Product Reviews by KVR Members

INTRO

UBK Pusher by Kush Audio (aka The House of Kush) is a magical hybrid magnetic DSP color box that effectively combines compression and saturation into one big sweet sounding audio plugin. This is primarily a color infuser with a bit of compression to keep it neat and tidy without losing any flare. The overall sound is driven by four distinct metallic colors: Cobalt, Iron, Nickel, and Steel, which can be mixed together to create a unique blend of saturated tones. There is a wide pallet of timbres that range from subtle harmonics to in-your-face distortion mayhem. Nowadays, I tend to be much more conservative when effecting tracks, so I was a little worried that Pusher would be too extreme for most of my recordings. My worries were quickly put to rest. This plugin is very capable of adding a pleasing tape‑like warmth. I especially dig using it to add thickness on bass, bass drum, floor toms, and other low-end stuff. However, if used wisely, Pusher can add character to any kind of track. I was able to crank up some of the parameters and bring dead snares and boring guitars back to life. I had a little trouble with cymbal tracks at first, but soon after discovered that adjusting the wet/dry as well as the saturation core levels and ratio was the key to a nice, crisp sound on high end stuff. Sometimes you just need a little more nickel and a little less steel.

Pusher is based on a parallel signal chain involving transformer-tape-head saturation modeling, along with dynamic processing. In simple terms, this thing does some groovy things and sounds sweet. The learning curve is shallow, and
there is a Cheat Mode that serves as an easy-to-understand, helpful hint page to speed up the process.

FAVORITE FEATURES

• Fun, creative interface.

• Innovative.

• Fun to tweak with lots of control.

• Flexible range of tones.

• Excellent presets and management.

• Stable.

• Reasonably priced.

• Forward-thinking, responsive developer.

OTHER THOUGHTS

• The graphics of the interface may not be for everyone; however, I dig it! What's wrong with being slightly abstract?

• iLok required.

SUMMARY

Pusher is accurately dubbed a "magnetic color box." And, based on my noodling, the palette and tones are strikingly good! The main focus and charm of this plugin is the coloration of the four periodic table elements; yet, the compressor serves as glue to keep it tight and together. In my opinion, this is one of those rare plugins that are addictive — once you try it, you want to use it more and more. Perhaps this is why they called it,"Pusher!" The House of Kush claims that their plugins will "Feed Your Muse" — and I have to agree! I highly recommend this plugin to any eMusician, producer, or sound designer looking for a tasteful intensification device for shaping their tracks. Tommy Zai gives Pusher two colorful thumbs up. Thank you, House of Kush, for developing such a cool plugin.

Note: I would like to rate this a 9.5, but that's not an option. 9 would be insulting, so 10 it is.

INTRO
Amplifikation One by Kuassa is a small, but powerful first-rate custom amp sim software package that is capable of a wide range of tones. It is not designed to be a modeled version of any one particular amp combo, but shines as a customizable array of cool features that users can configure into their own distinct sound. After a short time of experimenting, I had no problem getting the tones I was after — from inspiring to realization was a snap. It's surprisingly versatile considering the finite number of combinations. I especially like the Black Amp with a Normal Tube, the Vintage British 4/12, and either of the Ribbon Mics. Unlike some audio software on the market, this is not bloated and filled with mediocre effects. Yet, it does come with a built in noise gate, distortion, and limiter, which are quite handy. The Quad Impulse Loading adds a great deal of flexibility — nice routing options. There are many things I dig about this software and not much to complain about.

FAVORITE FEATURES

• Painless to purchase, download, and authorize.

• Familiar, attractive, user-friendly interface.

• Excellent cabs and mics.

• Responsive.

• Great tones.

• Stable.

• CPU friendly.

• Fantastic value.

• Enthusiastic developer.

OTHER THOUGHTS

• Very usable presets, but I wish there were more of them.

• As it further develops, I hope to see more cabs and mics added.

• I also hope the architecture remains simple, yet powerful, which is a welcome combination.

