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Antelope Audio drops free EQ plugin to celebrate the release of individual perpetual licenses for 75+ plugins.

MG4+ is Antelope’s take on a popular 500-Series six-band analogue EQ renowned for introducing top-end shine and clarity

Back in 2023, Antelope Audio announced that it was making its stable of Synergy Core plugins – which could previously only run on Antelope’s DSP-equipped audio interfaces – available natively on macOS and Windows.

Available exclusively via a subscription plan on launch, Antelope Audio’s collection of Synergy Core Native plugins has since expanded to encompass 75+ titles. Today, the company has announced that it’s making individual licenses for the native plugins available for purchase for the first time.

To mark the occasion, Antelope Audio is giving away a free plugin: MG4+. This is a 6-band EQ based on the Mäag Audio EQ4, a popular 500-Series hardware EQ. EQ4 is known for its Air Band functionality, renamed by Antelope as Sky Band, that opens up a signal’s top end and adds high-frequency shine without introducing harsh sibilance.

MG4+ features boost/cut knobs for five frequency bands (40Hz, 160Hz, 650Hz, 2.5kHz and a sub band around 15Hz) along with frequency selection and gain controls for the Sky Band. Simple but effective, MG4+ should work its magic on vocals, acoustic guitars, or any signal in need of some extra top-end presence and clarity.

Antelope Audio’s catalogue of native plugins is made up of a wide variety of emulations of classic studio gear, from vintage-inspired channel strips, preamps and compressors to recreations of hardware reverbs and delays. These are joined by a number of original plugins designed in-house, such as the InTune pitch correction tool and Space Flanger modulation effect.

“Our plugins are built on a legacy of great sound,” reads a statement from Antelope Audio. “After years of perfecting ultra-realistic analogue modeling for FPGA and DSP processors, we’ve brought that same expertise into the world of native software. The result is a collection that captures the warmth, precision, and musicality of legendary studio gear, now available right inside your DAW.”

Features:

• On/Bypass button
• Sub frequency boost/cut knob
• 40Hz boost/cut knob
• 160Hz boost/cut knob
• 650Hz boost/cut knob
• 5kHz boost/cut knob
• Sky band frequency select knob
• Sky band gain control knob

Antelope Audio’s MG4+ is compatible with macOS and Windows and available in AAX/AU/VST3 formats.

Visit Antelope Audi website to download the plugin and find out more.

Ocean Swift has introduced Sample Tester, a free instrument designed for rapid auditioning, tuning checks, and curation of oscillator-style samples.

With Sample Tester, you can drag and drop a sample file and immediately hear it played polyphonically, letting you quickly quick check tuning, harmonic behavior, and musical context.

Features:

• Automatically detects or permits manual setting of the root note
• Displays MIR-derived metrics such as pitch, peak, RMS, and loudness at a glance
• Offers an engine toggle to compare Direct-From-Disk streaming versus Time Machine Pro sample stretching
• Provides one-click amplitude envelope shapes (Perc, Bell, Piano, Lead, Pad)
• Supports NKS / NKS2 mappings, compatible with hardware control surfaces
• Works fully in the free Kontakt Player—no full Kontakt license required
• In modern production environments, sound designers and producers often sift through large volumes of raw samples.

Sample Tester is available now as a free Kontakt Player-compatible tool.

Splice unveils free plugin and virtual instrument platform with hundreds of free presets.

Samples have historically been Splice’s primary focus, but today the company makes a bold move into the world of virtual instruments with the launch of the INSTRUMENT plugin.

INSTRUMENT is a cloud-connected virtual instrument that gives musicians access to a library of 1200+ multi-sampled presets, most of which are based on sounds from British sample library and instrument developer Spitfire Audio’s extensive library. (Back in April, Splice acquired Spitfire Audio in a rumoured $50m deal.)

INSTRUMENT is free to download and currently features a total of 489 free instrument presets across 66 themed packs, available to anyone with a Splice account. The instruments cover everything from intimate pianos and ambient textures to hyperpop synths and vintage drum sounds, and new free presets will be dropped on a regular basis.

All of the free presets in INSTRUMENT are based on sounds that were previously available through Spitfire Audio’s popular and long-running free virtual instrument series LABS, which has now ceased operations, along with the recently launched subscription platform LABS+.

Alongside the free presets, INSTRUMENT also gives paid subscribers access to an expanding library of hundreds more “premium” presets, most of which are also based on Spitfire Audio content. These include choirs, modular synths, orchestral textures and field recordings, alongside genre-focused instruments and artist-created packs. Other highlights include composer Phillip Glass’ baby grand piano and Spitfire Audio’s popular BBC Symphony Orchestra instruments.

All of the available instruments can be browsed, previewed and downloaded within the plugin. Once you’ve seleced a preset, it will appear in INSTRUMENT’s Play window, where you can tweak several macros that manipulate the sound, adjust tuning and dynamics, and switch between presets in a sound pack.

Unlike Splice’s sample platform, INSTRUMENT doesn’t operate using a credit-based system and paid subscribers can access all of the available presets instantly. If you cancel your plan, all current tracks in projects that use premium presets will continue to function and respond to automation, but you won’t be able to create any new tracks using paid-for sounds.

“Splice INSTRUMENT marks a major milestone for Splice,” said Splice CEO Kakul Srivastava. “For the first time, we’re moving beyond samples into full virtual instruments, bringing creative control and world-class recordings to musicians and producers everywhere in an accessible, playable form. This is just the beginning of what’s possible when we combine Spitfire Audio’s artistry with Splice’s innovation.”

“With Splice INSTRUMENT, we’re building on the foundation of LABS: affordable access to inspiring, expressive sounds with intuitive creative control,” added Spitfire Audio’s Paul Thomson. “Sounds from this collection have already appeared on Grammy-nominated albums and in blockbuster films. Whether composing for screen or producing the next big hit, this library captures the beauty of real instruments and the character of the rooms they were recorded in.”

Splice INSTRUMENT Walkthrough:

Splice INSTRUMENT is available now for macOS and Windows in AU/VST3/AAX formats.

Splice INSTRUMENT is free to download, but access to premium sounds will require an INSTRUMENT subscription at $12.99/month. Access is also included in Splice’s Creator and Creator+ plans, priced at $19.99/month and $39.99/month respectively.

Visit Splice website to download INSTRUMENT and find out more.