Audio Damage ShinRonin, now free, is a throwback to 2003 plug-in design

You wake up. It’s the year 2003. Some upstart software developer called Audio Damage wants to let you patch a combo filter-delay however you like, including ways that will break your ears. Ronin is reborn as ShinRonin, from a time when software developers let you run with scissors and do strange things. This is one […]

Erosion side-by-side with Erosion Legacy.

Ableton Live 12.4 adds Link Audio, updated effects, more: hands-on details

Ableton Live 12.4 enters public beta today. New features include continued refinement of Live’s audio effects and the ability to merge stems and separate stems for just a selected portion of time. And there’s one unexpected twist: Ableton Link can now do audio. Here’s a deep dive into what’s new, based on beta builds leading […]

Peter Kirn - February 10, 2026

Valhalla’s all-new reverb, 8 years in development, goes clean and natural

We don’t need another great reverb, let alone another great Valhalla reverb/echo. But we get one anyway. Sean Costello and Valhalla say this one is focused on transparency and realism — plus modulation and a bunch of echo modes when you want them. The now is FutureVerb.

Peter Kirn - November 13, 2025

GForce just made a West Coast, MPE-playable synth playground

Peter Kirn - October 28, 2025

Xaoc’s Samarkanda is a massive, patchable delay and audio mangler

Peter Kirn - March 25, 2025

Free SSL X-Orcism II plug-in will let you dial in sonic spookiness all year

Peter Kirn - October 31, 2024

Dancing “vibes” and 2 more mood-elevating freebies for Live, DAWs

Peter Kirn - August 5, 2024

Spectral Plugins are now free as maker goes out of business

Peter Kirn - April 2, 2024

Collage 2.01 effects playground plug-in adds user-requested features

Peter Kirn - March 29, 2024