SUMMARY
Amplifikation One is a streamlined powerhouse! My advice. .. don't let the affordable price tag fool you into thinking this custom amp sim is only for hobbyists. I highly recommends this fine audio software to anyone who slings a guitar, whether it be real or virtual. It's a small package that is capable of a wide range of tones, making it attractive to any guitarist, playing any genre of music. This is a tool that helps breathe life into tracks without sucking your wallet dry. Tommy Zai gives Amplifikation One two flexible picks up! Thank you, Kuassa!!.

After an intense few days of noodling, I came up with the following brief summary. I hope you find it useful — Tommy Zai

INTRO
CrX4 by LinPlug is a feature-packed sample manipulator VSTi that delivers ear-pleasing sounds, ranging from smooth and dreamy to rough and chaotic. The purchase, download, and installation process is easy. Authorization is done by way of a serial number. No need for a doggle of any kind. The interface is neat and clean, with an attractive color scheme of grays and greens. Almost everything is accessible on the main screen, which makes things convenient, but it is packed and might initially seem a little overwhelming to some users at first. Once I became familiar with the Generators, which are the heart of this beast, I felt at ease. Anyone with subtractive synthesis experience should quickly identify and understand most of the controls. The sample integration features will take a little more time to master, and the PDF manual can fill in the blanks. To shorten the learning curve, I found several online tutorials, reviews, and overviews. .

BASIC ARCHITECTURE
Four generators encompass the synth design and performance, and each can be assigned to function as an Oscillator Generator, Noise Generator, Sample Loop Generator (handles WAV and AIF files up to 24-bit/96k), or Wavetable Generator. Each generator has an array of assignable features, including a variety of filters with envelopes, LFOs, a modulation matrix, multi-effects, etc. Each generator also has many other features and options, like volume, filter routing, cross modulation, and much more. The two filters are responsive and include all the standard parameters (cutoff, resonance, etc.) and unique offerings like saturation. The synth has a glide, chord memory, programmable arp/seq, and many other useful performance tools, i.e., built in multi-FX (bit crusher, chorus, delay, EQ, filter, flanger, reverb, etc.). There is also a deep Mod Matrix with many slots, sources, and destinations.

THE SOUND
CrX4 sounds great. There is no denying that, but what makes a desirable patch is subjective. Speaking of patches, it has a great browser section whereby a category or patch name at the bottom opens the full-screen browser. There are some useful categories and over 1000 sounds, many of which are creative and esoteric. The overall timbre is more digital than analog. This synth could certainly be used by anyone for just about anything; yet, in my opinion it really shines as a unique ambient, atmospheric, texturizing backdrop. Simply put, this VSTi is a sound designers dream! I enjoy loading samples from my own library, and then mutating them into something beautifully freakish. The multitude of on-board options make this a perfect synth for creating otherworldly timbres. Could someone use this as their "bread-n-butter" synth? Sure, but I see this as much more specialized and special. For a monster workhorse, I would recommend Spectral, by the same developer. In my opinion, CrX4 is the ultimate auxiliary or companion synth that magically fills in the gaps.

FAVORITE FEATURES

• Ships with over a gig of sample material.

• Fun to tweak with lots of control.

• Ability to load own samples (WAV+AIF) — SWEET.

• Excellent presets and management.

• Time stretching.

• Super sound quality.

• Nicely priced.

• Funky, innovative developer team.

BEST SUITED FOR: Anyone into authentic drones, pads, effects, and evolving sounds — this special hybrid synth-sampler will get plenty of playing time.

LEAST SUITED FOR: Anyone looking for a "go to" synth for all the basic mainstream pop sounds or an analog emulation.

OTHER THOUGHTS: The initial download takes some time as it's a large file. Busy interface, but perhaps it has to be — lots of great stuff on one page. Not extremely versatile, but what it does — it does amazingly well.

SUMMARY
CrX4 is a must-have for any eMusician or producer, who is passionate about sound designing and track sculpting. CrX4 deliciously digital with just enough analog warmth to keep things from getting to cold. Tommy Zai gives CrX4 two dreamy thumbs up. Thank you, LinPlug, for developing this inspiring virtual instrument.

Disclaimer: I've given Devastor-2 a 10 rating. I cannot see where they could improve it, other than adding more presets. If there was a 9.5, I'd probably go with that just to leave room for improvement.

