UVI release Percussion Factory 2, a significant update to the 8-part percussion instrument and sequence designer, available now with special pricing
Paris, July 9th, 2025 – UVI release Percussion Factory 2, a significant update to their creative 8-part percussion instrument and sequence designer. Percussion Factory 2 delivers powerful features to producers including intelligent preset generation, performance-oriented sequence modifiers, morphable groove, deep sound design capabilities, over 1,600 percussion sounds, 800+ presets capturing traditional music styles from around world, drag-and-drop user sample support, and much more. Percussion Factory 2 is available now, with a special introductory price of $89 / 89€, and a special upgrade price of $49 / 49€ for users of Percussion Factory 1, through July 21st, 2025 (regularly $149 / 149€).
Percussion Factory 2 delivers even more with an all-new collection of 386 electronic and 281 foley percussion sources, expanded preset library, enhanced effects, and an all-new dark mode UI. Combined with its already extensive acoustic library, Percussion Factory 2 represents one of the most comprehensive and versatile percussion instruments available today.
Key Features:
• 1600+ percussion sounds, 10,000+ samples
• 8 fully-featured parts, each with deep sound shaping control
• 800+ presets, from modern production to regional traditions
• Intelligent sequence generation and part mutation
• Transform patterns and groove in realtime
• High-quality studio and performance macro effects
• Drag-and-drop user sample support
Percussion Factory 2 offers native 64-bit standalone operation by way of Falcon or the free UVI Workstation, providing comprehensive support for all modern DAWs and simultaneous authorization on up to 3 computers or iLok keys.
PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
Percussion Factory 2 is available now for $89 / 89€ (regularly $149 / 149€), while owners of Percussion Factory 1 and SonicBundle can upgrade for $49 / 49€. Special pricing is available through July 21st, 2025. Owners of SonicBundle will also receive a voucher for an additional $10 / 10€ off.
ADDITIONAL PRODUCT INFORMATION
Additional information on Percussion Factory 2 is available at:
https://www.uvi.net/percussion-factory-2
Edinburgh, Scotland, 3rd July 2025. Sonora Cinematic, known for Kontakt libraries including Poiesis Cello and Panorama Guitars, has announced the release of Transfigured Orchestra Vol 1: The Quiet Ensemble – the first in a new series of orchestral instruments for Audiomodern’s free Soundbox sampler.
One of the few cinematic orchestral collections currently available for the Soundbox platform, the Transfigured Orchestra series features sounds captured from recordings of a full string ensemble, woodwinds and brass in a variety of articulations. These are merged in 30 curated presets to offer composers and producers a beautiful and rich cinematic palette.
The first volume in the series – The Quiet Ensemble – focuses on the intimate, softer sounds of a chamber ensemble. From single instrumental sections to super cinematic orchestral combinations and hybrid soundscapes, the 30 presets feature pianissimo and sordino strings and super soft French horns and clarinets. Users will also discover flutter-tonguing woodwinds, which are great for organic movement, plus granular transformations of the horn and string ensembles for hybrid, haunting textures.
These delicate cinematic instruments bring warmth and emotion into compositions, making them ideal for scoring films, TV series, and video games, and for creating rich, emotive cinematic and ambient music.
Designed For Soundbox
Transfigured Orchestra Vol. 1: The Quiet Ensemble is designed for Audiomodern Soundbox – a customisable MPE sampler which is available to download for free. The release joins Sonora Cinematic’s growing lineup of Soundbox instruments which also includes Post-Rock Guitars Vol 1 & 2.
Pricing & Availability
Transfigured Orchestra Vol 1: The Quiet Ensemble is available to download now from the Sonora Cinematic website for the introductory price of £19 (normally £29) until 4th August 2025.
Find out more: https://sonoracinematic.com/products/transfigured-orchestra-vol-1-the-quiet-ensemble-soundbox-pack
About Sonora Cinematic
Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, Sonora Cinematic is the home for sample libraries and instruments produced by composer and sound designer Alessandro Mastroianni.
Collaborating with musicians and audio professionals around the world, their mission is to inspire composers, songwriters and music producers to write music the moment they touch the keyboard. Bestselling releases for Kontakt include Panorama Guitars, Emma Legato, Harmonic Bloom, Aria Vocalscapes, Verticale, Poiesis Cello, and many more, as well as an expanding catalogue of Soundbox instruments.
