UVI Falcon Sale (50% Off, Until May 9)

Hi there! I’m Jooyoung Kim, a mixing engineer and music producer.

UVI is a company renowned for its piano virtual instruments, much like Spectrasonics. These days, they’ve expanded beyond pianos to develop synthesizers and a variety of audio effects.

Recently, UVI joined Plugin Boutique, kicking off an exciting Intro Sale. Currently, Plugin Boutique offers two UVI products:

Click the photo to visit the Plugin Boutique UVI page.

The Sonic Bundle, which includes all of UVI’s products, and FALCON, UVI’s flagship synthesizer/virtual instrument engine. Today, I’ll be diving into Falcon.

Click the photo to visit the Plugin Boutique UVI Falcon page.

Full disclosure: I received an NFR (Not for Resale) code for this product from UVI via Plugin Boutique. If you purchase through the links in this blog, I earn a small commission, which helps me keep creating content and, frankly, survive! Thank you for your support.

Let’s get started!

What is Falcon?

Falcon is a versatile engine, similar to Native Instruments’ Kontakt, capable of loading virtual instruments or functioning as a synthesizer/sampler with 20 oscillators and various synthesis methods.

Like Kontakt, Falcon can feel overwhelming if you dive into all its detailed settings or try to build a sampler from scratch. It’s especially tricky for beginners, particularly when combining FX and modulation with synthesizer configurations.

Instead of trying to master everything at once, let’s start with the basics.

When you first open Falcon, you can choose from 21 default preset synthesizers, including Analog, FM, Additive, Organ, Wavetable, Noise, Pluck, Texture, Sample, Drum, MPE, Granular, Vosim, Harmonic Resonator, Bowed String, and more.

Once loaded, the Info tab displays the most basic parameters for tweaking.

In the Edit tab, you can fine-tune more detailed parameters, such as FX, Layer, Key Group, Oscillator, Mapping, and Modulation for the loaded synthesizer or virtual instrument.

The Effects tab lets you dive deeper into FX adjustments. With over 100 effects included in Falcon, it’s tough to cover them all! They lean more toward sound design than traditional mixing, offering incredible creative possibilities.

In the Event tab, you can add MIDI FX processors and other MIDI-based effects.

The Mods tab is where you control modulation effects like LFOs and ADSR envelopes.

In the Mappers tab, you can draw shapes to scale, quantize, curve, or pattern modulation source values, allowing you to customize how modulation effects evolve.

On the left, you can add modules to incorporate more virtual instruments or synthesizers.

The Tree view shows which sounds or effects are applied to each part, while the List view displays the data settings for the virtual instrument or synthesizer.

On the right, you can browse sounds by folder or soundbank and preview them with a quick click.

The search bar helps you find presets, while the waveform icon loads sounds into the mapping editor. The “fx” category covers effects, and “mfx” refers to music FX for sound effects. The note icon represents MIDI effects for the Event tab, and the frequency spectrum-like icon is for modulation effects in the Mods tab.

Falcon’s extensive features can take time to master, but its versatility lets you create an incredible range of sounds.

Click the photo to visit the Plugin Boutique UVI Falcon page.

Until May 9, Plugin Boutique is offering a 50% discount on Falcon as part of the Intro Sale. If you’re looking for a single, all-in-one synthesizer virtual instrument, Falcon is a fantastic choice.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next post! 😊

Diving into the Basics of Synthesizers…

Hello! I’m Jooyoung Kim, a mixing engineer and music producer.

It’s been a while since my last post, hasn’t it?

After getting rejected by AES for the second time, I was like, “Alright, let’s fix this research!” So, I scrapped my experiments, started over, re-collected all the data, and reformatted everything for submission elsewhere. Time just flew by in the process… haha.

I’m really hoping this one gets accepted before I graduate. Fingers crossed this time…

Lately, I’ve been working on recreating hardware compressors using deep learning. I trained the model with test signals, but when I fed it guitar sounds, all I got was white noise and sine sweeps… That took about two weeks of work.