INTRO
Devastor-2 by D16 Group is a flexible multi-band distortion unit that delivers exactly what it promises — "Endless mangling capabilities." It has two independent signal processing paths per channel. The interface is divided into two sections, configuration and preset management. There are three blocks: Diode-clipper distortion, dynamic gain module, and three filter sections that help shape the tone by emulating analogue filters. I read that Devastor-2 is inspired by the sound that's produced by diode-clipping circuits. Admittedly, I'm not familiar with that circuitry, but I did some research. Apparently, the Diode Clipper (limiter) is a wave shaping circuit that takes an input waveform and trims off its top half, bottom half or both halves together to produce an output waveform that resembles a flattened version of the input. I tried to understand exactly what this means, but gave up. Whatever it is and however it works, it helps to create a great sounding plugin, and that's what matters to me. ;-)

Over the years, I've owned dozens of distortion units, both hardware and software, and most of them were one-trick-ponies. I was expecting Devastor-2 to be a high quality fuzz box with some crunch options. So, initially, I was a little confused and had trouble understanding what exactly this unit was and how to use it. Yeah, it does basic distortion really well, but does so much more. This plugin is capable of adding a vast variety of processing, ranging from a gentle warmth to a violent mutilation. I now think of Devastor-2 as a dynamic tone shaper — it fattens, flattens, warms, cools, creams, crunches, etc. Although this plugin is capable of severe processing, I haven't been able to create any unwanted harsh sounds from it. For my taste — on the soft side, just a touch works wonders on acoustic guitars, piano, strings, etc.; on the rough side, it adds bite to electric guitars, bass, drums, etc.

FAVORITE FEATURES
• Simple purchase, download, install, and authorize procedure.

• Attractive, two size interface.

• Useful presets that serve as an excellent starting point for tweaking.

• Responsive knobs and buttons.

• Nine routing options.

• Easy to read, accurate meter.

• Well-written manual (although I find haphazard experimentation more fun).

• Extreme versatility.

• Stable.

• CPU friendly.

• Great price.

• Bold, creative developer.

OTHER THOUGHTS

• What on earth does the term "Devastor" mean? These cats are inventing their own English words, and oddly they seem to make sense to me. LOL.

• More presets, please.

SUMMARY
Devastor-2 takes the concept of distortion to a new level by providing unprecedented flexibility and control. This plugin can do so much; it's applications are virtually endless. At first, I was surprised by the versatility of this "distortion" unit, but I really shouldn't have been. All of D16 Group's releases are high quality and come with surprising features. They also come with unique names and an affordable price tag. I highly recommend this plugin to any eMusician, producer, film and game score, DJ, or sound designer looking for a multi-band distortion unit that can do a lot more to enhance tracks. Tommy Zai gives Devastor-2 two definite thumbs up. Thank you, D16 Group, for developing another audio plugin gem.

INTRO
Echobode by Sonic Charge is an enjoyable, inspiring, and unique delay effect that features a frequency shifter inside a feedback loop, which creates an array of inharmonic overtones and dreamlike timbres. There's something about the look, virtual feel, and sound that make this hybrid delay a joy to launch. As with all Sonic Charge plugins, Echobode is extremely versatile and capable of producing sounds that range from solid sounds to pure sonic insanity. As a result, this delay unit can be an everyday effect for chorus, delay, flange, gate, phase, tremolo, ring modulation, etc. This delay can also be used and abused for the occasional sprinkle of madness. I found this plugin useful for any and all tracks, but especially rhythms and atmospherics.

Under the hood revs an engine that goes way beyond a delay with a bit of freq shifting. The shifter, along with the delay, phase, and filter can all be modulated with a user selected LFO that is outputting through various waveforms and shapes, including: sine, saw, square, and random shaped. There is something called a Smear Control that displaces the phases of the signal spectrum through a series of all-pass delays with a range of 0 to 121 milliseconds. And most importantly, at least for EDM, it can all (globally or independently) be synced to tempo. The power of this little delay unit makes experimentation fun; yet, with great power comes great responsibility — I created some really cool effects, but also made a big mess. I highly advise using or tweaking presets until you master Echobode, unless of course you get your kicks living on the edge. ;-)

PROS
• Easy purchase, download, install, and authorize.
• Neat, clean, attracting, inspiring, one-window interfaces.
• Easy to use knobs and toggle switches.
• Excellent algorithms that yield an accurate delay and impressive sounds.
• Amazing presets (200+).
• Small footprint.
• CPU friendly (for most patches)
• Bargain price.
• Innovative, responsive developers.

