Product Reviews by KVR Members

*Disclaimer: I'm a songwriter, producer, and educator. My writing style may read like a billboard ad, but my user review is sincere and authentic. I only appraise a product I consider extraordinary, hence the high rating. I don't work for the developer. In fact, I rarely work at all. :-) I hope you find my review useful. — Tommy Zai

Sasquatch Kick Machine by Boz Digital Labs really does "give you complete control over the sound of your kick drums." I expected to be able to make slight adjustments in clickiness and boominess, but I never imagined such a deep level of bass drum manipulation. It's hard to resist turning the knobs (click+oomph+direct) and/or scrolling through the extensive list of presets to transform a boring kick into something otherworldly. Deeper editing is available to control the tone. Users have a choice of tweaking, enhancing (blending new sounds with kick or snare), or their replacing kick. There is an easy to read meter and a compare button to. .. well, compare your efforts with the original audio. During my demoing I experienced ZERO latency and ZERO mis-triggers.

LIKES

• Simple, pleasant GUI.
• Fast results (once you wrap your head around the whole concept).
• Serious deep end possibilities.
• CPU friendly.
• No samples, all synthesis largely based off the incoming kick data.
• Tutorials available online.
• Responsive, enthusiastic developer.

THOUGHTS

• Imagine if Sasquatch had separate modules that could also work magic on snares, toms, hats, cymbals, etc.
• Use sparingly unless you are looking for an extreme sound.
• Limited by the incoming signal. You can only do so much with a bad sample.
• The name "Sasquatch" is difficult to spell.

CONCLUSION

Sasquatch is an excellent plugin for designing and redesigning kick. Whether you are trying to clean up the attack, beef up the boom, or totally reshape your kick — this will do the job and more. This plugin is a MYSTERIOUS MONSTER kick machine! I highly recommend Sasquatch to any eMusician, producer, audio gamer, DJ, etc., working in any genre from 60s to folk to jingles to metal to alternative to industrial to electro and beyond. Tommy Zai gives Sasquatch two earth-shaking stomps on the floor. Thank you Boz Digital Labs for creating such a useful and powerful plugin.

* I have also had the pleasure of experimenting with BAZZism by ISM, and I do NOT see these products as directly competing. Yes, they both are kick drum plugins, but IMO they have different strengths, applications, and compliment each other wonderfully. My recommendation. .. get both and never look back!

MMultiBandChorus by MeldaProduction is much more than a basic chorus effect. For the price, basic was all I was expecting. The launch page is simple to understand and use, but ugly. Yet, I quickly created a nice, sweet-sounding, analog-ish, thick chorus with a touch of saturation, and with the turn of one of the four big knobs I extended the modulation into a tight slapback delay. MMBC has all the familiar parameter controls like rate, width, dry/wet, etc. I would have been satisfied if that's all it did. In truth, a basic chorus effect was all I wanted and all I thought I needed. Things changed! I was pleasantly surprised to discover the advantages of using two, three, or even six bands to effect specific frequencies — not just by modulating them into something a little wider, but by increasing the voices, applying LFO shapes, low-/high-pass filter, saturating, stereo spread, .

PROS:

• Simple to use via easy page (knobs, column of features, and a meter).
• Deep controls via edit page with visually addressable multiparameters.
• Resizable GUI.
• Nice array of presets, some standard and some experimental.
• Randomize button to generate new settings ? click, click, click and eventually you stumble upon something fantastic.
• Lots of bands and each can be soloed or muted.
• Super price, especially if part of Melda's bundle.
• Lifetime free updates (VERY nice for us working poor).

CONS:

• Ugly GUI.
• Like any versatile effect that has a deep level of controls — use wisely and sparingly to avoid creating a jumbled-up mess — unless that is the sound you're after! J.
• As expected, some of the more advanced setting tax CPU.
• There are six great algorithms, but I'm greedy and want more.

CONCLUSION

MMBC is everything a chorus modulation effect is supposed be, plus a bunch of other cool things — it has built-in bonus features that are hard to mix without once you use them. If used wisely, vocal tracks will sound lush. If used wildly, synth tracks (especially pads and atmospherics) will sound otherworldly. I highly recommend this chorus effect plugin to any eMusician, audio producer, sound designer, DJ, etc. for any style of music or sound. All the chorus modulation options are there for any desire usage from pop to ambient to glitch and beyond. I give MMultiBandChorus a thick smile.

