply import them to your favourite DAW, assign them to your favourite MIDI, etc.

If you’re not sure what this all means, we strongly recommend taking an online music production course.

But if you’re reading this, chances are you are already familiar with all this.

Anyway, happy producing, feel free to share your coronavirus freebies in the comment section below!

Best Online Beat Maker- Reviewed and Compared

It’s really mindblowing when you think of all the things that we have at disposal today.

Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or a full-blown pro, there are so many resources and different tools that you can use in creating your own original music.

In fact, we kind of take it for granted in some way, not always realising how great we have it now compared to musicians from a few decades ago.

👉 CHECK OUT THE LATEST DEALS AND DISCOUNTS ON VST PLUGINS AND DAWS

Whether you want to record your instruments and vocals, or whether you want to make electronic music – it’s all possible even with a decent home studio setting.

But the topic of todays article is online beat makers.

It turns out that you don’t even need to bother too much with combining a bunch of random plugins in your DAW in order to do stuff.

You can just use one of the online beat makers and create anything for electronic music, hip-hop, or anything that your heart desires.

So let’s get into it – what are the best online beatmakers?

We’ve done some digging and have come up with this list. Any of these beat makers work well for most of the electronic or hip-hop music settings you need.

#1- LoopLabs

While it’s mostly hip-hop oriented, LoopLabs provides a great platform for basically any type of music.

But the best part about it is that it’s beginner-friendly, while also retaining some of the really important and very complex features which make it useful for full-blown professionals.

This online music studio has an abundance of different royalty-free sounds. There’s anything for electronic, hip-hop, and music, and even genres like jazz, funk, and many others.

It features tens of thousands of samples, and the sound library is constantly growing.

In case you’re a vocalist, this is pretty much like a dream come true.

You can easily record your voice over any beat in an instant.

It’s also possible to remix already added tracks, or even record any of your parts over them. LoopLabs is a very useful online music-making collaborative tool.

#2- Splice Beat Maker

Splice is essentially like a large GitHub for musicians.

It’s based on collaborative projects and a vast library of DAWs and different plugins.

However, one of its greatest features is the Splice Beat Maker.

The great thing about this one is that it’s really easy to use. The interface is very intuitive and really easy to figure out.

Once again, we have collaborative projects and a whole bunch of different options for any music genre you need.

Just add your tracks, instruments, and start laying out beats.

Note: you can check out our review of splice sounds here.

When you’re done, you can download your track either as MIDI or Toraiz SP-16 files.

#3- Mixxx

Although it can come in handy for various different settings, Mixxx is mostly intended for DJs.

In fact, it’s pretty much a collection of tools that a DJ would need for their live sets.

Once again, like with many of the great online beat-making software, it’s easy to use and can come in handy for both pros and beginners.

It features the classic key and BPM detection with the possibility to sync different tracks when they’re played together.

There’s also an integrated DJ control support with already mapped out controls.

Aside from these and an abundance of effects, there’s also integrated vinyl record control.

The whole thing is rounded up with their community and great support that you can get for any problems that might occur along the way.

#4- Dumb.com

According to their own words, Dumb.com is a “source for dumb stuff.” Anything from fun harmless activities and jokes, up to a few different types of beatmakers.

It’s pretty obvious that with a website like this one you won’t really get a professional beatmaker.

But this is still a fun little addition to their website and there are seven different types that you can use on your computer, as well as an additional one for iPhone.

It’s available through a browser and works as a flash plugin.

#5- Drumbot

Drumbot is a service with multiple tools for musicians.

You can find some great effects, sequencers, a tuner, and, of course, a virtual drummer.

This beatmaker is also a flash plugin that you can use to create drum beats for any type of music you need. It comes as a perfect solution for those who want to jam out without a drummer.

It’s really straightforward, making it very simple to use. The controls for it are also laid out on the keyboard.

But you can’t expect much of it. Similar to the one on Dumb.com, it’s more of a helpful addition for any jam session rather than a serious software.

#6- Soundtrap

While not that flashy or designed for pros, Soundtrap provides a very simple interface for multi-track projects.

It’s designed for a wide variety of genres and even features guitar amp simulations and AutoTune.

Among these features, we can also find their Patterns Beatmaker.

It also comes with a great deal of pre-made beats and presets that you can use or further edit.

#7- CreateRaps

Here we have a very useful piece of software that you can use without any downloading.

As the name CreateRaps suggests, it’s mostly intended for rap music and rap beats.

How it works is that you choose any of the royalty-free premade beats, record your rapping over it, and download the file. That’s basically it!

Obviously, this is not something a professional would use, but it’s rather a beginner’s tool for making any rap and hip-hop tracks on the go. It’s fairly simple and all you need is a simple microphone and near-zero latency operation.

Moog and Korg Make Apps Free for Stuck-at-Home Musicians

Despite the depressing circumstances, the coronavirus quarantine is not all bad news, specially for music producers.

This is the chance to finally start working on that project you’ve been postponing for ages or to dig into that new skill you’ve been meaning to learn.

And luckily, the music production industry is helping.

To help aleviate the boredom, Moog and Korg have made their synth apps completely free!

Here is a list of freely available apps from the brands:

KORG Kaossilator- Android

KORG Kaossilator- Apple

Minimoog Model D- Apple

FabFilter Plugins Review

Over the past couple of decades, music recording, mixing, and mastering processes have seen some drastic changes.

What was once possible only through professional studio work is now accessible in the comfort of one’s home.

All you need is a decent audio interface, a good computer, your instrument(s), a microphone, and you’re good to go.

Of course, you’ll need quality software as well, but this is where things get tricky – the standards have risen so high over the past few years or so.

In order to make your music sound good, you’ll have to use the good stuff. This is why we always look into the most interesting plugins for recording, mixing, and mastering.

With all this said, there are some interesting plugins we’ve decided to take a closer look at. These are made by FabFilter, a company mostly focusing on great mixing plugins.

At the same time, we can also find great effects and virtual instruments in their collection, like the Saturn saturation/distortion, Twin 2 Synth, or Timeless 2 delay.

There are two particular things we’re interested in here. The first one is the company’s Mastering Bundle, while the second one is their Pro-R reverb.

We’ll look more into what all these plugins have to offer and how well they perform. Ultimately, we hope to help you see whether they’re any good for your needs and help you make a decision in case you’re thinking about whether to purchase them or not.

