Capitol Studios hand-built just four of these tube compressors – now UA has a plug-in

Universal Audio, which now make native plug-ins you can run anywhere (not on specialized hardware), has a couple of new releases this week. Most interesting: they’ve recreated an insanely rare tube compressor.

From a Neapolitan hard techno master, a beautiful, nasty waveshaping distortion plug-in

If we can connect to artists through albums, especially as producers ourselves, why not through instruments and effects, too? A new release from Bari, Italy hard core/hard techno artist Carbone comes in the form of a software collaboration. And the results are suitably grimy and fantastic.

Peter Kirn - March 1, 2023

Little Radiator is free now – plus Soundtoys sale, and native Ableton UI wrapper by Elisabeth

Here’s some Soundtoys goodness to end the year. You can grab the Little Radiator modeled preamp plug-in entirely for free, there’s a sale on, plus from third-party maker ElisabethHomeland you can get a set of handy UI wrappers for Ableton Live, too.

Peter Kirn - December 26, 2022

Niche no more – Dials by AudioThing, Hainbach proves test equipment models can be essential

Peter Kirn - September 29, 2022

Arturia Dist COLDFIRE review: a red-hot coloration, overdrive, distortion multi-effect

Peter Kirn - August 30, 2022

Totally tube-ular: weird and wonderful sounds of Erica’s new Fusion modular system

Peter Kirn - April 23, 2020

Extreme dub delay, in the new Ninja Tune-Erica Zen Delay

Peter Kirn - September 18, 2019

Vector dreams, in a new book on sound-modulated light

Peter Kirn - July 9, 2019

SPICE is a one-stop modular distortion box – and it needs support

Peter Kirn - March 25, 2019

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