With the new record box software, Pioneer have done to DJ technology what Apple has done to handheld devices. They have taken the concept of interactive DJ performance all the way from the birth in the analogue world of vinyl to the highest level of digital integration. While they may not have reinvented the wheel, at least it could be said that they have now brought it to the Formula One circuit. The result is not only a milestone in the evolution of DJ technology, but vastly broadens the horizon of DJ’s and the very state-of-the-art itself. F1 drivers, DJs, wheels and dance tracks are now doing things that would be unphantomnable less than a decade ago. This is clearly the future for all digital DJ’s looking for a single-solution to seamlessly integrate all your music and sets.

Best Free Plug-in: Live Cut from MDSP
Most Innovative Plug-in: Speakerphone from AudioEase
Most Innovative DJ Technology Mixed In Key
Best build-in Plugin Set Logic Pro
Best Native Mastering EQ: Neon HR from PSP Audio
Best Native Mastering Compressor: MasterComp from PSP Audio
Best Tube Emulation SPL TwinTube
Best Tape Emulation PSP VintageWarmer 2
Best Transient Modulation Sonnox Transmod
Best Vocal Plugin Pack Antares Avox Bundle
Best Dynamic Plugin Sonnox Dynamic
Best Vintage EQ Emulation PSP Audio
Best Vintage Comp/Lim Emu. Waves Hybrid
Best Enhancer Plugin SPL Vitalizer

Ableton Live 8 is probably the most exciting digital audio workstation out there today for those people who like an all in one solution Swiss Army knife for audio production. It tends to be the platform of choice for most DJs and electronic music producers today. And it is easy to see why, when you start to get into the simplistic and easy-access philosophy of Ableton. PC users tend to laugh and say that they have had these features all the time using Sony Acid but now that Ableton has truly come of age their latest release cements them as the number one sequencer on the Mac platform.  The Inclusion of the Open Ended Modular System of Max for Live one can truly say, beyond any shadow of doubt, that the sky is the limit when it comes to twisting out the most outrageous production ideas that you could possibly come up with. It also serves as one of the best platforms in which to construct a DJ mix. Furthermore, one just have to take a long look at the various DJ boxes around festivals all over the world to confirm that Ableton have a huge penetration in post the markets of software mixing among DJs, as well as electronic live music performances. The latter of which are almost exclusively run on Ableton Live. If you are serious about electronic music production and you want a hands on simple approach yet not accept any limitation; then look no further because Ableton live delivers in full.

The Poland-based software plug-in manufacturer, PSP Audioware, got some serious traction early on in their involution of virtual studio technology with their Vintage Warmer and Lexicon revivals. The technology released by this plug-in manufacturer is simply outstanding. The quality of results is breathtaking, and there recent expansions in various flavours of vintage equipment, can turn a thin and weak mix into a mouth watering beef. One has to pause for a second and stand in awe of their Neon equaliser that also runs in ultrahigh resolution. If you are looking for plug-ins set that will call for all your needs, this company only supply the very finest and one can safely find confidence in the attention to detail that has gone before you, as you slowly tweak your mix to perfection.

The Sony Oxford plug-in collection can easily be considered one of the finest out there in the market today. If you ask the most respected mastering engineers in the world what equalises they use, they rarely mention digital equalises but when they do mention digital equalisation for mastering  then 9 out of 10 times you can be sure it’s the Sonnox equaliser that they will swear by. The Sony Corporation was one of the heaviest players for analog tape machines in professional studio production. They devoted millions in research and development over the decades to perfect their multitrack tape machines. When digital sound began to take hold of the market, they were the first on the field again ringing us super bit mapping and other experimental technologies. All this research, and practical knowledge and experience gave so need the ability to deliver an algorithm of hitherto unknown quality.
Once you begin to produce using the Sonnox plug-in collection, it immediately becomes clear that these plug-ins are highly effective yet they are completely transparent, and feature numerous merits when compared to the maturity of the players in the market. It is important to point out that unlike so many other grab-and-go plug-ins out there, these plug-ins demand that you read the manual thoroughly. There are numerous unique functions and features hidden away within these plug-ins, and the manuals feature some of the best literature written regarding the general use of dynamics and equalisation in studio production.
While the equaliser may be the most famous kid on this blog, all the other plug ins are off incredible quality and definitely not something you would want to sniff your nose at. The limiter is often found used in mastering applications, and the suppressor is one of the most unbelievable and powerful studio tools that I have ever laid my hands on. Several feature various algorithms for warmth and tube emulation, and you quickly end up discarding your sequences internal channel strips replacing them with these tools of surgical precision and technical excellence.
One has to remember that when it came to mapping out the behaviour of sound in the digital domain, the Sony Corporation was one of the first big dogs to seriously invest in this research. So when you close your eyes and listen, in a blindfolded BB test, there can be little room for doubt that these babies shine ever so bright.