Studio super genius Dave Askew breaks down the things you need to know for a solid foundational understanding of room acoustics, and how to set up your studio for better sound and mixes!

Logic expert Doug Zangar has the low end covered in this series about Bass Amp Designer in Logic Pro X. Learn about how to use, manage and get creative with the endless tonal options available in this killer amp simulator!

SIR2 is an easy to use native audio-plugin to use for high quality reverberation. It's available for the plugin formats VST and AudioUnit. It offers zero-latency processing with low CPU-consumption and non-destructive audio processing of impulse responses. SIR2 includes high definition impulse responses (HDIR) of *real* places produced by Pinguin, Hamburg. You can also use various impulse responses from free or commercial sources.

DIVA - Dinosaur Impersonating Virtual Analogue Synthesizer: The oscillators, filters and envelopes closely model components found in some of the great monophonic and polyphonic synthesizers of yesteryear. Modules can be mixed and matched so you can build hybrids, but what sets DIVA apart is the sheer authenticity of the analogue sound. This comes at the cost of quite a high CPU-hit, but we think it was worth it: Diva is the first native software synth that applies methods from industrial circuit simulators (e.g. PSpice) in realtime. The behaviour of zero-delay-feedback filters when pushed to the limit clearly demonstrates the advantages of this groundbreaking approach.

Tobin Esperance (Papa Roach), Evan Brewer (Entheos), Josh Paul (ex-Suicidal Tendencies) and Ryan Martinie (Mudvayne). Four top players from completely different ends of the scene deliver a collection of bass tones showcasing an incredible width. From tube-sizzling heavy rock tones and loud, distorted hi-gain metal settings to the complexly textured, mellow and organic.

The fourth title in the Metal Guitar Gods series presents 50 unique amp and cab settings modeled directly after the personal tones of four top metal players: Gus G (Ozzy Osbourne, Firewind), Jake Pitts (Black Veil Brides), Wes Hauch (Black Crown Initiate) and Michael Keene (The Faceless).

If you ask a group of mix engineers what they would keep if they were forced to strip their rigs down to a minimum, a solid source for ambience would likely be at the top of most people’s lists. Reverb is a key ingredient in any great mix, regardless if it’s an epic ballad or a thunderous metal track. It adds that subtle air, breathing room and has the power to elevate even the most mundane of material. Try it – mute all your ambience sources in a mix and you’ll see. With that in mind, getting real rooms and reverbs takes it to a whole new level.

The Traditional Country EZX comes with a stellar collection of drums recorded at the Quonset Hut Studio, the first-ever recording studio on the now world-famous Music Row in Nashville, TN. The first incarnation was opened to the public in 1955 before it was ultimately sold to Columbia and operated under the name of Columbia Studio B until it closed in 1982. Today, it serves as a recording classroom for the Belmont University.

Fueled by acts like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, a new breed of rock burst onto the scene in the late sixties. With a big, thunderous sound, often with the drums as the barreling force in the front of the mix, the classic acts of this era didn’t only strike a chord that would resonate to this day – they shook the ground and started a landslide of heavy music to come.It’s from this legacy that the Big Rock Drums EZX picks up. Helmed by Rival Sons’ drummer Michael Miley and Grammy Award-winning engineer Dave Cobb (Rival Sons, Europe, Zac Brown Band), it sets out to capture the raw essence of classic rock drums as we know them. Recorded at Cobb’s own Low Country Sound Studio in Nashville, it presents five essentially different kits that still share one common denominator – they’re the massive, reverberant and roaring type, tailored for big rock songs.

The 1970s rock scene was one of diversity and constant reinvention. On one end of the scale, bands like Led Zeppelin and The Who not only paved way for a new breed of loud, beat-driven rock – but also revitalized the drum hero of the jazz age and introduced a never-before-heard sonic ideal of big, massively saturated drums. On the opposite end, acts like the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac took on a noticeably more polished production suit. Still, both sounds were very much products attributed to the advances of recording technology. The Seventies Rock EZX sets out to capture that scope – from the farthest end of epic, earth-shattering and reverberant down to classic, dampened and low-key.

