gotta admit I agree with all the picks....

thoughts? something to add?

 

To me basically everything that adds harmonics without being a specified harmonics generator.

 

You should never buy a "Lite" version of a software product, and then complain it is too stripped down for "professional" use. As if you didn't know....

Product Price*
Auto-Tune Access 10 ~$49.00 USD
Auto-Tune Pro 11 ~$459.00 USD for the full perpetual version

*prices from AI. It doesn't matter if they are exactly correct at this time. It is only an example.

 

I can't comment on the processors listed as I don't use them personally, but I'd like to add:

iZotope Trash (3). It's not a bad signal dirtier such, but it generally adds nothing on Trash/Trash2 which I absolutely adore. Sure, I was expecting a whole world of new fancy saturations and was disappointed because... T3 is not it.

 

LANDR Audio - LANDR Synth X v1.0.0 VST4 - EUR 49.50 There was no demo available for download. I wasted EUR 50. I hope the manufacturer used my EUR 50 wisely. The synth is totally powerless, too thin, too quiet, meaningless.

 

Last edited: Sep 19, 2025

iZotope Ozone is definitely has its place in that list, it started to fall apart since their focus become AI and machine learning for that stupid Master Assistant to try to sell it for bedroom Producers instead of being Pro focused, i have v10 and can't really remember when was the last time i used it , i rarely use one or two of its individual modules but i don't miss it... I'd rather buy some individual modules maybe the Maximizer, Exciter and Imager

 

Yeah, I disagree.
Most of these plugins are my favorites, and I have no issues with them.
What I'm curious about is this guy named Sage Audio.
Are the photos of his studio real?
He's never reviewed any hardware gear or shown his studio on his channel.
His channel is completely for plugin nerds.
And I don't think his mastering sounds that great.

 

play before you play. i am so sorry. 50 e

 

The problem with mentioning Pro-Q4 is another simple one. People do not like it, but new versions are often "Caretaker versions" that really did not warrant a new major version number. " All they added was a mix knob" (Waves), or "scalable interfaces" (Soundtoys). Maybe they are just adding support for a new version of Windows or a cpu architecture for Apple Silicon. Or they just skip 10 version numbers to enact a new version number scheme (MacOS 25).

You buy the software as it is, the day you paid for it. Other than fixing broken stuff, bugs, compatibility; they do not owe you endless new free major revisions to add new stuff. Not every dumb idea from userland needs to be a new additional feature; especially if it is nearly perfect already (pro-q3).

 

The man behind Sage Audio (@sageaudio) is Steve Corrao.

Spoiler: Source: Grok KI

The man behind Sage Audio (@sageaudio) is Steve Corrao. He is the founder, chief engineer, and owner of the company, which specializes in professional audio mastering, mixing, and consulting for musicians. Corrao has over 18 years of experience in music production and founded the studio in 2008 to offer high-quality mastering at affordable prices. He holds degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Idaho and in audio engineering from Belmont University in Nashville.

Under his leadership, the team works with artists such as Little Big Town and has focused on the Music Row scene. The Sage Audio studio is located in Nashville, Tennessee (USA), specifically on the famous Music Row—the center of the country and pop music industry. The address is 1229 17th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37212.

 

same boat here.

i have version v10, sometimes i load one of the plugins then replace it with some other VST from another company that works better for me.

 

Last edited: Sep 20, 2025

I agree with what he says about Ozone, except that it is very funny that he complains that Izotope is moving away from its 'true pro audience'. Ozone began to look serious and vaguely 'pro' when Izotope started releasing advanced versions (with Ozone 5, I think). Before that, Ozone users were constantly bashed for desacrating the Noble Audio Mastering Trade with a crappy all-in-one kids' toy. A search on Gearslutz would unearth gigabytes of ancient flame wars and self-righteous posts. But the guy is obviously too young to have known these times.

I strongly disagree with what he says about Pro-Q4. Some of the new functions are truely useful and everything that made 3 great is still there.

 

Pro-Q

Mixer grinder under the skin of a space shuttle.

 

I love fiddling with plugins, it takes the focus from the music.

 

@PulseWave Sorry to hear that mate. I got mine for free, and its so crap I won't even install it now. Bang on the nose about the sound, thin, weedy, and yeh your right, meaningless....

 

What? No Sausage fattener? :

 

My biggest disappointment was UVI Falcon. Not because it bad, but because it is so complicated to use. Too much overhyped. For sound design nerds only.

 

True. Have it and love it. Reminds me of 3D software with their huge hierarchical structures though. Makes my brain hurt. That's why us mere mortals stick to dicking around with presets, lol.

 

Trash 3 was one of the most dissapointing releases i can recall, and ive been in the space for 20 years. They completely neutered Trash. Sure, you can still get some tone out of it, but its nowhere near the previous version. Luckily the old version still works, for now,

I got it with a landr bundle when i bought Vocalign. Easily one of the worst synths in existence. Just terrible.

You know that Ozone comes with all of the individual modules as separate plugins? The master assistant is gimmicky for sure, but there are still excellent modules within. Its also nice to be able to create chains / starting points. Some of the newer modules added since v10 are excellent.

Falcon definitely has a learning curve. Its worth learning though. It took me about a week of really locking in. Once you understand the workflow, the possibilities are endless. Extremely powerful synth. tons of banks and libraries available as well if you aren't a tweaker.