Brian Walton

I don't think I've ever seen another multiband vibrato other than the melda one. Vibrato (not trem) or a more true Rotary Sim isn't exactly a go to type of a sound for me. I think most of my ground will be covered by the Audiority TubeModulator (which also includes vibe and trem sounds) along with other plugins that focus on Rotary (IKM Leslie, and Melda Vintage Rotary). Though I expect at $9, I'll cave and grab it to add to the Melda collection out of principle.

The electric guitar was one of the only things I demoed from PA and couldn't uninstall fast enough. Tried putting it through some quality amp plugins and couldn't get over how much it didn't sound like a guitar. I'm a bit in awe of anyone with the talent that can.

Seems like they dropped the mix knob on the limiter section.

Yep this was announced previously as one of the releases for the year, but this is the first time I've seen what is likely the entire UI. I have to say it looks nice but disappointed it doesn't seem to have any listen to the source and make auto adjustments under the hood as a starting point options. This is a standout feature of the competition. I like Master Desk and MDTruePeak, hopefully another $20 upgrade for those that own the previous TruePeak version.

Check your IMs. ?

It weighs nearly 40 pounds. Given that a Les Paul weighs too much - and this is almost 4 times that weight....hard pass.

Don't care about CLAP. The OP mentions one plugin (a synth in a world of too many synths including free ones) that is only available in CLAP. I'd tend to think the route to go is ask developers to use VST3. As far as I understand there is no licensing cost and therefore there isn't a major barrier to making it free. I respect that a plugin maker can make it in a proprietary format...just like some only make AU. But it tends to feel like either an experiment or a niche product if you don't use the biggest standard in the industry. A day might arrive when CLAP makes sense, but as of now, I'm not seeing a reason for the adoption across DAWs such as Cakewalk (i.e. taking resources away from other development). There are not enough products out there (free or paid) to justify it from what I've seen.

Word on caution. In latest Cakewalk version the updated Hornet seems to get stuck on the vst scan on my machine. I've deleted and reinstalled a number of times. When I load the plugin it won't allow adding EQ nodes at all. Most other functions seems like they are active though - but that is vital to the use of the plugin.

With the sales, he managed to get me to buy most of them (I appreciate the no-authorization nonsense). Most have never been used, but I install them as it seems like a good backup if some other plugin has authorization problems. I'll grab the VHS one too once it hits super sales. While I already have the DearVR stuff - would be nice to have a no-authorization needed option too. Making them super cheap isn't such a terrible idea - it makes impulse buys possible and I can say with certainty I've spent more with them than I would have if they had "normal" pricing.

Sort of. Previously you had to pay to get a normal installer (like $2) and went through some hoops to get it. Now it seems you can simply download the latest version directly from the site. Yes, there was a totally free version, but it was geared more for computer nerds from what I recall. Regarding the product itself, I tried it out before I got Gig Performer. Pretty decent for a free alternative and I do appreciate you can run it like a VST (unlike Gig Performer) and stand alone.

Exactly or less. At $59 my thought was "too little too late" Have too many other nice options already to even consider something at the $60 price point for an upgrade to little plate, which I'm not sure has ever made it to one of my projects.

Scaler 2 Amek console (full featured enough it helped minimize using different EQ and Comp on every track). For those that like the channel strip idea but always felt something like an SSL E has a barely usable comp and lack of mix knob. This could be a game changer. It isn't a game changer for everyone though. Kirchhoff EQ - didn't expect it to sound that good with big boosts and cuts with such low CPU consumption. Granted I wouldn't call it a game changer above fab filter, except I grabbed it with forever $29 so paid about $30 for it. Melodyne 5 studio for de-essing. Nothing else is that good at the task but also costs an arm and a leg. Waves ClarityVX....hate to say it, but if you are dealing with background noise on a vocal that isn't consistent, I haven't heard anything get those results close to the $30 price point. ToneX - after capturing arguably one of the best sounding amps ever made (no it isn't on tone net), I can confirm this technology while not perfect, is good enough to be very happy when playing through it. However it is only as good as the capture and there are tons of "meh" it there, including many that IKM made

