Best Service release ETHNO WORLD 7, the masterpiece of a one-of-a-kind journey through the world of ethnic sound. Created over 25 years in collaboration with visionary producers Marcel Barsotti and Andreas Hofner, this library brings you an incredible collection of instruments and voices from every corner of the globe. From traditional folk textures to modern soundscapes – this is where sampling history comes to life. Ethno World has three options available: Instruments, Voices, and Complete
Ethno World 7 Instruments is a unique library focused on a vast selection of ethnic instruments – without the This collection contains everything you need for authentic, culturally accurate sounds from all around the world.
With a wide range of carefully sampled instruments from Asia, Africa, Europe, as well as North and South America, Ethno World 7 Instruments provides the perfect set for film composers, musicians, and producers looking for unique and realistic sounds. From gentle string instruments like the Indian sitar to powerful percussion instruments like the Indian tablas or Moroccan darbukas – you will find everything you need for folk, ethnic, and even modern music productions.
What makes Ethno World 7 Instruments so special?
Discover Ethno World 7 – Instruments
Ethno World 7 – Instruments UPGRADE
Ethno World 7 Voices is a unique library that focuses on a wide selection of ethnic voices. This collection provides everything you need for authentic, culturally precise vocal recordings from various regions of the world – without the instruments from the Complete version.
With a broad range of carefully sampled solo voices, phrases, and choirs from Asia, Africa, Europe, as well as North and South America, Ethno World 7 Voices is the perfect set for film composers, musicians, and producers looking for unique and realistic vocal sounds. From heartfelt Indian male vocals to rhythmic Indian Konnakol and deep Moroccan voices – you’ll find everything you need for folk, ethnic, and even modern music productions.
ETHNO WORLD 7 Complete includes a total of 382 instruments and voices, spread across more than 1,000 patches. Whether you’re working on film scores, TV, or music productions – you’ll find exactly what you need for your creative vision.
The instruments cover a wide range of categories:
True authenticity in every detail
Each instrument and voice in ETHNO WORLD 7 has been recorded with extreme care to preserve the natural and emotional essence of traditional music. Thanks to expert playing techniques, micro tunings, and detailed mic setups, every sound feels alive and organic. More than 94 musicians and vocalists from around the world have contributed to this collection.
What makes ETHNO WORLD 7 standout?
ETHNO WORLD 7 is a collection of true sampling gems. With its wide-ranging selection of global instruments and voices, you’ll unlock endless creative options and add a real-world touch to your music, film, or sound design projects.
Featuring world-renowned performing artist Saulius Petreikis playing his rare collection of wind instruments from around the world
Hollywood, CA (May 2, 2025) — EastWest’s latest release, Ancient Kingdom, isn’t just another virtual instrument collection – it’s a portal to uncharted sonic realms for composers and producers seeking to transcend the ordinary. Crafted by Doug Rogers and Nick Phoenix, Ancient Kingdom harnesses the haunting, rare wind instruments of Saulius Petreikis. Paired with pristine multi-mic recordings and four innovative effects signal paths, this new collection defies convention, blending ancient timbres with futuristic textures to ignite your creative spark. This extraordinary collection is the key to crafting bold, timeless music and soundscapes.
Ancient Kingdom’s intuitive user interface invites you to explore the primal essence of rare wind instruments. Anchored by a vivid Center Display with striking 3D instrument models and immersive landscapes representing their origins, its interface offers effortless command over instrument articulations, multi-mic configurations, and more. The Left Panel empowers you to shape the sound with versatile Mood presets, powerful performance scripts, and precise MIDI controls, while the Right Panel transforms ancient tones into otherworldly textures through innovative FX mixes, convolution reverbs, and flexible channel routing.
Ancient Kingdom features 26 instrument categories, many of which have never been sampled extensively before, ranging from the Lithuanian birbyne, the Slovakian fujara, the Chinese hulusi, along with cinematic staples like the Armenian duduk, Indian bansuri and Persian ney flute. Each category contains an array of highly detailed instrument articulations and combinations across a range of instrument type subcategories that includes Long, Short, Effects, Legato, and Keyswitch.
In addition to the pristine surround sound recordings, this collection introduces four groundbreaking signal paths. These paths employ various innovative techniques, utilizing amplifiers, vibration enhancers, metallic surfaces, distortion amplifiers, megaphones, long tubes, and rotating speakers to create a dynamic and immersive auditory experience.
