VST/AU plug-in instrument/effect round-up: Week 7

New synths and effects

Last week’s Frankfurt Musikmesse wasn’t exactly awash with new plug-ins, but away from the show floor, developers have been releasing synth and effects. Read on to find out what they are.

Also check out these regularly updated features:

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: Blue Cat Audio MB-7 Mixer

Blue Cat Audio MB-7 Mixer

This isn’t a mixer in the traditional sense; it splits an audio signal into several frequency bands that you can then mix as if they were separate tracks. Each band has bypass, mute and solo controls, while you can also adjust their gain and ‘stereoness’.

Buy or download demo of Blue Cat Audio MB-7 Mixer

The Lower Rhythm D-15/2

This second version of the vintage-style analogue drum machine features several refinements, including a redesigned GUI, a redesigned amp with bit crushing and drive stages and a 40% reduction in CPU usage. There are new and reworked presets, too.

Buy or download demo of The Lower Rhythm D-15/2

M-RGT psyBOX

Billed as a “space atmospheric soundscape generator,” psyBOX is designed for ambient producers. Press play and it automatically starts running - it uses samples as “a source of spectra, splitting them into multiple grains-micro waves andcombining them in clusters”. So now you know.

Buy or download demo of M-RGT psyBOX

HG Fortune Altair 4 Pro

Staying on the other-worldly theme, this is a ‘sci-fi sounds lab’ that’s designed particularly for anyone who makes sci-fi, suspense, horror or fantasy soundtracks and needs FX sounds. It was partly inspired by 1956 movie Forbidden Planet; Altair 4 was the name of said planet.

Buy HG Fortune Altair 4 Pro

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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.