Computer / Software

Strokes has evolved from a clever MIDI sequencer to a sophisticated and original instrument in its own right.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ 4/5 Stars. Supporting all the main plug‑in formats, Bloom Aether Vocal is based on samples of short vocal phrases, both male and female, that can be manipulated in creative ways.

Realphones’ sophisticated headphone tuning is now paired with an ever‑growing array of virtual monitoring environments.

Toontrack and Frank Filipetti span a vast array of musical genres with the latest Superior Drummer expansion.

Rhodes’ software recreation of their flagship instrument shows all the same painstaking attention to detail.

Imaginando VS is a visual synthesizer designed for music and musicians.

Can Dreamtonics really deliver a session singer in software?

Dawesome’s Novum is a granular synthesizer with a multi‑layered approach to sound design.

Rating: 4.5 Stars. Fledgling company Vegas Audio’s new drum plug-in tempts you to take a chance on a roll of the fruit machine...

Does the latest iteration of NI’s Komplete music production suite provide all the tools you need?

Arturia’s mighty V Collection continues to grow and improve.

Rating: 5/5 Stars. If you are looking for an ‘easy’ virtual acoustic drum instrument, GoranGrooves’ Handy Drums provide an interesting alternative.

Toontrack’s EZdrummer just gets better and better.

Lunacy Audio take a different approach to in‑the‑box sound design.

Embody’s Immerse Virtual Studio aims to replicate loudspeaker listening on headphones — and the newest variant does so in up to 7.1.6 surround.

Veteran software Mellotron specialists GForce have recreated the sounds of the earliest models with startling accuracy.

Sampleson’s modelled Wurlitzer ticks all the right electric piano boxes.

Martinic take Akai’s long‑neglected AX73 ball and run with it.

Imagine uses physical modelling to let you create any acoustic instrument you can, er, imagine.

With both desktop and mobile versions, and a tiered pricing model, there’s a Bias FX 2 version to suit any budget.

Steinberg are on a mission with SpectraLayers. So, what’s new with Pro 8?