MMultiBandLimiter by MeldaProduction is a brickwall limiter that pushes the limit by adding some tasty flavor. During my research, I discovered many plugins that could make music louder, but this one goes much further by increasing sound character and quality without adding a lot of unwanted goo. It not only raises the volume level, it also improves the sonic quality of a track by adding analogue-type saturation and balancing the spectrum. MMBL has a streamlined interface that features a basic page with four big knobs (drive, distortion, squash, master), a column of options (maximizers, number of bands), and an easy-to-read meter. Advanced features and micro editing are found on a secondary edit page, including one of my favorites — spectral smoothing. I wish I could trust my ears to smooth things out, but I'm a visual person. With this plugin I can see the music loudness levels and that really helps me sound design, track, mix, and master.

PROS:

• Bi-level interface with a simple mode and advanced "edit" mode.
• Randomization, which helps generate new parameters.
• Safety limiter to prevent unwanted spikes and distortion.
• MIDI learn.
• Easy preset management.
• Lifetime free updates.

CONS:

• Militeristic, unattractive GUI.

CONCLUSION

When I'm on-the-fly with sparks shooting off my fingers and smoke coming out of my ears I can quickly and easily turn those big fat knobs until I get the desired results. And, when I'm fine-tuning, I can go to the edit page and tweak to make precise adjustments. This limiter is easy to use, powerful, and sounds great! What more could I ask for? It's priced fairly, and is a steal if purchased as part of a bundle. I highly recommend MMultiBandLimiter to any eMusician, producer, or sound designer, who is looking for a limiter that does more than make things louder. I give MMultiBandLimiter two unlimited thumbs up.

MModernCompressor from MeldaProduction is a really easy to use, yet powerful compressor. According to Melda,"It's like a simplified version of MDynamics." I have found this to be true, and in many cases when I am ultra-creatively inspired and working fast, I opt to launch the little brother — MModern for quick results. The interface is not the prettiest, but it does accelerate the workflow. Although MMC does not feature Melda's four-knob basic interface, it is neatly organized and easy to manipulate. The parameters are familiar and the learning curve, if any, is slight, i.e., gain reduction, output peak, loudness values, etc. However, what makes this simple little compressor unique is a level distribution graph, which enables users to set up the compressor parameters automatically. This is a very cool feature. I had a lot of fun squishing the %^& out of my bass and drum loops. Of course it works well on any and all frequencies and tracks — I just like squishing rhythm tracks to get more controlled punch.

PROS:

• Easy to use, but powerful.
• Minimal learning curve.
• Sounds great.
• Level follower.
• Safety limiter to prevent spikes and unwanted digital distortion.
• Extremely visual due to an amazing sonogram.
• Distribution graph.
• Easy preset management.
• Lifetime free updates.

CONS:

• GUI is a bit uninspiring.
• Limited features compared to other Melda offerings, but it's very easy to use and great sounding.

CONCLUSION

MModernCompressor is a perfect go-to plugin for getting what you need without wasting time. It's straightforward, but as with all Melda offerings, there is always an extra feature or two included to provide for extra creativity. It's being sold at a good price, and if you buy the bundle it's an amazing value. I highly recommend this plugin to any eMusician, producer, or sound designer in search of a simple, yet powerful solution to their virtual compressor needs. I give MMC two nicely squeezed thumbs up.

MSpectralDynamics by MeldaProduction is an intense processing plugin that has boundless capabilities. It can be used as a compressor, expander-maximizer, gate, or EQ, but also provides creative flexibility to be used in many other ways. The interface is intuitive and easy to get started via the main page, which features four big knobs, a column of parameters, and an easy-to-read meter. The edit page has advanced features that allow for complete control over the type, shape, and degree of processing.

I extensively demoed MSD for noise removal, repairing, and mastering. Once I realized that I was working with thousands of frequencies across an entire spectrum, (not on specific bands) possibilities opened up. .. I was able to isolate frequencies, draw frequencies, or make global sonic changes across the spectrum. De-essing is a dream! Instead of lowering the volume sibilant constants on a vocal track, you can spectrally compress the high points of the troubling frequency range that contained the vocal hisses. The result was a much cleaner and easier to listen to vocal track, free of lisps. Of course, other specific sounds can be reduced or enhanced, i.e., kick drum, hi hats, or even the entire vocals of a mix (more tricky, of course). Noise reduction, in general, is a strong point of this plugin.

PROS:

• Clean, scalable interface with a basic operations on main page and complex creative options on edit page.
• Capable of doing many things by working with specific frequencies.
• Smart randomization (great feature found in many Melda plugins).
• Safety limiter to prevent spikes/unwanted distortion.
• Fantastic sound quality — adjustable up-sampling (1-16x).
• Lifetime updates free.

CONS:

• Edit page has a moderate learning curve — does a lot, lots to learn.
• Unattractive IU.
• Would benefit from additional algorithms/profiles/patches for specific processing, i.e., targeting specific frequencies like a bass drum, hi hat/cymbals, etc.
• Latency is very minimal, but zero would be a welcome miracle.

