Product Reviews by KVR Members

What a great concept and sound. Really special. A keeper. Better than the competition. And smart, using algos from your other plugins. But, WTF, no mix knob? I am sorry Arturia, and Mr. Superstar Producer, but I don't care how special you think your new plugin might be, I still like to be able to dial in more or less. No, those tiny knobs called 'level' and 'dry' aren't enough (you made them so small so no one would use 'em?) And this won an award? Is anyone on KVR using their actual brains? Or is it just a never-ending drip feed of 'more' and 'new'? Arturia and I go back to 2004, so yeah, I can kvetch. Put a mix knob on this, and I will scream about Mix DRUMS from the rooftops. Until then, I'll stick to Fuel. That has a mix knob.

PS I know how a lot of people (especially younger folk) like to use plugins, so stay away from the presets until you've figured out what the different sections are actually doing. Start with the initial preset and tweak from there. Otherwise you'll spend hours turning your drums into oatmeal. Because there is NO MIX KNOB.

The future is here! Nope, not hyperbole. When you're done futzing with six different EQs (often on one channel), you can demo Equalizer (that name though - they should've called it 'Heavenly Tones' or something) and thank me later. Seriously, set it and forget it. Sounds great, gets the low and mid mud out immediately, and while I am not crazy about the nodes, they do make sense. Maybe some way to add intensity to the effect (say, if I need to cut even more). Another suggestion would be to add a low/high pass filter so nothing else is needed! Please and thank you. Some more skins would be nice too. For me, this makes more sense and does more than Gullfoss. Frankly, using this made me 'get' Gullfoss, but that is more a testament to how well made and logical Equalizer is compared to that beast. And while this version doesn't use all that much CPU, it could be made more efficient still. Trackspacer changed the game once, but this understated plugin has the potential to truly move things forward, without having to stare at GUIs from 50 years ago. Brilliant stuff, Jesus and team. I also want to compliment Cassette (I love it as a finisher but it needs some updates), and Spectre - up there with the GOATS.

Launched to a lot of hype (mostly YouTubers) and then? Well, I can tell you it's very nice on bass, vocals, drums, and for that extra spice, even the master. BUT, do NOT use negative Hi-Shape or Lo-Shape values on 'pristine' sources or it will seriously fuck up your audio. Not ONE reviewer bothered to describe the behavior of these innocuous and badly named sliders. Neither does Baby Audio. So you're welcome. If BA had added some sort of visualizer...that would've helped, but really, why have 'em in the first place? Or if you are going to, why not think about how the end user is going to perceive and use those settings? As an EQ basically, right? So, what happens when I turn down the bass on my EQ? Does my kick drum turn to diarrhea? Nope. While they generally make some very intuitive plugins (Tekno is genius, Smooth Operator Pro is gold!), this one confuses me. V2.0 with better controls (or even some sort of 'well this is why we put this here') should ensure that this has legs beyond it's initial 'premier week' on YouTube. It's a very simple, and a very elegant sounding plugin; those two settings just play spoilsport.

Great sound engine. Not the greatest work flow. They need an update to bring the GUI into the future. The UX design of the mid 2020s is leaps and bounds beyond what was fashionable when this came out (just look at things like Gullfoss and the new Serum). It definitely sounds very Virus-y and has some tasty presets, but it needs a visual overhaul. It's more of a preset player for me, because it's just never all that clear what is going on. Make it more fun and inviting to play, and you'll attract a whole new generation of enthusiasts. I love the AI preset feature. Now that's more like it. Bring this thing into the future.

Sounds really nice, but looks a bit shit. I dunno why GForce (that name makes me think of a video card - the 90s want their names back), make these delightful sounding synths and then dress them up in eye-wateringly bad GUIs. Then they make you wait 10 years for an update. Who designs your GUIs? The alien from ALF? Either the fonts are hard to read, or they're blurry or too big or too small. Goofy is the only way to describe them. ImpOscar 3 is another mess. I get that you're trying to clone 50 year old synths, but must you clone the badly used real estate too?

