Product Reviews by KVR Members

I give it a 10 because I haven't heard a better software compressor for acoustic drums and bass, and it is useful for other sources as well. In short, Molot is the cats ballz. Quality! Thank you Vladg/sound. You made a great contribution to the audio software world, and you did it as freeware. You are very generous. Three thumbs up. Also, thanks for the continued development.

I have not used Limiter No.6 enough yet to comment, but I will be doing so after I get to know it more.

In response to Rosko12: The mid scoop is an eq. I find it very useful in taming mid range snap on snare, for adding a little to mid light sources, and for just changing the general character of the source. The mode knob is for matching Molot to different sources - mono, stereo, m/s, etc.

Density MKII is a nice sounding compressor/limiter to put across the bus. While it doesn't work for everything, it does work well for some mixes and drum busses, adding a nice glue to pull everything together, but go easy, as it is easy to add too much of a good thing. I want to give this plugin a 10, because it does sound good, it has a lot of control, and it is laid out well like the other VOS plugins. The only place that I think it falls short is in the timing parameter. As good as this plugin sounds, I find myself wanting more control over the attack and release times, which would give it the needed versatility for using it on more projects. I'm sure that Bootsy had sound reasons for designing the timing parameter in the way that he did, and I respect his creations for what they are. A lot can be said for plugins that both sound good and are easy to use. Also, Variety Of Sound just released a new compressor called ThrillseekerLA, which should cover other duties for which Density MKII isn't suited for. I haven't had the chance to spend much time with Thrillseeker yet, but I am looking forward to it. Maybe it can also cover some bus duties, picking up where Density MKII leaves off.

To sum up, Density MKII is a great plugin when it fits the situation. Be sure and check out VOS's other great plugins.

Most users of FerricTDS rave about it as soon as they hear it, but it took me a while to come around, as I didn't know what Ferric was intended to do. Going back and listening to some of my favorite pre 2000's albums, I gradually began to recognize that big tape sound that Ferric seems to pull off pretty well. It's funny because I heard that sound in Ferric, before I recognized it in those old albums. I was looking for the crunchy and dirty sound on my favorite old punk and rock n roll records, but Ferric leans more toward the big 2" tape sound. If you are like me, and you aren't hearing it at first, give some Pink Floyd a good listen, and then revisit Ferric. You'll hear it, and yes, Ferric does a good job of pulling it off. You might need to go heavy with it at first, to get familiar with the sound, but after your ears get adjusted, you might save any heavy handed settings for the bus. Ferric can also cover some of the dirty side of things well, but there is more than one kind of dirty tape sound, and no single plugin can cover it all. What Ferric was intended to do, it does well. If you're like me, and you're longing for that sweet crunchy sound that can be heard on old soul, funk, and punk records, sorry, it isn't covered here. Maybe go and give Bootsy at Variety of Sound a wink and a nudge. ;) I think that he was approaching this type of thing with NastyHi and NastyLo, so who knows what the future might hold.

What can I say? This is a great plugin, and it is my # 1 plugin for creative play. It is very musical, whether shooting for huge and lush or dirty old lofi. Don't be ashamed of turning the noise knob up. If it sounds good, it is good. I have used NastyDLA on everything; guitar, synth, piano, drums, vocal, and yes, I have even put it across a mix. Just send a pulse through it, and you can get lost in the fun.

While NastyDLA is a delay device, calling this plugin only a delay would be silly. It is a saturator, an analog style chorus, a filter, a multi-mode analog style delay, and a noise generator (all at your discretion). For everything that is going on in this plugin, it is laid out very well, and it is a lot of fun to use. If you're strapped for cash, run your freebie samples and synths through NastyDLA, and bring them to life. You might be very surprised of what this thing can do, and I'm not exaggerating here.

One of my favorite things to do with NastyDLA is to treat it like an analog effect device by placing it in the input fx section of a track in Reaper so that playing with the knobs gets recorded in real time. Automation is fine for some things, but others are best left to exploring and finding unique sounds that can't be recalled.

Also check out the other great Variety Of Sound plugins. Bootsie, Patrick, and anyone else involved in the VOS plugins are saints to the audio community. These guys are pushing the envelope for plugins, and at the same time, they're sharing it with everyone for free.