We are the music makers https://wearethemusicmakers.co/latest Music tech and AI in music: the news that matters, what we think about it, and a directory of the tools. en-us Mon, 26 Oct 2026 04:30:00 GMT https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/transient-shapers-explained Transient shapers explained: attack and sustain without a threshold https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/transient-shapers-explained A transient shaper turns up or down the start of a sound and the tail that follows, without the threshold and ratio a compressor needs. This guide explains how it works, checked against the SPL Transient Designer manual and the Ableton Live 12 manual on 26 Oct 2026, and when to reach for one instead of a compressor. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers mixingdrumsdynamicspluginshome-studio https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/granular-season-holodrift-grainwerk HOLODRIFT or Grainwerk? Two new granular instruments, and which one to buy at each budget https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/granular-season-holodrift-grainwerk Blinksonic's HOLODRIFT (€119 launch price until 30 October, then €159) and Decent Samples' Grainwerk ($29 on sale, $59 list) both turn audio into texture. They are not the same tier. Grainwerk is the cheap, light, Linux-friendly way in. HOLODRIFT is a heavier performance instrument built around morphing between eight sources. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers music-techworkflowsgranularpluginsblinksonicdecent-samples https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/vintage-synth-plugin-economy-v10f-decade Two vintage-synth plugins, two ways to sell the past: Audio Blast's V10F and Ebbandflow's deCADE https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/vintage-synth-plugin-economy-v10f-decade Audio Blast's V10F takes its cue from the Kawai 100F, the monosynth Vince Clarke had in early Depeche Mode, and launched at €77. Ebbandflow's deCADE packs 127 captured sounds from a dozen unnamed '80s synths into one sample-based instrument. One sells a synth's history and the other sells its sound, and buyers should know which one they're paying for. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers music-techsynthspluginsvintage-emulationsample-librariesworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/compressor-types-vca-fet-opto-vari-mu VCA, FET, opto and vari-mu: the four compressor types and when to reach for each https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/compressor-types-vca-fet-opto-vari-mu Most compressor plug-ins model one of four kinds of hardware: VCA, FET, optical or vari-mu. Each turns the volume down with a different part, and that part decides how fast it reacts, how it lets go and what it adds. This guide explains the four, checked against the manuals on 25 Oct 2026, and gives a simple way to pick one for each job. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers mixingcompressionpluginshome-studio https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/saturation-and-distortion-basics Saturation and distortion basics for mixing https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/saturation-and-distortion-basics Saturation is gentle distortion: it adds harmonics that can make a sound feel fuller or more present. This guide explains what saturation and distortion are, why soft and hard clipping sound different, what aliasing is and when oversampling helps, with practical habits for using it in a mix. Sources read on 24 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers mixingproductionplugins https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/ua-empirical-labs-fatso-native-plugin-licensing UA takes the Empirical Labs FATSO native: what you own when you buy an emulation in 2026 https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/ua-empirical-labs-fatso-native-plugin-licensing Universal Audio has released its Empirical Labs FATSO tape-simulator plug-ins in native form for Mac and Windows, 17 years after the DSP version. The price is easy to compare with a subscription; the licence terms behind it are the harder part. Tue, 13 Oct 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers releasespluginsuniversal-audiolicensing https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/google-flow-music-spaces-export-vst Google Flow Music now exports the tools you describe as VST3 and AU plugins https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/google-flow-music-spaces-export-vst Since 6 Oct 2026, Google Flow Music lets producers describe an instrument or effect in plain language and load it into their DAW as a VST3 or AU plugin. It is macOS-only, limited to synth and effects processing, and runs inside a Google host plugin, which matters more than the launch framing suggests. Tue, 06 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers music-techgooglepluginsai-music https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/05/komplete-26-year-names-absynth-returns-izotope-split Komplete 26: NI switches to year names and brings Absynth back, weeks before the company was split up https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/05/komplete-26-year-names-absynth-returns-izotope-split Native Instruments released Komplete 26 on 5 May 2026, renaming the bundle by year and putting Absynth back in it, three days before inMusic agreed to buy the company. The bundle is still good value, but iZotope, whose plugins are part of every paid edition, now belongs to a different buyer. Tue, 05 May 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers releasesnative-instrumentspluginsindustry https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/02/lalal-ai-lyra-local-stem-splitting LALAL.AI's local stem splitter shows where your audio should stay: on your machine https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/02/lalal-ai-lyra-local-stem-splitting LALAL.AI's first plugin, launched in February 2026 and since expanded to seven stems on its local Lyra model, splits audio without uploading it. LALAL.AI admits Lyra gives up some quality against its cloud models, but for unreleased music, where the audio goes is a question worth asking of every AI tool. Tue, 03 Feb 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowsmusic-techstem-separationpluginsprivacy