The holidays are always a good time for free software ... Earlier this month, Acustica Audio - primarily a maker of mixing and mastering plugins - announced the release of its first soft synth.

Before you start shopping for plugins and hardware, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your mixing and mastering. Do you want to create a specific genre or style of music?

When it comes to mixing plugins, FabFilter is one of the best developers out there. Honestly, I’m a big advocate for the idea that you don’t need to spend money on expensive plugins in order ...