Hardware synths were big and bulky; designed around the electronics they housed. What electronics are inside a Minimonsta? We waited years for an update - and its still ugly. Oddity 3 has great pad sounds but makes me want to get an eye test. Did someone rub cooking grease on the fonts? Oddity 2 was a mess, but I could at least see what was on screen. Fix your GUIs, or have someone who knows what they're doing work on them. Or ask Softube to make 'em for you. Look at their Minimoog. Or even their SH101. Class. Frankly, I think this brand mostly coasted off the reviews in that silly Computer Music magazine (everything got 9s and 10s). Most of us serious folk have moved on. Who has time to stare at badly designed plugins just to get at some presets. PS, GForce, your original Minimonsta presets were designed around the Melohman concept, basically morphing presets. So why did you leave those presets in, but now there's only one variation? Some might think I am nitpicking, but as one of their earliest adopters, I think I've earned the right to kvetch a little. GUI design is now leaps and bounds ahead of what GForce is doing. Now that FM synth, that's more like it.

The cure for analysis paralysis. If you're anything like me, you already have six of the greatest buss compressors ever (sometimes from the same company - but I thought your last compressor was the 'ultimate'?), nine of the 'silkiest' EQs, a dozen 'magical' black boxes (sometimes literally called that), and at least a couple of mysterious 'I don't know what it does but I think I want it' finishers. And yet, you're not really finishing, are you? Now swallow (that's an unintentional double double entendre) your pride, and just use Master Plan.

What is it? A combination of clipping, limiting, EQ, saturation and compression with expertly selected curves and dips to help us focus on finishing those masters. That combination is best in class, and up there with a specialized plugin that only does one thing. The difference? Speed, efficiency, and CPU cycles. Take my typical mastering chain with a 'smoother', an EQ (sometimes two), a glue-y compressor, an enhancer, AND an analyzer. A complex multichannel track of the kind I like to produce would, after piling on the six mastering processors, put the CPU at an eye melting 80% sometimes - and this is a brand new pooter. Master Plan not only brings that troublesome CPU read down, it also makes it far easier to make a quick tweak (let's say your mix ended up being a bit too warm - turn down the bass) than if you were faffing around with half a dozen plugins and their dozens of settings.

It's just faster.

Could you come up with dips and cuts targeting problematic frequencies on an EQ, set up a compressor to glue things together, introduce a tape/saturator for that extra warmth, and add a clipper/limiter to turn things up past 11? Sure. But, if you're more music producer than engineer (and I know more about the latter than most, and I still don't love it), aren't you always just a wee bit worried that you're doing too much? I know I am. And while I haven't always trusted an engineer's choice of frequencies (presets if you will), when you think about it any time you send off your final mix to a mastering wizard, isn't that what he/she is doing? Using a bunch of dips and curves he/she has over the years decided would work best to warm/de-harsh your mix?

When you think about it that way, Master Plan is kinda brilliant. You have everything you need to get things cooking, without spoiling the broth. Yes, a 75 band 'mastering grade' EQ will give you more control but sometimes (oftentimes actually), limitations breed creativity. In my case I just had way too many options and my long gestating album was still, well, gestating. This baby needs to come out, and that's where Master Plan came in. It gave me the confidence to commit, and helped mitigate my paranoia (did I boost too much at that 'Air' frequency, or not enough - you know who you are). Now my eyes no longer water when I look at, or even think about, my mastering chain. For the price, that alone is worth the investment.

Some advice for newcomers: forget about mastering altogether (at least when you start), and focus on your mix. All my magical mastering tools that I've collected over the years need not be retired, but put to use on mixing busses. A well mixed punchy production often doesn't need too much at the end. Think of mastering as the garnish; it's only as good as your cooking/mixing. The 'garam masala' if you will. A bad steak drowned in A1 sauce is still a rough bite to eat.

Master Plan makes a solid mix pop. And it makes it pop without overdoing it, procrastinating or fear. This will be my third album and when I think of where my focus was in those first two, it was mixing first and mastering second. The approach at the latter stage, however, was minimalist: an EQ and a limiter/compressor. When I thought about how I was able to finish two commercially released and fairly well received records without things like 'resonance suppression' and 'spectral compression', it made me wonder if I was going a bit mad with all this choice. Master Plan was as much a return to the classics, as much as it is a revolutionary step forward. It takes me back to all those times when technology got out of the way of creativity. I couldn't be more grateful for an all in one box that makes sense, and doesn't compromise on the things that matter most: sound, clarity and loudness.

There are a few other do it all boxes out there, but nothing has impressed me as much as this. It's the Finalizer of the the future.