Tennessee's Seventh District special election is getting weirdly interesting. Republicans usually dominate this area, which includes bits of Nashville, Clarksville, and Franklin. The GOP rep won by 22 points last cycle, matching Trump's margin. But Democrat Aftyn Behn is facing Republican Matt Van Epps in a race to replace Mark Green.
Special elections this whole year have seen big swings toward Democrats. That happened in New Jersey, Virginia, and other House races. Voter turnout patterns and shifts among former Trump supporters are driving it. Polling for these off-year votes is notoriously shaky.
The only major poll, from Emerson College, showed Van Epps up by just two points. Turnout is the huge variable, especially with voting...
The JUCE framework received a minor update, adding MIDI 2.0 UMP support, demonstrated in a new diagnostic demo. This version also bundles the now open-source Windows ASIO headers and updates several key dependencies like the VST3 SDK under an MIT license.
Platform improvements include a Visual Studio 2026 exporter and fixes for compatibility with the latest Apple operating systems. GUI performance got a boost from a new font caching system, and code was refactored to better separate audio processing from interface components.
An AffineTransform horizontalFlip function was added, among other small tweaks. The update enhances bidirectional text support with an upgraded SheenBidi library and updates the AAX SDK.
Kush Audio unveiled the Clariphonic Mk3, a parallel mastering EQ plugin for Mac and Windows. It blends algorithms from their Magpha EQ with the original hardware's gain-dependent shelving for tailored brightness. The update replicates the MS hardware unit's features one-to-one.
A new Cut option on the Focus band allows softening upper mids. The plugin includes an XY control for dual knob adjustments, extensive metering, and a dynamic EQ graph display. It aims to deliver a high-end analog equalizer sound in software form.
Clariphonic Mk3 is offered at an introductory price of $129, rising to $199 later. It supports VST3, AU, and AAX formats.
Psylus Audio launched Hard Kick, a plugin dedicated to crafting aggressive kick drums. It offers six-layered sound sources, including attack layers and rumble, all tagged by genre for quick stylistic filtering. Users can randomize sounds based on selected styles and then tweak individual layers.
The tool provides extensive editing with per-layer processing like EQ, distortion, and envelope controls. It includes over five thousand factory sounds and one hundred eighty presets, featuring timestretching to match project tempo and key.
Hard Kick supports major plugin formats on Mac and Windows. It has an introductory price of €89.95 until the end of the year, after which it will cost €150.
Goodhertz released VCME, a mastering-grade vari-mu compressor based on their Vulf Compressor. It offers analog coloration, an advanced sidechain, stereo linking, and a hybrid soft clipper for precise control. This plugin lists for $199 with a thirty-day free trial available.
The update also includes a separate VCME Soft Clip plugin. Several other plugins received new features like I/O trim gains and mid/side controls for CanOpener. Users can now bypass individual sections in Midside and access new presets across multiple tools.
Various fixes were implemented, addressing problems with Pro Tools metering, musical note entry, and font loading on older Mac systems. Tempo-based note entry was added for timing controls, and filter...
HOFA-Plugins launched the Colour Saturator, a neural network-based plugin modeling real analog hardware for saturation and distortion. It features numerous emulations of preamps, tape machines, guitar amps, and studio gear, plus legacy algorithms from their older software.
A key feature is the BiasEQ, a nine-band equalizer that lets users apply saturation to specific frequency ranges only. This allows processing like distorting a bass guitar's mids while keeping its low end clean. Additional controls include tone shaping, dynamics, dry/wet mixing, and retro effects like wow and flutter.
The Colour Saturator is available now for €129.
Cotorro Audio released the RIPUL-1 Analog Saturator, a Windows plugin for adding distortion and analog character. This tool is designed for processing drums, vocals, and bass with tube-like saturation and includes a soft-knee limiter.
It offers adjustable input and output gain, plus a choice between stereo or dual mono output. The analog section mimics old hardware with effects like hysteresis and electrical noise, also acting as a low-pass filter at extreme settings. A configurable limiter threshold helps control dynamics.
The RIPUL-1 features 4x oversampling and is available now for $19.99.
The new Drawmer 1979 is a single rack space channel strip offering a modernized classic design. It includes a versatile mic preamp handling various inputs, a three-band parametric EQ, and a vintage FET compressor. The unit features a unique Lift function for real-time gain adjustment and allows users to swap the EQ and compressor order.
This one-unit hardware piece provides up to 66dB of preamp gain suitable for all microphone types. Its EQ has adjustable shelving and mid bands, while the soft-knee compressor aims for a musical tone from subtle leveling to punchy drum compression. A blend control, output gain, and a backlit VU meter complete the output section.
The Drawmer 1979 is available now for £1040 including VAT.
CEDAR Audio launched its new flagship plugin called APEX, an adaptive limiter for professional sound engineers. It uses a unique algorithm that creates changing EQ profiles per channel instead of just suppressing loud peaks. This method aims to boost perceived loudness transparently without raising peak levels or harming the original signal's integrity.
The tool offers Spectral and Temporal controls for coloring sound, from richer low ends to smoother high frequencies. It can also limit harsh highs while leaving bass content untouched. Paul Alexander, their Head of Sales, stated that it provides precision for building impactful masters efficiently across genres from classical to electronic music.
APEX is compatible with Windows 10 and...