FabFilter Mastering Bundle Review

FabFilter Mastering Bundle at a glance

Maker: FabFilter
Includes: Pro-L 2, Pro-MB, Pro-Q 3, and Pro-C 2
Supports: VST, VST3, Audio Units, AAX Native and AudioSuite formats (all both 64-bit and 32-bit)
Our Rating: 4.8/5
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FabFilter has a few bundles to offer, one of them being the Mastering Bundle. This one consists of four different plugins: Pro-L 2, Pro-MB, Pro-Q 3, and Pro-C 2.

The price of the bundle is definitely worth it as the total value of these four individual plugins is significantly higher.

So let’s start with the Pro-L 2.

This is a peak limiter, designed to deal with unwanted loud dynamic bursts.

It’s made with eight different limiting algorithms, all dealing with different issues.

For instance, the plugin has a mode that irons out all the distortion that happens during digital to analog conversion.

It also deals with different volume bursts, and even comes in handy if you’re working with surround formats. It’s somewhat advanced, but it clearly helps a lot in the mixing and mastering process.

Pro-MB is a very potent compressor and expander.

It can deal both with individual tracks and entire mixes. Although a non-master compressor, it’s very versatile and capable of some very advanced stuff.

Its main strength comes with the possibility to compress with different intensities over the audible spectrum.

Then we have the Pro-Q 3, which is a state-of-the-art equalizer plugin.

Although it might be a bit complicated to use, some of its features put it up there among the best EQ plugins on the market.

It’s very good at helping you single out those “bad” frequencies in your audio files, and the “Dynamic EQ” mode helps you keep every track and an instrument in their respective sonic territories.

It’s a dream come true for many music producers and mixing engineers out there.

Lastly, we have the Pro-C 2 which is a professional compressor plugin.

The reinvented version of the original plugin allows easy tweaking thanks to its meticulously designed graphical interface.

The word “intuitive” is the first thing that comes to mind, as this compressor is really accessible.

While Pro-MB is both a compressor and expander (or a noise gate), the Pro-C 2 focuses solely on compression.

This is why it may allow more detailed control over the dynamic output. Nonetheless, having both of these in the bundle is definitely a good thing.

But even though the overall price is reduced compared to four individual plugins, the Mastering Bundle is not exactly cheap.

However, this is intended mostly for professional studios or semi-professional and experienced home recording enthusiasts.

And seeing the quality and what all these plugins are able to do, one thing’s for sure – it’s definitely worth the price.

On the other hand, if you’re just building your home studio and are looking to have something to enhance your hobby, then we’d advise you to look for something simpler and cheaper.

FabFilter Pro-R Reverb Review

FabFilter Pro-R Reverb at a glance

Maker: FabFilter
Supports: VST, VST3, Audio Units, AAX Native and AudioSuite formats (all both 64-bit and 32-bit), as well as RTAS (32-bit only).)
Our Rating: 4.9/5
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With such a great arsenal of quality products, there’s no surprise to see a very advanced reverb in FabFilter’s collection. For this particular effect, they developed their Pro-R plugin.

At the very first glance, it’s pretty obvious that the Pro-R is a plugin that’s very easy to use.

In fact, some would even argue that there’s a lack of controls. Not that it’s not versatile or too simple, it’s just that a few additional parameters to tweak definitely wouldn’t hurt.

Right in the middle, we can see the unified “Space” knob.

This approach is fairly simple, yet it gives some great results.

Other than that, we have controls for brightness, distance, character, decay rate, mix/blend, and stereo width.

With the stereo width control, you can create both fully stereo image at 50%, or a double mono at 100%.

But what we consider to be the best thing about Pro-R is the very realistic representation of space with the “Space” control.

Small room reverb actually sounds like you’re in a small room, and a large one really sounds spacious. It’s not like you’d expect anything less from FabFilter.

Of course, once again, we have a not exactly cheap piece of software on our hands. Don’t get us wrong – the price is most definitely justified.

The only thing that we need to point out here is that this is a fully professional plugin.

While you’re allowed and able to use it as an independent music-making enthusiast, you’ll first need to be aware of its cost. Either way, if you need a good reverb plugin, there’s hardly any reason why you should look further than FabFilter’s Pro-R.

iZotope Nectar Elements Review

Processing your vocal recordings the proper way is a must these days.

With so many great effects units, DAWs, plugins, and all the other physical or non-physical enhancements, you don’t want to go out there with any vocal recording sounding dry or just bland.

Even the slightest changes and additions are no longer small nuances these days, and everything needs to be sorted out.

This is why a good vocal processing plugin, or a group of plugins, are always a welcome addition to anyone’s setup.

Out of many options out there, we figured we could take a close look at Nectar Elements by iZotope.

Of course, this is far from the first of their plugins designed to enhance vocals, and you can tell by how well its been received by users. At pluginboutique, it gets a near perfect score of 4.9/5:

There’s plenty of great vocal-oriented stuff in iZotope’s arsenal, so we’re pretty certain that the company is more than capable of delivering a good product here.

While the market offers an abundance of different vocal mixing plugins, we’d argue that you can’t go wrong with anything by iZotope.

But now that we’re at it, let’s dig into it and see all of the Nectar Elements features, functionalities, and its overall performance.

In the end, we’ll try to give our final verdict and see to help you figure out whether this one is the right choice for you.

iZotope’s Nectar Elements at a glance

Maker: iZotope
Main Features: Vocal Assistant, Master Assistant, and Track Assistant, Three Vibes modes (Modern, Vintage, Dialogue), Scalling Controls, Pitch Correction, De-essing, Dynamics, Clarity, Tone, and Space.
Supports: AU (32 & 64–bit), AAX (64–bit, real-time), AAX-AS (64–bit, Audiosuite), RTAS (32–bit, real-time), DPM-AS (32–bit, Audiosuite), VST2 (32 & 64–bit), VST3 (32 & 64–bit)
Our Rating: 4.9/5
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Background and features

First off, this is a relatively new plugin, released by iZotope in the first half of 2018.

There was a previous version on which this plugin is based on, but it’s a fairly more advanced product, most notably due to its Assistant feature.

As the company explains, Nectar Elements is a plugin aimed at one very specific issue, and that’s how vocals are sitting in the mix.

In addition to this, the plugin was also designed to deal with all of the time-consuming tasks and cutting the whole mixing time shorter.

This is done using iZotope’s assistive technology, a similar principle that the company implements in a few other fields. The whole feature makes lives easier for both professionals and amateurs.

There are a few different Assistants here, including Vocal Assistant, Master Assistant, and Track Assistant. These do everything from basic setups up to figuring out your signal chain.

But it’s important to note that Nectar Elements works with its six basic elements that are pitch correction, de-essing, dynamics, clarity, tone, and space.

