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Best Audio and MIDI Software - 2024 KVR Readers' Choice Awards Winners

Best Audio and MIDI Software - 2024 KVR Readers' Choice Awards Winners

By KVR Audio on

We're pleased to announce the winners of the KVR Readers' Choice Awards 2024 as the KVR community rewards developers for work well done. These awards are intended to represent the preferences and opinions of the musicians, producers, and enthusiasts who use and appreciate various software tools for music production and sound design. In fact, we're happy to say that 2024 has seen largest number of voters since the awards were first announced, and we thank you all for that.

On that note, following the announcement of this years' winners, we will be introducing the KVR Readers' Choice Awards Hall of Fame. This new initiative is our way of recognizing the software and developers that have consistently won the hearts of our KVR community. To be inducted into the Hall of Fame, a product needs to have won the KVR RCA awards at least three times. It's our nod to those game-changing tools in music production that have stood the test of time, although, this Hall of Fame is not just about celebrating past successes; it's also about passing the baton and shining a spotlight on the diverse range of other fantastic products and developers loved by the KVR community. Stay tuned for more info soon.

The envelopes please...

Favorite Developer

The first company to enter the Hall of Fame will be u-he. They have quite deservedly reigned as Favorite Developer and will have a permanent place on the RCA board. One could easily argue that u-he deserves to win every year, but now that they are in the Hall of Fame y'all are just going to have to vote for someone else. In 2025 we're looking forward to the rumoured update of Zebra (if you need a hint check out the free Zebralette 3) and an expansion of developer support for CLAP. Here's what KVR community member moonchunk thinks of the current Zebra.

Zebra

Reviewed By moonchunk [all]
October 17th, 2020
Version reviewed: 2.9.2 on Windows

I just picked this up a week or so ago, and i agree with the sentiment here that this at the top of the list of synths I've researched (dozens - but for music tech research more so [unfortunately] than spending time to master them creatively), and I couldn't be happier. It has a certain quality about it that transcends the divide between the more digital and more analog synths, with a pleasing warmth but at the same time potentially having a cutting edge precision.

Kudos to the people who came up with its signal flows and interfacing and filters and algos. (There should be a documentary about its development really. I'm not clear on whether They really knew what they were doing.

Really the only thing I can find about the history of its development comes from this article:

https://www.attackmagazine.com/features/long-read/u-hes-urs-heckmann-on-synths-celebrity-endorsements-hardware/

I personally own over 20 softsynths, and have been toying with some lesser-known ones because innovation always fascinates me.

But nothing in the Zebra package would be particularly obvious to me as a programmer. I'm sure there synths with bits of brilliance that could be mentioned as excelling in one element or area or another, but Zebra is particularly unique in that it never loses the high standard of musicality from the beginning of its signal flow to the end. I know recently musicians have begun to be impressed by more organic and analog processes, while being also spoiled by some very good well-crafted digital softsynths. Exploring the confluence of these two evolutions in taste and creativity seems to be at the heart of our current electronic music scene. At the time I made my purchase of Zebra I was considering purchasing Diva first. This was because I had watched some of the few Zebra tutorials out there, and the synth didn't really look "familiar" or directly compare with the common and basic synth flows I had worked with. I've experimented with ANA 2 (very good), Serum and Massive (and a few of the other Komplete synths) and the Image Line product line, Dune 3, Phase Plant (as a demo for 14 days - really loved it), Omnisphere (somewhat of a hybrid rompler synth but some well-worth-it features IMHO despite its price tag), Spire, Adam Szabo's Viper (a phenomena and over-looked synth really), Cycle (Amaranth - an orphaned synth unfortunately), Quik Quak's Glass Viper, Auddict's Hexeract (a disappointment since it seems to have been abandoned, along with Fxpansion's Geist 2, lol), AIR and KV331's synths, the Madrona Labs stuff (very good for "unexpected and artsy"), IK Multimedia's Syntronik (nice), etc. So much variety, and a lot of interesting specific features in here for most of these, that I can't go into for lack of time.

