Sonalksis Essentials Plug-ins Reviews

"Sonically, the SV-517 is simply superb. No matter what kind of EQ application you throw at it, it handles it all with aplomb, from basic tracking functions and high precision mixing duties to crazy filter sweeps and transformations. It's a very accurate EQ, but one with a perceptible - dare I say it - 'analogue' character. 'Sweet' is one word that comes to mind; 'smooth' and 'musical' are two more. Arguably the first native software EQ that deserves to be called a classic. It's flexible, easy to use, and it gets stunning results every time. In a word, magnificent. Sound verdict: 10/10."

Future Music (SV-517)

"How does it sound? in a word, Spectacular. The SV-315 makes drums punchier, vocals more alive, and bass fatter. You can use it to drastically squash and add analogue flavour, or as a far more subtle dynamics shaping tool. Seriously, there was nothing we could do to make the SV-315 sound bad. It you're looking for the current champion of native analogue modelled compressors, the Sonalksis SV-315 is it. Rating: 9/10"

Computer Music (SV-315)

"This is a real 'character compressor' and it's certainly not every day you come across one of those in software. It has a sound all its own, is instantly intuitive, and thanks to the 64-bit processing that powers it, it's indistinguishable from the real analogue deal. In terms of smoothness and bite, I'd have absolutely no hesitation in recommending the SV-315 to any engineer. Sound verdict: 10/10"

Future Music (SV-315)

"As you can probably tell, I am very impressed with SV315. It's one of those plug-ins that sounds so good you almost feel guilty about using it for mundane things like backing vocals or rhythm guitars! Wherever you use it, it seems to deliver the goods, from providing that in-your-face-yet-utterly-smooth 'produced' vocal sound, to adding substance to strummed acoustic guitar, through parallel compression on drum overheads, to making an entire mix sound punchy and loud. Unlike many 'character' plug-ins, I'd be happy to use it on every track in the mix."

Sound on Sound (SV-315)

"as noise gates go, this one is pretty neat"

Sound on Sound (SV-719)

"Mastering doesn't pay this unit justice, because it's such a beautiful EQ when used on individual tracks"

Digital Music Maker (SV-517)

"I liked the SV-517 a lot, finding it particularly strong on lows and mids but no slouch in any department. Does it behave in an analogue way? To my ears, absolutely - I'd give it a go in most situations and was pleasantly surprised to find how well it worked as a mastering tool."

Audio Media (SV-517)

"I used this compressor on a number of current projects, and was quickly taken in by the way this design can impart density and solidity in a very unobtrusive way. "

Audio Media (SV-315)

"SV-315 sounded awesome....decidedly analog and not what I expect from most digital compressors. Putting the limiter section in the circuit and turning up the crush control put a tight control on transients, creating an in-your-face sound that was dynamite."

Electronic Musician (SV-315)

"SV-517 is one of the most euphonious digital equalizers I've heard, with a character that sounds surprisingly like a high end analog EQ. Lows are tight and robust, mids are clear and sweet, and highs are silvery smooth. The SV-517's interface is a joy to work with - it gives you a wealth of intuitive controls. No matter what I threw at the SV-517 - including vocals, electric bass, acoustic guitar, kick drum, and full mixes - it always sounded great."

Electronic Musician (SV-517)

Sonalksis Creative Elements Reviews

"Creative filter is silky smooth and a lot of fun to use. Fast and slow sweeps alike were as slick as can be. I was very impressed with how the adaptive resonance noticeably opened up sections of the sweep that might otherwise disappear or be way too loud in normal filter use. The Awesome Rude setting made just about anything sound aggressive and exciting."

Remix Magazine (Creative Filter)

"Digital Grimebox is a distortion device that again is straightforward, yet efficient and powerful. [It] sounded very musical and was easy to work with. Used gently, it added warmth, low end and extra excitement to its source. When used creatively, it traveled far from the original source quickly, easily making normal-sounding loops outlandish. Excellent at destroying samples, the adaptive bias control made even totally distorted sounds seem 'mixable.'"

Remix Magazine (Digital Grimebox)

"SÜPER KÜL. Über Compressor was just downright impressive. As capable of careful dynamics control as it is of using dynamics to fundamentally change a sample into something different, it kept surprising me with the breadth of things it could do. Once again, the simple interface both speeds the process and inspires creative uses. Sonalksis essentially has extended the realm of what compressors can do; [it] can maintain even levels of analog coloration at operational levels that would make an analog machine explode. As the manual states, you could use the Über Compressor to simply keep a track under control, but it's the "sonic abominations" that occur at the more extreme settings that really inspire."

Remix Magazine (Über Compressor)

"There are a ton of ideas packed into the Creative Elements bundle - not just in what they do, but how they do it. Sonalksis' has indeed paid off. All three [Creative Elements] are fast, effective, efficient and inspiring to use. It's a difficult proposition to make generally mundane sound-tasks seem exciting, and it's just as difficult to make complicated tasks seem easy and natural; Sonalksis has done both impressively."

Remix Magazine (Creative Elements)

"It just sounds gorgeous. Even at extreme settings [it] holds its character perfectly, sounding intense but always musically so. And like all the Sonalksis plugs, this character is as distinctive and recognisable as that of any high-end hardware. Verdict: Another winner from Sonalksis."

MusicRadar.com (Creative Filter)

Sonalksis Multiband Dynamics Reviews

"We threw a variety of material at the Sonalksis dynamic duo during testing, and their performance in every case can only be described as stunning. Comparable products from Waves, or DSP based solutions will set you back two to three times the price. The CQ1 and DQ1 offer a spectacular level of tonal and dynamic control. Verdict: 9/10"

Computer Music (CQ1/DQ1)

Sonalksis Master Suite Reviews

“a 'zero width below' slider...is undoubtedly StereoTools' killer feature, and is most useful for adding tightness and definition to the bottom end, while still enabling you to widen the treble."

MusicRadar.com (StereoTools)

"We're judging these plug-ins against the very best in the industry, and...they're in the upper tier for sure. The should certainly knock the spots of the bundles equivalents in your sequencer"

Computer Music (Mastering Suite)

"StereoTools is one of our favourites of the pack, and it's spot-on for mixing too, since the ability to widen, shrink and shift the stereo field of certain sounds is key to crafting a good mix."

Computer Music (StereoTools)

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