So, I’ve spent the past few days coding from scratch, preparing new training data, and running the training process again. Here’s hoping the results turn out well, but man, it’s exhausting…

I’d love to own a Yamaha DX7 in real life

On another note, I recently wrapped up a year-long series on the basics of mixing, and I was wondering what to write about next. Then it hit me: why not talk about using synthesizers?

Even though my music style doesn’t heavily rely on synths, understanding how different synthesizers work can definitely broaden the creative spectrum for writing music. From an engineer’s perspective, learning about filter techniques and the unique sound characteristics of various synths can spark a ton of new ideas.

That said, I’m still organizing my research on this topic, and with some recent worries about making ends meet, it’s been tough to write as quickly as I’d like… Still, I’ll do my best to keep the posts consistent.

The content will likely follow a simple structure:
“Sound synthesis methods and their history -> Iconic synthesizers”

That’s the plan. Looking forward to catching you in the next post!

Baby Audio Smooth Operator Pro Sale (Until 6/1)

Hey everyone! I’m Jooyoung Kim, a mixing engineer and music producer.

So, two days ago, a paper I submitted to AES got rejected… 😢 I’d already been turned down by ASA, poured my heart into revising it, and still came up short. Haha… oh well.

One reviewer seemed pretty positive, but another tore it apart. Some of the criticism left me scratching my head—like, “Hmm… really?”—but there were common points both raised, so I’m running extra experiments now. It’s tough, both mentally and physically, but I’ve got to push through… right? Haha.

Next up, I’m eyeing IEEE Transactions or Elsevier journals, but man, the road just keeps getting steeper…

Anyway, enough of that! Today, I’m here to talk about Smooth Operator Pro from Baby Audio, which is currently on sale.

Purchase Baby Audio Smooth Operator Pro at Plugin Boutique

I received this plugin as an NFR (Not for Resale) copy from Plugin Boutique. If you buy through the links in this post, I’ll earn a small commission that seriously helps me keep going—thanks so much for the support!

Let’s get into it!

What’s Smooth Operator Pro?

After poking around with it, I can say this plugin is fascinating. At first glance, it looks like an EQ—but it’s not. It kinda resembles a multiband compressor—but it’s not your typical one either.

Think of it as “a multiband compressor where you can tweak reaction and behavior per frequency.” That’s the vibe. It’s got six key features:

  1. Correction: Sets how frequencies are detected and the range of compression.
    • Lo Presv / High Presv: Exclude low or high frequencies from processing.
    • Even: Applies the effect evenly across all frequencies.
    • Skew: Adjusts the effect based on human hearing perception.
  2. Detection: Controls how peaks are spotted.
    • Peak/RMS: Choose between peak or RMS loudness detection.
    • Detail: Low for broad, smooth detection; high for tight, aggressive targeting.
    • Isolation: Sets how wide the effect spreads around detected frequencies.
  3. Comp Knee: Toggle between Soft or Hard Knee compression.
    • All the sub-parameters here are classic compressor controls.
  4. Mode: Stereo processing options—choose between L/R or Mid/Side.
  5. Sidechain: Pick a sidechain signal to trigger compression.
  6. Monitor: Compare pre- and post-processing audio, tweak Mix and Output Gain.

Activate the bottom-right toggle, and you can tweak Focus, Comp, and Imaging settings for each node individually.

The big central knob adjusts the overall threshold—up or down across all frequencies.

It might look tricky at first, but once you play with it, it’s pretty straightforward. Toss in some sidechaining, and you could whip up some wild sounds for electronic tracks. I’m already picturing the possibilities!

Baby Audio has a knack for blending tons of parameters into creative plugins like this.

Why It’s Worth Checking Out

Purchase Baby Audio Smooth Operator Pro at Plugin Boutique

Smooth Operator Pro is on sale right now, so if you’re curious, it’s a great time to take a look. It’s not just a tool—it’s a playground for shaping sound in ways that feel fresh and intuitive.

That’s all for now—catch you in the next post! 😊

SSL X-Delay & X-Echo Plugin Sale (Until 4/14)

Hey there! I’m Jooyoung Kim, a mixing engineer and music producer.