But frankly I wish I had tried and learned Zebra long ago.

Zebra actually seems worthy to focus on more so than any of these, because I literally can not make it sound bad or uninviting. I can make it sound dangerous, ugly, menacing, and so on, but it creates such a steady illusion that I'm playing with organic electric juice, that it, more than any other synth, reminds me of playing with high end electric guitar gear. Expressive. Musical. Often stunning.

So I was just going to write a short review to go along with what's already here. This is not a new product - but I had to add my two cents and I hope the developer knows how much I appreciate the fine thought process and heroic standards, and I most definitely look forward to Zebra 3. Good work U-he.

As an aside, Plugmon Neumann (as more than a skin really) looks incredible and I'm checking it out - to make understanding and working with Zebra easier. $35 at the moment. Interesting.

https://plugmon.jp/product/neumann/

Read Review

The honorable mention goes to Kilohearts.

Most Innovative

The Most Innovative is given to a product that has shown the most innovation in the previous year, which is important because innovation is always risky and should be rewarded when it works. This year's winner is Harmony Bloom from Mario Nieto World. Harmony Bloom is a clever MIDI generator that merges polyrhythmic patterns with beautiful visuals. You can send MIDI data to any device that accepts it, unlocking a range of musical possibilities. Here's what KVR community member Alfred0001 thinks:

Harmony Bloom

Reviewed By Alfred0001 [all]
April 3rd, 2024
Version reviewed: 1.2.3 on Windows

This is a wonderful music creation tool, great sounding harmonies and very playable! It is constantly under development, adding new features. Great software.

Read Review

The honorable mention goes to Bitwig 5 (a previous winner of this award).

Favorite DAWs

In a first, Ableton Live 12 was chosen as Favorite DAW category AND Favorite Software for Performance. This may be because Live 12, which was released in 2024 is a huge feature upgrade, especially for MIDI editing. Live 12.1 now allows for native, real-time pitch correction with Auto Shift using scales to keep every note in tune with your track, create harmonies from monophonic signals using MIDI sidechain, and add vibrato and modulation to your sound using MPE or the device’s LFO. Ableton has shown a commitment to MPE, with their device chains and you can now use the MIDI Editor’s toolbar to filter and select notes by time, pitch, velocity, chance, duration, and several other properties. Live 12.1 also introduces two new MPE-specific MIDI Transformations – Glissando and LFO – allowing the user to create curves for the MPE parameters of selected notes.

Live was closely followed by perennial KVR community favorites, Cockos REAPER and Steinberg's Cubase, which has just been upgraded to version 14.

As for the Favorite Software for Performance category Live still dominates, and for good reason. It was envisioned as a performance tool when the first line of code was written, and Ableton keeps this aspect of the application front and center with every feature they add. Nuff said...

Again, the honorable mention goes to Bitwig Studio 5.

Taking Notation

The winner for Favorite Software for Notation / Scoring for the second year is Dorico Pro from Steinberg. Creating and maintaining a state-of-the-art music notation application is a task that requires deep programming knowledge of MIDI, realtime, as well as printing and engraving. The audience for a deep traditional notation product is not as large as other recording software, but they need critical features and they need them to work well. Here's a short Dorico review from KVR community member bagelfish:

Dorico Elements

Reviewed By bagelfish [all]
April 25th, 2020
Version reviewed: 3.1.10 on Mac

I really didn't want to invest in another notation program. After trying the free version for a short time I realised just how quickly I could enter and compose scores. Elements does restrict some of the layout functions and the number of instruments. I am using the downloaded version which doesn't allow use on more than one computer. The electronic licensing felt a bit complicated but so far it has worked ok.