CONS
• It doesn't shine shoes or take out the trash (sorry, I couldn't find any cons).

SUMMARY
I'm a big fan of Sonic Charge, and Echobode is a fine addition to their collection, which also includes: Bitspeek, Microtonic, Permut8, and Synplant. Like it's siblings, Echobode boast sonic capabilities that range from subtle to severe, making it an extremely versitile audio software offering. To quote another reviewer,"[Echobode] is a Swedish-Army Knife for Interesing Audio Effects." After a few week's of noodling and recording, it's hard to disagree with that statement. Therefore, I highly recommend this plugin to virtually anyone working with virtual audio. Tommy Zai gives Echobode two frequency-shifted thumbs up in perfect time. Thank you, Sonic Charge, for creating another exciting plugin and selling it at an affordable price.

For more info: https://soniccharge.com/echobode

Disclaimer: I own the software, but not the dedicated controller. I heard the hardware is really cool. There's something to be said about beating on something, but I am not able or qualified to comment on that at this time.

INTRO
Spark by Arturia is an epic virtual drum production workstation featuring smooth sequencing capabilities, powerful synthesis engines, and a really big sound library that contains a multiple genre variety of kits including solid emulations of all the great vintage drum machines and modules. This software is truly a power house. It can do so much, and does it so well. I'm not usually a fan of hybrid workstations and DAWs and other packages that do "everything." In general, I prefer separate components, but in this case, I'm happy to make an exception and embrace the convenience of having it all under one eight-page hood (Main, Sequencer, Song, Studio, Modular, Mixer, Library and Prefs). Spark delivers power, control, performance, and flexibility. Creating custom kits is no problem and user samples can be loaded in the Studio Page. Users can choose between samples, synthesis (physical modeling, TAE Analog emulation), or file import. Tools are available to create new sounds via the Modular Page. There are many performance features, including an X/Y pad for in vivo editing and triggering various assigned parameters.

It's a snap to sequence patterns and construct them into a song is a snap via the Song Page. There are two sequencer modes — step sequencer (with Roland-esq running lights) or live recording. Tracks are selected with a dial. There are 16 tracks with 64 steps. Like any well-thought out, well-designed audio software, Spark has many little features that are revealed along the way as you dive in, e.g., If you dig the first half of a pattern you create and want to repeat it for the second half, you simply increase the number in the sequencer toolbar and voila! MIDI drag and drop along with perfect clock sync create a perfect union between Spark and DAW.

PROS
• Sharp-looking, futuristic, well-organized interface.
• Deep sound and programming with a moderately shallow learning curve (for anyone who has a little drum machine experience).
• Convenient and intuitive preset management (loaded via library window).
• Fast bank changing.
• Considerable tweakability, especially for sound designers who venture into the Modular page.
• Responsive virtual pads, sliders, knobs, dials, and X/Y pad.
• Easy automation programming.
• Live FX pad and effects buttons to change the sounds in real time.
• Ability to mix and match instruments to build own kits via Studio Page.
• Powerful integration of sample, physical modeling, synthesis, and imported audio files.
• Solid mixer.
• Reliable and stable. It has never crashed or froze on me.
• Useful manual is written clearly and thick, but probably not needed.
• Nicely priced.
• Firmware updates add new kits.
• Helpful forum community support.
• Authentic, enthusiastic developer team with a proven track record of providing top quality software (and hardware).

CONS
• Preset patterns could be better.
• 16 sounds per kit may not be enough for some projects.
• Limited editing of imported audio files.
• Requires a strong CPU to maintain zero lag.
• I've never been a fan of blips, beeps, bass, and synth sounds in a drum machine, but some users may find a use for them.