Price & Availability:
Ancient Kingdom is available at https://www.soundsonline.com/world-and-traditional/ancient-kingdom at the introductory price of $199 until May 30th (regular: $299) for a perpetual license. It is also included in every ComposerCloud+ subscription which is only $9.99/month or $99/year during the 10 Year Anniversary Sale of ComposerCloud+ until May 30, 2025.
About the team:
Doug Rogers (Producer)
Doug Rogers, a New Zealand-born producer and audio innovator, founded EastWest Sounds in 1988 in Los Angeles, shaping it into one of the world’s premier creators of virtual instruments. A visionary in sampling, he has earned over 120 industry awards, including multiple NAMM TEC Awards for productions like Hollywood Orchestra, Hollywood Choirs, and Hollywood Fantasy Orchestra. His innovations have redefined music production. In 2006, he transformed the historic Western Recorders into EastWest Studios, a home for over 200 Grammy-nominated artists. Rogers continues to push boundaries through innovations like ComposerCloud+, giving composers global access to EastWest’s vast catalog—including the latest release, Ancient Kingdom, where timeless instruments meet cinematic imagination.
Nick Phoenix (Producer)
Nick Phoenix, a London-born, American-raised composer and sonic visionary, has redefined music production through his groundbreaking work with EastWest Sounds and as co-founder of Two Steps From Hell. For over two decades, he’s crafted iconic virtual instruments like Hollywood Orchestra, Symphonic Orchestra, and Stormdrum, earning hundreds of awards for innovations like choirs that sing typed words and custom convolution reverbs. His epic music, streamed by millions, has scored 1,000+ film trailers and helped spark a global genre. Now, Phoenix channels his creative fire into Ancient Kingdom, a virtual instrument collection co-produced with Doug Rogers. Featuring Saulius Petreikis’ rare wind instruments and four revolutionary effects paths, Phoenix blends ancient echoes with futuristic flair for a truly immersive sonic journey.
Saulius Petreikis (Performer)
Saulius Petreikis is a Lithuanian composer and wind instrument virtuoso, known for blending ancient Samogitian-Baltic harmonies with global World Music traditions. Over the past 20 years, he has released 11 original albums, contributed to more than 30 others, and performed in major international projects such as Two Steps From Hell, Hans Zimmer: A New Dimension, and The World of Hans Zimmer – An Immersive Symphony. Mastering over 50 unique wind instruments, Saulius electrifies audiences with spirit-lifting improvisations and genre-defying performances that resonate worldwide. He also composes for film, theater, and video games, collaborating with artists across disciplines to create powerful, boundary-breaking works, leaving a profound mark on the global music scene.
About EASTWEST
EastWest Sounds (www.soundsonline.com) has been dedicated to perpetual innovation and uncompromising quality of Virtual Instruments for over 37 years, setting the industry standard as the most critically acclaimed sound developer. Find more about EastWest at soundsonline.com.
Steinberg’s family of composition and music notation software is updated with unique new features that expands its engraving horizons and actively assists in producing peerless performance materials faster than ever before.
April 30, 2025 HAMBURG, Germany — Steinberg today announced the immediate availability of Dorico 6, the new generation of its family of composition and music notation software for macOS, Windows, and iPadOS.
Producing beautiful and functional performance materials that can be easily understood by
every musician requires both experience and attention to hundreds of tiny details. Dorico 6augments musicians’ experience and instincts with its unique new Proofreading panel, automatically scanning users’ scores and parts as they edit, and identifying potential issues that could raise questions in rehearsal.
For example, Dorico can identify problems with the metrical structure of the music, such as bars that are shorter or longer than the prevailing time signature, or unbalanced repeats that will upset the pulse. It can flag up duplicate markings — like telling a violin to play pizzicato, and then repeating that instruction later, without an intervening change to another technique, such as arco — and suggest places where additional markings could be added — such as ensuring that each entry for an instrument following a long rest is given an
appropriate dynamic. Dorico can also offer practical advice for performance: for example, for players who switch between different instruments while playing, it can identify places where there is insufficient time to change instrument, based on the current tempo of the music. It can also identify technical issues with the playability of material for fretted and unfretted stringed instruments, including difficult stretches and double-stops. Any issues Dorico finds are listed in the new Proofreading panel, which can be efficiently filtered to focus only on specific kinds of issues, allowing users to navigate between them. Engraving capabilities are also greatly expanded in Dorico 6, both in page layout and with notations such as chord symbols.
