Best new mixing plugins, effects and VST instruments out this week

In music production, plugins are software add-ons that expand the capabilities of your DAW; these could be virtual instruments and creative effects, EQ and compressors, or tools that make editing a lot more manageable.

• READ MORE: NAMM 2024 recap: All the biggest synth, studio, DJ and software releases

Below is a rolling list of the new plugin releases that catch our eye, so you can keep on top of any software goodies you may have missed that could be essential to your production process. We update this list every week, so be sure to check back regularly for the latest virtual instruments, effects, mixing plugins and more. Happy producing!

Latest virtual instruments, effects and mixing plugins

(Last update: 15 March 2024)

Trash by iZotope

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Trash is back, baby. This iconic distortion plugin by iZotope was originally launched in 2003 but has returned with a reimagined new look and modern features.

This is a powerful distortion plugin with over 60 distortion types and 600 impulse responses. It features intuitive XY pad controls, an Envelope Follower, and a cool Dice Roll random function for finding new inspiration.

There’s a new free version, Trash Lite, and it’s now available for desktop and iPad, giving you professional sound shaping for musicians and producers alike.

Buy it for $79 on Plugin Boutique

Studio Drums by Crow Hill Vault

The Crow Hill Company, the brand of ex-Sptifire co-founder Christian Henson, introduced Studio Drums this week, the latest of its Crow Hill Vaults series. This is a free alt-rock drum kit plugin that aims to be unlike typical drum samples by letting you play multi-sampled drums. Functioning, coincidentally, a bit like LABS by Spitfire Audio, Studio Drums provides a unique ecosystem of drum sounds for you to explore, thanks to a robust alt-rock kit reminiscent of the 90s.

Find out more on The Crow Hill Company.

Bïrb by Blööps

This one’s a bit strange. Bïrb is a multi-effect plugin, “as created from a chirp heard outside of the window”, built for Ableton Live. It aims to… make your sounds sound like a bird, we thnk? Anyway, it has a petrifying promo video.

We’re not exactly sure what’s going on here, to be honest, but by the looks of it, Bïrb ​​is inspired by birds, letting you add effects, including stereo delay, fine-tune spread and feedback. It comes in three parts: Flock, a repeater, Sing, a resonating engine with 10 bird types, and Nature, an enveloping space with wind motion.

Bïrb costs $14. Find out more on Blööps.

Time Oddity Chorus by Modalics

Time Oddity Chorus, a new chorus plugin by Modalics, enriches your tracks with immersive depth and movement.

Its centrepiece, the Color knob, offers a spectrum of tones, while the Voices control adds dimension. Warp Mode is there for wild modulation effects while the Filters section includes a unique Damp knob for warmth.

Buy Time Oddity Chorus for $29 on Modalics.

TUNDRA by Soundghost

TUNDRA is a new synth that offers “frozen ambient soundscapes”.

Crafted from acoustic and modular synthesis, Tundra offers two layers of 100 frozen-in-time samples with reverb and granular effects. Randomize for infinite soundscapes, or use built-in tools like bit crushing and filters to craft your own. With 50 presets and 100 samples, it’s ideal for instant sound design.

Buy TUNDRA for £29 on Soundghost.

Super Lynn Drums by SampleScience

Super Lynn Drums is a new plugin that emulates the classic 1980s drum machine, the LinnDrum, using FM synthesis and physical modelling. It features four drum kits, customisable tuning, effects, and is available in VST/VST3/AU formats for $20.

Find out more about Super Lynn Drums at SampleScience.

AMPKNOB S_ZERO 100 by Bogren

Ampknob MLC S_Zero 100 gives you boutique tube amp sounds in a simple format, thanks to its one-knob nature and three channels for versatile, high-quality guitar tones. It includes a pedal switch and a standalone version with a tuner, metronome, and riff recorder.

AMPKNOB S_ZERO 100 is €39 as an intro price, jumping back up to €49 soon. Buy it on Bogren Digital.

Factoid 2 by Anemond

Factoid 2 is a plugin and standalone app that lets you extract stems from a sample and loop them in interesting ways to come up with new grooves. Say, for example, a snare and a kick occur on the same beat in a sample, they could be separated, allowing for interesting remixing opportunities.

Factoid 2 costs €29 and you can find out more from Anemond.

Jacob Collier Audience Choir plugin by Native Instruments

Six-time Grammy winner Jacob Collier, who featured on our My Forever Studio podcast in 2022, has worked with Native Instruments to build his own free virtual choir through the Audience Choir plugin.

It offers 22 unique show recordings, percussion tracks, a Vowel Morph Pad, preset options, effects, stereo width adjustment, and a chord generator for enhanced user control.