The idea here is to do all the “cleanup” before adding time-oriented atmospheric effects like reverb or delay.

The pitch correction is early in the signal chain, so any other effects enhance the already corrected audio. It can be used for simple correction or to create those well-known modern synth-like vocals.

The Clarity feature does advanced EQ meddling and filtering. The whole idea is to get rid of very specific undesirable frequencies in order to create a more pleasant-sounding tone.

This is one of the features that can cut down the mixing time as the “hunting” for undesirable frequencies can be a really tedious process.

Another tool that’s part of the Vocal Assistant is the De-esser. The one in Nectar Elements sorts out popping sounds in the 5 to 8 kHz territory.

This is another feature that makes it easier and quicker for mixers to get things done.

The Dynamics section deals with levels and compression. Through the Assistant, the dynamics are applied to any of the desired vocal tracks.

Then we also have the Tone and Space controls that serve for some basic polishing right after recording.

With the tone control, there are three settings you can choose from – Vintage, Modern, or Dialogue. This third one is pretty useful for any type of spoken part, as its name suggests.

The moment you open up the plugin, the first question you get is “What are you going for?” There are different Vibe and Intensity choices.

When you set the desired styles, the smart Assistant does its magic.

When you hit “Go,” it goes through seven of its steps, including vocal signal strength, pitch, overall EQ, detection of sibilants, and other processes.

It’s only when it’s finished that you get the main GUI with its six sliders. Further tweaking is done by adjusting these simple sliders.

Performance

While iZotope’s Assistant is definitely a useful addition, you can’t expect to do all the work instead of you.

Whoever does the mixing is supposed to do all the tweaking and fine-tuning by themselves.

However, Nectar Elements and all of its assisting features drastically shorten the whole mixing process.

What’s important to note is that the GUI is pretty intuitive.

The main GUI has six master sliders for the components that we explained above.

At the very top, we can also find the spectrum analyzer that gives frequency metering.

The simplicity is what iZotope was aiming at here, providing a very stripped-down interface.

For some producers and mixers, Nectar Elements might be a little too simplified as it lacks many different controls.

You often need more than just one slider to sort things out. While the general tone you get is solid, this is not a simple “one-button magic” kind of plugin that can do wonders on its own. You’ll need to get other plugins going to sort things out.

More EQs, compression, and all of the other effects. Nonetheless, Nectar Elements provides a solid basis for this.

Conclusion

What’s really fun is that the plugin is aimed at both pros and home-recording enthusiasts. First, it cuts down the mixing time for professionals. Secondly, it gives beginners and amateurs, in general, a “corrected” version of any vocal track, allowing rookie and intermediate users to have a better-sounding vocal track.

With all this said, we’d rather recommend such a plugin for amateurs. Professionals would be better off with Nectar 3 which encompasses everything. Don’t get us wrong – this is a great plugin worth every penny. But an advanced user can find these and many other features within Nectar 3.

SONiVOX Vocalizer Pro Review

Isn’t it convenient that, in this day and age, we have such an abundance of awesome effects, plugins, and virtual instruments to take advantage of?

Something that was literally unimaginable just a decade or two ago is now something we use every day.

With this in mind, there are plenty of very potent and exciting plugins that we can use in our DAWs.

One of those is most certainly Vocalizer Pro, designed and developed by SONiVOX.

Although its name might suggest that it’s a vocal processing plugin, Vocalizer Pro is more than just that.

This powerful piece of software allows you to process any instrument, virtual instrument (played on a MIDI controller), or vocal track in your project.

And all of these processed tracks get that voice-like vibe to it, kind of like the wah-wah effect, but with more parameters. So let’s dig into this intricate plugin and see what it’s capable of.

What does the Vocalizer Pro do?

Sonivox Vocalizer Pro at a glance

Maker: Sonivox
Main Features: 4 Spectral Synthesis Modules, 8 snapshot pads + 8 chord pads, MIDI integration, pitch, format processing, frequency spread, vocoding, re-synthesis and signal processing.
Supports: 64 & 32 bit, AU, VST, RTAS and AAX.
Our Rating: 4.8/5
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Well, to put it simply – it does everything!

Okay, that is obviously an overstatement, as there are no omnipotent plugins. But still, all jokes aside, Vocalizer Pro is a very powerful tool that you can apply to any recorded track, virtual instrument, full mix, or a whole song.

What’s more, you can also use it standalone through any type of MIDI controllers and in combination with a microphone.

For instance, you can play a keyboard, make this wonderful preset on it, and change the tone color while singing or speaking into a microphone.

Kind of similar to the standard talk box for guitars, only a bit more complex.

So you take this track, sing or speak into your mic, and the plugin does its magic.

You can add harmonies, you can de-harmonize it, you can control the pitch, or whatever.

Basically, it’s a MIDI and microphone-controlled processing plugin capable of re-synthesizing the audio that’s coming into it.

Individual tracks of instruments and vocals or even full mixes can be processed through it. It can be used in the studio, but it’s pretty exciting and comes really in handy for live settings.

Important features

Looking at the plugin’s layout, you have four almost identical Spectral Synthesis Modules.

You can move them around, turn them on and off, switch them, and edit their individual parameters as you wish. On each of them, you can find controls for pitch, envelope filters, as well as resonance and saturation controls.

On the bottom part of the window, right below all these four modules, we can find 16 pads organised in two rows by eight pads.

The upper row features the so-called “Snapshot Pads” that recall the presets of all the set effects parameters.

The bottom row of eight pads, on the other hand, is called “Chord Pads” and recalls chords and keyboard notes.

Right below the pads, we have the keyboard, that works in sync with your MIDI keyboard controller. This is where all the action is taking place. You’ll be using the keyboard to adjust the pitch and other characteristics of the preset. In this section, we can also find a few other standard controls.

We have glide control that lets you adjust the glide between two notes, pitch, modulation, and learn. The “learn” control lets you pick your MIDI controller’s physical controls and assign them Vocalizer Pro functions.

There’s also an additional section for formant processing, adjusting the overall pitch and other sonic properties, including the frequency spread.

Performance

At first glance, Vocalizer Pro might look a bit complicated.

To be fair, it is kind of tricky to get used to, which is what many users have been complaining about. The thing about it is that it might be a bit confusing.

And not just for the beginners, even for some intermediate and advanced users.

Aside from the not so intuitive design, controls, as well as the overall layout, it’s actually not that easy to create tones that you want to. What’s more, some have also complained about a fairly impractical installation and setup process.

On the other hand, it’s also not impossible to create these desired presets. You need to bear in mind that this is a fully professional tool that lets you create some of the most unique tones.