Now that my “Mixing Basics” series is wrapped up, I’m scratching my head about what to write next… haha. Maybe something about synthesizers? Lately, I’ve had a lot on my mind, and it’s been a bit overwhelming.

Anyway, today I’m excited to talk about two delay plugins from SSL’s X series—X-Delay and X-Echo—which are currently on sale. Let’s check them out!

[link: https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/81-Bundles/39-Effects-Bundles/14642-SSL-X-Delay-Native-X-Echo-Bundle/?a_aid=622ea9ee9160c]

I received these plugins as NFR (Not for Resale) copies from Plugin Boutique. If you buy through the links in this post, I’ll earn a small commission that really helps me keep going—thanks so much for the support!

Ready? Let’s get started.

X-Delay

Click image to purchase X-Delay at Plugin Boutique

X-Delay draws inspiration from 1980s hardware digital delays. My guess? It’s channeling vibes from the iconic AMS DMX 15-80—those big, bold delays from back in the day… haha.

This plugin lets you run up to four delays at once, packed with a bunch of extra features. Let’s break it down.

Up top, you’ve got a power button on the left and a Sync button on the right to switch between milliseconds (ms) and BPM sync. Below the “Time” label, it shows whether you’re in ms or BPM mode. To the right, you can tweak delay length in beats or ms—BPM mode offers options like straight (-), dotted (d), or triplet (t). In the screenshot, it’s set to dotted.

Then there’s Level control, a Ping Pong delay toggle, and Panning adjustments. Pretty simple, right?

Now, let’s peek at the bottom section:

  • Modulate: This applies an LFO to the delay time, adding some wobble. Crank it up a bit, and your sound gets lush and full.
  • Saturate: Adds saturation (duh!). Max it out, and you’ll hear harmonic distortion kick in with a gentle soft-knee compression starting around -12.5 dB (it’s subtle, so hard to pin down exactly). It colors the sound nicely—turn it up for some rich warmth.
  • Diffuse: A room reverb effect.
  • De-Ess: Tames harsh highs.
  • Freeze: Locks the feedback sound in place.
  • Kill: Cuts all feedback instantly.

This thing’s a beast. It’s perfect for wet, dreamy tones but versatile enough for all sorts of uses. At a sale price of $24.99, it feels like a steal.

X-Echo

Click image to purchase X-Echo at Plugin Boutique

X-Echo takes its cues from 1960s tape delays—think Echoplex vibes, maybe? Haha. Unlike tape hardware built for playback, these old-school delay units often rolled off the highs due to slower tape speeds. You can see it in the frequency response—everything above 13 kHz just drops off.

It’s got that classic tape delay character—slight harmonic distortion included. One listen, and you’re like, “Yup, that’s tape delay!” Haha.

The controls are similar to X-Delay, but here’s what’s different:

  • Zoom: A scope to magnify the waveform for a closer look.
  • Grid: Adjusts delay time to your BPM with a grid—pick a note value (like quarter or eighth), or drag the connected circle to fine-tune.
  • Fit: Tweaks the waveform’s horizontal length.
  • Four Delay Buttons: Toggle between four delay lines, each with its own light.
  • Sync/Tap: Set BPM manually or tap it in.

The bottom section’s mostly the same as X-Delay, except for Wow & Flutter—that’s the tape-style distortion from uneven movement, like stretched tape, wobbles, or dust. Think vintage quirks!

  • Freeze: Holds the feedback sound.
  • Kill: Stops all feedback.

At $24.99 on sale, X-Echo nails that tape delay tone you’d expect—great for anyone hunting for that retro sound.

Bundle Deal & Bonus

The X-Delay & X-Echo Bundle is just $39.99. If you’ve been wrestling with spatial effects in your mixes, this is a fantastic deal worth considering.

Plus, this month, any plugin or virtual instrument purchase from Plugin Boutique comes with a free synth, MOK Miniraze. Don’t forget to grab it when you check out!

Wrapping Up

Both X-Delay and X-Echo bring something special to the table—vintage-inspired delays with modern flair. At these prices, they’re hard to pass up. The sale runs until April 14th, so now’s the time to jump in.

That’s it for now—see you in the next post! 😊