CONCLUSION

MSpectralDynamics can do many, many things —it's an "all-in-one solution." However, there are a few dedicated processing plugins in Melda's bundle that can do specific tasks a little easier. Still, MSD is a powerful, addictive plugin that inspires creative approaches to dynamic processing. Considering all it does, the price is good, and if you are wise enough to buy the bundle — it's a steal! I give MSpectralDynamics a big, fat all-in-one thumb up.

MMultiBandHarmonizer by MeldaProduction is a unique multi-voice pitch shifting harmonizer. It is simple to use upon launching; yet, has a powerful advanced editing mode that allows the user to fine-tune harmonics in octaves, semitones, and cents. The interface is nicely arranged with a built in piano keyboard for tone selection, big knobs, meter, etc. Unfortunately, it's not very attractive. Still, MMBH makes experimenting fun, and with a little skill and ingenuity fantastic tracks are within reach. I added sub-harmonics to a few of my bland low-end tracks, and it really brought them to life. It also adds a new dimension to guitar leads, synths, orchestral by adding 3rds, 5ths, etc. When combined with modulation, the results can become hard to bypass.

PROS:

• Intuitive scalable GUI.
• Edit mode for deep adjustments.
• Chord generator and strumming.
• Pitch detector.
• Randomization.
• Modulation.
• Limiter to prevent unwanted spikes.
• Up-sampling.
• Sync to DAW or other host.
• MIDI learn.
• Price, especially if bought as part of the bundle.
• Lifetime updates.

CONS:

• Unattractive Interface.
• Could use more useful vocal presets.
• Need to use intelligently on vocals to preserve natural sound.

CONCLUSION

MMultiBandHarmonizer can help add a new dimension of perfectly tuned sonic material to recordings. It's a great tool for turning a thin lifeless synth or guitar track into something full and alive. Like other modulation effects, if used cleverly, it can work wonders on vocals by adding a subtle depth; however, if used recklessly it can create a chorus of demonic chipmunks. I highly recommend MMBH to any e-musician, producer, sound designer, DJ, etc., who is looking to add harmonic a refined depth to a track or an over-the-top special effect. Bang for the buck ratio is really good. I give MMultiBandHarmonizer two perfect octaves up.

MMultiBandGranular by MeldaProduction is a powerful resynthesis effects plugin that is capable of adding a variety of granular nuances (clouds) to audio tracks — from slight grit and grain enhancement to a complete morph into new sound. In the past, I needed to use one of my synth's limited granular features to achieve re-synthesis. Usually, the results were an out-of-tune mess that sounded like it was run through a meat grinder on pulse mode. This was okay when I was producing industrial music or creating sound FX, but not so good for dreamy, atmospheric songs. With MMultiBandGranular, I have complete control over the texture of the grains via twenty layers, six bands, and lots of modulation options (LFO, envelope generator, pitch-shifting, randomize, etc.). I can either chose to add a pinch of grain to fatten up my drums or fragment my guitar or vocals into micro pieces, and then stretch, modulate, and reassemble them into something otherworldly! But, my favorite thing about MMBG is this — it's very musical, like some sort of granular vocoder. I especially like using the scaled sequence, thirds, and power-chords.

PROS:

• Easy mode and presets for fast results (four big knobs, column of features, and a meter).
• Advanced editing mode for more complex work.
• Many modulation options.
• Pitch detector/auto tuner.
• Randomize feature, which often results in pleasantly unexpected grain reordering.
• Quality and resource control via up-sampling (1x – 16x).
• MIDI learn.
• Lifetime updates.

CONS:

• Ulilitarian GUI — efficient, but not very attractive or inspiring.
• Advanced edit mode will require extra patience and willingness to experiment to achieve desired result.

CONCLUSION

MMultiBandGranular is not a tool for everyone; however, it's very handy for designers, innovative e-musicians, and producers looking for a secret weapon. For the price, it's certainly worth having in your plugin folder. I am enjoying it, and at least 1/3 of my granular experimentations have resulted in something extraordinary. Hey, a .333 batting average is pretty good — good enough for me to justify the purchase, especially at the price they're selling it for. .. the bundles are an amazing deal. Thank you Melda for daring to be different and creating such a unique and enigmatic plugin. I give MMBG two grainy drumsticks up.

*I found a great article about granular synthesis by Eric Kuehnl.

http://www.erickuehnl.com/Writing/Entries/1995/12/5_Granular_Synthesis.html.