With any comprehensive program there is a learning curve but the logical design makes this fairly painless. I'm still learning but really enjoying the process. Somehow the controls seem to encourage experimentation during composition. Halion and the provided instruments produce a reasonable sound but it is easy to use alternative VST libraries.

I feel a further investment in the pro version, maybe to celebrate the lifting of lockdown.

Read Review

Honorable mention goes to Avid's Sibelius.

iZotope Masters Audio

iZotope continued its record, clinching the top spot for the 6th year in the Favorite Audio Editor category with iZotope RX 11. RX 11 is an essential audio repair and enhancement toolkit for professionals across various industries, including film, television, music, podcasts, video games, and sample library production. Here's a review from KVR community member perferling:

RX 11 Standard

Reviewed By peferling [all]
May 7th, 2018
Version reviewed: 6 on Windows

Definitely worth the purchase. My favorite is the denoiser, which they've broken out the into two distinct modules, one dedicated to voice and the other for general background noise. It can be a resource hog if you use it in more than one incidence or on multiple tracks, (I edit in PPro CC). But it's well worth it for correcting takes from the field that were shot in noisy environments. It has a dynamic, or adaptive learning mode that has made quick work of long takes. I will sample and tweak in the edit, (and do this as a last step), then crank up the quality slider before rendering out.

Read Review

Honorable mention in this category was Steinberg's SpectralLayers Pro.

And, it was certainly no shock that iZotope's Ozone 11 once again emerged victorious in the Favorite Mastering category, continuing its 19-year legacy of excellence. This category witnessed a clear dominance by Ozone 11. The readers of KVR have shown a strong preference for iZotope's innovative machine-learning solutions, particularly valuing how they enhance and streamline the mastering as well as other workflow segments. Here's what KVR community member Chipi has to say:

Ozone 11 Advanced

Reviewed By Chipi [all]
September 13th, 2023
Version reviewed: 11 on Windows

The best tool for the professional in the market. No other mastering tool matches it in quality, performance and perfect final sound. If you can't master professionally with this version 11, do something else.

Read Review

Honorable mention, again from our friends at Steinberg, was WaveLab Pro...

Ethnically Unchallenged...

The winner for Favorite World / Ethnic Virtual Instrument is, for the 3rd year in a row, UVI World Suite 3 (World Suite 2 won in 2022 & 2023). Housed in their free UVI Workstation instrument, or their flagship sampler, Falcon, it contains 65,000 samples and 370 instruments covering instruments from all 5 continents and a few island groups in between. Each instrument is meticulously recorded, capturing the nuances and subtleties of traditional performance techniques, which help the user produce more realistic cultural music. It's a fun and rewarding way to explore and integrate global music elements into projects, enhancing a user's creative potential across a variety of genres. We're still waiting for a KVR community member review!

Honorable mention goes to Quetzal, Eduardo Tarilonte's wonderful ode to ancient Latin American culture, and to VSL's Synchron World Winds.

Modartt does pianos

It's clear that the KVR community favors the reduced storage footprint of modeled products. Six-time winner, Modartt Pianoteq was again voted Favorite Keyboard Virtual Instrument. This year they introduced the first physical model of the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX Concert Grand, which, has been authorized by Kawai and available as an instrument pack for Pianoteq. The SK-EX Concert Grand is the pinnacle of Shigeru Kawai pianos, meticulously handcrafted and distinguished for its remarkable tone and stunning response. In this case Pianoteq's physical model captures the unique sound, from its hand-wound temaki bass strings to the shimmering brilliance of its highest notes, offering an exceptionally broad dynamic spectrum and superb power, suitable for pianists, producers, and composers alike. And you can pick it up for less than $221,095, which is the cost of the actual piano...

Honorable Mention this year goes to Arturia's Piano V3, which is yet another modeled product.

