MusicRadar Verdict
Despite a few gripes, Frosting remains a more than worthwhile purchase.
Pros
- +
Superb for live performance.
Cons
- -
Expensive.
MusicRadar's got your back
A clever little audio 'freezer' plugin (VST/AU/AAX) that grabs a one-beat long 'microloop' when the big button at the top is pressed via the mouse or a keyboard shortcut, and lets you sequence its playback via an up-to-eight-step gate sequencer.
The tempo can be synced to host or tapped, and the speed of the sequencer (and thus the length of the loop) is manipulated in real time, either synced using the two Duration fields or manually with the slider.
The second option is most fun, making it easy to create tearing glitch edits and odd timings. Frosting can run fully wet (so that only active steps are heard), mixed with the dry signal, or in Replace mode, where the dry signal comes through on inactive steps and the microloop plays on active ones; and you can kick the loop into reverse.
The Duration setting is confusing ('4th', for example, refers to a quarter of a beat, not a quarter-note); gate attack and release controls would be helpful for ironing out rough edges; and it's about $10 too expensive.
Nonetheless, Frosting is a fantastic live performance plugin that adventurous electronic producers will have a great time with.
Computer Music magazine is the world’s best selling publication dedicated solely to making great music with your Mac or PC computer. Each issue it brings its lucky readers the best in cutting-edge tutorials, need-to-know, expert software reviews and even all the tools you actually need to make great music today, courtesy of our legendary CM Plugin Suite.
“If you messed something up on a production, admit it, fix it, and move on”: 8 cost-free tips to improve as a producer in 2025
"I switched to a Stratocaster - I got a really good deal in the middle of the night for $120 - and then in 1972, Lowell George showed me his MXR compressor pedal”: Bonnie Raitt on how she developed her famous slide guitar style
“The melodies work so well in this CGDGAD tuning. I’ve absolutely fallen in love with this arrangement”: Magic Mike Dawes is at it again – he’s turned a Sleep Token track into a work of solo acoustic guitar genius