DUESSELDORF, GERMANY: truly analog-sounding plugins developer Fuse Audio Labs is proud to announce availability of OCELOT Octaver — offered up as an octave-down weight- and octave-up presence-delivering plugin with precision and ease, duly designed to add deep punch to kicks, extra growl to bass, or subtle enhancements to synth lines as a streamlined tool that reshapes source material in powerful, specific ways with zero latency and minimal CPU (Central Processing Unit) load — as of June 19…
OCELOT Octaver offers full control over the frequency focus of each octave via dedicated TUNE controls — unlike many traditional octave effects, enabling optimal low-end extension and top-end lift to be dialled in with precision as a result of this being so successfully implemented. Its Listen mode, meanwhile, aids in identifying the exact range being enhanced, enabling highly targeted and musical results.
Anchored around a state-of-the-art algorithm, OCELOT Octaver maintains signal integrity throughout. The plugin delivers consistent, phase-stable performances — even on fast transients or harmonically complex sources, contrasting wildly with the warbly, glitch-prone behaviour common to many octavers out there. The outcome is tight, clean octave content that blends naturally into the mix.
OCELOT Octaver’s detailed visual feedback supports confident decision-making at all times. There are separate level meters for each octave, the output signals providing clear level referencing, while the collapsable FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) view reveals the effect’s spectral footprint. Furthermore, octave solo options, smart key shortcuts, and global level control complete a workflow built for flexibility, precision, and speed.
“Octavers are often either too simplistic or too unpredictable to be truly useful in serious productions,” proffers Fuse Audio Labs CEO Reimund Dratwa. “We set out to change that, offering precision tuning, rock-solid tracking, and deep sound-shaping tools in a plugin that feels as creative as it is reliable,” he continues, concluding: “It’s all about inspiring results, without it getting in the way.”
OCELOT Octaver is available at a significantly discounted introductory promo price of only $29.00 USD until July 19, 2025 — rising thereafter to its regular price of $69.00 USD — directly from its dedicated webpage, which includes more in-depth information, here: https://fuseaudiolabs.com/ocelotoctaver_utmpr.html
14-day trial versions of all Fuse Audio Labs plugins without any limitations are available to download from here: https://fuseaudiolabs.com/plugins.html
Get a feel for OCELOT Octaver while watching Fuse Audio Labs’ informative introductory video here:
About Fuse Audio Labs (www.fuseaudiolabs.com)
Fuse Audio Labs is a number one source for truly analog-sounding plugins designed for the daily demands of real-world musicians and engineers. As an acclaimed company, it was founded in 2017 by Reimund Dratwa, deeply knowledgeable as an expert in translating complex analog topologies into top-tier DSP code. Creating a huge portfolio of leading modeling titles over the years for brands like ACME, Black Box, Black Rooster, elysia, Millennia, Neold, Vertigo, and many others available via Plugin Alliance and the UAD-2 platform, his own designs remain 100% pure Fuse Audio Labs.
© 2025 Fuse Audio Labs
… sample libraries for all to make music with for the rest of their lives
EDINBURGH, UK: rebranding itself with an aesthetic that truly realises company co-founder and composer Christian Henson’s heartfelt dream of encouraging people to make music and help them on their journey, regardless of whatever point they were at and wherever their journey began, The Crow Hill Company is proud to kick off ‘Season Two’ of its own evolving journey by relaunching the much-vaunted VAULTS… sample libraries as new and improved versions — free for all to download and make music with for the rest of their lives (or free for all to download and make music with for the rest of their lives in return for a small charity donation), duly reimagined from a visual standpoint with a more hand-drawn, homegrown feel to the GUI (Graphical User Interface) that is hopefully a real joy to play with while retaining the same sounds and parameters under the hood — as of June 27…
The Crow Hill Company’s VAULTS… vision is simple, believing that access should never be a barrier to creativity. And although VAULTS… are free sample libraries, they are always curated with the same care and attention to detail as their creator’s paid-for releases. Remarkably, though, they effectively started life on an old hard drive dumped in Christian Henson’s basement, which, when rediscovered, turned out to be packed with samples from way back in 2008. Fast forward, then, to 2023 and beyond… that lucky discovery resulted in (the original versions of) VAULTS – ATTIC GRAND, a baby grand recorded around 18 years ago on the same fateful day as Christian Henson’s so-called ‘Soft Piano’ — itself one of the most downloaded samples in the history of sampling — and acknowledged by many as another sample classic in its own right; VAULTS – CELESTATONE, an ultra-rare electric celeste layered with a dulcitone, the latter keyboard instrument’s series of tuning forks being struck by hammers, having inspired the mechanics of the former; and VAULTS – MALLET PIANO, another piano library, albeit one with an unusual twist by being formed from a piano played with mallets!
