10 plugins worth making room for in 2026
A focused shortlist for synths, groove, mixing and finishing. Choose the job you need done before choosing the plugin.
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Fresh sounds.
New directions.
10 effects to take a loop somewhere new
From subtle space to full transformation: ten effects, the job each could do, and a useful way to audition it.
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Serum 2 or Pigments? Follow the sound in your head.
Two deep sound-design routes. Compare what you want to make, how you like to learn and what you already own.
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What does Fred again.. use? Start with the idea.
The tools named in his 2026 Tape Notes episode, and a practical way to explore vocal-led electronic music without copying a shopping list.
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Solardo’s house-drums lesson: choose less, shape more.
A 2026 interview offers a useful starting point for house producers: build the rhythm deliberately, then make the samples your own.
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Inside “Poco Loco”: percussion with a purpose.
A recent L’CORE interview turns a new club record into a useful question: does every percussion layer have a reason to be there?
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Five sample packs. Five ways out of the same loop.
House grooves, dusty breaks, found percussion and synth effects: choose a new ingredient for the track you already have.
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Find a vocal hook. Keep your own identity.
A focused search-to-arrangement workflow for vocal-led electronic tracks, without letting the library make every decision.
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When your synth gets harsh, don’t cut the life out of it.
Static EQ, dynamic EQ or a change at the source? Use the simplest treatment that solves the actual problem.
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RC-20’s October update—and a better way to use texture.
XLN’s latest listed update focuses on the platform and fixes. Here’s a practical reason to revisit the texture tool you may already own.
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Ozone 12: buy the edition you’ll actually use.
Assistant-led results, an editable chain or separate processing modules? Start with the mastering workflow you need.
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Two free synth starting points. One finished idea.
Explore two currently listed free options, understand their limits, and turn a preset into an arrangement before buying more.
Read articleBefore you buy another plugin, try this.
A practical five-question check to help you buy for your music, rather than your plugin folder.
Read articleSample packs or a sample subscription?
Two ways to build your sound library. Start with the way you actually make music.
Read articleScaler 3: what to check before buying.
A researched introduction to the composition tool, with questions for your own trial session.
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