// Field notes · daily refresh

Field notes

A handpicked digest of the most useful audio-production reading on the web, refreshed daily. Plus our own lab notes about building plugins. We always link back to the source — they did the work.

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tutorials Splice Blog 6 May

How to make ambient music: Tools and techniques

Learn how to make ambient music that's immersive, expressive, and ever-evolving via our in-depth guide.…

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mixing Production Expert 6 May

Serial And Parallel Compression: How McDSP SPC2000 Does Both

Engineers have long been able to string together processors, or line them up to work in unison. Going much further, McDSP’s SPC2000 lets engineers route multipl…

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reviews MusicTech 6 May

Ninajirachi still doesn’t have any “professional” music gear

“All of my muscle memory is here now with the trackpad.” The post Ninajirachi still doesn’t have any “professional” music gear appeared first on MusicTech .…

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reviews MusicTech 6 May

SCALER on remixing their music for stage, the Novation Peak, and 200 channels of basement re-amping

Nick Berthoud and James Rushforth reveal the process of turning SCALER's latest album, Endlessly, into a live show spectacle. The post SCALER on remixing their …

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tutorials Bedroom Producers Blog 6 May

Analog Obsession releases MuChild, a FREE Fairchild 660 emulation plugin

uchDeveloper Analog Obsession has released MuChild, a free Fairchild 660 emulation for macOS and Windows. It’s a good day for Analog Obsession fans; we&#8…

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tutorials Bedroom Producers Blog 6 May

Pulsar Audio Smasher is FREE for a limited time again

Pulsar Audio is giving away Smasher, its €49 FET compressor plugin, as a free perpetual license. If the name sounds familiar, it should. We’ve cover…

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tutorials Bedroom Producers Blog 6 May

NovoNotes releases SnapClip, a free clipper plugin with graph-based control

NovoNotes has released SnapClip, a free clipper plugin for macOS and Windows. I use clippers a lot in my sound design work, and my go-to approach is to put one …

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tutorials Bedroom Producers Blog 6 May

Mastering The Mix releases STEREOVAULT, a new stereo width plugin (LAUNCH OFFER)

Mastering The Mix has released STEREOVAULT, a stereo width plugin for macOS and Windows. The plugin addresses a common problem where stereo widening can make au…

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mixing Production Expert 6 May

Forte AI Releases fPost Studio - AI-Powered AAF Import and Pro Tools Session Prep Automation

Forte AI has today announced fPost Studio, a standalone macOS application that automates AAF import and Pro Tools session preparation using on-device AI content…

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mixing Production Expert 6 May

How to Fix Missing Files in Pro Tools Using Force Relink

How many times have you opened a Pro Tools session to be greeted with the “Missing Files” window? Pro Tools will present this window if any files have been move…

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mixing Production Expert 6 May

Black Lion Audio Auteur 8DAT Combines Eight Preamps, ADAT Expansion And Word Clock In A 2U Rack

Black Lion Audio announces the Auteur 8DAT, an eight-channel Cinemag transformer preamp with ADAT output, DB25 inserts and Macro-MMC word clock in 2U. Pre-order…

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mixing Production Expert 6 May

Native Instruments Releases Komplete 26 - 190+ Instruments, Absynth 6, and iZotope Mixing Tools in One Bundle

Native Instruments has today announced Komplete 26, the latest version of its flagship production bundle, bringing together over 190 instruments and effects alo…

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plugins Audio Plugin Guy 6 May

SoundMorph Deals and News

DealsReviewsNews Current Deals and Freebies from SoundMorph SoundMorph has released DRO1D, a free online synthesizer. Expiry: None. Set up Developer Sale Alerts…

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plugins Audio Plugin Guy 6 May

Martinic Deals and News

DealsReviewsNews Current Deals and Freebies from Martinic Martinic AX73 Lucid Mechanics Collection 100% off. Expiry: Unknown. Set up Developer Sale Alerts for M…

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plugins Audio Plugin Guy 6 May

Empirical Labs Deals and News

Deals Current Deals and Freebies from Empirical Labs Get up to 80% off in the Universal Audio Plugin of the Month $39 Sale – Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor…

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mixing Production Expert 5 May

Mac Studio And Mac Mini RAM Options Cut: What Studio Buyers Need To Know Now

Apple has removed multiple Mac Studio and Mac mini RAM configurations from sale as a global memory shortage driven by AI demand continues to worsen.…