SUMMARY
Spark is a monumental beat-making monster. It has a timeless analog flavor with all the convenience, flexibility, and possibilities that digital has to offer. For musicians and alike who want to work quickly — it can be fast and easily satisfying. For sound designers who want to get under that hood and tinker — it can be exciting and rewarding. To quote another,"If you are looking for an awesome drum machine plug-in, and not a more generic sampling tool, then the Spark is for you!" If you dig a variety of electronic drums, Spark undoubtedly offers something for you; yet, if you're exclusively looking for a "real" live, acoustic drum vibe, I would suggest looking at the other options out there. The same is true if you are exclusively into synthesis or sampling. However, if you want a monster hybrid that can shake your walls — look no further! It looks and behaves enough like the old vintage gear to make you nostalgic, and has all the ultra modern enhancements to keep you excited. I highly recommend this beast to any eMusician, producer, film and game scorer, DJ, sound designer, etc., who is looking for an amazing array of drum machine features and sounds. I tip my hat (if I had a hat) to Arturia for developing such a fine piece of audio software. I recommend buying as part of the V-Collection and never looking back.

Disclaimer: I would love to give an overview of each plugin in this bundle, but my girl would probably strangle me before I fully demoed, researched, and reviewed plugin #20. I'm simply not man enough to risk my life, not even for this fine collection. Therefore, for reasons of self-preservation, I will merely provide an overall summary. — Tommy Zai

Intro
The VIP Bundle by Plug & Mix features 45 unique plugins that each have their own function, character, and design. They range from high-end rack emulations to pedals and vintage gear. The price per plugin ratio is insane. To quote another reviewer," It's an absolute steal." The purchase, download, install, and authorization process is straightforward and simple. They do not require an iLok or other protection devices. Upon launch, I immediately noticed The GUIs are inviting, inspiring, and look slick. Each plugin has it's own special flavor. I know this is about audio, but I'm a visual guy and write, record, and produce music with all my senses. Everything about these plugins are user-friendly and great-sounding. The simple, yet powerful concept reminds me a little of the Waves One Knob series, but more extensive and affordable.

I spent two days randomly loading plugins from the bundle, trying them out on basses, drums, guitars, vocals, effects, etc. I started off checking out the factory presets, using them as a foundation for my knob twisting madness. The sound is excellent and most of the plugins seemed to have zero or near zero latency. There is a wide range of CPU load, but most are light. The sound sculpting possibilities in this bundle are limitless.

A Little Extra About One Plugin Found In This Bundle: The LS-Rotator is an authentic and stunning emulation of a Leslie cabinets and loudspeaker with some cool twists. For example, the spread slider for stereo image width control is a fine addition. Many years ago owned a 147 and a Neo Ventilator. From what I remember, LS-Rotator is sonically close enough to the original with a zero physical footprint and no intermittent crackle and hum. There are other Leslie simulation plugins out there, and I own a couple of them. This one is not the deepest, but it's simple, fun to use, and sounds great. LS-Rotator is perfect for creating that early to mid-Beatles vocal sound — just a touch of rotary movement can bring extra life to anything you run through it, especially the human voice! It's also excellent for keys, guitars, and of course — the John Lennon vocal sound, which is often my goal.

Next Up On My List ... After a brief noodling, Vinylizer is calling me. I'm a vintage vibe junky and a plugin that is capable of producing vinyl record surface sounds is worth of more attention. The factory presets are very creatively designed and named. Another noteworthy plugin that deserves more attention is Clarisonix, which is a powerful, low-end booster. Mini-Magnetic saturator, Cool-vibe, and so on.

Pros
• Simple install process.
• Fantastic interfaces.
• Many unique, intuitive, single purpose, usable plugins.
• freeDOM! This word comes to mind for no specific reason.
• High quality algorithms.
• Useable presets.
• Someone mentioned the knobs and sliders being a bit fiddly, but I found the majority of them to be highly responsive and easy to dial-in values.
• 64-bit and supports all formats (not all AAX, but several).
• No need for a manual.
• Up to five computers may be authorized.
• No iLok or other annoying protection devises are needed.
• Cool, responsive developer. They seem to listen to user's comments and suggestions and then update and/or add what the user's want.
• Unbelievable price per plugin ratio (Today, that's just over $5 per plugin). And, the series is growing and growing along with registered user's initial investment — The collection began with 20 plugins and now have 45.
• All future updates and additions are free of charge to registered users. You pay once, and that's it! These guys don't milk users dry.