The Lindell isn't a BX collaboration either. Only the Purple Audio one is Using the link at the top of the page shows the "section" of what is actually an option:

I tested and thought about the CS-5501 before I got the AMEK. It is another good option and the saturation portion is free via GSAT. I appreciated the various comp options but for some reason had trouble bonding with the in my tests. Likely a user problem. I did like the straightforward layout of the EQ. And having the multiple EQ and Comps to compound processing is a great idea with the routing but also another level of complexity and changing what is visible in the interface. Amek became my go to. But that would be my next option, there was a problem with it though at one time it was always about $80 with no discounts.

Depends on the workflow you want. I don't find it counterintuitive, it is laid out quite logically unlike some other strips. (Other than gate, which I think plugins where you see the audio are easier to set). This basically becomes your EQ, compression, gate, and limiter, and super mild saturation if you want it. It also has some stereo width control - and mono bass. Other plugins you add to this to problem solve or add extra color. Think about not having to put multiple plugins on each track and open and adjust them. This give you the main tools in a single view which 9 times out of 10 is going to save you CPU power as it is surprisingly CPU efficient for what it does. It goes on every track, and I hit the random TMT button to give the illusion of non-liniarity.

When I saw the announcement it made me wonder how much people were actually getting for these they they thought it was a threat to the business to change the model. Honestly I would have assumed you could pick most of them up used for $5-15 as plugins are generally pretty worthless when it comes to resale.

It isn't made by Brainworx and therefore not included. If they are smart, they won't deep discount it to even $50 by itself for a while. Of course this depends on what you have. Yes, I'd argue the Amek is quite a bit better than all the others. I own them all and really only use the Amek due to the layout, sound, and features. The other usual suspects that are "valuable" here: HG-2MS EQ200 SPL Iron Mastering Compressor Class A The Vertigo Plugins are also good, but seem to occasionally hit the $15 range with a generic loyalty voucher.

Because nothing free could possibly be good. ? I haven't picked up a long list of the other products they discontinued. May grab this one since it is recent enough though. Is the UI resizable like it is for the Reverb and Rough Rider 3?

I've been around for a while and am familiar with the rule. I didn't post a link or even list any specific products. The referral code gives the user of that code a 20% off discount and Starship Krupa provided quite the detail of how it works, and the 10% store credit (not money) I would get if someone actually made a purchase using it. If you want transparency I've made zero credits let alone "gain for profit" When I first used a Referral coupon from someone else, you can bet I was appreciative of it getting a 20% discount on my purchase.

I usually don't like managers either but once you have a bunch of their plugins frankly I love it. It takes no time to update compared to the 20 something installers I'd need otherwise and there is a cleanup previous versions button that takes one second to complete. It also doesn't force install a bunch of stuff you don't own ala IKM. Id understand the hate it you only had one or two. But I've come to love the single download to update...and the updates add actual features and are fairly frequent. It would be madness doing all those individually like I'm forced to with other devs.

Those things don't sound good. ?

And the Meldway Grand delivered pretty big on that promise. Everything I've seen suggests a plan to build the platform offereings out. Given that he can sell individual instruments to those not invested in the entire MSF, he also has motivation to add more. But also would be nice to see other devs or just end users create and share too.

They still do expire, which I'd argue isn't favorable for long time users as I'm pretty sure it is a ~2 year use it or lose it situation. I own the vast majority of what they have released. I don't have Modo Bass 2, but do have both the full MODO Bass and Modo Bass SE but my upgrade price is $150 to get to 2. Honestly that seems really steep for an upgrade.

Turbo ReverbLE is amazing. I've used all of them in the bundle as they really can fit the "essentials" moniker. If all the other companies licenses failed. Melda can be installed completely off-line (other than the instrument libraries which I've had some challenges with - so download those). And the essential bundle would be enough toys to do a full mix as it covers all the basics.

I wonder what the update is. Installer is updated in the UI but actual plugin itself has the same UI as far as I recall.