But don’t get fooled, it’s not like everything you make with it will be too chaotic for normal use. In fact, if you’re experienced enough, you’ll be able to create great effects with high practical value.

The whole plugin is very responsive to MIDI controllers, all of the parameter settings, and – most importantly – the microphone.

With some patience and experience, you’ll be able to dial in even some great choir-like presets that will, in combination with your microphone, give some very convincing tones. At the same time, you’re also able to create some very synth-like sounds.

But what’s really exciting here is that you can change the presets in real-time. This is especially useful if you have a more complex midi controller with assigned pads that let you shift through “Snapshot Pads” as well as “Chord Pard” in Vocalizer Pro’s interface.

This is extremely useful for live performers. If you want, you can put entire mixes or entire songs through the plugin and completely shift them and reharmonize them.

Conclusion

We’ve seen many people complain about Vocalizer Pro and its overall functions and layout.

While we most certainly understand them, you can’t really expect such a plugin to be simple.

If it was, then it would not actually be that good.

The discontent among some of the users was probably due to the company’s own failure to promote it among the desired targeting audience.

Other than that, Vocalizer Pro is a very high-end product that’s certainly more than worth the money. You just need to know how to use it, that’s all.

Minimal System Group Dreamscape Review

Whatever is the instrument that you play, whether you sing, or whether you prefer to make synths and other virtual instruments in your DAW – you can’t make music with a completely dry sound.

Well, you technically can, and nobody is stopping you, but there’s hardly any chance you’ll make it sound appealing and enjoyable.

This is why the use of atmospheric effects has been an important part of every mix since way back in the 1950s. To this day, musicians of any genre are still using delay and reverb effects to give that new dimension and feel of “spaciousness” to whatever they’re making.

But these effects became more complex as time went by. For instance, any type of a reverb – whether it’s a rack-mounted unit or a pedal – had more features and parameter controls that would add a different “flavor” in real-time or to recorded audio tracks. Eventually, we got an abundance of great plugins that would serve this purpose, mostly in the studio for recording and mixing.

There’s one particular reverb plugin that we’re interested in here, and it’s called DreamScape.

Check out Full Specs

This plugin was conceived, designed, and created by a company called Minimal Systems Group. Featuring some very detailed and advanced control, this plugin was released back in 2013 and is still in use today.

The idea with such a plugin was to decrease the CPU usage and bring more of that analog “warmth” in the output, which is something that’s becoming increasingly popular these days.

Since there are plenty of interesting features in this one, we decided to look into DreamScape and examine it closer.

So if you’re looking for a new reverb plugin for your own work, or are generally interested in reverbs, come right in and check this one out.

Features

It does not take more than a glance at it to realise that DreamScape is a plugin with very detailed parameter controls.

It’s intended as a fully custom effect with its special atmosphere generator.

There are some pretty unusual analog modelling characteristic controls on it, intended for making those rich and lush atmospherics effects. Everything is enhanced with the company’s specially designed reflection algorithm.

For the purpose of creating detailed effects, the DreamScape plugin is divided into two main sections. We have the added filter and modulation section, in addition to the main part of the plugin dedicated to basic and advanced reverb parameter controls.

In the main part, we can find a total of 12 virtual knobs and four virtual switches on it.

First off, we have the essential reverb parameters, like pre-delay, reflections, room size, and the inevitable mix/blend control.

Now, there are a few other interesting parameters here, concerning the room shapes and dimensions. For instance, there are two knobs labeled as “low floor” and “high ceiling” that further help shape the room feel.

In addition, we can also find other advanced controls, like the amplitude curve, time curve, as well as reverb start and reverb stop. And since this is a stereo reverb plugin, there’s a control determining the stereo “width” of the effect.

The filter and modulation section gives some interesting controls, as well as the possibility to tweak left and right channels individually.

This section can add somewhat of an “unconventional” tone to the standard reverb. You’ll be able to get some experimental and even synth-like tones using this section.

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Performance

Overall, the DreamScape reverb plugin gives an abundance of options. You can use it for pretty much any instrument or vocal track.

In addition, you can use it with or without the filter/modulation section. The graphic interface is pretty intuitive and easy to get by with, so there’s hardly any chance that you’ll have issues with using the plugin.

As promised by Minimal System Group, the plugin does indeed have a low CPU usage.

However, there’s a huge drawback with the fact that this is a 32-bit plugin. You can use it on a 64-bit system, but you’ll need to use the jBridge software in order to make it work. Not exactly the most practical solution for just another reverb plugin.

While the reverb itself can be used in some conventional ways, any additional advanced parameter tweaking goes into experimental territories.

For an average producer, this will be a huge letdown, as the resulting tones are something that would be appealing to those who love meddling with weird and unusual reverbs and feedbacks.

Like we already mentioned, using the filter and modulation section, you get some vintage synth-oriented overtones. And, to be perfectly honest, this can be somewhat annoying. We’d rather have a lush and spacious reverb, rather than an experimental platform for wacky sounds that have no practical value in modern music.

Conclusion

To put it simply, DreamScape is a good reverb that won’t break your wallet.

It scores well in terms of versatility, and its intuitive design, as well as the experimental-friendly environment, deserve a nod. It’s a good entry level reverb with some advanced features and a good price. On occasion, you’ll be able to find some super cheap deals on it, going well below the $10 mark.

We have a very low CPU usage, which is all great. The intuitive graphic interface and easy-to-use controls are something that everyone loves.

If you want a serious advanced level spacious and lush reverb plugin, we’d rather advise you go with something else. In case you feel experimental and would really love to play around with a few unusual analog-like reverb presets, then wait for the price to drop and get DreamSpace.

Types of Guitar Amps Explained- All You Need to Know

If you play or have played guitar in the past, you’re probably familiar with that feeling that every young guitarist gets when they’re introduced to the technical world of guitars.

There are so many interesting amps, pedals, different parameter controls on guitars, as well as many other gadgets that open up a whole world of possibilities.

And it’s not just about the tone, but the ways that you can further control the dynamic output and add a whole new sphere of expression to your music.

Therefore, it was pretty expected to see the instrument find its way into many different genres, going way outside of rock, metal, blues, and jazz where it initially became popular. What’s more, we even saw the rise of synth guitars in many shapes and forms, but that’s a whole different discussion.

What we really want to focus on in this piece is the topic of electric guitar amps. Well, also acoustic guitar amps, but we’ll get to that in time. If you are only interested into modelling amps in your computer, please read our article on Amplitube vs Guitar Rig by clicking here!