Cons
• If you have a full-featured DAW and some 3rd party plugins, there will undoubtedly be some overlap; yet, even if you only use ten, twenty, or thirty of these fine plugins I feel it's well worth the price.
• I'm not sure if all of the plugins are zero or near zero latency, and if not, I'm hopeful that the developer takes notice and action.
• Limited ability to tweak, due to streamlined approach. I personally consider this a Pro, but some might yearn for more tweak-ability.
• Interface is fixed, not scalable.

Summary
For me, it's all about the workflow — having a simple, yet powerful set-up that supports my creativity instead of getting in the way. At first I was a little overwhelmed and worried about how this bundle would fit into my collection. It didn't take long for me to come up with an efficient plan. I will continue to use a few of my cherished workhorse plugins for their respective effects, and everything else will come from this bundle! The fact that P&M will add to the collection makes it that much more exciting and valuable to me. If you are like me — an eMusician, producer, sound designer, etc., who is looking for an affordable high quality arsenal of plugins, I highly recommend the VIP Bundle by Plug & Mix. At the very least, this is an unbelievable supplemental set that will fill in any holes you have in your wall of effects. Tommy Zai gives this collection 45+ thumbs up. Thank you P&M for all you do and how well you do it.

"The look, sound, and simplicity of these plugins make me feel like I'm using an otherworldly rack of effects that are begging to be chained together for endless sound designing." — Tommy Zai (quoting myself like a madman)

Note: I would like to rate this collection a 9.5, but that's not an option, so it's a 10.

http://www.stagecraftsoftware.com/products/addictionsynth/.

Intro
Addiction Synth by Stagecraft Software is a simple, super sounding subtractive virtual instrument. The interface is inviting, not intimidating. All the features are streamlined to deliver power without complication. It's easy to use, yet surprisingly versatile and sonically deep. Scanning the presets reveals a surprising tonal array, ranging from digital clarity to analog thickness. It gives a lot of sound for a little price.

Pros
• Clean Interface that is graphically pleasing and functional.
• Straightforward workflow for tweaking.
• Attractive, convenient spectrum display that reveals programming adjustments graphically in real-time.
• Shallow learning curve — user friendly — simple — intuitive.
• Usable presets.
• Small footprint.
• Stable.
• CPU friendly.
• Enthusiastic, responsive developer.
• Sweet Price.

Cons
• Naming a SUBtractive synth ADDiction may seem odd to some. I found a few interesting re-name suggestions on Synthtopia, including,"SUBiquitous" and "SUBmission."
• Not fully-featured, but isn't that part of its charm?
• More, more, more factory presets/patches. Hopefully a 3rd party develops a bank or two.
• Standalone version?

Summary
Addiction Synth by Stagecraft Software is simple, yet powerful virtual synth that is being sold at a bargain price. I highly recommend this plugin to anyone looking to learn subtractive synthesis — Yes, I think this would be an excellent "learner's synth." According to the developer,"This synth is designed to let you see exactly how a synth is built." Addiction Synth would also be useful for just about any eMusician, who needs a solid basic synth that is easy to program and sounds great. Tommy Zai gives Addiction Synth two handy thumbs up. Thank you, Stagecraft Software, for designing this little gem.

I'm a big fan of D16 Group and was thrilled to add this effects plugin to my collection. After several hours of noodling, I was inspired to write a little user review. My writing style reads a bit like an ad, but hopefully you find my findings useful. — Tommy Zai

INTRO
Antresol by D16 Group is an accurate digital audio effects plugin re-incarnation of the legendary Electric Mistress flanger stomp box. I never personally owned or used the original analogue pedal, but my guitarist abused that thing back in the early 80s. Every time his foot clicked that button I knew that some cool filtering sweeps were on the way, and the tone was not lost in the mix, whether live or recorded. Antresol delivers everything the original offered. The only thing missing is having a button to physically step on. Otherwise, it's all there, plus some useful added features, including: Access to the on-PCB trimpots, a fully controllable LFO, stereo channel delinking, etc. For vintage purists, D16 has included a "Mistress Mode," which scales back the parameters to the original specs of the hardware model.

