While there’s no shortage of software synths that can emulate some of the best-known and most loved vintage synthesizers, somethings all your music needs is a little something extra. The plugins listed below are all designed to work in conjunction with your existing hardware and software to bring something unique to your mixes. 

Sample Logic VOCAL AI

Website: https://www.samplelogic.com/products/vocal-ai/

Price: $174.99 (Introductory Price) / $274.99 (Regular Price)

Sample Logic has released VOCAL AI, which they describe as an innovative blend of human vocals, synthesis, and morphing effects. These are brought to life through creative animation and cinematic expression to blur traditional and modern sound design boundaries. VOCAL AI features voices from around the globe and can add dynamic motion, stunning timbres, and captivating textural diversities to your sounds. 

What Sample Logic has accomplished with VOCAL AI is to distill the culture of various regions by capturing everything from authentic vocal inflections to tones, classic styles, and extended techniques. The result is over 450 meticulously designed instruments that are driven by the AI engine to deliver dynamic vocal pieces. 

Despite the technical accomplishments, VOCAL AI was designed for simplicity and features an interface with logical structure and intuitive navigation. The presets can be used for fast workflows, but endless options are available for those who want to tailor their experience. In addition, VOCAL AI has a randomizer with several adjustable parameters and randomization filters to create endless possibilities. 

Features:

• 456 Instruments & Presets
• 5.5 GB Sample Content (24,153 audio files)
• Made entirely from over 25 multi-sampled vocalists and choirs from around the globe
• Quad-core audio engine
• Step & FX Animators, LFOs, and XY Core Mixer for limitless motion
• Dynamic tag-based preset browser
• Randomize presets, sounds, and parameters for instant and infinite inspiration
• Drag & Drop MIDI patterns to a DAW
• Hot-swappable effects chain technology

Sound Particles SkyDust 3D

Website: https://soundparticles.com/products/skydust

Price: Skydust Stereo $148.99 (Launch Discount) / $199.00 (Regular Price)

Price: Skydust 3D $299.01 (Launch Discount) / $399.00 (Regular Price)

Sound Particles has released SKYDUST 3D, which they describe as the first 3D synthesizer in the world. This plugin lets users play notes and get instant 3D sound in any immersive format. While it sounds exceptional in 3D, it can also be used for stereo sounds.

SKYDUST 3D features hundreds of presets to get started, and sub-presets allow users to save or load only parts of the synth. The spatial sequencer makes panning each step note in 3D space possible. In contrast, the spatial envelope generators allow for neat effects like a note starting at the back, attacking to the center, and then sustaining to the right before releasing to the ceiling. Spatial LFOs allow notes to move everywhere, and each oscillator may have its own spatial settings. SKYDUST 3D also features movement modifiers and can output audio in multiple multichannel formats. There’s a lot more to this plugin, so watch the video below and check out the official website for more information.

Polyverse Wider 2.0

Website: https://polyversemusic.com/products/wider/

Price: Free

Polyverse has released Wider 2.0, which was developed in collaboration with legendary electronic music duo Infected Mushroom, for free. Wider was designed to give any mono signal the illusion of an expanded stereo image. What makes this stereo widener plugin so unique, though, is that it is completely mono-compatible. According to Polyverse, any signal that has been widened with Wider will always remain in phase with itself. This works even when it is summed back into mono. This is in stark contrast to many of the stereo effects currently available on the market, which tend to knock signals out of phase. Wider can increase the stereo image of any mono signal up to 200% of full stereo without any risk, as Wiider cancels itself out when summed to mono. New additions to version 2.0 of Wider are the ability to exclude low frequencies from becoming expanded and a mono button that can be pressed to check how Wider sounds in mono for compatibility.