Ever since their inception, guitar amps have been changing the world of music, delivering the amplified guitar sound to the members of bigger or smaller ensembles or bands, as well as those involved in studio recordings.

However, talks about guitar amps are never that simple and over the decades they went through some serious evolutions. These days, we have countless amp models, with a lot of them even specialising in certain genres.

With all this in mind, we figured we could explore this world further and explain all the different types of guitar amplifiers. In the end, we’ll try and help you find what suits your needs. But before we begin, let’s cover some basics.

So, what are guitar amps?

The purpose of any guitar amplifier is to – as its name suggests – amplify the signal from the instrument’s pickup and to reproduce and further shape its tone through its circuits and speakers.

In almost all of the cases, it features the preamp section and the power amp section.

The most tone shaping is done through the preamp section, where you’ll also find the equalizers and additional effects, such as distortion.

Brief history

Back in the 1920s, acoustic guitars were slowly getting out of the spotlight in big band settings. There was just no way for them to compete with loud wind instruments.

The development of magnetic pickups for instruments opened up the way for amplifying the signal and reproducing the tone through different devices.

The 1953 Fender Champ 5C1 source: wikimedia commons

The first guitar with a pickup came in 1928 and was sold with an accompanying amplifier. These amplifiers were basically small-sized PA systems with special instrument inputs and volume controls.

In the 1930s came the development of the first amplifiers with vacuum tubes – a standard that’s present even to this day. Things slowly kept developing, and the bigger players came into the amplifier game.

Over the years, the engineers and manufacturers began including additional controls for tone shaping and even some effects like spring reverb and tremolo.

Important developments came in the 1950s as guitar amplifiers became more focused, with some of the players even exploiting tube amps’ properties to get distortion.

But since these amps were relatively bulky and expensive, another big breakthrough came in the late 1960s and the early 1970s with the implementation of solid-state transistors in the guitar industry.

This not only helped pave the way for more compact effects units but also allowed for more affordable amps that were easier to maintain. What’s more, it provided more consistency in tone, but we’ll get to that soon.

More recently digital technologies found their way into the guitar world with digital signal processing. Aside from additional onboard or external effects, the whole new world of possibilities opened up with the introduction of the so-called “digital modelling amps.

At this point, these are the most advanced products in the guitar world, capable of convincingly replicating tones of standard guitar amplifiers of any type.

Types of guitar amplifiers explained

You can clearly see that different types of amplifiers were developed in different eras.

The two main types are, of course, tube amps and solid-state amps. Then we have the so-called “hybrids,” fusing the best of these two worlds.

We’ll also go through amps for acoustic guitars, the digital modelling amps, preamps, and we’ll also mention another division – the distinction between combo amps and stacks.

At the end of this guide, you’ll hopefully be able to form your own opinion on the matter and find out more about each type of guitar amps. Ultimately, the goal is to find the most suitable solution for your own needs. So let’s get going.

Tube amps

source: keiichiro shikano flickr

Even to this day, with so many different technological advancements, tube amps are still the most highly valued products in the guitar world.

Despite being somewhat “ancient” technology, their unique “warmth” and the dynamic response still capture the hearts of guitar players of any genre worldwide.

Developed way back in the first half of the 20th century, they conduct and amplify the signal through vacuum tubes – also known as valves in British English.

As we said, the tone of these amps seems warmer and more “organic” to the human ear, while it also reflects on the dynamics of one guitarist’s playing. What this means is that, at normal or higher volumes, the harder you play, the more “clipped” or distorted the signal gets.

Of course, it differs from amp to amp, and with some jazz-oriented amplifiers, you’ll get more of that warm saturated tone. On the other hand, with rock or metal-oriented amps, you’ll get a full-on distortion.

Back in the old days, the 1950s and the 1960s, guitarists pushed their amps over the limits to cause clipping on purpose.

Over time, they began implementing treble or full-range boosters to achieve distortion. After some time, manufacturers introduced separate or switchable distorted channels in the preamp section.

In the early days of development, there were a few different tube variants used in these amplifiers. However, some standards that we see today were set in the 1960s and the 1970s.

Preamp sections almost exclusively have 12AX7 or ECC83 tubes, while the power sections feature 6L6, 6V6, or EL34 tubes. The preamp section does the main tone shaping, while the power amp does the main amplification of the signal with some additional additions to the overall tone.

Fender Bassman. Source: wikimedia commons

The old Fender Bassman, pictured above, which was initially intended for bass guitars, made a huge breakthrough with its sonic properties. When Marshall slowly came into the spotlight, they completely changed the landscape of the guitar world, setting the standards with pieces like the legendary JCM800.

Other great tube amp manufacturers include Orange, Hughes & Kettner, Vox, Peavey, Mesa Boogie, and others.

Tube amps can be found in pretty much any genre. The natural saturation and distortion with dynamic response are its main strengths. Some even resort to using overdrive pedals, like Ibanez’s Tube Screamer, to push them over the limits and achieve those unique distorted tones.

However, the main disadvantages come with their price, as well as the expensive and constant maintenance that comes with frequent use. They’re also pretty difficult to take on tours as they require maintenance and the sonic properties might change over time as the tubes get worn out.

Another disadvantage comes with the fact that you need to push the volume knob to higher levels in order to use a tube amp’s full potential. However, this means that the normal tone can be achieved only when the amp is producing loud sounds.

This was later sorted out with lower-wattage amps and the so-called “power soak” features that allow powerful amps to operate at lower wattages.

If you’re interested in knowing more about tube amps, the video below gives a pretty good overview of how they work:

Solid-state amps

Fender Pro 185 Solid State Amp. Source: wikimedia commons

The development of transistors and semiconductors eventually brought changes in the guitar world.

Firstly, they came in handy for the development of distortion pedals, as well as delay and chorus effects. The previously bulky and impractical tape-based units were now replaced by compact floor units.

As for the guitar amplifiers, those with transistors and semiconductors were way cheaper, more consistent in the long run, and were much lighter.

While this definitely solved many issues for guitar players, the downside came with its tone:

First off, it sounded way more sterile or “rugged,” especially the distortion.

Secondly, they had almost no dynamic response.

This lack of warmth and natural clipping is a huge dealbreaker to some, but there are still those who actually like the tone of solid-state amps.

For instance, Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell actually prefers solid-states over valve amplifiers, mostly due to their specific distorted tone.

Roland JC-120UT. Source: wikimedia commons

In addition, many famous guitar players of various different genres have praised a piece like Roland’s Jazz Chorus, pictured above, for its crystal clear tone, as well as its unique integrated chorus and vibrate circuit.

