Get link Facebook X Pinterest Email Other Apps To scroll, use the sidebarDonateKattivik MusicBy Si Truss published 29 November 2024Some of our favourite plugins and bundles get a tidy discount at Plugin Boutique5 innovative synth plugins daring to do things differently By Stuart Adams published 2 July 2025Unconventional and creatively inspiring, these soft synths are pushing synthesis in bold new directions“Whether you’re looking to liven up a dull snare or beef up a lacklustre bass sound, these plugins are extremely handy”: Our resident platinum award-winning mixer and producer shares 10 of his go-to plugins By Jon Musgrave published 2 July 2025Our picks of the modern virtual tools that will transform any self-sustaining producer’s workflowWith up to 92% off plugins and software, Plugin Boutique just gave you the best excuse to upgrade your productionsBy Matt McCracken published 27 January 2025Cure your post-NAMM blues with a huge selection of discounted plugins from just $/£5"It's probably closer to the real hardware than anything out there": 5 of the coolest free plugins we discovered this monthBy Matt Mullen published 13 February 2025Our monthly round-up of free plugins continues with spherical synths, feline delays and a killer take on the Yamaha CS-80“Try this on drums, and you'll end up with something similar to a classic gated drum kit. Eat your heart out, Phil Collins!”: Our go-to plugins for adding flavour to soundsBy Roland Schmidt published 1 July 2025With so much processing available in modern DAWs, we take a look at some of the more left-field plugins and approaches for maximising the colour of your audio signalWith up to 94% off at Plugin Boutique, these are the best plugin deals you’ll see for a while - here’s 5 picks from a mixing fanatic with 20 years in the home recording gameBy Matt McCracken published 9 August 2024Now’s the perfect time to upgrade your plugin collection with this ginormous sale at Plugin BoutiqueSave up to 95% on incredible plugins, software and bundles in Plugin Boutique’s Black Friday sale – and grab an exclusive free plugin for MusicRadar readersBy Advertorial published 27 November 2025Excite Audio Evolve Elastic Lite - FREE for a very limited time for MusicRadar readers with coupon MusicRadarElastic (ends 1st December)“If you want to turn sweet sounds into ear-splitting discordance, this is the plugin”: To mark Plugin Week, here’s our pick of the most out-there sound design plugins you should add to your collectionBy Jon Musgrave published 3 July 2025From wonky reverbs, complex motion designers and dohumanisers, this assortment of tools will take your music into places you never thought possible"I never want the sample to be the whole thing - I want to mask it": Loukeman reveals his favourite plugins and unusual production techniquesBy Matt Mullen published 1 July 2025Toronto-based producer Loukeman talks his new project Sd-2, sampling techniques and unconventional effects processing"For real-time plugins, it’s very hard to do something effective with AI. It’s very good at big brush things”: Leapwing Audio on their stable of forensic mix plugins By Andy Price published 3 July 2025Leapwing's intuitive, incisive plugins let users perform forensic mix surgery with ease and emulate the tones of iconic producers.How to emulate a classic analogue recording system entirely with pluginsBy Jon Musgrave published 4 July 2025It’s entirely likely that you could recreate many legacy analogue set-ups with just a few chained plugins. Here, we’ll show you how to get startedFantastic (free) plugins and how to use them: Full Bucket FB-3300By Jon Musgrave published 27 April 2025Classic synthesizer plugins offer a great entry point for unusual and rare synth designs, and this Korg design is one of the rarestFantastic (free) plugins and how to use them: VitalBy Jon Musgrave published 6 December 2024Wavetable takes on spectral warping features and more in a wonderfully contemporary synthesizerModalics' Plugin Buddy is a free plugin host and utility that lets you run VST3s in Pro Tools - and much moreBy Matt Mullen published 9 September 2024Use Plugin Buddy to create complex chains of MIDI effects, audio effects and instruments that 5 of the coolest free plugins we discovered this monthBy Matt Mullen, Ben Rogerson published 16 July 2024This month, we've got experimental delays, high-end exciters and spectral synth plugins“You’ll find it in everything from the Prodigy to Skrillex”: How to get famous sounds and effects using only Logic’s stock pluginsBy Jon Musgrave published 4 July 2025If you’ve got Logic, you’re already more than capable of recreating Skrillex’s manipulated reverb, Billie Eilish’s formant shifting and much more…14 of the best plugins and DAWs you can use on LinuxBy Stuart Adams published 4 July 2025We continue our adventure into the world of Linux-based music-making with a round-up of the best Linux-friendly software toolsFantastic (free) plugins and how to use them: Newfangled Audio Pendulate Chaotic SynthBy Jon Musgrave published 5 March 2025This free mono synth plugin is creative, chaotic and fun to use. It’s time to go West (Coast)Plugin Week 2025: Exhibitor A-ZBy MusicRadar published 29 June 2025Plug 'n' playSpectral Plugins makes three of its plugins free to download as it closes its doors: "It has been an honour serving you"By Andy Jones published 3 April 2024The company's three plugins worth $210 are now free in exchange for your email address"The perfect tool for textures, beds and drone effects": Fantastic (free) plugins and how to use them – SupermassiveBy Jon Musgrave published 30 December 2024Go large, as we explore the varied