Favorite Guitar/Fretted Virtual Instrument

Further illustrating the KVR communities respect for modeling, IK Multimedia's MODO Bass 2 is Favorite Guitar / Fretted Virtual Instrument for the fifth year. MODO Bass offers a high-fidelity emulation of bass guitar sounds. Utilizing advanced physical modeling technology, it provides a wide range of customizable bass tones suitable for any music genre. MODO Bass stands out for its dynamic response and realistic playing experience, appealing to both studio producers and live performers seeking authentic bass guitar sounds without the need for a lot of hard drive space.

Honorable mention goes to Music Lab's RealGuitar. Here's what KVR community member tommyzai has to say about RealGuitar:

RealGuitar

Reviewed By tommyzai [all]
November 29th, 2012
Version reviewed: 5.00 on Mac

Version 3:
I had an accident and could no longer play guitar. :- (. I missed having guitar on my tracks, especially acoustic accompaniment and riffs. I tried using my synths, but they sounded like synths! I needed something real — something human! Waiting for friends to come over and play parts for me became inconvenient and embarrassing. I needed to find a way to lay down tracks on my own. I needed a virtual guitarist! I went on a mission, buying and trying nearly every guitar library ever made. A couple of them weren't bad, but most of them left me cold or frustrated. I was tired of filling my hard drive with thousands and thousands of samples that were packaged in a non-user friendly interface. The last thing I wanted to do was spend more years learning complicated key-switches. By the time I got a track down, the inspiration was lost. I was discouraged and frustrated until I tried MusicLab's RealGuitar. It's fantastic.

The interface is neat, clean, and fun! I'm a visual person, and I love seeing the notes on the virtual neck. The way the keyboard is laid out is intelligent, giving total control over the type of strum, fret noise, slide, tremolo, and all the other little squeaks and articulations. The strum engine is a snap to work with and as powerful as you need it to be. I think they call it the "Struminator." The built-in rhythmic patterns usually give me exactly what I need, and if not. .. I can simply make adjustments or create my own patterns. All in all, RealGuitar is easy to use, sounds realistic, and sits perfectly in the mix. This is the first sample-based virtual guitar plug-in I've found that truly emulates the real thing. I've got pretty good ears and most of the time I cannot tell if it's real or RealGuitar. I feel like I'm playing again! Thank you, MusicLab, for creating such a great product. :-). I'm saving up to buy RealStrat and/or RealLPC.

Version 4 (update):
RealGuitar v3 by MusicLab is an amazing piece of audio software and represents the finest in virtual guitars, and it just got better with the release of v4. Like many previous version users, I had to consider whether or not to upgrade. After reading through the list of improvements and new features, it was impossible for me to pass on this one, and I'm glad I went for it.

The new Song Mode alone was enough to justify upgrading. I'm a songwriter, and I work in a linear fashion, measure by measure and in structural parts, i.e., intro, verse, pre-chorus, rise, climb chorus, bridge, middle eight, etc. The Song Mode in RG4 helps to create backing tracks in a familiar and natural way — as if I had a guitar in my hands and could play it well. The Time line enabled easy navigation along the song. And, to make the workflow as simple as possible, chords are inserted into the song track and patterns are drag-n-dropped into it.

The Pattern Library Browser has been improved, and provides faster access to over 1200 guitar rhythm patterns that are neatly categorized and selected with the help of the Pattern Filter. Any inserted pattern can quickly be multiplied or edited throughout the song. Chord edited has also been enhanced. Other improvements include Humanizing (sound, timing, velocity, pitch), FretNoise (trigger) FX, Transpose, Harmonics, etc.

Version 4 is a significant update, and I'm glad I grabbed it!

Version 5 (update):
RealGuitar v5 a BIG BIG upgrade that is very impressive. Most notably MusicLab added a new guitar sample set called "Steel String." This is in addition to their "Classic" model. There are easier than ever switching between soloing, strumming, string picking, etc. via key velocity. It takes a little time to get used to, but with the right touch it's a breeze. There are many other additions and improvements. All-in-all, the upgrade is well worth it, and I continue to be happy. Thank you, MusicLab!.