The middle years of the last century were responsible for many innovations in music notation, including the technique of cutaway scores, where instead of showing empty bars for instruments that are resting, their staves are completely hidden, only reappearing when they have new music. This kind of page layout was pioneered by influential composers like Lutosławski, Berio, and Stravinsky in the 1960s, but has always been highly laborious to achieve in music notation software. Dorico 6 now makes it possible to produce perfect cutaway scores with a single click, massively reducing the time it takes to prepare this kind of score, while still allowing the production of perfect parts.
In commercial music, jazz, and music for small ensembles and bands, chord symbols are a vital ingredient to communicate the harmonic structure of the music. Dorico 6 builds on its existing comprehensive support for chord symbols with a raft of new capabilities: it is now possible to have multiple rows of chord symbols, making it easy to show alternative sets of changes for reharmonizations or repeated passages; chord symbols can display duration lines to show larger harmonic structures, helpful in educational settings; and users can now create their own custom chord symbol types, defining precisely how they sound and how they look, unlocking a world of new possibilities.
Beyond these highlights, Dorico 6 is packed with other powerful tools to inspire greater creativity. Cycle playback allows users to loop any section of their music, and hear edits in real time. New marching percussion sounds, delivered in partnership with Tapspace, makers of Virtual Drumline, are invaluable to band arrangers, adding impactful cymbal, bass, tenor, and snare drum samples. Workflow enhancements are found throughout the application, including support for advanced OpenType font features, a unique new fill view that makes maximally efficient use of users’ display real estate, improvements to condensing, MusicXML import and export, new fonts, and much more.
“We like to say that working in Dorico is like having an intelligent assistant by your side,”
said Product Marketing Manager for Dorico Daniel Spreadbury. “With Dorico 6, that assistant is even smarter, allowing you to have greater confidence that the parts you put on the stand will be played with fewer questions and mistakes, closing the gap between your musical intention and the players’ performance. Together with the expanded capabilities in engraving — from cutaways for art music to custom chord symbols for commercial music — Dorico 6 meets the needs of every working musician.”
Availability and pricing
Dorico Pro 6 is available from selected dealers and through the Steinberg Online Shop for
579 euros and 579.99 US dollars. Dorico Elements 6 is available from selected dealers and through the Steinberg Online Shop for 99.99 euros and 99.99 US dollars. Prices may vary according to the region.
A range of downloadable updates and upgrades, crossgrades, and education versions are exclusively available through the Steinberg Online Shop.
Customers who have activated Dorico Pro 5 or Dorico Elements 5 or earlier versions since March 26, 2025, are eligible for a free, downloadable grace period update to the latest version.
Dorico SE 6 is available for free download from the Steinberg website, and Dorico for iPad is available for free download from the App Store.
Fully featured, 60-day trial versions of Dorico Pro 6 and Dorico Elements 6 are also available for free download from the Steinberg website, with no obligation to buy, and no payment details necessary.
New features in Dorico 6
• Proofreading: Dorico automatically checks your score as you edit, highlighting issues that could raise questions in rehearsal and recording sessions in the new Proofreading panel.
• Cutaways: Create cutaway scores that match the finest published works of Lutosławski, Ligeti, Berio, and Stravinsky in a single click.
• Chord symbols: Show multiple rows of chord symbols, with optional extender lines.
Create your own custom chord symbols, and easily override every aspect of their appearance.
• Cycle playback: Loop any section of your score during playback, and hear your edits live in the next cycle.
• Fill view: Fill view makes maximum use of your available display, flexibly flowing as many systems of music as possible into the width and height of the window.
• System-attached items: Exercise complete control over where tempos, rehearsal marks, repeats, and large time signatures appear.
• OpenType features: Access enhanced typographical control with full support for OpenType glyph positioning and glyph substitution features.
• Flow heading overrides: Flow headings provide automatic titles before each new song, movement or piece in your project: now you can control exactly how they appear on every page in every layout.
• Marching Percussion Basics: All the essential sounds you need for marching snares, cymbals, tenors, and bass drums, in partnership with Tapspace, makers of Virtual Drumline.
• User settings import and export: Easily move all your customizations to Dorico from one computer to another with import and export of all your user settings.
• Condensing: All instruments held by players can now be condensed, instead of only the first, making it easy to handle players who double.
• More new features: Further enhancements can be found throughout the application, including improvements to MusicXML import and export, more flexible staff labels, easier editing for instrument names and front matter, interface refinements, and many more.
Product page: www.steinberg.net/dorico
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.
All trademarks are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective owners.
The complete studio software collection offers IK’s vast catalog of effects processors,virtual instruments, and the world’s best guitar tones.