MStereoSpread by MeldaProduction helps make audio tracks more personal, but bringing sound "closer to the listener." At first I couldn't understand how a psychoacoustic delay-based pseudo stereo illusion could widen and tighten at the same time. It was a little hard for me to wrap my brain around. What helped me is this — I stopped thinking, listened to my newly spread tracks, and smiled at the results! When this effect is combined with the on-board saturator, the results rich and very natural sounding. When I bypass the effect, it feels like something is missing. In my opinion, MStereoSpread is like salt — a little pinch goes a long way to season a track. *I later came to understand that when the plugin is inserted on a track, the artificial stereo generators create an inequality between the L and R via a combination of frequency response, time, and volume.

PROS:

• Intuitive interface/clean GUI (not the prettiest, however).
• Easy to use. i.e., Spread controls amount of effect, Frequency controls what is modulated; etc.
• Good basic presets categories (drums, bass, piano, solo instruments, orchestra, voice).
• Goniometer enables excellent visual control.
• MIDI learn.
• Limiter to protect against volume spikes.
• Up-sampling (1x-16x).
• Lifetime free updates.

CONS:

• Requires a little patience to achieve the optimal widening and panorama balance.
• The more frequency bands that are split by the Spectral Generator = more CPU, of course. This needs to be kept in mind. Power needs energy.

CONCLUSION

According to Melda,"Modern listeners crave extremely tight and punchy sound." I'd say they are correct, but MSS does something else — it helps to create livelier tracks. I highly recommend MStereoSpread to any e-musician, producer, etc., who wants his/her track to feel more alive. Good price if purchased as an individual plugin; great price if purchased as part of a bundle. My ears and wallet are happy! I give MStereoSpread two hard-panned thumbs up.

MWobbler by MeldaProduction is an innovating distortion filter effect designed to produce dubstep-friendly wobbling bass lines. Initially, I questioned,"Why do I need this plugin? I'm not creating dubstep tracks. Am I collecting effects plugins for the sake of collecting, or is this something I really need and will use?" Then I demoed MWobbler. As soon as I ran an ambient ebow guitar line through the pad presets I knew I needed it! My simple and boring ebow sustain became an alluring rhythmic texture. I also had success creating a hypnotic auto-wah for another guitar riffs. MW is a surprisingly versatile effect. I had no problem making basic in-tempo wobbles using the uniquely named 200+ presets as a start point. I also found that I could go wild by opening up the edit page, which gave me complete control over all modulation.

PROS:

• Scalable interface with four big, fun-to-turn knobs, a column, and a meter.
• Simple and powerful while using multiparametric mode, but can go deep via edit mode.
• Nearly 100 filter types.
• Up-sampling (1-16x).
• Random button.
• Lifetime free updates.

CONS:

• Militeristic GUI.
• High CPU hit when using maximum up-sampling, but well worth it.
• A little tricky when processing stereo tracks — phases can occur.

CONCLUSION

MWobbler is a modulation plugin primarily designed to produce dubstep wobbling basses. It does that very well, but it also can be modified to creatively modulate many kinds of sounds. To quote another reviewer,"It goes way beyond your basic 'womp-womp' and 'wah-wah'." In short, this plugin will help to make your music move. I give MWobbler a steady two thumbs up.

*Note: MWobbler is also capable of a good rotary speaker effect, but nothing beats MVintageRotary for that Leslie sound.

MAutoDynamicEqualizer by MeldaProduction is painless way to adjust the bandwidths of audio tracks. A great mix is essential, and one of the most important aspects of a mix is the equalization. Visualization increases the user's comprehension of the audio material and enables track comparison, making precise parameter adjustments simple. You can load source EQ settings from a list of the genre categories (alternative, blues, country, rock, hip hop, funk, etc.). These genres have many predefined sub presets of well-known artists/songs; for example, Funk has Herbie Hancock, Maceo Parker, and Red Hot Chili Pepper. Or, you can draw your own and/or load your own saved presets. I also suspect this plugin could be used to help bring consistency to a collection of tracks or songs by establishing baseline equalization for frequencies.

PROS:

• Very visual (analyzer, sonogram, etc.).
• Easy to use in automatic or manual mode.
• Great sound quality.
• Zero latency.
• No resonance residue.
• Soft saturator feature on board.
• Limiter to prevent audio spikes.
• Up-sampling (1-4x).
• MIDI learn.
• Lifetime free updates.

CONS:

• The plugin is extremely visual, but the color scheme and overall appearance is not the prettiest.
• Would benefit from additional EQ algorithms.

CONCLUSION

MAutoDynamicEqualizer has quickly become an indispensable audio effects tool in my studio. It's easy to use, transparent, musical, and often magical. I highly recommend M.A.D.E. to anyone who mixes or sculpts sounds. It's a good value if purchased individually; it's an amazing value if purchased as part of a bundle. To quote another reviewer,"This EQ is a masterpiece." I give MAutoDynamicEqualizer two automatic thumbs up.