Read Review

Favorite Orchestral/Cinematic Virtual Instrument

This year's winner in the Favorite Orchestral / Cinematic Virtual Instrument category is the same as last year, and the year before and the year before, etc. Spitfire's BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBCSO) is an exceptional orchestral sample library renowned for its realistic, high-quality sound and intuitive design, making it an ideal choice for composers and producers seeking an authentic orchestral experience. As one would expect the BBC Symphony Orchestra offers meticulously sampled instruments across all sections—strings, brass, woodwinds, and percussion with a comprehensive range of articulations and dynamic layers.

BBCSO also includes a simple interface that makes it easy for users to access and shape the instruments. Moreover, the library's balanced sound and careful attention to tonal detail make it great for any level of film scoring, classical compositions, and even modern genres.

An honorable mention goes to Audio Modeling's fast growing SWAM series. There's that modeling thing again...

Favorite Synth

The Instruments Forum is KVR's most popular, KVR readers know their subject, and Arturia's Pigments has again snapped up the Favorite Synth award for the third year in a row. Pigments seamlessly merges wavetable and virtual analog synthesis, opening up a vast sonic playground. The extensive library of wavetables and analog-style oscillators provides a rich palette for sound design, from classic analog warmth to futuristic digital textures. The ability to seamlessly blend these synthesis methods sets Pigments apart in a crowded market. Here's a review of Pigments by KVR Community member Ficciones:

Pigments 5

Reviewed By Ficciones [all]
August 30th, 2019
Version reviewed: 2.0 on Mac

free 2.0 update for current users: the new sampling features are great! If you want an instrument for creative sampling - deeply exploring the sonic potential hidden inside a sample - then Pigments exposes the best tools for that right on the surface. You can run it as a straight up sampler, with modulatable sample start (essential creative tool), 6 samples mapped per engine in round robin mode, random, key map, velocity map etc., or switch to granular mode - and here's the cool thing - when in granular mode the engine can alternately pick individual grains from the sample slots according to the mapping mode you've chosen, or you may choose the active sample with a knob (modulatable of course). Granular mode has tons of options and features, from max number of overlapping grains to modulatable grain envelope shapes - e.g. triangular, trapezoid - as well as grain direction, size, density, pitch, and left-right channel separation. Grain density can be clock-synced, including a per grain probability control for density. Each sampler engine also has its own shaper modes including bitcrush, FM and ring mod as well as a resonator. Great stuff.

-=-

Pigments is a monster synth that stands out in a field of monster synths. The sequencer / arpeggiator is unique, and the modulation system is a pleasure to use, making patch creation fast and fun. CPU usage is moderate, and the GUI is beautiful both visually and ergonomically.

The wavetable oscillators can display in 2D or 3D mode, with 2D giving a better representation of how the sound is being warped. Adding wavetables is a drag and drop operation - and yes, it can use Serum's wavetables. Pigments will also allow you to drag in any old wave file, however this yields mixed results and takes some trial and error and fiddling with master pitch. Creating wavetables from wavs is a bit of a black art at the best of times using the best of tools, so I hope Arturia will update Pigments with better wavetable creation tools. I've had good results creating single cycle waveforms with the free Hardcore and Softcore apps from Floats, then gluing them together with an audio editor, then importing into Pigments, but there ought to be an easier way. There are 119 factory wavetables though so just the default install gives you plenty of raw material. Once you've selected or imported a wavetable, you can push it further with audio rate modulations including FM, PM, phase distortion and wave folding, and dedicated mod oscillators. All these parameters can be modulated with the control mod sources, with results ranging from subtle to blistering. The phase distortion algorithm combined with wavetable index modulation is especially cool to my ears, and doesn't sound quite like anything else out there in synthland.