capabilities of ValhallaDSP's must-have delay-and-reverb plugin17 outstanding plugins that you can still get for under $50 this Cyber Monday - but be quick, the sales end soon!By Si Truss last updated 2 December 2025Forget high-end hardware or mammoth bundles – these are our favourite Cyber Monday music software bargains to be had for little more than pocket change"It will drag out your inner Brian Eno with frightening ease": Soundtoys makes some of the best effects plugins we've ever tested, and they're discounted by up to 75% for Black FridayBy Matt Mullen published 28 November 2025Soundtoys 5.5 is available for $360 off RRP and you can save 61% on the new SpaceBlender reverb“It’s great for squeezing energy out of lacklustre ambient sounds”: Our pick of the very best VCA compressor software emulation plugins for any music projectBy Jon Musgrave published 2 July 2025Our resident mixing expert Jon Musgrave, serves up his go-to toolkit for compressing with the best of them6 of the best free plugins for sound designBy Andy Jones published 20 August 2024Need some extra sound design firepower but lack the funds? Here are six to download (actually more!)"A lot of instruments feel like interacting with a spreadsheet - we're trying to do something different": Void & Vista's plugins are 'pieces of art for people to make art with'By Andy Price published 4 July 2025We sit down with the brains behind Strands and Folds, two Kontakt instruments that caught our attention with a wildly imaginative approach to sound designu-he at Synth Week 2024: "Our plugins are not only fun to use, but they have more than enough depth to satisfy the most discerning musicians, composers and producers" By MusicRadar Team published 17 June 2024And why the latest version of Hive is a "sound designer's dream"The incredibly powerful plugin we called "one of the greatest effects plugins ever made" is half price for Cyber MondayBy Matt Mullen published 1 December 2024Output Portal is 50% off at Plugin Boutique along with two more of the company's most popular effects, Thermal and Movement“The world’s most authentic amp models, no UA hardware required”: Universal Audio releases its industry standard UAFX amp modelling pedals as pluginsBy Jonathan Horsley published 8 October 2024The Dream ’65, Lion ’68 and Ruby ’63 brought golden age Fender, Marshall and Vox tube amp tones to our pedalboards – and are now available to run natively on Mac and Windows
By Si Truss published 29 November 2024Some of our favourite plugins and bundles get a tidy discount at Plugin Boutique
5 innovative synth plugins daring to do things differently By Stuart Adams published 2 July 2025Unconventional and creatively inspiring, these soft synths are pushing synthesis in bold new directions
“Whether you’re looking to liven up a dull snare or beef up a lacklustre bass sound, these plugins are extremely handy”: Our resident platinum award-winning mixer and producer shares 10 of his go-to plugins By Jon Musgrave published 2 July 2025Our picks of the modern virtual tools that will transform any self-sustaining producer’s workflow
With up to 92% off plugins and software, Plugin Boutique just gave you the best excuse to upgrade your productionsBy Matt McCracken published 27 January 2025Cure your post-NAMM blues with a huge selection of discounted plugins from just $/£5
"It's probably closer to the real hardware than anything out there": 5 of the coolest free plugins we discovered this monthBy Matt Mullen published 13 February 2025Our monthly round-up of free plugins continues with spherical synths, feline delays and a killer take on the Yamaha CS-80
“Try this on drums, and you'll end up with something similar to a classic gated drum kit. Eat your heart out, Phil Collins!”: Our go-to plugins for adding flavour to soundsBy Roland Schmidt published 1 July 2025With so much processing available in modern DAWs, we take a look at some of the more left-field plugins and approaches for maximising the colour of your audio signal
With up to 94% off at Plugin Boutique, these are the best plugin deals you’ll see for a while - here’s 5 picks from a mixing fanatic with 20 years in the home recording gameBy Matt McCracken published 9 August 2024Now’s the perfect time to upgrade your plugin collection with this ginormous sale at Plugin Boutique
Save up to 95% on incredible plugins, software and bundles in Plugin Boutique’s Black Friday sale – and grab an exclusive free plugin for MusicRadar readersBy Advertorial published 27 November 2025Excite Audio Evolve Elastic Lite - FREE for a very limited time for MusicRadar readers with coupon MusicRadarElastic (ends 1st December)
“If you want to turn sweet sounds into ear-splitting discordance, this is the plugin”: To mark Plugin Week, here’s our pick of the most out-there sound design plugins you should add to your collectionBy Jon Musgrave published 3 July 2025From wonky reverbs, complex motion designers and dohumanisers, this assortment of tools will take your music into places you never thought possible
"I never want the sample to be the whole thing - I want to mask it": Loukeman reveals his favourite plugins and unusual production techniquesBy Matt Mullen published 1 July 2025Toronto-based producer Loukeman talks his new project Sd-2, sampling techniques and unconventional effects processing
"For real-time plugins, it’s very hard to do something effective with AI. It’s very good at big brush things”: Leapwing Audio on their stable of forensic mix plugins By Andy Price published 3 July 2025Leapwing's intuitive, incisive plugins let users perform forensic mix surgery with ease and emulate the tones of iconic producers.