For more information about Total Studio 5 MAX, visit:
www.ikmultimedia.com/ts5
April 29, 2025 – IK Multimedia releases Total Studio 5 MAX, adding the full Pianoverse piano and sound design instrument, cutting-edge T-RackS 6 mixing and mastering workstation, and ARC 4 room correction. Also included are 9 TONEX Signature Collections, now available in a new TONEX Signature Collections Volume 1 bundle. This even more comprehensive music production suite provides users access to IK’s full expanded catalog of effects processors and virtual instruments, offering significant savings compared to purchasing each software title individually.
Total Studio 5 MAX is a complete production suite, with everything needed to bring musical visions to life. This new edition delivers instant inspiration across every genre and workflow, backed by a wide range of virtual instruments, studio-grade effects, mixing and mastering tools, and an unparalleled collection of guitar and bass gear.
What’s Included
What’s New
Virtual Instruments
The world of expressive piano just became even more inspiring. Total Studio 5 now features Pianoverse, which includes 9 meticulously captured pianos that blend world-class realism with cutting-edge creative features. From ultra-dynamic concert grands to bold cinematic textures, Pianoverse delivers stunning acoustic detail and powerful sound-shaping options, such as customizable spaces and layering. Additional titles include Hammond B-3X, MODO BASS & DRUM, SampleTank 4, and more, providing over 16,000 instrument sounds.
Guitar & Bass
Total Studio 5 MAX amplifies your tone arsenal with all the gear available for AmpliTube 5, including AmpliTube Morley, featuring its 3 groundbreaking stompbox effects alongside over 400 gear models. Users will enjoy the seamless integration of TONEX, which includes TONEX Signature Collections Volume 1 and over 1,200 Premium Tone Models, unlocking an ever-growing universe of AI-modeled gear sourced from real amps and pedals. Whether it’s vintage warmth, modern crunch, or experimental textures, Total Studio 5 is ready to rock.
Studio Effects
Total Studio 5 MAX brings the latest in IK’s pro audio FX, including the acclaimed T-RackS 6 with 62 modules, offering everything from subtle polish to complete transformation. Users will gain access to new mastering-grade plug-ins, updated processing tools, and unique creative effects tailored for sound designers and producers alike. This includes new favorites like Bass ONE, Master Match X, and Lurssen Mastering EQ – all designed to fit seamlessly into the workflow. Additionally, there’s the Lurssen Mastering Console and ARC 4. Top engineers trust these tools, which come loaded with artist presets to help produce broadcast-ready mixes more efficiently.
TONEX Signature Collections Volume 1
For the first time, Total Studio features 9 TONEX Signature Collections, offering an incredible selection of rare and sought-after amps and pedals. This collection is also available separately. Captured with TONEX at the highest quality, top engineers and artists have meticulously fine-tuned each of the 413 Tone Models to achieve a specific sweet spot. Adjust them as desired and add effects in TONEX to create new, inspiring presets for the stage and studio.
Collections Include:
Pricing and Availability
Total Studio 5 and TONEX Signature Collections Volume 1 are available now for purchase from the IK Multimedia online store and IK authorized dealers worldwide with special limited-time introductory pricing as follows:
Special Upgrade Pricing
Owners of qualifying IK products can log in to their IK user account and add one of the above collections to the cart to see an exclusive discount at checkout.
*All pricing excluding taxes.
For more information about Total Studio 5 MAX, visit:
www.ikmultimedia.com/ts5
For more information about TONEX Signature Collection Volume 1, visit:
www.ikmultimedia.com/products/
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC: music production and audio processing advanced tools-maker MeldaProduction is proud to announce availability of MMatcher — duly designed to streamline audio production workflow as a revolutionary plug-in providing precise spectrum, loudness, and stereo field matching, making for an indispensable mastering tool to quickly achieve the right sound, simplifying complex audio adjustments and allowing users to focus on their creative vision — as of April 24…
Get The Balance Right
It is fair to say that becoming an EQ expert is tough, taking patience, skill, and a lot of time to always achieve desired results. MeldaProduction’s MMatcher makes achieving those results so much easier as an (almost) instant way of working. While MMatcher analyses a reference audio source and applies its sonic characteristics to input audio at its core, the process itself involves capturing the spectrum, loudness, and stereo image of that referenced audio, then dynamically adjusting the audio being worked on to match those parameters. Put it this way: with intuitive controls, users can fine-tune the results to achieve the perfect balance, benefitting from the simplification of complex audio adjustments that allow them to focus on their creative vision.
