Create Better Music, One Plugin at a Time
How To Use sonible smart:chain: Beginner’s Guide Mixing can become complicated surprisingly fast. You start with an EQ. Then you add a compressor. Maybe the track sounds harsh, so you add another processor. The levels aren’t consistent, so you adjust gain. Then you add saturation for character. Before long, one track has five or six … Read more
Best Excite Audio Plugins in 2026: Which Ones Are Worth Using? Excite Audio has become one of the more interesting plugin developers for modern music producers. Instead of simply releasing another collection of traditional EQs, compressors, and synthesizers, Excite Audio has put a lot of emphasis on creative workflow, sound design, movement, texture, and fast … Read more
How To Use Roland XV-5080 VST: A Complete Guide for Music Producers The Roland XV-5080 is one of those instruments that can easily become a go-to sound source once you understand what it can do. Originally released as a hardware sound module in 2000, the XV-5080 became popular for its huge collection of realistic instruments, … Read more
808s are one of the most important sounds in modern Hip Hop, Trap, R&B, and Trap Soul. But getting an 808 right isn’t always as simple as loading a sample and playing the root notes of your chord progression. Sometimes the 808 doesn’t hit hard enough. Sometimes it sounds great through studio monitors but disappears … Read more
How To Use Arturia Pure SUB: A Beginner’s Guide If you make Hip Hop, R&B, Trap, or Trap Soul, you already know how important the low end is. A great melody and drum pattern can quickly lose their impact if the bass doesn’t have enough weight, character, or movement. That’s where Arturia Pure SUB comes … Read more
Roland ZENOLOGY Pro Advanced Techniques: Take Your Sound Design to the Next Level Once you understand the basics of Roland ZENOLOGY Pro, the real fun begins. ZENOLOGY Pro is much more than a preset-based virtual instrument. Underneath its massive collection of sounds is a surprisingly deep synthesis engine that allows you to build, layer, shape, … Read more
How To Use Lunacy BEAM 2.0: A Beginner’s Guide to Creative Multi-Effects If your beats are starting to sound a little too clean, predictable, or familiar, a creative multi-effects plugin can completely change the way you approach sound design. Lunacy BEAM 2.0 is built for exactly that purpose. Rather than loading several separate effects and … Read more
Roland ZENOLOGY Pro Setup Guide for Musicians: How to Install, Configure, and Start Making Music Roland ZENOLOGY Pro gives musicians access to a huge collection of synthesizer sounds inspired by decades of Roland instruments. From warm analog-style pads and basses to digital keys, leads, plucks, bells, and modern synth textures, it can become an incredibly … Read more
Roland ZENOLOGY Pro Sound Design Guide: Create Your Own Synth Sounds Roland ZENOLOGY Pro gives producers access to thousands of sounds, but browsing presets is only the beginning of what this synthesizer can do. Once you start digging beneath the presets, you’ll discover a powerful sound-design environment built around Roland’s ZEN-Core Synthesis System. And you … Read more
Roland ZENOLOGY Pro for Beginners: A Complete Getting Started Guide If you’re new to Roland ZENOLOGY Pro, opening it for the first time can be a little intimidating. There are thousands of sounds, multiple synthesis sections, effects, expansions, and enough parameters to keep a producer busy for a very long time. But here’s the good … Read more