Having shaped the sound of acts like Whitechapel, DevilDriver, Trivium and Coal Chamber, Mark Lewis has risen to become one of the top names in modern metal production. One of his signature traits, always a given in any production bearing the Lewis sonic seal, is the wall of guitars – deafening, yet defined, balanced and distinguishable.

Some guitarists hit notes thirty, or even forty, years ago that seem to resonate just as vividly now as back then. We’re talking about the icons – the flag bearers of the big guitar tones that changed the fabric of rock and whose legacy to this day keep trickling down to new generations of players across the globe.

Presswerk is a powerful dynamics processor with a musical soul. An easy-to-use interface and a rich feature set give you hands-on control over all details of your sound. Presswerk doesn't emulate famous compressors, it blends the warmth of classic hardware models with developments that are only possible in the digital domain.

We took a journey back to the Golden Age of magnetic tape recording. We wanted to recreate all kinds of tape machines in software, from the ground up. After many months spent on research, measurement and on developing an architecture that would be flexible enough for the job, we knew we had nailed it... But we couldn't stop there: We added the old noise-reduction systems that were often (mis)used for timbral compression effects. Then more heads and a global feedback path, which made an uber-tape-delay and realistic 'one-shot' tape flanging possible. Users familiar with analogue recording gear should instantly feel at home with Satin, and digital afficionados will also learn to love the magic of tape – Satin invites you to explore and find out for yourself.

TDR VOS SlickEQ – Gentleman’s Edition takes SlickEQ‘s concept to new heights and adds an exotic “Tilt”-filter flanked by flexible low-pass and high-pass filters. Five distinct EQ models provide a rich set of predefined EQ curves and behaviours for the three main semi parametric filter bands.

TDR SlickEQ M (Mastering Edition) extends SlickEQ’s proven concept into a fully-fledged stereophonic equalizer. Specifically developed for the audio mastering engineer, no compromises have been made to deliver an exceptional musical flexibility and audio fidelity.

TDR Kotelnikov is a wideband dynamics processor combining high fidelity dynamic range control with deep musical flexibility. As a descendant of the venerable TDR Feedback Compressor product family, Kotelnikov has directly inherited several unique features such as a proven control scheme, individual release control for peak and RMS content, an intuitive user interface, and powerful, state of the art, high-precision algorithms.

NOVA GE is a parallel dynamic equalizer. Appearing in the familiar layout of a parametric equalizer, the plugin also includes a full featured dynamics section enabling NOVA to cover an impressively wide range of applications. Be it a master lacking density, the drum bus asking for more crispiness, or a sibilance problem in your perfect take: NOVA has an elegant answer.

TransReckon is a transient processor that will help you to add punch to your drum lines or put some instruments forward (or backward) in an extremely efficient way and with unexpected ease.

EARebound is a full-featured multi-delay plug-in which has been designed to meet a specific need : to quickly create rhythm lines from percussive sounds recorded in various environments (natural, urban, industrial, …).

EAReverb 2 is a 100% algorithmic reverb plug-in (32/64-bit VST2, VST3, AU, AAX). It features the “Natural” core engine of the original EAReverb but also brings a plethora of new algorithms and functionalities accessible from a totally revised user interface. Compared to the former EAReverb which focuses on simulating natural environments, EAReverb 2 can then be considered as a more holistic answer to your reverb needs.

EAReverb is a 32/64bit VST plugin for Windows and a 32/64bit VST/AU plugin for Mac OS X. EAReverb is a true stereo reverb unit. EAReverb is 100% algorithmic.

The ANALOG87 series features 6 plugins. These have been designed and fine tuned "by human ears" and except for PR-EQUA87, you will not get a lot of visual feedback from them... just good sound.

This VST host has been designed to meet the requirements of musicians and sound engineers in live situations. As a serious musician, you surely need a complete DAW to record your music, but when you are in front of your audience, it may be easier to use something dedicated to live situations. And during live situations, the access to your instruments and effects must be fast and intuitive. The adjustment of these must be done efficiently, and the necessary software sub layers running on your computer should not be your concern when it comes to play or produce music.