More recently, The Crow Hill Company released a single guitar recorded in Lyndhurst Hall’s hallowed acoustic at London’s legendary AIR Studios (VAULTS – SHIMMER GUITAR), an iconic Eighties synth (VAULTS – CHORUS SYNTH) — clue: the maker starts with an R and the synth in question introduced a partly numerically-named range that starts with a J, and much more besides.
But VAULTS… has now evolved as part of The Crow Hill Company’s ‘Season Two’ rebranding, representing an extensive exercise that Christian Henson himself has clearly given much thought to, as attested to when writing, “We have refined our brand to echo our desires as creative individuals. That is, to make a place — not a shop, not a download location — to come to be inspired, to learn, to change one’s thinking, to have it challenged, to meet new people, jump at new opportunities, and to just hang. A place where the emphasis is on an ever-growing set of resources, networking opportunities, and tools. All are made possible by selling some of the best and most interesting sample plug-ins available today, so by buying our stuff — whether it be a T-shirt or a string library — you get to help us carry on, which we thank you for.” That thank you evidently extends to The Crow Hill Company relaunching those much-vaunted VAULTS… sample libraries for free as new and improved versions, having worked long and hard to develop an aesthetic that it is honestly happy with. While retaining the same sounds and parameters under the hood, the new-look GUI has a more hand-drawn, homegrown feel that is hopefully a real joy to play with and applied to all VAULTS… released so far.
As a love letter to music-makers, The Crow Hill Company started its VAULTS… scheme over a year ago with the simple idea of giving one release away each month and keeping it available for six months before being retired to an archive, adhering to a strict ‘newest in, oldest out’ rotation policy in the process of doing so. The thought behind this was threefold — encouraging engagement, returning to the company’s website with regularity, and staying in touch. Feeling frustrations grow, The Crow Hill Company consequently decided that those ‘rested’ VAULTS… taken out of rotation should periodically reappear as donation-ware on its website. Six such releases are already available as VAULTS ARCHIVE N°01 (https://thecrowhillcompany.com/vaults-archive-no01/) for a small donation to Love Music (https://lovemusic.org.uk), a Scottish dynamic music inclusion and education charity that strives to increase its participants’ confidence, musical skills, and well-being through an exciting range of open-access projects designed to remove all barriers to participation and increase diversity in music-making, an admirable cause close to The Crow Hill Company’s collective hearts. However, it should be noted for the sake of clarity that any VAULTS… downloaded during their available-for-free period can continue to be kept forever, and every month The Crow Hill Company will be dropping a new VAULTS… release, ready for all to download for free to make music with for the rest of their lives.
Concludes Christian Henson — in typically thoughtful prose: “Prince once said no one should be denied the chance of making their own music, because that is ‘heaven’. I fully subscribe to this and hate the idea that a piano library we sell costs an average monthly wage in, say, Brazil. So, for as long as we can afford to keep going, we will always create something beautiful every month for people to use to make their own music — for free, for life. Whether they be Beyonce or someone who has been inspired by her but is prevented from getting on that journey simply because of technology not being affordable and accessible to all, everyone has the right to experience heaven.”
Become better acquainted with The Crow Hill Company’s new and improved versions of the much-vaunted VAULTS… sample libraries as part of its ‘Season Two’ rebrand while watching this visionary video:
VAULTS… releases from The Crow Hill Company are free for all to download and make music with for the rest of their lives from here: https://thecrowhillcompany.com/vaults/
Although anyone adding a VAULTS… release to their account (https://thecrowhillcompany.com/my-account/) for free can make music with it for the rest of their lives, only six such releases are available to download at any given time — the oldest being ‘rested’ whenever a new monthly release is added. All is not lost for those who may have missed the boat, so-to-speak, since those VAULTS… taken out of rotation periodically reappear as donation-ware, with six rested releases already available as VAULTS ARCHIVE N°01 (https://thecrowhillcompany.com/vaults-archive-no01/) for a small donation to Love Music (https://lovemusic.org.uk), a Scottish dynamic music inclusion and education charity that strives to increase its participants’ confidence, musical skills, and well-being through an exciting range of open-access projects designed to remove all barriers to participation and increase diversity in music-making.
About The Crow Hill Company (www.thecrowhillcompany.com)
Achievable as a result of selling some of the best and most interesting sample plug-ins available today, The Crow Hill Company represents realisation of company co-founder and composer Christian Henson’s heartfelt dream of encouraging people to make music and help them on their journey, regardless of whatever point they were at and wherever their journey began by providing access to challenges, content, networking opportunities, and resources. Always abiding by its Make Music, Your Music motto, every month the Edinburgh-based enterprise drops a new VAULTS… release, ready for all to download and make music with for the rest of their lives — free for those who value sound.
