Hot on the heels of the review of the Vocal Studio all-in-one vocal mixing plugin by Pulsar Audio, Aphelion’s Orbit returns with his thoughts on Neural DSP’s newly released modern vocal production plugin; Mantra.
Evolution
Full disclosure: I’m a Neural DSP junkie. Got hooked in 2024 and now I practically own the whole catalog. I’m a beatmaker and keyboard player who knows just enough guitar to be dangerously bad—but that’s exactly why Neural DSP works for me. Their plugins aren’t just amp sims. They’re creative instruments.
Neural DSP has always hinted at something bigger than guitar tone. From day one, I’ve used their plugins to sculpt soundscapes—vocals, pads, keys, even wind instruments. My first was Archetype: Tim Henson. I didn’t even plug in a guitar. I went straight for the harmonizer and built shoegaze-style vocal layers and ambient textures. That moment flipped a switch: these tools are multi-purpose by design, even if they don’t advertise it.
Fast-forward to 2025, and Neural DSP finally stepped into vocal production with Mantra. And they didn’t just dip a toe—they dove in. It’s the kind of plugin that feels like the natural next step in their evolution. Not just a vocal processor, but a creative hub for anyone who thinks beyond genre and instrument labels.
First Impressions
The moment you load it up, Mantra looks and feels like a classic Neural DSP. If you’ve used any of their plugins before, the interface will feel like home—sleek, responsive, and thoughtfully laid out.
I dropped it onto a vocal track and, without touching a single knob, I could already hear subtle shaping happening. Direct mic recordings sounded clean and present, and the plugin responded naturally in real time. The controls are intuitive enough that I didn’t need a manual—I just started dialing things in as I listened.
Then I ran some pre-recorded vocal WAVs from Splice through it. That’s when Mantra really showed off. Background noise? Gone. Pitch correction? Smooth and musical. De-essing? Transparent. The auto-sculpting feature is surprisingly accurate—so much so that you could leave it untouched and still get a usable vocal. It’s not just reactive; it’s smart.
Sound
Mantra sounds like it was built by people who actually understand vocal production—not just from a technical angle, but from a musical one. It borrows the best elements from Neural DSP’s guitar plugins—tone shaping, saturation, clarity—and repackages them for vocals without losing that signature Neural DSP character.
If you’ve spent time with Archetype: Cory Wong, Mateus Asato, or Tone King, the sonic DNA here will feel familiar. That made the transition seamless for me. But don’t let the clean aesthetic fool you—Mantra can get gritty. The built-in saturation FX delivers exactly the kind of edge you want when vocals need to cut through a dense mix. It’s not just polish—it’s personality.
Finding a place
Where does Mantra land in a market flooded with vocal processors and all-in-one solutions that often overpromise and underdeliver? Honestly, it depends on what you need. If you already own a stack of specialized tools for pitch, dynamics, saturation, and cleanup, Mantra might feel redundant. But here’s the thing—few plugins wrap all that functionality into a single, refined unit with Neural DSP’s level of polish and sonic integrity. It’s not perfect, but it’s purposeful. And that matters.
Mantra slots right into my workflow, even though it’s technically a vocal plugin. Do I use it the way it was designed? Absolutely not. Just like with their other plugins, I throw it on everything—vocals, synths, pads, even drum loops. It’s got that Neural DSP magic: a tonal character that somehow fits whatever you throw at it.
If you’ve never dropped Archetype: Cory Wong X onto a synth line and started tweaking, you’re missing out. Neural DSP plugins aren’t just tools—they’re creative catalysts.
Other Alternatives
Pros
- Editing & sound manipulation.
- It’s Neural DSP.
- Trial.
- Sound.
Cons
Final Thoughts
Mantra is worth every penny—not just because it carries the Neural DSP name, but because it delivers. As an all-in-one vocal processor, it’s fantastic. Smart design, great tone, intuitive workflow—it checks all the boxes for both utility and creativity.
I genuinely enjoyed what it brought to my sound design sessions. It’s more than a vocal plugin; it’s a creative tool that invites experimentation. And now that Neural DSP has proven they can nail vocal production, I’m hoping they keep pushing into other dedicated areas—maybe even full-on mixing or synth processing next. Whatever’s coming, I’m here for it.
Priced 199 EUR, Mantra is available for Windows and Mac (VST/VST3, AU and AAX). A 14-day trial version is available to try the plugin for free.
More information: Neural DSP
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
