For a really fine and realistic Convolution Reverb, try Altiverb by AudioEase.

The library of impules is fantastic.  It can be really good for filling in all the missing sound that helps a sound feel live and organic.  Even synthesizers can benefit from this type of sound.

iZotope Ozone 3 is the most CPU efficient audio signal mastering suite I’ve ever come across.  It has a neat GUI that looks like something off an old terminal, that nicely ties together a range of processing tools.  It has a multi-band compressor/limiter/gate, a Maximizer, a Tube or tape saturator, that can effect the defined bands with different intensities, it has a stereo imager that also can be applied to the defined bands with separate intensities.  It has an 8 band parametric Equalizer, for freeing up bandwidth by using gain staging to give your bass more breathing room, and it has scopes and analyzers to boot!  This is a nice plugin to have.

Check it out here!

Fruity Peak controller can be used as an effect to convert audio sample values into MIDI values, by dividing the range of sample values by 128, and assigning a value equal to one MIDI unit out of the the audio bit-depth sample range.  ie. a 16-bit audio stream would have a sample value range of 0-65536.  If the value fell with in the first 128th part of the range (0-511) the MIDI value would return 1.

VST Allows producers to process audio without the use of hardware, and is easily integrated into a host sequencer such as Cubase or Logic.

There are 3 types of VST devices.

An instrument (VSTi) used for generating an audio signal from MIDI signals, an effect which alters the sound of an audio signal, and a controller, which can be loaded as an effect or as an instrument depending on what you need to accomplish.  The controller essentially Sends/Recieves/Generates MIDI signals that can be linked to a parameter on a VST either on it’s own, or based upon an incomming audio signal.

For more information on Virtual Studio Technology visit the patent holder Steinberg.

Microsoft, and Digidesign followed suit to have a nitch.  Microsoft (DX) was trying to use the idea of audio signal proccessing to enhance game audio, while Digidesign (RTAS) wanted to expand upon the idea to make a standard with more features for ProTools.  Cakewalk picked up on the Direct-X (DX) Architecture for use in Sonar.