© 2025 Crow Hill Productions Ltd
Steinberg releases SpectraLayers 12, with a powerful lineup of new features that push its technical and creative boundaries even further, helping to lift audio to new heights.
HAMBURG, Germany — Steinberg has today announced the immediate availability of SpectraLayers 12, which includes a range of new and enhanced tools that take the unmixing and speech processing capabilities of SpectraLayers to a new level. Now even more powerful, versatile, and intuitive, the spectral precision and sonic excellence of SpectraLayers 12 ensure that, whether it’s used for music, post-production and restoration, sound design, or mastering and audio forensics, the results are at the forefront of innovative spectral audio production.
New unmixing modules
SpectraLayers 12 includes two brand-new unmixing modules, which bring even more precision and flexibility to the unmixing process. The new Unmix Soundtrack module separates audio into dialogue, effects, and music layers — especially useful for post production workflows involving mixed content such as film soundtracks, trailers, and radio broadcasts. By isolating the core audio components, it enables more precise dialogue cleanup, music replacement, and effects enhancement. The new Unmix Instrument module isolates and extracts user-identified instruments by analyzing the target instrument before unmixing and, if needed, fine-tuning. With the flexibility to extract custom elements from mixes, it’s now easier to re-work arrangements, target processing, and create stems for remixing and restoration.
Enhanced unmixing features
Alongside the new unmixing modules, the Unmix Song, Unmix Drums, and Unmix Noisy Speech processes have been significantly improved to deliver even better results. Unmix Song now delivers dramatically better vocal separation, major enhancements to drum, bass, and sax/brass unmixing and subtle improvements to guitar and piano unmixing. Updated algorithms of the Unmix Drums process mean it can extract six discrete kit elements — kick, snare, toms, hi-hats, ride, and crash cymbals, while the Unmix Noisy Speech module has been significantly improved to deliver much clearer speech/noise separation, along with a substantial reduction in artifacts.
Unmix Drums
New and improved voice processing
SpectraLayers 12 takes voice processing to new levels of accuracy, with new and enhanced modules focused on vocal analysis and improvement. The new Voice Enhance module uses generative AI to intelligently process and then reconstruct poor-quality voice recordings, noticeably improving quality while preserving the speaker’s unique identity. The new DePlosive module automatically eliminates distracting plosives in speech recordings, with adjustable controls for threshold, frequency, and reduction ratio for fine-tuning.
Improvements to the Voice DeNoise and Unmix Transcription modules respectively deliver much cleaner results when the background to speech is noise or music, alongside transcription quality that supports twice as many languages and is twice as accurate as
before.
Unmix Transcription
Work on multiple layers simultaneously
There are many workflow improvements which make the powerful processing of SpectraLayers 12 faster and more intuitive to use. A headline feature is the ability for all SpectraLayers tools and processes to operate on multiple layers simultaneously. In standalone mode, this operates vertically across layers, allowing events spanning multiple stems to be edited at the same time. The feature extends horizontally in Cubase or Nuendo in ARA mode — for example, when using the speech processing tools in post, on multiple clips located anywhere in a project.
Edit multiple layers at once.
Upgraded selection tools
The selection of frequencies, harmonics, and transients have all been significantly upgraded
in SpectraLayers 12. Narrow frequencies can be tracked more precisely, with elastic frequency selection allowing shifting content to be more accurately processed. Harmonics selection is more intuitive — no more parameter tweaking necessary — and transient selection is more detailed and flexible. These improvements all result in cleaner, more focused selections, reducing the time spent on manual fine-tuning.
And version 12 introduces even more workflow improvements:
• Batch processing supports a custom naming scheme, allowing users to freely define folder and file names generated during batch processing.
• A new Phase Rotation module allows asymmetrical waveforms to be corrected for maximize gain before clipping.
• Active selections can be resized directly on the spectrograph by dragging their edges, while selection fades can be resized in active selections.
• Volume envelopes can be rendered in place, after which they are automatically removed from the project.
• The VST 3 effects module can now display multiple plug-in interfaces simultaneously, making it easier to fine-tune complex effect setups in real time.
• The History panel now consolidates successive operations from a single tool into a single undoable step, based on a user-configurable time window.
• Tool and module presets are saved as files within folders, which can be transferred between computers or between SpectraLayers versions (starting with version 12).
• SpectraLayers 12 now runs natively as an Arm64 application on Windows Arm (requires the Arm version of the Steinberg Activation Manager).
SpectraLayers 12 offers additional user interface enhancements:
• When applying modules, the processing time estimate now updates continuously and more precisely as the operation progresses.
• Volume envelopes have been standardized to align with typical DAW conventions, now appearing consistently regardless of the waveform zoom level.