Which brings us to one of Pigments' best features: the control modulation. Select one of the colour coded mod sources in the middle row, then drag the mod ring around a knob, or click the plus sign that appears next to a knob on mouse-over, and drag any number of mod sources up or down in the middle row to assign modulations. Hovering over a knob or clicking the plus shows all the mod sources assigned to that control. It's visually appealing and encourages experimentation. Tracing mod assignments this way is easier than with a tangle of photorealistic spaghetti cables on the screen, in my opinion.

Despite the absent spaghetti it's very much like working with a fully modular synth, where you can use an LFO to trigger and re-trigger an envelope, and similar shenanigans. You get three each of: LFOs, envelopes, drawable function generators, random sources, and very clever modulation combiners that enable lag and value remapping. The modulators can trigger / gate / reset and modulate the parameters of other modulators, including each unit's synced or free running clock speed. One of the random sources is a Turing unit, which if you're not familiar, can generate varying degrees of randomness, partly-recurring sequences, and lock in a sequence once you hear something you like. Any of the mod sources can be assigned to the synth's master pitch, which can be quantized to snap to scales. The ease of use invites daisy-chain and loop-the-loop mod routings for pleasantly unpredictable results that aren't just noise - you can create cool generative patches that are greater than the sum of their parts.

The polyrhythmic arp / sequencer is a joy for anyone who likes to create evolving sequences. Gate, trigger probability, octave and pitch lanes can be set to different lengths and clock divisions, and the master clock rate itself is modulatable by any of the mod sources, which makes ratcheting sequences possible. There are also randomize and periodic randomize functions here, and optional scale snapping so the randomized sequences always play in key.

Another feature in Pigments that's nice to see is microtuning. I don't consider a synth to be a full fledged citizen of my plugin folder unless it has this.

Additions I'd like to see in updates: ring mod; the ability to drive the sequencer lanes using LFO zero crossings; individual reverse and pendulum motions for the sequencer lanes, or even the ability to scan across the lanes with a modulator; better raw wave import and creation tools for wavetables; and comb filter enhancements and feature additions for physical modelling. None of these are showstoppers though; it's already a bottomless pit of sound design potential. Two thumbs up for this mad beastie.

Read Review

Not so far behind this year was Kiloheart's Phase Plant.

Marching to the beat of a Superior Drummer

Toontrack Superior Drummer was the winner in the Favorite Drum / Percussion Virtual Instrument category for the fifth year in a row - KVR readers' acknowledgement of Toontrack's prolific development of new SDX libraries and MIDI files. This year has seen the release of State of the Art, which was sampled with industry legend Elliot Scheiner. As most people in the music industry know, Mr Scheiner has engineered and produced countless sessions for records, TV, and film. Check out a KVR review of the State of the Art SDX for Superior 3: kvraudio.com/toontrack-state-of-the-art-sdx-expansion-review

Again, the runner-up was XLN Audio's Addictive Drums.

Favorite Sample Platform

At the top end of the vote counting curve was Native Instruments Kontakt, which once again won the Favorite Sampler (Sample Platform) by the largest margin in any category. This year has produced Kontakt 8, which is sold alone or as part of the Komplete 15 package. Kontakt 8 introduces a redesigned user interface, (though some may still prefer the Classic), allowing for faster navigation. New performance features, like enhanced modulation options and improved time-stretching algorithms allow for more expressive performances. The update also includes a revamped Factory Library, intended to cover a broader range of genres and styles.

For developers, Kontakt 8 offers improved compatibility with external DAWs and enhanced scripting tools and optimization for modern processors, allowing for complex sound layering and manipulation with minimal latency. Because NI does the low level plumbing, a lot of Kontakt content creators don't have to.

