Whether you’re basking in the first signs of spring, or looking forward to darker nights in front of the fire, March brought a number of happenings to mark the changing of the seasons. With a number of software gems as well as a call to protect mixes’ quality, here are our favourites…

oeksound Bloom

Finnish sound surgeons oeksound will be known to many reading this. Up until recently their stable included just two well-regarded audio plugins specialising in remedying resonance or healing harshness. With Soothe 2 and Spiff already dealing with problems to save sounds the world-over, oeksound recently took it upon themselves to get down to the business of making mixes sound their best on the artistic side of things.

Bloom calls itself an “adaptive tone shaper”, but what is that exactly? We would sum it up as a semi-automatic tool to make things sound better. There is of course an Amount control to let engineers decide where Better actually should fall, plus tone controls that allow influence over Bloom’s enigmatic properties. It’s not AI, or dynamic EQ, or multiband compression, but whatever it’s doing our panel of Experts seemed to like it when in March they took it for a spin. Click below to read what they thought.

Dynamic Range Day

Our next pick isn’t hardware or software but it’s certainly a thing! Pros understand the requirements of mixing to loudness specifications, especially when it comes to post audio. In the music world, however, the relationship between loudness and audio quality has always been a little more fluid. Following decades of music mixes that basically were printed to hit the top without distorting, things took a turn into the red in the 1990’s as digital media’s ability to go ever louder was fully exploited. This race to the top known as the Loudness Wars did have one notably casualty: audio quality.

Since 2010, Dynamic Range Day (DRD) has sought to highlight the benefits of keeping an eye on measured loudness, and most importantly on maximising dynamic range. One high-profile advocate of this event is UK mastering engineer Ian Shepherd who recently wrote on the blog about the ongoing need for DRD. Most know that greater dynamic range frequently means better sounding mixes, but Ian’s story highlights how there is still work to be done. Click below to read his latest thoughts on the subject.

McDSP BOP For APB

McDSP’s APB (Analogue Processing Box) is a 1U sized device for anyone wishing they lived in an alternative universe where they could have analogue plugins… OK, there’s still no such thing, but the APB system operates just like those mythical devices, where the plugin GUI controls real analogue circuits for saturation and compression (all APB EQ bands do happen inside the plugin).

The Bass Optimized Bias (BOB) module is McDSP’s latest flavour for APB that concentrates on the bottom end. It offers up to 24 dB of boost at the chosen frequency, while at the same time reducing signal levels below it, thus improving the clarity of the boosted low end. Additionally, a Squash control allows for frequency-selective compression near the boosted low end frequency, with an adjustable recovery rate. The module also features two bias modes for added tone versatility.

Avid Pro Tools 2024.3

In the first new Pro Tools release of the year, March also saw the arrival of version 2024.3, introducing several significant enhancements. As well as some under-the hood SDK updates, there was plenty to keep engineers and musicians happy as well. These new features’ main focus is on fresh approaches to MIDI routing and the introduction of AAX MIDI plugins. For professionals in post-production and music production working with Dolby Atmos, the integrated renderer now offers additional live re-render options, addressing a significant workaround that had led some users to continue to work with the external renderer. The new features in version 2024.3 are as follows:

• MIDI effect plugins and enhanced signal flow

• MIDI copy/paste between Pro Tools and Sibelius

• Sketch updates

• Detachable tabs for Melodyne and Clip Effects

• Internal custom Dolby Atmos live re-renders

• macOS 14.3 Sonoma support

• Scripting SDK updates

For a detailed rundown of these updates and what they mean for you, click below to read Julian’s recent post:

Pulsar Primavera

March may have delivered for the cause of audio advancement, but that wasn’t at the exclusion of some retrospective delights for those with an ear for classic sounds. French developer Pulsar gave us their Primavera, a 6-in-1 spring reverberation plugin that includes devices heard on countless hits throughout the ages. This is intended as a complete reverb chain plugin with integrated saturation, filters, presence, and ducking controls.

Primavera promises a comprehensive way to get a range of signature spring reverb flavours in one window. Unlike many other audio plugin spring reverbs, Primavera also lets you interact with the springs themselves for some delicious sound design possibilities thanks to its spring Tension and Excitation controls. Whether it’s for dark tremulant pools of twang, bright zingy Hi-Fi atmospheres, or even for some dark dissonant clangs of doom, we’re looking forward to trying it out for ourselves…

SSL MODULE8

Staying on the effects theme, March also saw a new creation from a company long renowned for their studio hardware. That said, SSL also has an expanding range of virtual studio tools, encompassing processors and, more recently, effects.

MODULE8 is the SSL’s latest multi-effects audio plugin. Consisting of six prominent modulation effects, MODULE8 also boasts Lo-Fi and Space stages for harmonic and reverb flavours as well. These can be re-ordered by dragging the relevant device and dropping it where needed to change the signal flow if needed. Global LFO and Width controls are joined by a useful Stereoise function to give width to mono sources. MODULE8’s comprehensive LFO controls with controls for waveshape and phase give a nod to its creator’s pro audio heritage. March saw the Experts pay their dues to MODULE8 when they took it for a spin in our Expert Review. Click below to find out what they had to say:

How About You?

What were the things in March 2024 that rocked your studio world? It could be one of our favourites here, or maybe there’s an entirely different hidden gem that just made your life better? Let us know in the comments.