• Frequency fading now scales by octaves instead of hertz, resulting in a more natural and consistent visual representation.
• In ARA mode, selecting Group by Track from the SpectraLayers Clip menu displays all ARA-engaged clips on any selected DAW track, both as layers and as project tabs.
• A keyword-based search option has been added to the view filtering options, making it faster and easier to locate specific tools.
• The Cut to and Copy to actions now allow any layer within a project to be targeted, reducing the number of steps needed to move and manipulate content.
“Since we first introduced unmixing algorithms in SpectraLayers, there hasn’t been any other application that could match its quality. Now, with version 12, the clarity of the separated stems is exceptional… you could almost believe that they were never part of a mix,” says Marketing Manager Pro Audio, Luis Dongo.
“This version also has a strong focus on the needs of the post-production industry, with innovative features like soundtrack unmixing and speech enhancement. Existing voice processing algorithms are constantly being refined and updated, while workflow and productivity improvements requested by our
loyal users haven’t been forgotten.”
Availability and pricing
SpectraLayers Pro 12 and SpectraLayers Elements 12 are available from resellers and through the Steinberg Online Shop. The suggested retail price for SpectraLayers Pro 12 is 349 euros or 349.99 US dollars. An education version is available with a suggested retail price of 179 euros or 179.99 US dollars. The suggested retail price for SpectraLayers Elements 12 is 89.99 euros or 89.99 US dollars.
Updates to SpectraLayers 12 Pro from previous versions of SpectraLayers Pro, upgrades from SpectraLayers Elements and SpectraLayers Go (included in Cubase Pro, Nuendo, and Pro Tools), and crossgrades are available. An update to SpectraLayers 12 Elements from previous versions is also available. Prices may vary according to region. Customers who have activated SpectraLayers Pro or Elements 11 or earlier versions from May 28, 2025, are eligible for a free, downloadable grace period update to the latest version.
New features at a glance
• New Unmix Soundtrack and Unmix Instrument modules
• Improved Unmix Song, Unmix Drums, and Unmix Noisy Speech processes
• New Voice Enhance and DePlosive modules
• Improved Voice DeNoise and Unmix Transcription modules
• Work on multiple layers simultaneously
• Upgraded selection tools for frequencies, harmonics and transients
• Custom naming for batch processing
• Resize active selections directly in the spectrograph
• Volume envelopes rendered in place
• Improved VST 3 module and History panel
• Runs natively on Windows Arm
• A range of other process and user interface improvements
Product page: www.steinberg.net/spectralayers
About Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH
Steinberg is known the world over for its music and audio software and hardware solutions.
The company has been developing, manufacturing and selling innovative products for
musicians and producers in the music, film, post-production and multimedia industries since
1984. Steinberg products are used by Grammy and Oscar award-winning composers,
engineers and producers.
Visit www.steinberg.net for further details.
London, 24.06.25 – GForce Software Ltd. is proud to announce the release of Halogen FM, a fresh take on frequency modulation synthesis that strips away the complexity while retaining all the character, depth, and unpredictability that makes FM special.
For decades, FM synthesis has been beloved for its expressive power—but just as often avoided for its notoriously technical and unintuitive programming. Halogen FM changes that by making FM fun, fast, and creatively rewarding.
Discover Sound Through Play
At the heart of Halogen FM is the Halogen Spark Core — a generative sound source that produces unique, musical patches at the press of a button. Simply hit the Spark button to instantly generate a new, inspiring sound. Then, shape it using intuitive macro controls for Timbre, Envelope Generators, Modulation, and FX. Every twist brings subtle shifts or bold transformations, without the need to dive into complex programming.
For those who want deeper control, Halogen FM also offers full access to each operator’s parameters, allowing you to fine-tune or experiment without losing creative momentum.
Instant Inspiration, Infinite Depth
Halogen FM makes sculpting original sounds fast and enjoyable. Its controls are designed to respond to instinct, not instruction — creating an ideal balance between playability and depth. Whether you’re crafting soft pads, sharp plucks, or evolving textures, Halogen FM helps you stay in the creative flow.
Halogen FM – key features
More info
https://www.gforcesoftware.com/products/halogen-fm
Price
GForce Halogen FM £66 with an introductory price of £33 until end of July 2025
Compatibility
Mac: Standalone Application, AudioUnit, AAX, VST and VST3
PC: Standalone Application, AAX, VST and VST3
About GForce Software Ltd.
Specializing in vintage synthesizer modelling, GForce Software offer a range of products with the most authentic sonic and musical quality in the virtual arena. Our mission is to inspire composers and producers by providing well crafted instruments and sounds; and to nurture those aspiring to learn and grow during their musical journey.