It’s free to download from Native Instruments.

Lace by Acustica Audio

Lace by Acustica Audio is essentially a new plugin suite that offers emulations of carefully selected high-quality hardware limiters, including rare models. It’s an advanced true peak brick wall limiter, preserving transparency, transients, and low frequencies. With two GUI options, Lace solves challenges in mixing and mastering, ensuring balanced sound in your project.

It’s $89 until 25 March, jumping back up to its original price of $189 thereafter.

Check it out at Acustica Audio.

Bloom Drum Breaks by Excite Audio

Looking for drum breaks? Excite Audio has you covered. Its new plugin, Bloom Drum Breaks, provides 250 royalty-free drum break loops, giving you a fun-to-use interface on which to chop them up in a colourful, visual way.

Bloom Drum Breaks currently costs $49. Find it on Plugin Boutique.

Lumina Delay by Mountainroad DSP

Lumina Delay transforms traditional delays with its unique features, enabling instant and precise pattern drawing without limits. Offering dynamic effects, intuitive controls, and a grid-based interface, it redefines delay possibilities for that can create spacey atmospheres in your music.

The plugin costs $150. Find it on Mountain Road DSP.

Mellow Harmonics by SampleScience

Mellow Harmonics is is a virtual instrument reminiscent of the golden era of music. It’s inspired by the Mellotron and iconic string synthesizers of the 1970s, and offers a unique blend of FM synthesis and tape processing, providing a rich palette of vintage sounds, letting you create nostalgic vibes.

It costs $30 and you can find out more on SampleScience.

Spitfire Symphony Orchestra by Spitfire Audio

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Spitfire Audio’s new plugin features a complete orchestra with 118 players, including strings, brass, woodwind, and percussion. It offers over 800 articulations, new performance legato, Ostinatum mode, and a user-friendly interface.

Symphony Orchestra costs £499/$629/€569. Find out more at Spitfire Audio.

GForce Oberheim OB-EZ

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GForce and Oberheim have teamed up for another stunning authentic classic synth emulation, this time of the 1974-launched Oberheim OB-E. This plugin offers authentic Oberheim 8-Voice emulation with essential controls and a vintage knob for analogue warmth. With over 260 presets and a powerful preset browser, it’s a fine choice if you’re looking for quick inspiration.

GForce Oberheim OB-EZ is set to cost $50, but is $25 right now as an intro offer. Find out more at Thomann.

Rando by MonkeyC

Rando is a randomiser sampler that offers a unique approach to editing your sample library. By pointing Rando to your sample folders and hitting a button, you can generate a random selection of sounds on your keyboard or piano roll. It’s designed to be a lightweight creative tool for producers looking to rediscover their sounds and explore new possibilities. With features like text and category search, automatic tuning and tempo stretching, and a full sequencer section, Rando provides a versatile and fun experience for producers of all levels.

Read more at Monkey C Audio.

Widener & Clipper by Softube

Softube has launched two new plugins, Widener and Clipper. Clipper is a versatile tool for music producers, offering dual-stage clipping with features like RMS and Peak stages, analogue colour options, and a soft knee function. It’s designed to balance loudness while allowing for creative sound shaping.

Widener enhances mono and stereo tracks with five algorithms, creating a wider soundstage while maintaining mono compatibility. It suits various mixing needs, offering algorithms like Classic, Frequency Spread, Rotation, Ambience, and Reflections for optimal stereo imaging.

You can purchase both of these new Softube plugins as one bundle for $87 from Plugin Boutique.

Sleek by HoRNet

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HoRNet Sleek, a powerful plugin designed for audio clarity. Featuring automatic resonance suppression, a four-band equaliser, graphical spectrum visualization, and more, Sleek ensures precise control over your sound. With light and dark mode support, cross-platform compatibility, and factory presets, it’s ideal for professionals and beginners alike.

You can buy it from HoRNet Plugins for $29.99.

Kalide Collage 2.0

Kalide’s Collage 2.0, an audio plugin multiverse, offers a diverse range of creative effects with 43 processors and customisable interfaces. This second version introduces macro and LFO assignments, eight new effects, a simplified workflow, and more. With over a thousand presets and ongoing updates, it’s an evolving, adaptable tool for musicians and producers.

Find out more at Kalide.

Aurora by UVI Audio

UVI‘s Aurora is a modern concert grand piano plugin offering rich emotive textures and atmospheres. Recorded at Guillaume Tell sound stage in Paris, it features deep internal modulation and a semi-modular effects engine for versatile sound shaping. With a special introductory price until February 25th, 2024, Aurora is available for $79/79€ with crossgrade pricing at $39/39€.

