Archive for April, 2025

Arturia V Collection 11 Update Gets Roland JP-8000 Emulation, Lo-Fi Synth/Sampler & More


Arturia has unveiled the latest edition of V Collection, its popular and extensive bundle of software instruments and synth emulations. V Collection 11 brings seven new instruments into the fold, including Jup-8000 V, an emulation of the Roland JP-8000, and Pure LoFi, a synth and sampler designed to craft authentically degraded lo-fi sounds.

Jup-8000 V is a software recreation of the Roland JP-8000, an analogue modelling synth that found favour with trance producers following its release in the late ‘90s, beloved for its supersaw oscillator which stacked seven detuned sawtooth waves to create a lush and harmonically rich sound.

Arturia says that it has meticulously reverse-engineered the original synth’s circuitry to create a “true-to-life” recreation of the JP-8000’s “anthemic” tones, while integrating new features such as a multi-arpeggiator, polyphonic sequencer and additional effects.

The plugin’s seven engine modes (comprising Supersaw, Triangle Mod, Noise, Feedback Oscillator, Square, Sawtooth and Triangle) can be shaped using an “ultra-sharp” multimode filter with switchable slopes, and processed via an extensive selection of 18 effects that includes a take on the classic “trance gate” gate sequencing effect.

Pure LoFi is a software instrument designed to capture the sonic imperfections of vintage hardware, from tape machines to classic samplers. The plugin’s trio of sound engines (Realistic Instruments, Creative Sampler and LoFi Oscillator) span both synthesis and sampling and can be imbued with lo-fi goodness via nine vintage hardware emulations and six processing modes that recreate digital artifacts, tape flutter and vinyl crackle.

Also included in V Collection 11 are several instruments that have been unveiled since the release of V Collection X: MiniBrute V, an emulation of the company’s first hardware synth, released in 2012, and Synthx V, a recreation of the ‘80s Elka Synthex that augments the original with expanded polyphony, new filter modes and modulation options.

SEM V, Arturia’s take on the classic Oberheim SEM synth, has been completely redesigned and equipped with a new modulation engine, effects rack and multi-mode arpeggiator. MiniFreak V has also received an comprehensive update, along with five of Arturia’s Augmented series of software instruments.

Two new Augmented instruments have also been added to V Collection: Mallets augments the bright and percussive tones of the marimba, vibraphone and celeste with an array of “cutting-edge” synth sounds to create a varied selection of multi-layered presets, while Yangtze gives the same treatment to a range of traditional Chinese instruments that includes Bass Dizi, Xiao, Pipa, Guqin, Yangqin and Erhu.

Arturia has also introduced V Collection Intro, an affordable alternative to the full collection that features a curated selection of 10 software titles. In addition to Pure LoFi, V Collection Intro offers Jun-6 V, Prophet-5 V, DX7 V, MiniFreak V, Stage-73 V, Mini V 4 and Analog Lab Intro, along with Augmented Grand Piano and Augmented Strings.

Check out the full list of instruments included in Arturia V Collection 11 below:

V Collection Instrument Overviews:

V Collection 11 Pro is priced at €699/$699 and V Collection Intro is €199/$199. Existing users will be able to access an upgrade at a discount.

Find out more on Arturia website

 

Reverb Will Go Private Again, Plans Site Enhancements

Music gear marketplace Reverb announced this week that two new investors —Creator Partners and Servco  — have entered into an agreement to purchase the company from Etsy.

Once the deal closes, Reverb will be a privately-held, independently operated company, backed by two investors that share Reverb’s experience in the music industry and focus on musicians.

“Creator Partners and Servco share our passion for the musical instruments industry and a community-first approach, plus a deep desire to strengthen creative industries,” said David Mandelbrot, CEO at Reverb. “The musicians, shops, and brands who use Reverb have always been at the center of all that we do, and these two partners will help us support our music-making community in new and better ways.”

“Reverb is the #1 global marketplace for musicians, and a one-of-a-kind platform that has transformed access to quality used gear for creators of all levels” said Kerry Trainor, Creator Partners Founder and former CEO of SoundCloud and Vimeo, “We are thrilled to join the Reverb mission to make the world more musical, and grow the entire industry through seamless secondhand commerce.”

“We are thrilled and honored to be a part of Reverb’s continued success,” said Executive Chair of Servco, Mark Fukunaga. “For nearly 90 years, Servco has been deeply involved in musical instruments and music education programs. And we remain committed to being good stewards of leading musical instrument companies, like Reverb, and supporting players everywhere in pursuing their passion to create music.”

When the deal closes in the coming months, Reverb will return to being an independent business. According to Mandelbrot, buyers and sellers won’t notice any disruption as a result of this news, but he does expect the Reverb community to notice positive changes and new innovations in the coming months as the team continues to focus on making Reverb the best place to buy and sell music gear.

“We’ve got a lot of exciting changes in the works. We’re expanding access to music-making software on Reverb and we’re getting ready to pilot a new option for selling that allows musicians to get paid faster, while skipping the listing and shipping process. Our teams are working on improving our search functionality, making it easier to ship, and shortening the time it takes to resolve support issues,” said Mandelbrot. “All and all, there’s a lot for our community to look forward to and I’m very excited about what’s coming as we move forward as an independent company again.”

 

Waves Just Dropped A Free Plugin Pack


Waves’ team must be feeling particularly generous this week, as the software developer announces that it is releasing a bundle of seven free plugins that offers a convolution reverb, FM synth and several emulations of vintage studio gear. Plus, all future updates are free.

Inside you’ll find Lil Tube, a tube saturation emulator with a simple and intuitive interface designed to imbue signals with the warmth, fatness and texture characteristic of vacuum tube-based gear.

This is joined by V-EQ3, a “natural-sounding” emulation of the revered Neve 1073 preamp, and V-Comp, a software version of the Neve 2254 Limiter-Compressor that Waves says delivers a “fat and textured” sound thanks to component-level modelling of the original hardware.

The plugin pack also contains IR Live Reverb, a convolution reverb that includes an extensive library of impulse responses for halls, rooms, plates, cathedrals and more, along with AudioTrack, a channel strip plugin that squeezes EQ, compression and gating into a single processor.

Additionally, the bundle of free software tools features Flow Motion – an FM synth plugin and GTR Solo, a somewhat dated amp simulator and effects suite.

Waves’ Free Plugin Pack also offers StudioVerse Instruments and StudioVerse Audio Effects, two plugins that give you access to Waves’ StudioVerse online preset library. This enables you open multiple instruments and effects within the StudioVerse plugins, save presets to the cloud, share these with the online community and utilize chains from other Waves users and pro producers.

Here’s What You Get in the Pack:

  • StudioVerse Audio Effects (New)
  • StudioVerse Instruments (New)
  • Lil Tube: Sweet Analog Saturation
  • IR Live: Real-World Reverb
  • V-EQ3: Smooth & Musical Vintage Analog EQ
  • V-Comp: Classic Vintage Compressor
  • GTR Solo: Pro Effect Pedal-Style FX
  • AudioTrack: All-in-One Channel Strip
  • Flow Motion: Hybrid FM Synth


All of the 9 plugins are compatible with macOS and Windows and available in AAX/VST3/AU formats. Find out more on Waves’ website.