Although flangers of this nature have traditionally been used by guitarists, many eMusicians, producers, etc. (including myself) have found them to be extremely useful for synth lines and even drum loops. I dig the psychedelic sound, and a flanger is often one of my key ingredients. Actually, when used tastefully, I think a flanger can bring almost any kind of track to life by creating a subtle sweeping wave of movement. It can also be used in its extreme to create cool effects for a sustained hit or for breaks. One of the problems with hardware stomp boxes is the inherent noise. They usually have an unwanted cycling hum and are easily affected by the surrounding electromagnetic field. With Antresol, the tone is all there, but it's delivered with clarity regardless of how close your computer is to a fluorescent tube or lamp.

FAVORITE FEATURES
• Easy to install and authorize.
• User friendly interface.
• Shallow, if any, learning curve.
• Great preset collection.
• Sounds great — lush and smooth and has all the "luxuriously harmonious interacting resonances" of the original.
• CPU efficient.
• Stable and Reliable.
• Innovative developer.
• Good price.

OTHER THOUGHTS
• D16 always gives their software the most original names, which leads to my questions — What does "Antresol" mean?
• Bucket Brigade Device circuitry — Ah ha! After some research, I figured out what this is and how it helps.**
• Presets are excellent, and at the risk of being greedy — I hope future updates include even more.
• The blue/red version the Electric Mistress featured a "Filter Matrix mode" that allowed users to freeze it at any point in the flange, offering distinctive chime-like tones. Does Antresol have this feature? If not, I hope it's considered for future releases.
• I don't' know much about the engineering behind audio gear circuitry, but the "quasi-analog signal representation throughout" successfully emulates the original, physical circuit.

SUMMARY
D16 Group has a long history of successfully bringing classic analog gear back-to-life, and like their other offerings, Antresol is right-on and stands on its own — emulation or not! It is warm and powerful like the hardware model, but with the added benefits of the modern musical production era and some bonus features. I highly recommend this classic flanger to any modern musician, producer, sound designer, film and game scorer, DJ, etc., who is looking for that vintage filtering swirl. Tommy Zai gives Antresol two sweeping thumbs up. Thank you, D16, for reviving this timeless effect and adding it to your SilverLine Collection.

BOTTOM LINE/CUTTING OUT THE FAT
Antresol is a really cool digital re-creation of a famous flanger stomp box, delivering everything the original offered and much more for just over $40. If you dig a timeless flanger that has been flawlessly re-animated, I think it's worth checking out the demo.

*Our guitarist was a huge fan of David Gilmour, Todd Rundgren, and Andy Summers of the Police, who each used the iconic flanger stomp box extensively.

**https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucket-brigade_device

Intro

Hexonator by Sinevibes is a unique spectral effect plugin for Mac that turns input audio into harmonies. It's capable of chord progressions, evolving textures, unexpected chordal arps, etc. The chord sequencer gives you up to 32-steps, with some additional control, i.e., shuffle, glide, etc. It works its magic via a group of six tuned Resonators (hence the prefix "Hex") that isolate and separates the input audio frequency, allowing some amazing, and often surprising, tonal shaping. Hexonator works wonders on running basslines and drum loops — the harmonic chordal sequences range from organically smooth to otherworldly.

Favorite Features

• Clean Interface with pleasing colors.
• Inspiring workflow.
• Creative, musical, and fun.
• Nice filter options.
• Useful presets.
• 64-bit.
• Stable — no crashes or validation issues.
• CPU Friendly.
• Great price.
• Enthusiastic, responsive, innovative developer.

Summary

Hexonator is not a standard effect plugin; however, it is really, really cool and will certainly find its way onto many of my upcoming tracks. Experimentation often leads to newfound inspiration or a mess of madness — A little Hex can go a long way. It's quite musical! I highly recommend Hexonator to any eMusican, producer, film and game scorer, DJ, sound designer, etc., who is looking for something special to rejuvenate a lifeless track. Tommy Zai gives Hexonator six thumbs up — It does exactly what it claims and does it well, hence 10/10. Thank you, Sinevibes, for adding this deadly plugin to your arsenal of audio weaponry.