Product page: https://unitedplugins.com/QuickVox
PRAGUE, CZECHIA – [June 23, 2025] – UnitedPlugins, a leading innovator in audio software, proudly announces the release of QuickVox, a revolutionary vocal multi-effect plugin from Instant Audio. Designed to bridge the gap between studio-quality vocal processing and the demands of live performance, QuickVox delivers powerful effects with unparalleled efficiency and intuitive control, ensuring performers and producers can achieve pristine vocal sounds with ease. Its incredibly low CPU usage and dedicated “Live Mode” screen make it an indispensable tool for computer-based vocalists across all genres.
QuickVox Highlights:
∙ Wide Palette of Sounds: Access diverse vocal transformations, from classic effects to experimental textures, all within one plugin.
∙ Instant Switching Between 3 Voices: Seamlessly transition between distinct vocal settings for different song sections, perfect for live performances.
∙ Big Buttons GUI for Live Production: Utilise the intuitive “Live Mode” with oversized buttons for effortless on-stage control and smooth transitions via “Keep Tails.”
∙ Reliable and Low CPU Usage: Experience zero latency and an incredibly light CPU footprint, ensuring smooth, uninterrupted performance.
∙ MIDI Control: Enhance live control by assigning the three-way switch to a MIDI controller or MIDI track, allowing for hands-free vocal changes.
QuickVox features three independent, identical rack units that allow users to craft unique effects chains for different parts of a song, such as verses, choruses, and intros. These settings can be switched between instantly for ultimate on-stage flexibility. Each rack hosts five powerful effects modules, each with three simple controls, allowing for a wide palette of sounds. Users can transform vocals with 11 special effects, including Vocoders, Autotune, rhythmic Comb Filters, and experimental Ring Modulators. For adding grit or aggression, there are 8 distortion types like Tube, Tape saturation, Fold, and Amp simulations. QuickVox offers modulation effects like Chorus, Tremolo, Flanger, and Phaser to inject movement and depth. Users can also craft intricate rhythms and expansive soundscapes with Delay effects such as Digital, Tape, stereo Pingpong, and spacious Wide delays, and place vocals in the perfect acoustic space with 12 types of Reverb, from an intimate Room to a vast Hall or Cathedral. A comprehensive Mix Section further polishes the sound with a Gate, Leveller, De-esser, musical EQ, and a powerful Compressor.
QuickVox is poised to become the go-to solution for artists seeking professional vocal processing in both studio and demanding live environments. Its combination of sonic versatility, intuitive controls, and robust performance ensures that your vocals always sound their best, no matter the setting.
Don’t miss the intro price
QuickVox is compatible with major DAWs on Windows and macOS. A fully functional 15-day trial version will be available. QuickVox is set to be published on June 23rd. The regular price for QuickVox will be €79, with an introductory price of €19 until the end of July.
Product page: https://unitedplugins.com/QuickVox
About UnitedPlugins: As implied in the carefully chosen wording for an apt appellation that really represents how the Prague-registered Limited Company came about and what it collectively creates, United Plugins is a federation of small, independent development teams comprised of individuals involved in the music industry. Indeed, the founding triad of FireSonic, JMG Sound, and SounDevice Digital can count engineers, producers, and artists amongst their ‘united’ names. Needless to say, all were seeking the freedom to create the tools that they would like to use in their studios and on their projects. And all agreed that this could be better achieved when working together. Though UnitedPlugins’ proliferating product portfolio may not always be for the musical masses, surely someone, somewhere will always find those tools to be a perfect fit for their own music productions… just like those inventive individuals behind United Plugins’ partner brands, the ranks of which have since swelled to include Muramasa Audio and MeldaProduction. Thanks to the latter letting United Plugins utilize its super-easy licensing system, which is why selected MeldaProduction products are also available from the United Plugins website, a thriving future for the federation is assured.
Edinburgh, Scotland, 19th June 2025 – Sonora Cinematic has announced Drift – a new free expansion pack which promises to deliver sounds that shimmer with tension, mystery, and wonder to Audiomodern’s free Soundbox MPE-enabled sampler.
Renowned for their Kontakt libraries and instruments including Panorama Guitars, Emma Legato, Poiesis Cello and more, Sonora Cinematic’s foray into Soundbox collections debuted last month with the release of Post Rock Guitars Vols 1 and 2. Following the overwhelming response from Soundbox users, this latest expansion pack showcases more of the developer’s sound design expertise – for free.