Simple steps
Duly designed to streamline audio production workflow, achieving precise sonic matching with MMatcher involves just two simple steps: firstly, analyzing the recording being worked on; secondly, matching that to a reference from the plug-in’s extensive database — MeldaProduction meticulously analyzed thousands of successful songs, spanning all conceivable genres, to provide a robust foundation for matching and referencing — or, alternatively, analyzing any reference audio source. Whatever way anyone chooses to take those steps, MMatcher is perfect for mastering and mixing engineers seeking to match their tracks to commercial references.
Master And Servant
MeldaProduction’s MMatcher can pretty much match anything to anything, however — not just masters. Effectively enabling consistent and reliable mixes by fixing headphone responses is simply a case of selecting the headphone model being used from the internal database — or analyzing any others — to correct for spectrum response, for instance. It also allows for studio monitor calibration by creating custom correction profiles based on measurement microphone analysis, improving accuracy and neutrality that, in turn, leads to better mixing decisions. And as if all that was not enough to be getting on with, MMatcher provides a specialized database of dry electric guitar and bass sounds, created by analyzing samples from hundreds of guitars sent from the MeldaProduction community, meaning MMatcher users can easily experiment with — and refine — their instrument tones. The plug-in simplifies the process of achieving desired guitar and bass tones by analysing the guitar sound input and comparing it to those references, representing a creative playground for both bassists and guitarists. It is, for example, perfectly possible to make a Fender Jazz Bass sound like a Sterling StingRay in a matter of seconds!
Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough
Saying that, MeldaProduction’s commitment to expanding MMatcher’s capabilities is ongoing. Indeed, it is actively developing new databases and features, including expanded instrument libraries, so users can expect to see future updates that will further enhance their audio workflow and creative potential, bringing even greater precision and flexibility to their mixing and mastering process.
Game, set, match
MeldaProduction’s MMatcher is indisputably already an indispensable tool for a wide range of audio production tasks, though. It is perfect for mastering engineers seeking to match their tracks to commercial references, guitarists experimenting with different tones, and producers ensuring consistent headphone mixes, while it can also be used to calibrate studio monitors, addressing room acoustics and monitoring inconsistencies. In short, then, it effectively empowers anyone to achieve professional consistency and accuracy in any audio environment, saving time by matching rather than tweaking.
Key features:
∙ Provides precise spectrum, loudness, and stereo field matching
∙ Simplifies complex audio adjustments, allowing users to focus on their creative vision
∙ Indispensable tool for a wide range of audio production tasks
∙ Extensive — still growing — analysis database
∙ Saves time by matching rather than tweaking
MMatcher is available to purchase as a virtual effect plug-in in 64-bit AAX-, AU-, VST- and VST3-compatible formats for macOS (10.14 or newer) and 64-bit AAX-, VST-, and VST3-compatible formats for Windows (8/10/11) for a time-limited introductory (81%) discounted price of only €19.00 EUR until May 18, 2025 — rising thereafter to its regular price of €99.00 EUR — by heading on over to MeldaProduction’s online shop via its dedicated webpage (https://www.meldaproduction.com/MMatcher) that also includes more in-depth information. (It is worth noting that MMatcher is available for free to owners of MCompleteBundle, MMasteringFXBundle, and MMixingFXBundle, both current and future.)
A 15-day, fully-functional trial version of MMatcher is available via MPluginManager, MeldaProduction’s easy way to manage all installations, licensing, and subscriptions from one convenient location. (It is simply a case of installing — from here: https://www.meldaproduction.com/downloads — and launching, then logging into a user account, following which MPluginManager checks licenses on the host computer against the user account concerned; click the resultant plug-in icons to select or deselect as desired — or, alternatively, use the ‘bundle shortcuts’ — before clicking INSTALL/CHANGE to download and install all necessary packages.)
About MeldaProduction
MeldaProduction was founded in 2009 by Vojtech Meluzin and is based in Prague, Czech Republic. Inspired by ancient analogue gear right through to the latest digital developments, it makes advanced tools for music production and audio processing with 100-plus products — including more than 30 available for free — to its notable name. Needless to say, applying innovative thinking to create sounds that matter with inspiring user interfaces that are as easy to use as they are versatile with never-ending improvements neatly sums up the company’s gifted game plan. It is also a premier partner brand of fellow Prague-registered Limited Company United Plugins, a federation of independent development teams comprised of individuals involved in the music industry.
