Autor: Producer Gang

pointblank is proud to announce that it has been granted Full Degree Awarding Powers (DAPs) by the Office for Students (OfS), marking a major milestone in our evolution and formally recognising our academic excellence, governance and long-term stability. This achievement is special as it places pointblank among a select group of independent higher education providers in the UK authorised to award their own degrees and to validate degree programmes for other institutions. It means that from 1st April 2026, pointblank is authorised to award its own undergraduate degrees. The award of DAPs follows a rigorous assessment process – justifiably known…

Why Some Plugins Feel “Alive” If you’ve ever used a plugin that suddenly feels instant — no transfers, no waiting, no guessing — you’ve probably encountered ARA. Audio Random Access doesn’t add new sounds. It removes friction. And once you experience it, the old way feels prehistoric.   Quick Summary 👉 Audio Random Access (ARA) is a DAW–plugin integration system that gives plugins direct access to audio files on the timeline, eliminating real-time playback transfers and enabling faster, deeper audio editing.   What Is ARA, Really? ARA stands for Audio Random Access. Traditionally, plugins only “hear” audio as it plays…

At pointblank music school, we regularly host masterclasses, workshops, and live music events that connect our students directly with innovators and industry leaders. These sessions go far beyond the classroom, offering real-world insight into music production, creative workflows, and sustainable music careers. Explore our award-winning courses: whether you’re a music producer chasing chart-topping releases, a sound engineer crafting records, a vocalist or songwriter writing the next hit, or a software engineer building the next generation of plugins. Wherever your ambition leads, there’s a course to help you make it real. Back in 2017, we welcomed Sam Bartle, better known as…

Combustor ($29.90) is a character compressor plugin for Windows and macOS. W. A. Production offers 10,000 free licenses available exclusively for Bedroom Producers Blog readers. If you’re quick, you can grab your free copy of Combustor by signing up below. After signing up, you’ll receive a redemption key and a link to the instructions page. From there, you simply use the key to activate your license. Once redeemed, the plugin is yours forever! I hope you’ll enjoy this exclusive freebie from W. A. Production. Let’s take a closer look at how it works. Combustor is a dynamics processor that blends…

Total VI Max 2 is a comprehensive collection of IK Multimedia’s virtual instruments, both old and new. You can now get it for 95% off at Plugin Boutique for a limited time! The collection usually sells for $1499.99 at Plugin Boutique, but you can buy it for $69.99 until March 1, 2026. SampleTank 4 Max Miroslav Philharmonik 2 Pianoverse Max Modo Bass 2 Modo Drum 1.5 Hammond B-3X This offer would be an absolute no-brainer if it weren’t for the fact that so many of us took everything off the shelves during IK Multimedia’s last Group Buy promotion. But, if…

Developer DAWJunkie has released Padness 2 Jr, a free lush pad synth for macOS and Windows. We checked out DAWJunkie’s Padness Jr in September 2025, and by all accounts, it’s a simple freebie that packs a bigger punch than expected, which is the DAWJunkie way. Now, the developer is back with a bigger and better sequel, Padness 2 Jr. Padness 2 Jr features two synths: Synth 1 with standard waveforms, and Synth 2, a newly-added wavetable synth. In addition to the two synths, you have three samples you can layer with the synths to alter the character, particularly the initial…

Every “must-have” plugin list tells you to buy FabFilter Pro-Q. And yes, it’s one of the best EQs ever made. But here’s the thing: most producers don’t actually need it. Two free plugins now cover what used to require an expensive purchase. I’ve been testing them on real projects, and I realized that the gap between “free” and “paid” has never been smaller. TDR Nova and ZL Equalizer 2 together handle static EQ, dynamic EQ, de-essing, resonance control, M/S processing, and even EQ matching. If you’re not working in surround or running 50+ instances with cross-plugin analysis, these two are…

Sonible has released puffer:fish, a free saturation plugin for macOS and Windows that wraps harmonic distortion in a colorful, character-driven interface. We’ve seen plenty of one-knob saturation tools over the years, including the super popular Softube Saturation Knob, among countless other freebies. puffer:fish follows the same concept but approaches it from a different angle, at least in terms of interface design. Instead of presenting saturation in technical terms, it makes the saturation more playful and visual. So, unless it’s already clear from the screenshot, each saturation mode is represented by a different cartoon fish. But how on earth (or sea)…

Minimal Audio has released Poly Flanger, a musically intelligent flanger plugin for macOS and Windows. Priced at an introductory $29 (regularly $49), Poly Flanger expands the traditional flanger concept into more musical territory. Instead of relying solely on sweeping comb-filter movement, it aligns its resonances to musical pitches, so the effect can follow your track’s key and scale. Poly Flanger is a polyphonic comb filter with up to eight independent voices. Each voice can be tuned and quantized to a chosen scale, meaning the resonant peaks generated by the flanger sit in key rather than drifting unpredictably. To be honest,…

Sand is the latest release from Hvoya Audio, a sound design tool for macOS and Windows that compands the derivative of the original signal. It expands the quietest signals and adds some soft limiting to the loud signals, adding grit and texture. Working on the derivative rather than the original signal yields some interesting side effects. In addition to creating that overdriven, gritty texture, the compander acts like something of a high-pass filter, pulling out elements of your sound that you might not otherwise hear, with a maximum amplification of around 140 dB. The resizable GUI is pretty straightforward. The…