Drift was born from an ambitious orchestral recording session for a forthcoming virtual instrument. Exploring flutter-tongue woodwind articulations and manipulating their rich, unpredictable textures with experimental processing and sound design, the result is an intriguing palette of sounds that range from shimmering pads and ghostly harmonics to tense, whispering winds and more.
Drift’s evolving textures and tonal ambiguity make it ideal for adding atmosphere, depth, and emotion to any cinematic production – whether scoring an unsettling dream sequence, a mysterious forest scene, or a moment of quiet revelation. Yet, its versatility extends beyond cinematic themes – Drift also thrives in ambient and downtempo music, experimental electronica, and even genres like dream pop, lo-fi, and deep techno.
Drift is available now as a free download for Sonora Cinematic newsletter subscribers.
For full details visit: https://sonoracinematic.com/products/drift-soundbox-expansion
About Sonora Cinematic
Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, Sonora Cinematic is the home for sample libraries and instruments produced by composer and sound designer Alessandro Mastroianni. Collaborating with musicians and audio professionals around the world, their mission is to inspire composers, songwriters and music producers to write music the moment they touch the keyboard. Bestselling releases for Kontakt include Panorama Guitars, Emma Legato, Harmonic Bloom, Aria Vocalscapes, Verticale, Poiesis Cello, and many more.
SAN CLEMENTE, CA, USA: Q-Bit Electronix, acclaimed as a California-based modular synthesis brand behind the likes of Data Bender, Nebulae, Stardust, and other premier Eurorack modules, is proud to announce availability of the Daisy platform-based Bloom v2 — readily reimagining its mainstay sequencer as a multi-channel fractal formulation offering an abundance of additional features and configurability compared to its predecessor in ways that its creators collectively could not have hitherto imagined, yet perfectly aligns with an already established ethos of turning a knob and creating musical magic — as of June 18…
As a three-channel, 64-step CV and gate sequencer at its roots, Bloom v2 provides all the bread and butter controls considered necessary for creating a catchy, melodic sequence. Saying that, though, a quick push through the ‘leaves’ — like a tree, the enhanced Eurorack module in question features up to 128 different paths from the eight-step ‘trunk’ sequence’s seven ‘branches’ (taking those eight steps up to 64) to reach those ‘leaves’ and allow everything to musically bloom — reveals just how impressive its available array of controls actually are. After all, Bloom v2 lets users dial in any and all sequence data on a per-step basis — not just the note pitch. Put it this way: while it is perfectly possible to set gate state and length, slew amount, and ratchet amount — read: real (clock-synchronised) ratcheting, no less, users can also allow Bloom v2 to generate any aspect of the sequence by pushing the new reseed button, effectively dice-rolling the sequence for a fresh new take with each push of that button!
“Bloom was really the beginning of our foray into Qu-Bit’s new design ethos, whereby the module can take the wheel and generate beautiful music, if you want it to.” So says Qu-Bit Electronix Co-Founder Andrew Ikenberry by way of an alluring opener, before going on to reveal, “There was so much we wanted to do with the first Bloom, but couldn’t due to the hardware limitations of the time; now, with the Daisy platform, flexible USB port, and bespoke sequence editor, we really feel like Bloom v2 is the de facto Qu-Bit sequencer!”
And advancements have clearly been made above and beyond Bloom. Outside of having an additional channel and double the step length for sequences, Bloom v2 can save and load sequences — and their ‘branches’ — to and from a connected USB drive. Taking things several steps further, Qu-Bit Electronix has gone so far as to integrate a web-based sequence editor on Narwhal (https://narwhal.qubitelectronix.com/), its settings web app, where users can edit every aspect of a sequence — even editing the branch steps, so they can access a fully-programmable 512-step sequence — as well as setting a host of preferential behaviours and settings. Since sequences can be saved as individual files, users can share their sequences with other Bloom v2 users, adding the potential for a rich community of sequence-builders.
Eagle-eyed users of Qu-Bit Electronix’s original fractal sequencer Eurorack module will, without doubt, first become aware of a change brought about by Bloom v2’s updated layout, irrespective of its impressive new features. For instance, the main sequence encoders are now in a horizontal arrangement, with an intricate arboreal pattern weaving between each step. Furthermore, front panel artwork also acts as an eye-catching reference by illuminating which ‘Tune Mode’ the step encoders are using, with five different step editing modes currently available — namely, Note Pitch (illuminated in blue), Gate Length (green), Slew Amount (orange), Ratchet Amount (purple), and Mod Output (white).