© 2025 MeldaProduction
Paris, April 24th, 2025 – UVI is excited to announce the release of Mosaiq 1.5, an innovative music production multitool offering limitless inspiration for notes, chords, beats, and more. Fun, and instantly rewarding, Mosaiq lets users play a massive library of sound sources across 8 deeply customizable key tracks, tweak with 5 interactive effects, a powerful MIDI sequencing engine, and a modular effects engine, and explore 1,600+ creative sound sources, 1,200+ hand-crafted presets in genre-based collections, hundreds of built-in chord progressions, and numerous levels of randomization and mutation for near-infinite inspiration. A true sonic playground, Mosaiq delivers an innovative approach to modern music production that puts fun and exploration at the forefront.
Version 1.5 introduces the all-new Keyboard Mode. By popular request, you can now play full instrument presets across your keyboard, with 3 round-robin modes for added variation. Ideal for melodic expression and advanced live performance, Keyboard Mode expands Mosaiq with new and exciting creative possibilities. Mosaiq 1.5 is a free download for existing users, available now, with special pricing for new users of $99 / 99€, available through May 4th, 2025 (regularly $199 / 199€).
Mosaiq 1.5 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
Mosaiq 1.5 is available immediately at a special price of $99 / 99€ (regularly $199 / 199€).
Special pricing is valid through May 4th, 2025.
ADDITIONAL PRODUCT INFORMATION
Additional information on Mosaiq 1.5 is available at:
https://www.uvi.net/mosaiq
LONDON, UK: VOID & VISTA is proud to announce availability of FRAMES as its latest bold virtual instrument for contemporary music creation — crafted for Native Instruments’ KONTAKT platform, pairing characterful, expressive, and unique sampling with powerful sound design features and an inspiring interface rendering it ideal for media composers, production music writers, and (obviously) sound designers, as well as also expanding the toolbox of artists and producers across multiple genres thanks to its variety of emotive sounds and textures — as of April 23…
Being built around 40 sound sources made from capturing unique, unrepeatable sonic moments, FRAMES readily represents a bespoke collection of specially curated samples created using prepared instruments, resonated sound objects, and aleatoric performances using experimental techniques. These are all recorded at 96kHz using specialist microphones to capture sound beyond the range of human hearing, ready to pitch down and explore.
Such sound sources are split into five categories: INSTRUMENTS — traditional instruments captured using extended techniques and aleatoric performances; OBJECTS — uniquely prepared objects and instruments played in experimental ways; EFFECTED — heavily effected, processed sounds, and resonated objects; TEXTURES — tonal, textural, and found sounds that are perfect for blending; and WAVES — sampled synth waveforms taken from an analogue hardware collection.
Above and beyond that, the new ZONE SHIFT feature vastly expands the timbres of each sound source, enabling immediate dynamic exploration of the movement and detail found within them. Thanks to shifting samples from different registers, sounds can shift from slow and muted to frantic and urgent with each key press.
But better still, those 40 sound sources can be layered, sculpted, and effected using the deep two-layer sound design engine, featuring multimode FILTERS; two MOTION LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators) — LFO 1 and LFO 2; six envelopes; LOFI effects; an ENSEMBLE page for blending additional voices; parallel CHARACTER insert effects; and dedicated SPACE send effects. And all of this sound design power is available from an inspiring and intuitive interface, designed to keep users focused on making music.
Music-making or otherwise, users ultimately benefit from FRAMES coming complete with a colossal collection of preset snapshots organized logically for ease of use, with pre-assigned mod wheel modulation mappings for jaw-dropping sound manipulation.
FRAMES is initially available to purchase at a 20%-discounted price until June 4, 2025 — rising thereafter to its regular price of £129.00 GBP — as a KONTAKT PLAYER-compatible/NKS (NATIVE KONTROL STANDARD®)-ready AAX-, AU-, and VST-formatted virtual instrument plug-in featuring 16 GB of samples that works with all major DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) running on macOS 12 or above — natively compatible with Apple Silicon — and Windows 10/11 directly from the dedicated product webpage here: https://www.voidandvista.com/products/frames
To function, FRAMES needs Native Instruments KONTAKT 7.10 or higher via the Native Access 2 administration tool for music creation software available from here: https://www.native-instruments.com/en/specials/native-access-2/
About VOID & VISTA (www.voidandvista.com)
VOID & VISTA is a team of four highly-experienced UK-based recording musicians, sound designers, and engineers, whose work has probably been heard by many without them even realizing it. Inspired by a mutual love of pushing musical sound design and expression to its limit, they aim to use their combined expertise to create bold virtual instruments for contemporary music.
