Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
Don't miss these
More
  • NAMM 2026: as it happened
  • Best NAMM tech gear
  • Joni's Woodstock
  • 95k+ free music samples
  1. Tech
  2. Software & Apps
  3. Plugins

VST/AU plug-in instrument/effect round-up: Week 26

News
By Ben Rogerson published 12 October 2011

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The best of the rest

The best of the rest

We’ve already brought new news of Image-Line’s Groove Machine and Arturia’s SEM V this week, but these are just the tip of the plug-in iceberg. Click on for seven other new music making tools.

The 17 best VST plug-in synths in the world today

The 14 best VST plug-in drum machines in the world today

If you've got a new PC or Mac plug-in, make sure you let us know about it by emailing musicradar.pressreleases@futurenet.com with all the details.

NEXT: Mellowmuse EQ3V

Page 1 of 8
Page 1 of 8
Mellowmuse EQ3V

Mellowmuse EQ3V

A 7-band vintage EQ plug-in that gives you five bands of fully parametric EQ along with variable Q high- and low-pass filters. Analogue modelled saturation is used to add harmonic colouration, and each EQ section can be bypassed should you wish.

Buy or download demo of Mellowmuse EQ3V

Page 2 of 8
Page 2 of 8
Sound Magic GrandEpiano

Sound Magic GrandEpiano

Sound Magic has been releasing acoustic pianos in software for a while now, but this plug-in emulates classic electromechanical instruments such as the Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer. That said, you can also combine it with any Sound Magic acoustic piano module to produce a hybrid sound.

Buy Sound Magic GrandEpiano

Page 3 of 8
Page 3 of 8
Softube Summit Audio TLA-100A

Softube Summit Audio TLA-100A

This software emulation of the famous tube levelling amplifier is a ‘set and forget’ compressor. Its program-dependent nature works with the signal to provide optimum performance, and promises to add a warm, rich sound to the likes of vocals, bass, drums and guitar.

BUY: Softube Summit Audio TLA-100A currently available from Thomann

Buy or download demo of Softube Summit Audio TLA-100A

Page 4 of 8
Page 4 of 8
Tekky Synths TinyStuT

Tekky Synths TinyStuT

If you’re looking for an easy way of creating stutter FX in real-time, this could be it. It furnishes you with just Speed and Space controls, along with a reverse delay unit that sports delay time and feedback controls. Host automation is supported, too.

Buy Tekky Synths TinyStuT

Page 5 of 8
Page 5 of 8
Waves Bass Rider

Waves Bass Rider

This sister product to Waves’ Vocal Rider plug-in rides bass levels in your mix automatically so that they’re kept in check throughout. It works note by note and has been optimised for the frequency range and envelope characteristics of bass instruments.

Buy or download demo of Waves Bass Rider

Page 6 of 8
Page 6 of 8
Antares Auto-Tune EFX 2

Antares Auto-Tune EFX 2

This update to the entry-level version of Auto-Tune is based on the same core technology as Auto-Tune 7, the flagship version of the software. The big new feature is Auto-Motion Vocal Pattern Generation, which enables you to apply melodic patterns to your vocals from a built-in and expandable library.

Buy or download demo of Auto-Tune EFX 2

Page 7 of 8
Page 7 of 8
KV331 Audio SynthMaster 2.5

KV331 Audio SynthMaster 2.5

This update to KV331’s semi-modular synth/effects plug-in is rammed with improvements: it’s now cross-platform, there are 400 new factory presets, new filter types and much more. If you pick it up before 15 October, you’ll pay the reduced price of $99.

Buy or download demo of KV331 Audio SynthMaster 2.5

Liked this? Now read: Free music software: the best audio app and plug-in downloads on the net

Connect with MusicRadar: via Twitter, Facebook and YouTube

Page 8 of 8
Page 8 of 8
Ben Rogerson
Ben Rogerson
Social Links Navigation
Deputy Editor

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it. 

Latest in Plugins
Harry Styles Aperture
How Harry Styles brought the sounds of minimal techno to the world of pop with new single, Aperture
 
 
Reason Rack plugin
You can now buy Reason’s iconic Rack of virtual outboard as a standalone plugin for the first time
 
 
Roland CR-78 plugin
I can go for that: Roland releases an official plugin version of the CR-78 drum machine
 
 
Universal Audio Paradise Guitar Studio
“A one-stop shop for almost everything a guitarist might need”: Universal Audio Paradise Guitar Studio review
 
 
amenbreak
AmenBreak VST is a break-slicing, sample-mangling junglist powerhouse - and there’s a free version
 
 
Neural DSP Archetype: John Mayer X – The latest and most high-profile addition to the Finnish brand's signature plugin range, Mayer's plugin is replete with captures of boutique, rare and one-off amps and pedals
It’s official! Neural DSP’s John Mayer Archetype plugin suite is here – and with Dumble, Klon and Reverberator captures, it is the motherlode for boutique electric guitar tone
 
 
Latest in News
Lily Allen physical release
A dish best served cold: Lily Allen releases a version of her latest album as a novelty butt plug USB stick
 
 
Swedish singer Zara Larsson performs at the main stage of the Rock in Rio music festival at the Rio 2016 Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on September 14, 2024. (Photo by Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP) (Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP via Getty Images)
The making of Zara Larsson's 2015 hit, Lush Life, and the original version you might never have heard
 
 
Napster 26 mock-up cassette tape
“We don’t think that the future of music involves the labels anymore”: Napster is back – with a new AI app
 
 
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 01: PinkPantheress attends The Fashion Awards 2025 presented by Pandora at the Royal Albert Hall on December 01, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)
PinkPantheress is so Sincere as she joins MJ Cole on a new version of a UK Garage classic
 
 
Sir Brian May attends the Cirque du Soleil OVO VIP premiere
“Everyone is thinking twice about going there at the moment”: Brian May on why Queen won’t tour the US
 
 
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: Score $220 off a stunning Gretsch, $150 off a unique Les Paul Custom Widow, as well as hundreds off pianos, interfaces, and headphones
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...