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mixing Production Expert 5 May

Audient ASP800 Mic Pre: 3 Reasons It Earns Its Rack Space

Audient's console-making knowhow will be known to many, but their standalone mic pres can upgrade your front end in more ways than one. Here we outline how its …

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mixing Production Expert 5 May

Neyrinck Launches PT Peek For Instant Pro Tools Session Visibility

Neyrinck has today announced PT Peek, a macOS utility that lets Pro Tools users view session details without opening the DAW. Aimed at producers, mixers and pos…

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tutorials Bedroom Producers Blog 5 May

Reffrey is a FREE reference track plugin for Mac and Windows

Reffrey is a free reference track plugin available in VST3 and AU formats for Mac and Windows, with no account required to download. Plugins like this one are u…

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reviews MusicTech 5 May

Native Instruments expands its Komplete series with Komplete 26

Stand-out additions come in the form of semi-modular synth plugin Absynth 6, grand piano instrument Claire, as well as Moments: Vocal Clouds’ ethereal soundscap…

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reviews MusicTech 5 May

The next drop of Telepathic Instruments’ Orchid is imminent – and this time it sports a transparent design

Clear Orchid: Arctic is limited to 3,000 units worldwide, and drops on 11 May. The post The next drop of Telepathic Instruments’ Orchid is imminent – and this t…

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tutorials Bedroom Producers Blog 5 May

ebbandflow releases deFORM, a FREE cinematic synth for macOS and Windows

deFORM is a brand-new free cinematic synth from ebbandflow, and it’s available for macOS (Monterey to Tahoe) and Windows (10-11). While discussing cinemat…

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tutorials Bedroom Producers Blog 5 May

Deadloop releases MoonVerb, a FREE shimmer reverb plugin

From developer Deadloop comes MoonVerb, a free shimmer reverb plugin for macOS and Windows. Reverb is an effect that we couldn’t live without because it p…

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tutorials Bedroom Producers Blog 5 May

Mannix Squared FREE plugin bundle refreshed and rebuilt (includes eight plugins)

Developer Mannix Squared has released a free plugin bundle consisting of eight refreshed and rebuilt plugins. It’s been a couple of years, or thereabouts,…

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mixing Production Expert 5 May

Toontrack Releases Drumology EZX With Drummer Jeremy Stacey

Drumology EZX is a new expansion for EZdrummer 3 and Superior Drummer 3 built around four era-specific drum kits spanning the 1960s through the 1990s. Recorded …

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mixing Production Expert 5 May

Acedia Audio Kerosene Now Available For Pro Tools

Acedia Audio has released version 1.1.3 of Kerosene, its multi-mode saturation plugin, adding AAX support, making it available to Pro Tools users for the first …

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reviews MusicTech 5 May

Beyond Abysnth: Into the depths of Native Instruments’ Komplete 26

With over 20 instruments joining this mega bundle, we zoom in on some of our favourite new additions. The post Beyond Abysnth: Into the depths of Native Instrum…

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plugins Audio Plugin Guy 5 May

News: Native Instruments releases Komplete 26, the latest version of their flagship software suite.

Native Instruments has launched Komplete 26, the latest version of its flagship music production bundle. The collection brings together more than 190 instrument…

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reviews MusicTech 5 May

How Sennheiser’s HD 480 PRO headphones have become essential to my daily workflow

Sennheiser’s new headphones challenge deep-rooted notions of how closed-back headphones feel and sound — and I love them! The post How Sennheiser’s HD 480 PRO h…

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plugins Audio Plugin Guy 5 May

News: Mastering the Mix unveils STEREOVAULT stereo analysis and shaping plugin.

STEREOVAULT is a new stereo processing plugin designed to help producers and engineers make more deliberate decisions about stereo width. The software analyzes …

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plugins Audio Plugin Guy 5 May

News: NoiseWorks Audio announce new tiered licence structure for AI-assisted vocal processing VoiceAssist plugin.