© 2025 VOID & VISTA Ltd
DUESSELDORF, GERMANY: truly analog-sounding plugins developer Fuse Audio Labs is proud to announce availability of OCELOT Upmixer — duly designed as a plugin that transforms mono sources into natural-sounding stereo signals by utilizing spectral diffusion technology to expand the soundstage while maintaining clarity and avoiding unwanted artifacts — as of April 10…
Effectively enhancing recordings by creating a balanced and dynamic stereo image, OCELOT Upmixer distributes the mono signal across the stereo field and frequency spectrum while preserving full mono compatibility. As a result, it provides a stereo effect that maintains the integrity of the original performance — whether used with single drum mics, backing vocals, or guitars.
The TUNE control adapts the processing to the character of any instrument or voice, with HIGH PASS and LOW PASS filters and a switchable DIFFUSE (diffusion) mode for additional tonal refinement. Readily designed to widen the sound without introducing artifacts such as metallic or hollow tones, it ensures a clean, phase-coherent stereo output.
OCELOT Upmixer easily integrates into any workflow with an intuitive parameter set including precision level and correlation metering alongside a vector scope to offer real-time feedback for balanced stereo processing. Thanks to its low CPU (Central Processing Unit) load and zero latency, efficient mixing in both studio and live environments is supported.
Says Fuse Audio Labs CEO Reimund Dratwa: “OCELOT Upmixer is all about bringing a natural sense of width and depth to mono sources without sacrificing phase integrity. It makes stereo enhancement both effortless and transparent, ensuring a mix stays true to its original character while gaining extra dimension.”
OCELOT Upmixer is available at a significantly discounted introductory promo price of only $29.00 USD until May 10, 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/ocelotupmixer.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
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
LONDON, UK: Eurorack modular synthesis innovator Knobula is proud to announce availability of Monumatic as the latest product to embody its no-screen, no-preset philosophy — perfectly realized as a fully-polyphonic eight-voice synthesizer and monophonic synthesizer implemented into a compact 12HP Eurorack module — as of April 15…
Fancifully following in the footsteps of its (now-discontinued) Poly Cinematic predecessor from which it takes its inspiration, there is no mistaking Monumatic’s raison d’être in the wonderful world of the ever-expanding Eurorack modular system format — further highlighted by its front panel-positioned descriptive (polyphonic synthesizer) wording. Oscillation, of course, is central to any synthesizer, polyphonic or otherwise, and Monumatic duly delivers. Indeed, it features 16 selectable oscillator modes to provide a diverse range of classic and futuristic tone generation using virtual analogue algorithms exclusively, encompassing Casio-style Phase Distortion (CZ), Solina-style string synth (Ens), ‘noisy cassette’ strings (Noise), percussive drawbar organs (Perc), pulse width modulation (PW), Roland-style SuperSaw (Super 7), and Polymoog-style Vox Humana (Vox), as well as some gnarly-sounding asymmetric sync oscillators. All are modelled without samples and all are further adjustable in timbre using the Detune control. Such selectable modes provide the foundation for further signal processing through the Filter and (stereo) Reverb effect sections.
Six powerful filter types are on offer, including a four-stage all-pass filter for phase shift effects (Phase), 12 dB/Oct high pass filter (High), 12 dB/Oct low-pass filter (Low), 24 dB/Oct Butterworth low-pass filter (LP24), 12 dB/Oct dual-peak notch filter (Notch), and a vowel filter for creating vocal effects (Vowel); each can be overdriven by the Drive setting.
Duly designed to align with Knobula’s ethos — ease of operation, tactile engagement, and uncompromising sound quality — established by Poly Cinematic before it, Monumatic’s minimal controls access a wealth of sounds and avoid the need to scroll through thousands of complex presets.
Put it this way: while Monumatic supports full analogue control of every parameter using two instantly-assignable control voltage inputs (CV A and CV B), as well as providing additional Gate In, V/Oct, and Filter (cutoff) CV inputs — it is possible to polyphonically play the module directly via the Midi In control input, its comprehensive MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) CC (Control Change) and MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) implementation play their part in providing unparalleled potential for expression and integration into the Eurorack universe.
Using a single CV/Gate input, the eight built-in chord presets can be custom programmed to provide polyphonic stabs and pads, while CV/Gate arpeggios can also be layered polyphonically or ‘plucked’ using long release times since Monumatic distributes extra voices where necessary. Needless to say, the mono / poly function allows Monumatic to switch between acting as a fully-capable polysynth or legato monosynth at the touch of a button. When working in polyphonic mode, Monumatic introduces an advanced micro-tuning system to modular synthesis, whereby it can replicate the organic drift of vintage analogue oscillators or apply realtime tuning temperaments to enhance harmonic authenticity using adaptive ‘just’ intonation — itself assignable to CV control.