Favorite Creative Sampled Virtual Instrument

The winner of Favorite Creative Sampled Virtual Instrument is again the all-encompassing Spectrasonics Omnisphere. The way that samples are incorporated into the Omnisphere universe allows the designers at Spectrasonics and many other preset creators around the globe to construct a huge variety of sounds. If you own Omnisphere 2 and want to be impressed with its creative sampling check out the Twisted Trees Sonic Extension. Here is a review of Omnisphere from KVR community member midihead:

Omnisphere 2

Reviewed By midihead [all]
May 17th, 2016
Version reviewed: 7 Pro on Windows

Omnisphere 2 has replaced all my outboard gear. I've been producing electronic music, professionally for over 15 years and find that it's much quicker and easier to work "inside the box". The sound I get from this beast is just as good, if not better than any of the analog gear I used to own, and for much less the cost. Full disclosure, I create 3rd party patches for Omnisphere, so I've had years to dive deep into it. And since it keeps getting better with improvements (all of which are free to registered users), I don't have to worry about it becoming outdated or obsolete at some future point.

Read Review

The runner up came from Arturia. This time it is Augmented Strings that receives the honorable mention.

Effects

KVR readers have once again rewarded FabFilter for Pro-Q 3 in the Favorite EQ / Filter category. FabFilter Pro-Q is an outstanding equalizer plugin celebrated for its pristine sound quality, intuitive design, and unmatched flexibility. Its highly visual interface allows users to precisely shape sound with ease, offering up to 24 EQ bands and an advanced spectrum analyzer that provides clear, real-time feedback. Key features include dynamic EQ options, Mid/Side processing, and customizable EQ shapes and slopes, which make it a go-to tool for both music production and audio engineering. Pro-Q’s zero latency, linear phase modes, and natural phase options ensure it meets a variety of mixing needs, delivering professional-grade results across applications. With smooth workflow enhancements and a highly responsive interface, Pro-Q stands as one of the best EQ plugins on the market. Here's what KVR Community member recko has to say:

Pro-Q 4

Reviewed By recko [all]
April 30th, 2024
Version reviewed: 3 on Windows

Overwhelming EQ.

The new frequency collision makes it the ultimate weapon in my arsenal. There is no better, just "another".

Read Review

The honorable mention goes to Sonible's smart:EQ.

​​​​​​

In the category of Favorite Vocal Effect Celemony's Melodyne is the winner again. There a lots of pitch correction products in the marketplace, but Melodyne stands above with the KVR audience. When creating a pitch-correction and time-manipulation tool is ALL you do, you will become very good at it and Melodyne is the best because of Celemony's loving focus on it. Melodyne's artifact-free results with both pitch and especially time shift are truly remarkable. It's a must have for any musician recording engineer or producer, because, contrary to what some people think, nobody is perfect.

Honorable mention goes to iZotope's Nektar 4 Advanced.

In the newish category of Favorite Saturation / Distortion the winner is Decapitator by SoundToys. Using analysis from vintage and modern hardware like Neve, API, Ampex, EMI and Thermionic Culture, the plugin provides users with a versatile range of tonal options—from subtle warmth to aggressive distortion. Decapitator's GUI features a "Punish" button for extreme saturation. Here's what KVR community member kozysworld has to say about it:

Decapitator

Reviewed By Kozysworld [all]
December 25th, 2022
Version reviewed: 10.13.6 on Mac

I've owned this for a while. If you're after that Thermionic Culture type tube distortion this thing does it well. You can use subtly or obliterate your audio as you wish.

Read Review

Honorable mention goes to an old standby, PSPaudioware's VintageWarmer.

And Fabfilter is back on top in the Favorite Dynamics category with Pro-C 3, which, utilizing multiple compression models coupled with Fabfilter signature UI and streamlined workflow, makes for an incredibly versatile mixing tool. Like Pro-Q 3, it features a user-friendly interface with clear visual feedback, making it easy for both beginners and professionals to achieve the desired dynamic control. With its various compression styles, advanced side-chain options, and superb sound quality, Pro-C is a go-to tool for mixing and mastering engineers seeking precise and musical dynamic processing.