Noiseworks Audio has announced a new three-tier structure for its AI-powered vocal and dialogue processing plugin, VoiceAssist. The updated lineup introduces Ba…

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reviews MusicTech 5 May

Ableton Live 12.4 has arrived – here’s everything you need to know

There’s also a raft of new features and improvements for Push, Move and Note. The post Ableton Live 12.4 has arrived – here’s everything you need to know appear…

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tutorials Bedroom Producers Blog 5 May

Native Instruments releases Komplete 26

Native Instruments has released Komplete 26, the latest version of its flagship production collection. The bundle brings together over 190 instruments and effec…

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tutorials Bedroom Producers Blog 5 May

The only 5 free plugins I’d install if I were starting music production in 2026

I’ll say the thing most plugin lists won’t. If you’re new to music production, you don’t need 50 free plugins. You need about five. The …

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mixing Production Expert 5 May

The Best De-Esser Plugins for Vocals and Dialogue

For some engineers, mic selection and technique are still the ultimate de-esser. That said, tools to fight the fizz have never been better. De-essers have evolv…

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tutorials Splice Blog 5 May

What are harmonics? Exploring the fabric of music

Explore what harmonics and overtones are, how they constitute the very fabric of music, and how you can apply an understanding of them to your tracks.…

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tutorials Bedroom Producers Blog 4 May

DAWJunkie releases Knobs, a FREE random-effects processor plugin

Developer DAWJunkie has released Knobs, a free random-effects processor for macOS and Windows. We’ve been featuring DAWJunkie regularly for a little while…

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mixing Production Expert 4 May

AudioScape Announces Anniversary Edition G-Series Deluxe Buss Compressor - Limited To 20 Units

AudioScape has announced a limited-run Anniversary Edition G-Series Deluxe Buss Compressor, combining features from both its E and G series units, with only 20 …

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plugins Audio Plugin Guy 4 May

News: Slate + Ash releases Hyperobjects dual engine library for Kontakt 8 Player.

HYPEROBJECTS is a new Kontakt-based instrument collection designed around expressive, performance-led sound design. Developed as an interactive library, it cent…

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plugins Audio Plugin Guy 4 May

News: Orchestral Tools releases Lyra plucked string library for free SINE Player.

Orchestral Tools has launched Lyra, a new sample library dedicated to plucked string instruments from Western European music traditions. Curated by composer and…

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plugins Audio Plugin Guy 4 May

News: Awesonix has released Simple Meter, a free stereo meter with short-term loudness and dynamic range monitoring.

Simple Meter is a new metering plugin designed to provide clear stereo level and loudness insight during mixing and reference matching. It combines multiple met…

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mixing Production Expert 4 May

Mac Pro Is Dead. Here’s What Audio Professionals Are Actually Doing Next

Mac Pro is dead. We asked our Facebook community what they plan to do next. The answers came in fast from professionals who relied on the Mac Pro. Most aren’t p…

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reviews MusicTech 4 May

“I didn’t know what a session was”: Inside PinkPantheress’ evolving production workflow

From chopping audio in GarageBand to learning MIDI from her collaborators, the 25-year-old BRITs Producer of the Year reflects on how she learned to build track…

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mixing Production Expert 3 May

Avid Vari-Fi: The Pro Tools Plugin That's Easy To Overlook

Some plug-ins never make it into the headlines, yet they sit quietly in your system, ready to perform a job few others can do as well. Avid’s Vari-Fi is one of …

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tutorials Bedroom Producers Blog 3 May

Dezert Audio releases PolyFreq, a free analog modeled synth plugin

Dezert Audio has released PolyFreq, a free analog modeled synthesizer plugin for macOS and Windows. You may recognize Dezert Audio from Freq-2, the premium Kont…

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mixing Production Expert 3 May

What a £1,500 Album Teaches Us About Recording in 2026

No top-tier producer, no expensive studio, no budget to speak of. Just three musicians at the peak of their powers and songs that needed no help.…

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mixing Production Expert 2 May

Free Plugin - Minor Drama SendBlender

SendBlender is a different free plugin from Minor Drama, and it could be the missing mix control for your parallel FX chains. SendBlender has been designed to o…

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plugins Audio Plugin Guy 1 May

News: Universal Audio launches new UAD Enigmatic ’82 Overdrive Special Amp native plugin.

Universal Audio has launched UAD Enigmatic ’82 Overdrive Special Amp, a new native plug-in designed to deliver the sound of classic D-style guitar amplifiers in…

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mixing Production Expert 1 May

How To Track Plugin Compatibility With Plugin Station v1.3

Since its release, Julian Worden’s Plugin Station utility has undergone a number of improvements. With the latest version offering the most comprehensive way ye…

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reviews MusicTech 1 May

The best new plugins this week, free and paid

Software instruments, effects and mixing plugins – here’s everything fresh in the plugin marketplace this week. The post The best new plugins this week, free an…

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