Overall, it was their practicality and price that helped them stay on the market. Even to this day, almost every cheap beginner amp is a solid-state one.

Hybrid amps

Since tube amps are expensive and the solid-state amps lack the warmth, the next logical step was to create the so-called “hybrid” amplifiers.

These, in most cases, feature one tube in the preamp section, usually 12AX7 or ECC83, while the power amp section is completely solid-state.

In some very rare instances, like with Music Man’s RD-50 released in the 1980s, it was the other way around – the preamp section was solid-state while the power section featured 6L6 tubes.

With this combination, guitar players were able to get some warmth and dynamic response in their tone. Vox is pretty popular with some of their hybrid amps, like the Valvetronix series.

On the other hand, with the modern rise of modelling amps, some are beginning to question the justification of the hybrid prices these days. This is why some manufacturers also started adding digital processing and “amp modelling” in both hybrid and solid-state amps.

Acoustic guitar amps

For quite some time, many manufacturers began selling acoustic guitars with piezo pickups.

At this point, it is somewhat of a standard and a more practical alternative to miking up the whole instrument at the expense of the loss of some sonic properties.

While such guitars with piezo pickups and integrated preamps, can be plugged directly into mixers and PA systems, there are still many different amps made especially for acoustic guitars.

In a way, these acoustic guitar amps are kind of like smaller versions of PA systems. The only difference is that they might be tweaked and voiced in such a way to pronounce the qualities of an acoustic guitar.

They usually come with a regular instrument input for piezo-equipped acoustic guitars, as well as an additional input (or a set of inputs) for microphones. In some cases, you can even use both the piezo and a microphone and create a full spectrum of tones.

Although somewhat resembling just PA systems, they are pretty popular among those who want to use true acoustic tones in band settings, mostly due to their specialised voicing and additional functionalities.

Many even include digital processing.

Combo amps versus stacks

(Combo amp on the left, amp stack on the right)

While we’re discussing all the different types of guitar amps, it’s worth noting that there’s another important distinction.

Amplifiers for electric guitars or basses can come in “combo” forms or as the so-called “stacks.” And this goes both for tube and solid-state amps.

The combo amplifiers are 2-in-1 kind of deal, with one unit containing both an amplifier and a speaker cabinet. Combo amps usually come with one or two onboard speakers.

On the other hand, we have the stack formation. In this case, the amplifier parts (both the preamp and the power amp) are in the form of a so-called “amp head.” The head can be connected to a separate external speaker cabinet that usually features four speakers.

The stack variant is usually a more expensive solution, but it provides additional options if you want to use the amp with a different cabinet.

However, the decision between combo or a stack formation can come down to certain personal choices as well. After all, many professional musicians can be seen using both types of amps.

Modeling amps

Now we come to the “controversial” part.

The digital modelling amps are basically very complex digital processors that are capable of emulating amplifiers, cabinets, even certain pedals.

Some of the earliest examples came in the form of standalone processing units like the Line 6 POD, pictured above, which was released back in the late 1990s.

But this was just the basis for their further development, and these days, it’s pretty hard to tell any difference between a digital modelling amp and a classic tube amp.

In fact, many argue that there are basically no differences and that these are convincingly replicating even some of the best tube amps of all time.

After all, many have failed blind tests and still can’t hear any difference. However, the whole “modelling amps vs tube amps” discussion is still ongoing and there’s no official consensus on the matter.

These modeling amps come in a few different forms, either as rack-mounted units, amp heads, or even floor units. But these can all be plugged directly into mixers and PA systems.

In some cases, they also come with their own power amplifiers and can go directly into passive speaker cabinets.

The two biggest advantages of these digital amps are their practicality and consistency.

What’s more, front-of-house engineers love them, as they’re pretty easy to work with.

There’s no miking up in most of the cases, they go straight to the mix and the monitoring, and can bring countless pre-made presets as needed. Some of the most popular examples these days include Kemper, Fractal Audio Axe-FX III, Line 6 Helix, and Boss GT-1000.

What’s interesting is that many solid-state amplifiers these days come with an integrated digital amp modeling unit.

For instance, Peavey Vypyr amps have some interesting amp models to offer, as well as some smaller practice amps like Yamaha THR10II.

These solid-states with amp modelling often come with a USB output, making it possible to use them as audio interfaces as well. So that’s a pretty exciting addition.

Plugins for DAWs

Although not “real” physical amps, there are plenty of options that work either as standalone software or DAW plugins and which do some great amp emulation. What’s more, many modern studios use these instead of actual amplifiers. For instance, Line 6 offers a plugin version of their Helix modeler, called Helix Native. Some other amp modeler plugins include Guitar Rig and Amplitube among others.

Preamps

There are plenty of products these days, either in the form of rack-mounted units or in the form of pedals, which are basically like preamp sections of regular amps. These can either be solid-state or tube-based and, in some cases, we even have analog amp emulations. They’re not amps in the classic sense but can serve the purpose in some cases.

Most of these preamps come with two outputs. One of these outputs can be plugged in directly into the power amp section of a regular guitar amplifier, in the “return” knob of the regular effects loop (if an amp has one). The other output features its own cabinet simulation and can be plugged in directly into the mixer. They provide a very compact alternative to guitar amps, and in some cases, even give very convincing tube amplifier tones. Just plug them directly into a mixer or an audio interface, and you’ve got yourself an amp tone within the form of a slightly bigger pedal or a standard rack unit.

Some great examples of preamps in form of pedals would be Huges & Kettner Tubeman, Mesa Boogie V-Twin, Diezel Zerrer, and AMT Electronics SS-11A.

What’s the best option for me?

The abundance of products these days can create a bit of confusion for guitar players these days. After all, with so many great things out there, it’s kind of hard to choose what really suits your needs.

But there are main points to cover here. You have to find something that will represent you well as a guitar player with its good tone, allow you to express yourself through music, fit your style of music (or scope of styles), and something that’s practical.

So let’s look at the genres that you’re playing first.

Basically, if you’re mostly into vintage and old school bluesy stuff, we would advise a good vintage-oriented tube amplifier.

If you’re on a budget, there are even some great yet cheap alternatives such as Bugera Infinium, Egnater Tweaker, Ibanez TSA15, Vox AC10C1, and many others.

If you really can’t afford an amp, then try and go with a tube-equipped preamp pedal.

Now, if you’re into more modern rock or metal stuff, you can go both ways.

There are plenty of great tube amplifiers, either as combos or as amp heads, that are specifically metal-oriented. Mesa Boogie has a lot of great amps, like the Mark V.