Honorable mention goes to an old friend, PSPaudioware's VintageWarmer.

Native Instruments is back on top in the Favorite Guitar Virtual Effect Processor category with Guitar Rig Pro. Since its initial release in 2004, Guitar Rig has been a go-to solution for guitar and bass players, offering a comprehensive range of emulated amps, cabinets, mics, and effects. It provides an intuitive and flexible platform for crafting custom tones, suitable for studio recording and live performance. With its vast library of presets accrued over the last 19 years and the ability to tweak every aspect of the guitar signal chain, Guitar Rig is a favorite among musicians, recording engineers and of course, KVR Readers. 

IK Multimedia's AmpliTube 5 MAX gets the honorable mention.

It's no surprise that Favorite Reverb / Delay goes to ValhallaVintageVerb once again and it's another candidate for the Hall of Fame. Now a studio staple in many a producer's arsenal, it takes inspiration from some of the most beloved reverb hardware from the 1970s and 1980s. Recently, the number of included algorithms has been expanded to a total of 20, including the new Palace verb in 3.0. The user interface is intuitive and user-friendly, allowing both beginners and professionals to easily shape their desired reverb effects for music production or sound design

Honorable mention this year goes to Eventide's Blackhole Immersive.

Favorite Multi FX Virtual Effect Processor is CableGuys' ShaperBox this year again. It is no surprise either considering the wealth of new features added over the last year, the latest being their new ReverbShaper module which joins the ranks of VolumeShaper, TimeShaper, NoiseShaper, LiquidShaper, DriveShaper, CrushShaper, FilterShaper Core, PanShaper and WidthShaper. Each of the shapers is displayed over a timeline that adds additional editing capability along with audio triggers and sidechain support.

Honorable mention goes to SoundToys 5.

The winner in the Favorite Utility category is Devicemeister's Stepic, a very versatile modulation and step sequencer. Being polyphonic it allows the user to create complex melodies and harmonies. It has over 200 randomization functions, including scale, which makes it great for experimentation and adding an element of unpredictability to compositions. Here's what KVR community member redvet66 has to say:

Stepic

Reviewed By redvet66 [all]
July 30th, 2023
Version reviewed: 1.5 on Windows

Whatever your music genre, this little tool is mind blowing and it will help you to expand your creativity, transforming a dull and boring sequence in something more "alive" and musical.

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The honorable mention goes to last year's winner, Plugin Boutique's Scaler.

Who doesn't love free...

The tug of war between Matt Tytel's Vital and Surge XT over Favorite Free Instrument continues with Vital, a wavetable synthesizer with impressive modulation capabilities, snatching the win this year. Vital allows users to create complex and evolving sounds with ease and offers an intuitive user interface and a range of built-in effects, making it a favorite among music producers and sound designers alike.

Open source coded Surge XT landed the second place position. And a new entry, Spitfire Audio's Labs, surged into the voting.

And the winner for Favorite Free Effect is again Valhalla DSP, this time with their ValhallaSupermassive, which has been designed to produce massive combinations of massive delays and massive reverbs and "blow your mind and your music to massive new levels of consciousness and experience." Here's what KVR community member shmackydoo has to say:

ValhallaSupermassive

Reviewed By shmackydoo [all]
August 11th, 2024
Version reviewed: 1.0 on Mac

a great reverb. Valhalla makes some of the best sounding effects and I would put this next to the other amazing stuff they sell, idk why this is free it's incredible.

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Honorable mention for the second year in a row is Kilohearts Kilohearts Essentials bundle.

Congratulations

The entire staff at KVR sends our heartiest congratulations to the companies and developers who have produced these magnificent products. We also congratulate all of the nominees, who were chosen by KVR Readers from thousands of products in the various categories. Finally, we extend a hearty thanks to all of you who took the time to vote.

Check out the winners page at www.kvraudio.com/readers-choice-awards/2024

Read More KVR Readers Choice Awards


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