Worth noting is the fact that the three channels on Bloom v2 each sport a new output — labelled mod 1, mod 2, and mod 3, respectively — as a CV modulation-focused affair that is fully sequence-able alongside the (self-explanatory) gate 1, gate 2, and gate 3, plus note 1, note 2, and note 3 outputs of the two other channels. But better still, there are three different output modes to choose from when working with those new outputs, Shapes being the default mod output as an LFO shape-builder mode, whereby each step can output a unique LFO shape or ratcheted variant of that shape, allowing users to build complex modulation strings that are synchronised with the ‘trunk’ sequence; Envelope mode outputs a simple AD (Attack Decay) envelope with per-step peak control; and Stepped Voltage mode outputs a fixed voltage per step between 0V and +5V, perfect for velocity or stereo pan sequencing.
But Bloom v2’s sequences are not just outputted as voltages. Thanks to the new MIDI output and included TRS-to-MIDI cable, it can drive any MIDI-equipped device with its fractal power, and, at the same time, an onboard USB port allows it to become a MIDI host. Try transposing the sequence with a chromatic keyboard or triggering full pattern swaps on the fly with a MIDI controller.
Concludes Andrew Ikenberry: “Bloom v2 really opens up generative sequencing in a whole new way. Indeed, it can be random, while surprisingly intriguing and musical, and I’m excited to share this new evolution of our sequencer with the modular community.”
Clearly, then, Bloom v2 is evolutionary, hitting all the sweet spots as a creative sequencer with its immediacy and fine-tuning abilities all rolled neatly and imaginatively into an 18HP-width Eurorack module that adds a handful of requested additions as well as a few unexpected but game-changing new features. Furthermore, it is future-proofed by being based on the easily-updatable Daisy platform, so Q-Bit Electronix will continue tending their readily reimagined mainstay sequencer while watching how Bloom v2 blossoms throughout the modular community, members of which who can continually content themselves with planting the seeds of their next patch in the meantime.
Bloom v2 is available worldwide from Qu-Bit Electronix’s growing global network of distributors (https://www.qubitelectronix.com/distributors) with an MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price) of $499.00 USD or directly via its dedicated webpage (which includes more in-depth information) here: https://www.qubitelectronix.com/shop/p/bloom-v2
Become better acquainted with Bloom v2 while watching Qu-Bit Electronix’s illuminating introductory video here:
About Qu-Bit Electronix (www.qubitelectronix.com)
Qu-Bit Electronix makes modular synths for sonic explorers. Established by Andrew Ikenberry, the company was formed out of a desire to bridge the worlds of computer music and analog modular synths. Subsequently referred to as purveyors of ‘Future Coast’ synthesis, it is always aiming to find new sounds and techniques that have yet to be fully explored. Fast forward 10 years, the company continues to thrive as a frontrunner in the exploratory modular world. While currently based in southern California, it prides itself on its in-house manufacturing; from automated electronics assembly to testing and calibration, the company continues to uphold the standards and specifications that would be expected of a bespoke modular brand.
© 2025 Qu-Bit Electronix
Paris, June 18th, 2025 – UVI release Bloom, a lush and expressive reverb that moves with your sound, delivering immersive, blooming tails, rich with emotional depth. Featuring a new engine inspired by diffusion-based architectures made popular in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Bloom offers a highly- musical sound, excelling on vocals, synths, acoustic instruments, drums, and creative sound design. A library of 200 hand-crafted presets showcase Bloom’s versatility, delivering everything from delicate dream spaces to powerful cinematic reveals, while built-in randomization, mutation, and preset morphing tools ensure inspiration and creativity are ever only a click away. Bloom is available now at a special introductory price of $39 / 39€ through June 30th, 2025 (regularly $79 / 79€).
Simple, expressive, and sonically rich, Bloom transforms everyday sounds into evocative moments, alive with depth and emotion—a powerful tool for producers, composers, and sound designers of all backgrounds.
Key Features:
• Lush algorithmic reverb with blooming tails
• Unique Rise control shapes spatial build-up over time
• All-new engine delivers rich, evolving ambiance
• Multiple modes: single, parallel, and serial
• Freeze, diffusion shaping, modulation, and versatile tone control
• Randomization, mutation, and preset morphing
• Intuitive single-panel interface with visual feedback
• Factory library with 200 hand-crafted presets
Bloom works with current versions of all major DAWs on Mac and Windows platforms (VST, VST3, AU, AAX). A single license includes 3 activations that can be used on any combination of individual computer systems or iLok keys. A 15-day unrestricted trial is available at uvi.net/bloom#trial
PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
Bloom is available now at a special price of $39 / 39€ (regularly $79 / 79€), through June 30th, 2025. Owners of SonicBundle will receive a voucher for an additional $10 / 10€ off.
ADDITIONAL PRODUCT INFORMATION
Additional information on Bloom is available at:
https://www.uvi.net/bloom