Creatively building upon the Poly Cinematic module that kickstarted Knobula’s successful entry into the Eurorack market, Monumatic readily refines the concept of a hands-on compact polysynth by extending CV functionality, adding more oscillator modes, and more filter types, as well as a whole host of other features further expanding the sonic possibilities of a synthesizer voice implemented into a compact 12HP module. Making a little room for a lot of tone generation makes a lot of sense for owners of any Eurorack modular system, surely.
Monumatic is available to purchase — priced at £345.00 GBP (excluding VAT) — directly through the Knobula Shop (https://www.knobula.com/shop) and also from Knobula’s growing global network of resellers.
For more in-depth information, please visit the dedicated Monumatic webpage here:
https://www.knobula.com/product-page/monumatic
About Knobula (www.knobula.com)
Knobula is the brainchild of Jason Mayo, a renowned record producer, remix engineer, and synthesizer enthusiast. Embarking upon a journey into the wonderful world of synthesizers at the tender age of 13 when he built a polyphonic Powertran Transcendent DPX kit — designed by Tim Orr of EMS (Electronic Music Studios) fame, this passion led to producing and remixing in London, where he founded FAB, whose 1990-released ‘Thunderbirds Are Go!’ single peaked at number five in the UK Singles Chart, as well as collaborations with tech house and breakbeat luminaries like Mr C (The Shamen), Layo & Bushwacka, Adam Freeland, and Neneh Cherry. Fast forward to juggling family life with nursing an ageing collection of classic synths, the portable form factor of the ever-expanding Eurorack modular system format and associated free-form knob-twiddling technique was deemed as being by far the most engaging way of making electronic music by the talented individual in question. Quickly realising that this lacked polyphony, he set about designing his own polyphonic synthesizer for Eurorack. Excitingly, the resulting Poly Cinematic module soon became something of a Eurorack staple, subsequently accompanied by an assortment of Knobula products that continue to push the boundaries of modular synthesis, each embodying a no-screen, no-preset philosophy, promoting experimentation and a tactile interaction reminiscent only of IRL (In Real Life) instruments.
© 2025 Knobula
Berlin, Germany, April 16, 2025 — German music technology developer UJAM, known for its intuitive, ready-to-play virtual instruments and effects, expands its Virtual Guitarist series with the release of CINEDREAM. Built for cinematic and atmospheric textures, CINEDREAM merges realistic electric guitar performances with advanced sound-design tools, allowing producers, composers, and sound designers to effortlessly create anything from subtle guitar phrases to expansive, abstract soundscapes.
CINEDREAM blends the realism and playability of UJAM’s Virtual Guitarist series with the cinematic focus of its Symphonic Elements collection. Inspired by the iconic and expansive sonic atmospheres that define the soundtracks of Hans Zimmer — Oscar-winning composer and UJAM founding partner — CINEDREAM offers musicians a powerful tool for crafting evocative, guitar-based textures for film and game scores, as well as adding cinematic depth to pop, rock, electronic, and ambient productions.
“In recent years, guitars have started competing with synths when it comes to creating cinematic soundscapes. The sophistication of today’s sound design tools combined with the more organic, less electronic character of guitars can be heard everywhere these days,” said Peter Gorges, Co-Founder of UJAM and co-sound-designer of Cinedream. “Cinedream is a true Virtual Guitarist but also incorporates elements of our best-selling Symphonic Elements series. Many users have asked for that, and that’s what always drives us.”
Key Features
Availability
Virtual Guitarist CINEDREAM is available now as a VST2, VST3, AU2, and AAX plugin for macOS and Windows.
To learn more and explore sound demos, visit www.ujam.com.
About UJAM
UJAM was co-founded by Hans Zimmer and Pharrell Williams, both musicians whose careers have been significantly supported by technology. The vision behind UJAM is to make technology even more accessible and encourage even more people to make music.
This vision is being realized by a team of virtual instrument pioneers who had previously developed legendary virtual instruments from Steinberg and Digidesign — from Steinberg Hypersonic to Virtual Guitarist, from Digidesign Xpand to Transfuser — and who finally want to realize their vision of shortening the path from the idea to the perfect track. More fun, better results, less complexity.