How to emulate a classic analogue recording system entirely with pluginsBy Jon Musgrave published 4 July 2025It’s entirely likely that you could recreate many legacy analogue set-ups with just a few chained plugins. Here, we’ll show you how to get started
Fantastic (free) plugins and how to use them: Full Bucket FB-3300By Jon Musgrave published 27 April 2025Classic synthesizer plugins offer a great entry point for unusual and rare synth designs, and this Korg design is one of the rarest
Fantastic (free) plugins and how to use them: VitalBy Jon Musgrave published 6 December 2024Wavetable takes on spectral warping features and more in a wonderfully contemporary synthesizer
Modalics' Plugin Buddy is a free plugin host and utility that lets you run VST3s in Pro Tools - and much moreBy Matt Mullen published 9 September 2024Use Plugin Buddy to create complex chains of MIDI effects, audio effects and instruments that
5 of the coolest free plugins we discovered this monthBy Matt Mullen, Ben Rogerson published 16 July 2024This month, we've got experimental delays, high-end exciters and spectral synth plugins
“You’ll find it in everything from the Prodigy to Skrillex”: How to get famous sounds and effects using only Logic’s stock pluginsBy Jon Musgrave published 4 July 2025If you’ve got Logic, you’re already more than capable of recreating Skrillex’s manipulated reverb, Billie Eilish’s formant shifting and much more…
14 of the best plugins and DAWs you can use on LinuxBy Stuart Adams published 4 July 2025We continue our adventure into the world of Linux-based music-making with a round-up of the best Linux-friendly software tools
Fantastic (free) plugins and how to use them: Newfangled Audio Pendulate Chaotic SynthBy Jon Musgrave published 5 March 2025This free mono synth plugin is creative, chaotic and fun to use. It’s time to go West (Coast)
Spectral Plugins makes three of its plugins free to download as it closes its doors: "It has been an honour serving you"By Andy Jones published 3 April 2024The company's three plugins worth $210 are now free in exchange for your email address
"The perfect tool for textures, beds and drone effects": Fantastic (free) plugins and how to use them – SupermassiveBy Jon Musgrave published 30 December 2024Go large, as we explore the varied capabilities of ValhallaDSP's must-have delay-and-reverb plugin
17 outstanding plugins that you can still get for under $50 this Cyber Monday - but be quick, the sales end soon!By Si Truss last updated 2 December 2025Forget high-end hardware or mammoth bundles – these are our favourite Cyber Monday music software bargains to be had for little more than pocket change
"It will drag out your inner Brian Eno with frightening ease": Soundtoys makes some of the best effects plugins we've ever tested, and they're discounted by up to 75% for Black FridayBy Matt Mullen published 28 November 2025Soundtoys 5.5 is available for $360 off RRP and you can save 61% on the new SpaceBlender reverb
“It’s great for squeezing energy out of lacklustre ambient sounds”: Our pick of the very best VCA compressor software emulation plugins for any music projectBy Jon Musgrave published 2 July 2025Our resident mixing expert Jon Musgrave, serves up his go-to toolkit for compressing with the best of them
6 of the best free plugins for sound designBy Andy Jones published 20 August 2024Need some extra sound design firepower but lack the funds? Here are six to download (actually more!)
"A lot of instruments feel like interacting with a spreadsheet - we're trying to do something different": Void & Vista's plugins are 'pieces of art for people to make art with'By Andy Price published 4 July 2025We sit down with the brains behind Strands and Folds, two Kontakt instruments that caught our attention with a wildly imaginative approach to sound design
u-he at Synth Week 2024: "Our plugins are not only fun to use, but they have more than enough depth to satisfy the most discerning musicians, composers and producers" By MusicRadar Team published 17 June 2024And why the latest version of Hive is a "sound designer's dream"
The incredibly powerful plugin we called "one of the greatest effects plugins ever made" is half price for Cyber MondayBy Matt Mullen published 1 December 2024Output Portal is 50% off at Plugin Boutique along with two more of the company's most popular effects, Thermal and Movement
“The world’s most authentic amp models, no UA hardware required”: Universal Audio releases its industry standard UAFX amp modelling pedals as pluginsBy Jonathan Horsley published 8 October 2024The Dream ’65, Lion ’68 and Ruby ’63 brought golden age Fender, Marshall and Vox tube amp tones to our pedalboards – and are now available to run natively on Mac and Windows