However, these amps can get quite expensive, bulky, and pretty impractical if you’re going on a tour.

In case you really don’t want to bother with bulky and heavy equipment that can easily get damaged, then modelling amps are lifesavers.

What’s more, some of the biggest names in rock and metal music began using stuff like Kempers and different versions of Axe-Fx modelers, especially in the progressive metal sphere.

Then again, certain metal players still prefer the rugged tone of solid-state amplifiers. There are some great pieces that you can find these days, and it is somewhat of a misconception that solid-state amps are just for beginners.

If you’re a frequently touring musician, modeling amps are really a great solution.

First, they’re fairly cheap with the options that you get with them. Secondly, they are pretty easy to work with on tour and you and your front-of-house engineer won’t have to worry about microphone placements and worn out tubes all the time.

Just plug it in, do some minor tweaking if necessary, and you’re good to go. In some cases, even preamp pedals can come in handy for those who play live shows all the time.

And even if you think they might not be convincingly replicating great amps, there’s hardly any chance your audience will notice in most of the live settings.

Those who plan on recording in studios often go for tube amplifiers. If you’re in a completely controlled environment, then there are more options to use the full potential of a tube amp.

Then again, many guitarists began recording in studios with digital modeling amps. This usually depends on the kind of music and the kind of recording you’re making.

As for beginners, the common recommendation, in this case, are smaller solid-state amps.

As a beginner, you can either go with something simpler, like the Fender Campion series that also has its own onboard effects.

If you’re willing to experiment more, you can go with one of those amps that features amp modelling and a USB output, making it possible to use it as an external soundcard with your computer.

If you’re really keen on tube tones, then you can go with some cheaper tube amps. However, we would rather advise beginners to go with something simpler, possibly with lower wattage.

But, at the end of the day, the decision comes to you and no one else.

You’re free to create and reproduce music the way you want to.

In some cases, even blues old school-loving guitar players can find what they need in modern digital modelling amps.

Maybe some modern metal or pop players will find their voice in vintage amplifiers.

The best way would be to go out there and experiment and try out as many amplifiers as you can. This way, you’ll get the full picture and will be able to find what really works best for you.

iZotope Nectar 3 Review

It’s not that often that you stumble upon a great vocal processing plugin.

In fact, if you’re producing or mixing vocals, you’re usually left with a bunch of various plugins that you need to combine to process these vocals properly.

For instance, you’ll need to use separate compressors or limiters, EQs, distortion, saturation, delay, reverb, and other effects.

But wouldn’t it be great to have an all-in-one plugin and not have everything scattered around different softwares?

Well, there are actually some multi-purpose options out there, like iZotope’s Nectar.

In early 2019, iZotope updated their Nectar to the third version, with some graphic interface improvements and various “intelligent” mixing features.

With this move forward, they came closer to some of the most prestigious software on the market these days, raising the standards in the world of vocal processing.

While there are some same effects and options, Nectar 3 does bring some exciting functionalities that its predecessors lacked.

In fact, we could easily say that this version made iZotope a huge breakthrough with all the new additions.

And we’re not the only ones to think that, some legendary producers, such as Mike Dean, producer for 2pac, kanye west, etc etc, have come forward with praise for izotopes vocal processing tool:

It also gets 5 stars from pluginboutique users, with close to 30 reviews:

With all this being said, we figured we could take a closer look, examine Nectar 3, and see what it can actually do.

Features

iZotope Nectar 3 At a Glance

Maker: iZotope

Features:
Auto Level Mode
MIDI Controlled Harmony Parts
Vocal Assistant AI
RX 7 Breath Control
AI learning

Modules:
Pitch, Gate, EQ, Dynamic Processing, De-esser, Delay Module, Dimension Module, Compressor Module, Saturation Module, Reverb Module

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The first important thing we need to note is that Nectar 3 now includes iZotope’s special AI learning, the Vocal Assistant that we can also find on a few other of their products, like Neutron and Ozone.

There are some styles that you can choose right out of the box, like Modern, Vintage, and Dialogue, along with the options for Light, Moderate, and Aggressive intensities.

Nectar 3 then listens to your audio input and does its own custom EQ tweaking, compression, de-essing, level balancing, reverb, and even pitch correction.

As if this wasn’t enough, the Vocal Assistant in Nectar 3 offers even more features for customizing presets for your needs.

Called Unmask, this particular feature works with two tracks. So first, you need to add the Nectar 3 plugin to two tracks and let them work parallel. If they have any corresponding and clashing frequencies, the Unmask feature sorts things out on its own.

This same feature can work with other iZotope plugins that have the Vocal Assistant, like Relay or Neutron.

So the Unmask feature then analyzes these two tracks, and if there’s any frequency matching involved, it adds a static EQ to one of the tracks.

While this is a very useful approach, the downside comes with the fact that you can’t further edit this EQ curve and would need an additional EQ plugin to do some minor tweaking.

This may come as a downside to some, but it’s still a very easy solution. Of course, the Unmask feature can also come in handy for processing and mixing instrument tracks.

The plugin’s EQ now features 24 bands with 16 different shapes.

There are also so-called Dynamic Gain and Dynamic Frequency modes that can assist in dealing with different peaks over the spectrum.

At the same time, the quieter parts stay unaltered in the Dynamic Gain mode.

As for the Dynamic Frequency mode, you can both boost or cut frequencies, all while tracking the nearest moving harmonic peak.

Along with the Nectar 3, we also get the RX7 Breath Control that’s mostly like the Breath Control from the previous version.

With it, you can significantly reduce the volume of all the unwanted breath sounds. The downside here is that it can’t be included into Nectar’s track strip, but rather before or after the Nectar plugin.

There were many advancements with the plugin’s GUI. As a result, the whole interface is more practical and uses all the space better.

The most in-depth and useful guide to this software we’ve found online is by sweetwater, who break down this great piece of software in this 26 minute video:

For many, this is one of the biggest advantages of Nectar 3 as it made things a lot easier for users. This was a significant improvement compared to Nectar 2 where there were many unused empty blocks in the graphic interface.

It’s nothing crucial or spectacular but does make things run smoother. This is especially the case with the EQs, gates, and compressors, where it’s now much easier to dial in everything in detail.

Performance

So it’s obvious that we have many other useful additions here compared to the previous versions, like different Saturation modes and even additional voices for the Harmony mode.

But one of the strongest points, at least in our experience, is the pitch editing. Compared to Nectar 2, in the third edition, we have Melodyne Essential by Celemony. But, on the other hand, this particular plugin is not as advanced as some others available out there. It can cover some basic issues with pitch.