Aurora can be downloaded from UVI Audio.

Motto Akemie by ALM Busy Circuits

ALM Busy Circuits introduces Motto Akemie, a 6 Voice FM drum synth and step sequencer plugin inspired by the Akemie’s Taiko Eurorack module. Featuring controls and FM sounds akin to the hardware counterpart, it includes a multitrack step sequencer, MIDI support, and MTS-ESP microtuning. Available for macOS and Windows, with a fully functional 7-day trial period. Key features include: 6 Akemie’s Taiko-based FM drum voices, dual operator voices with wavetables, mute/solo/level controls per voice, per-voice step sequencers, track randomization, 16 pattern banks, automation/MIDI control per voice, and intuitive presets.

Motto Akemie costs $40 and you download it via ALM Busy Circuits.

CR-78 by Cherry Audio

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Cherry Audio has gifted us with its first ever drum machine plugin, the CR-78, which faithfully recreates Roland’s iconic programmable analogue unit from 1978. With a step sequencing interface inspired by later Roland units, it enhances the original programming method. Features include editable voices, an effects section, a mixer, a global EQ/compressor, MIDI compatibility, and an extensive preset library.

Cherry Audio CR-78 costs $52/£42 and is available to download from Plugin Boutique.

Vox by BLEASS

BLEASS Vox offers easy vocal manipulation, shaping every detail of your projects with its powerful yet efficient engine. Craft unique effects by manipulating formant characteristics and exploring new melodies with pitch transposition. The UNISON processor adds depth, while the flexible vibrato processor amps up expression without complex configurations. Ideal for both studio and live settings, BLEASS Vox streamlines vocal processing for creative freedom and exceptional sound.

Vox costs $31/£24 and yo can download it from Plugin Boutique.

Grey Pro by Acustica Audio

Grey Pro, Acustica’s latest plugin suite, faithfully emulates three renowned American VCA-based compressors known for enhancing low-end cohesion with minimal distortion. Available in standard and full versions, it introduces modern features like dynamic metering displays. It has three compressor models to choose from, so you can capture iconic vintage sounds effortlessly.

Acustica’s Grey Pro costs $69 and is available to download via Acustica Audio.

Crystal Bowls by Spitfire Audio

Spitfire Audio recently partnered with composer Aska Matsumiya to launch Crystal Bowls, a unique sample library capturing the ethereal tones of crystal bowls and tuning forks. Recorded in London’s Round Chapel, it offers diverse sounds suitable for all skill levels, presented in an elegant interface with intuitive controls.

Crystal Bowls costs $99/£79 and is available from Spitfire Audio.

TRIAZ by Wave Alchemy

TRIAZ is a new “game-changing drum machine” plugin by Wave Alchemy that lets you create beefy, complex drum patterns with polyrhythmic sequencing, mixing, and layering. There are 700+ presets on offer, 15,000 curated samples, and per-step modulation so you can make unique beats that fit into your projects. TRIAZ is compatible as a plugin for macOS and Windows, enabling seamless export of creations via MIDI or audio.

TRIAZ costs $125/£99 and is available on Plugin Boutique.

How to install VST and AU plugins on Windows, Mac and iOS

If your plugin came as a .zip file, and not an installer, you may have to manually install it. Here’s how…

VST3 plugins:

1. Unzip the plugin folder
2. Copy the .VST file to your default plugin folder (Windows default: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3, Mac default: /Library/Audio/Plugins/VST)
3. Start your DAW
4. Rescan your plugin directory

AUv3 plugins:

1. Download and install plugin from the App Store
2. Insert plugin in your DAW
3. Select the AUv3 plugin from the Audio Unit Extensions tab

Where to download freeware plugins and VSTs

Our freeware section is an excellent place to start; each month, we also compile round-ups of the best free plugins and samples to download.

The production community is full of passionate developers who’ve given away instruments, effects and other plugins as freeware. Some of our favourites include Valhalla’s Supermassive reverb, Apogee’s Soft Limit and Matt Tytel’s Helm polysynth. Remember, most developers also offer free trials for their plugins.

Are DAW stock plugins good enough?

Most major DAWs these days will come with a more-than-serviceable collection of ‘stock’ plugins for music-making: Logic Pro’s software instrument library is rich and varied; Ableton Live’s synth engines cover additive, subtractive and granular methods, and the Pro Tools suite of mixing plugins is still widely used by pro engineers.

A good producer isn’t their plugin folder, but their ability to make good decisions. Increase your knowledge: instead of buying a synth samples, learn about the fundamentals of synthesis; kick drum sounding too skinny? learn to compress properly.

The post Best new mixing plugins, effects and VST instruments out this week appeared first on MusicTech.

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