Spectrasonics Stylus RMX 1.8 (Mac/Win, $399)

EM's Geary Yelton (left) and Spectrasonics' Eric Persing

Spectrasonics' versatile Stylus RMX first won the Editors' Choice Award in 2006 with Version 1.2.1. Since then, RMX has evolved into an even more amazing product, and all upgrades have been free. Most notable in the latest version is Time Designer, which will revamp any loop from the RMX library to the time signature of your choosing and to the groove of any other RMX library or external MIDI file. All of the effects from Spectrasonics Omnisphere have been added to RMX. For fodder, the factory Core library has grown to a massive 7.4 GB, third-party libraries abound and you can convert any collection of REX files to RMX format.

Master Class: Build a Better Groove With Stylus RMX

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