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The best new music plugins this week, free and paid
Every week, we round up the most exciting new plugin releases — from virtual instruments and creative effects to mixing tools and workflow upgrades. There are tons of plugins released every week, both free and paid-for, so be sure to check back here every Friday to find out the software worth adding to your plugin folder.
This week’s new and noteworthy virtual instruments, effects and mixing plugins
[Updated 17 September 2026]
New Plugins 16/9/26
Mixland – Grey Matter
We’re opening this week’s round-up with something more unusual from Jesse Ray Ernster‘s Mixland. Grey Matter is an emulation of the renowned DAC circuitry within Sony’s PlayStation One. The plugin uses real-time modelling of molecular physics, component strain, and thermal load to deliver non-linear saturation and dynamics that deform when pushed hard.
Put Grey Matter on the mix bus, and it can add subtle warmth, but crank the controls and you’ll discover wild and chaotic timbres perfect for sound design. It also has a choice of interfaces, letting users expose the circuit board or opt for a neater, distraction-free interface.
Grey Matter is available from Mixland for $29 (full price $49).
SoundGhost – Orbit
SoundGhost has released Orbit, a three-band autopanner with a beautifully simple interface. The plugin can create drifting stereo effects across low, mid, and high frequency bands, with each band behaving independently — so you could pan your bass one way and your highs another, or simply adjust each band’s width for a more subtle effect.
Each band’s position, width, and volume can be modulated freely or in sync with your project’s tempo using waveforms like sine, triangle, and random, or a live envelope follower for volume-based modulation. Need instant movement in your sound but not sure where to start? Click the dice, and the parameters are randomised on your chosen frequency band.
Orbit is available from SoundGhost for intro pricing of £29 (full price £39).
Rupert Neve Designs – Master Buss Processor, 551 Inductor EQ & 542 Tape Emulator
This week marks the first time Rupert Neve Designs has released plugins under its own banner, bringing its legendary processing into the software realm. There are three to get your hands on, each one modelled on a piece of popular Rupert Neve hardware. First is the Portico II Master Buss Processor, known for its precise dynamic range and stereo field control. Second is the three-band 551 Inductor EQ — notably the only 500 Series equaliser designed by Rupert Neve himself.
Completing the set is the 542 Tape Emulator, which brings together a unique tape saturation circuit, a soft clipper, and the company’s Silk Red & Blue harmonic saturation into a single workflow.
Dirtywave – M8 Music Tracker for iOS
Dirtywave, maker of the lauded M8 hardware tracker, has ported the unit’s software to iOS, giving musicians and producers an accessible entry to its workflow. Like its hardware sibling, the app version can be used to create and arrange music using a tracker workflow, with sequences built from phrases and chains across eight independent monophonic tracks.
The M8 app includes four synth engines — Wavsynth, Macrosynth, FMSynth, and Hypersynth — as well as a sampler instrument. There are also scales, grooves, probability, and comprehensive effects commands. What’s more, both the M8 app and hardware are fully compatible, so users can transfer songs and projects between devices or share them with other users.
M8 Music Tracker is available via the App Store for $29, and it runs on iPhones and iPads in portrait or landscape.
Universal Audio – LUNA 3.0
Seven years since LUNA was released, Universal Audio has released a major 3.0 update to its award-winning DAW. Two of the most significant additions are four-track stem separation and LUNA Play — a simplified version of the DAW designed for writing and recording that’s akin to a voice memo app.
New utilities include clip gain automation, strip silence, and the Record FX workflow previously exclusive to Apollo interfaces. The update includes many quality-of-life improvements too, like folder tracks, an improved piano roll, and an adaptive grid.
LUNA 3.0 is available as a free or paid version ($199), or as part of a UAD Spark Studio subscription ($19/month) that bundles the DAW with UA’s native plugin library.
Where to download free plugins and VSTs
Looking for free plugins? Our freeware section is an excellent place to start; each month, we also compile round-ups of the best free plugins and samples to download.
The production community is full of passionate developers who’ve given away instruments, effects and other plugins as freeware. Some of our favourites include Valhalla’s Supermassive reverb and Matt Tytel’s Helm polysynth. Remember, most developers also offer free trials for their plugins.
How to install VST and AU plugins on Windows, macOS and iOS
If your plugin came as a zip file, you may have to manually install it. Here’s how:
VST3 plugins:
- Unzip the plugin folder
- Copy the VST file to your default plugin folder (Windows default: C:Program FilesCommon FilesVST3, Mac default: /Library/Audio/Plugins/VST)
- Start your DAW
- Rescan your plugin directory
AUv3 plugins:
- Download and install the plugin from the App Store
- Insert the plugin in your DAW
- Select the AUv3 plugin from the Audio Unit Extensions tab
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