Product Reviews by KVR Members

Hands down the best Mellotron emulator I've tried. Not only did it meet my expectations, but it blew them away with: Every tape library made for the Mellotron, the ability to edit your own tape frames, deep control of keyboard layers, a collection of built in HQ effects, and a delightfully retro interface that is easy to learn. Hate sounding like a fanboy, but Arturia always gives 110%.

Companies vary, but Arturia ALWAYS seems to produce tools that are far above the competition and this instrument is no different. Unsurpassed sound quality, deep sound engineering to create an easy to use and luscious sounding vst. All controls can be automated, there's a diverse selection of presets, and it's stable and reliable. They have never disappointed and these analog/digital augmented tools are full of creative inspiration. Strongly recommend any of the Augmented series of Arturia plugs, really any Arturia plug.

Lovely soft and malleable string ensemble instrument. Though not usually a fan of Kontakt instruments, this was a nice surprise. If you're looking for ambient to mildly tense soft "strings", it should do well. Minimal controls actually allow for a fair range of different tones and textures by adding a few unusual features like "atmosphere" and mic placement. It won't replace your giant symphonic strings, but for soft and ambient strings it gives quick and good results.

Incredibly configurable bit-crushing with fine granular control of parameters and infused with easy controls to automate the randomization/modulation. A+ Top shelf. I've used this in production for a couple years and it's worked beautifully every time.

Sometimes a widening function on a mastering compressor or equalizer is good enough. This is for when they aren't. It virtually never fails, is quite easy to use and gives some very useful extras like Mono-folding bass frequencies, phase controls, as well as input and output gain control. Compared to other stereo wideners, it's just better.

The best LA-2A plug-ins I've found. Mostly due to the phenomenal design of the original hardware and the faithful emulation here. If you haven't tried using LA-2As in your production (cause you're living under a rock?), definitely pick this up or pick up a UAD Spark subscription. Nearly transparent, Easy to set, just makes things sound louder and better with minimal fuss.

This can really add punch and character to drums because of the half speed processing. Haven't used it for other content but it's easy to use and is an excellent tool for shaping the overall sound.

This is really excellent for adding and controlling room reverb by using a modelled version of the actual old school "echo chambers" at Capitol Records. Easy to use and highly configurable. I've used it to add great nuance to instruments and sometimes entire tracks when a "roomy" vibe was needed.

I've been using this from a UAD Spark sub and I'm afraid to tell people how incredible it is. In addition to being a faithful repro of the Capitol records sound, it's easy and fast to use with a quality of sound few compressors have. UADs video tut covers the basics in just a couple of minutes. It's really the best mastering compressor I've found.

I agree with the reviewers who say that Plex is under-rated. I've used this synth and produced what I consider fantastic results. I'll also say there's some truth that the high end sounds piddley and that the synth is overall tinny. HOWEVER, with a simple tilt EQ and a tiny bit of compression, the signal becomes wide and alive. I've always viewed the thinness as being due to the lack of compression the synth applies in it's processes, where many synths ladle it on. This makes sense to me because orchestral instruments don't react well to being smashed with compression. The real excitement with Plex is that it has a totally unique approach to sound design. Instruments are divided into four components which may be mixed at your will. How about an instrument that's the high spectrum from a violin, with the lower spectrum of a pipe organ, and the filter characteristics and amplitude envelope of a choir? Wild combos are possible. Worth a download if you are into exploring new sounds.