Wave Mechanics Speed 1.0 (Mac/Win)This category always proves competitive because new DSP plug-ins sprout like grass in the spring. Wave Mechanics' Speed for AudioSuite came out on top because it employs high-quality time compression in creative and useful ways, yet it's easy to use. Speed's user interface makes it simple to process speed and pitch simultaneously and independently: the Speed knob adjusts the tempo, and the Pitch knob changes the pitch in semitones or cents. You can also audition your edit before finalizing it. After setting the parameters, you simply click on the Process button and let Speed work its wonders.

One of Speed's great beauties is its ability to perform time-compression chores. Calculator mode lets you alter time and pitch by percentages, and in Length mode you can select an ideal audio-file region and use its length to make other regions conform to the same time frame. Perhaps Speed's most intriguing feature is Graphical mode. Here, you are presented with an overview of the audio file and two color-coded lines representing speed or pitch. Grabbing either line creates a handle that you can drag to change tempo or pitch. Drag a point on the time line, and you have accelerando without pitch change. Speed's combination of elegance, ease of use, and just plain usefulness made it a clear winner.