Overall, the automatic settings are pretty useful, and you get finalized presets right out of the box.

This makes Nectar 3 pretty useful even for less experienced users. We can also say the same about the Unmask assistant as it does wonders for vocal tracks.

Unfortunately, we weren’t really satisfied with how it performed with different instruments or synths. So it’s a quick solution, maybe not the perfect one for every EQ problem. The same could be said about the Dynamic Frequency feature that helps a lot with vocals but it’s not exactly the best thing for instruments.

While the plugin, overall, is offering some mindblowing features, we’d like to point out that fine-tuning for most of the parameters is not possible.

Nectar 3 Rent-to-Own vs Purchase

You’ve got two options when it comes to buying iZotope’s Nectar 3: You can use a rent-to-own service such as splice to pay a monthly fee until you’ve paid the full price, or you can buy it outright from vendors such as pluginboutique, or amazon.

One quick note: with both types of purchase, you’ll get free access to melodyne, a great DAW made by celemony.

At time of publishing, Nectar 3 was retailing at around 250$ for the full purchase, and at 9.99$/ month for the rental.

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Final Thoughts and Tips

It’s pretty clear that this is one very diverse and useful package all summed up into one plugin.

Our assessment tells us that it can be a very useful tool both for beginners and professionals.

In conclusion – this is one mighty fine plugin with so many automated features, something that’s useful for those who don’t feel like bothering with too much tweaking.

One final tip- Groove3 has a great course on iZotope Nectar 3. It contains more than 2 hours of content on this piece of software and it will blow your socks off.

If you do end up buying this plugin, we recommending spending an extra 20$ on the course.

Imprint by W.A Productions Review

In this day and age, there are plenty of ways that you can enhance the sound of basically any type of recording.

Yes, you first need to have quality input, so getting quality mics, instruments, cables, and mixers is a must.

This basic foundational factor just cannot be enhanced in any meaningful way. However, with an abundance of great products, including great DAWs and very useful plugins, a lot of them free, with detailed parameter controls, the bar is set quite high.

You not only have to use so many different tools, but you need to know how to implement them in practice.

For instance, aside from compression, EQs, saturation, and other effects that come in handy for mixing, it wouldn’t be bad to use tools like transient shapers- This technique is now essential in modern music production.

This is exactly why we decided to look more into one of these transient shaper plugins. The one we’ll be discussing here is made by W.A. Production and it’s called Imprint.

There are a few interesting key features about it that could potentially make it a great choice for any modern producer.

What’s more, the plugin is relatively cheap, which is one of the main reasons it caught our attention in the first place.

Here’s a quick glance at this plugin:

Imprint by W.A Production- At a glance

Maker: W.A Production
Plugin Type: Transient Shaper
Main Features: 3 band transient shaper, 20+ presets, width / smooth / attack / releas controls, output level and master gain control
Our Rating: 4.8/5
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Transient shaping

Before we get into it, let’s first clear things out for those who are not familiar with transient shaping.

After all, you don’t hear about it that often.

This concept has to do with the beginning of the sound sample and its attack.

In some cases, we need a stronger and more pronounced attack, like with kick drums. In some other cases, we want something smoother and softer.

Transient shaping plugins come in handy for creating better tones for samples where you need a stronger and more defined attack.

Things are not that simple though, as you can’t just add a strong attack to a certain sample and thing that everything is going to be alright.

With transient shaping, you bring all the much-needed nuances of these tones. Essentially, with these plugins, you’re able to bring life to tones that need more attack, especially components like bass drums.

Features

Imprint brings a few features that allow detailed transient design.

First off, it allows you to work with three frequency ranges, along with the adjustable crossover points.

Of course, these three frequency ranges are flexible and customizable. Thanks to the very clear graphic interface, setting up these ranges is made easy.

What you do here is add equalization while also tweaking the attack curve.

Each of the three frequency bands is adjusted with a simple control below it.

The amount is determined by percentage and you’re essentially creating a ratio of these three custom set ranges.

On the side, there’s also the gain control, which boosts the overall output of the plugin. You can also completely bypass any of these three frequency ranges individually.

The more functionality comes with the option to open advanced settings for each of these three bands.

Just click on the arrow below, and you’ll get settings for attack, release, width, and smoothness. With width control, you can set the width of the peaks that you want to target and alter, while the smooth control can smoothen out the peak shapes.

Right above the gain control, you can see the overall output with dB meters. This way, you’ll also be in total control if there’s any potential clipping involved.

The main part of the display, and its largest portion, shows the realtime output waveform. This comes as a useful feature where you can see any odd shapes that need correction.

For a quick look at this plugin, check out the video below:

Performance

The most important thing to note is that the interface is fairly easy to use. It features a pretty straightforward and intuitive design that makes it so simple.

The most common use is with samples with a strong attack that needs more definition, mostly drum components and certain synth basses.

However, it works fairly well with various types of synths or pads with at least a somewhat pronounced attack.

But the interesting part comes when you try to apply it to an entire drum track, even if it’s one separate audio file. It manages to “sharpen up” the overall tone as if you processed each component individually.

Like we already mentioned in the features section, the graphic interface makes it fairly easy to use. It’s turned on and off by clicking on the Imprint logo at the bottom left.

The frequency bands are extremely easy to control. All you need to do is just drag their edges left and right to set the width and to drag them up and down to set the output volume of each frequency, according to your preferences.

Also, the waveform can help you in determining the amount and whether each frequency range is causing any clipping.

The option to bypass these individual frequencies is pretty useful.

You can customize it to pronounce only the highs, mids, or lows for the selected track that you’re processing. Those additional controls for each band that we mentioned are where it gets really interesting. These features allow some serious tone shaping and very detailed controls for controlling attack and release.

Those additional controls for each band that we mentioned are where it gets really interesting. These features allow some serious tone shaping and very detailed controls for controlling attack and release.

Basically, anything from subtle and smooth up to sharp and intense tweaking is possible through the very simplified graphic interface.

Conclusion

W.A. Production refers to this plugin as very “advanced” control of one track’s attack. What’s rather interesting is that the plugin itself is not exactly advanced but rather simple. Nonetheless, with some patience and experience, you’ll be able to do very detailed tweaking of each custom set frequency range.

In the end, the price of the plugin is pretty affordable. Which is not a surprise as the Imprint is fairly simple to use. However, we would argue that it’s worth every penny and wouldn’t complain if it was 50% more expensive. It’s safe to say that this is a good purchase for any home or professional studio.