Softube has released a free update to its Flow Studio compact desktop controller that adds hands-on compatibility with select third-party VST3 plugins, expanding the hardware’s appeal beyond Softube’s own plugin ecosystem.
According to Gearnews, the update ports plugins through the Flow Mixing Suite, which scans a user’s system for compatible titles and makes them fully controllable via the Flow Studio hardware. The initial batch includes plugins from FabFilter, Neural DSP, oeksound, Plugin Alliance, Safari Audio, Soundtoys, Universal Audio, Valhalla DSP and XLN Audio, with Softube indicating more will follow.
Users can control single plugin instances or build custom processing chains combining Softube and supported third-party plugins for recall in any DAW session. The Flow Studio controller, currently available through retailers including Thomann and Sweetwater, is priced around $366 to $399 and ships with 25 Softube effects plugins plus over 100 preset signal chains.
The hardware features a 4.3-inch display, three operating modes covering DAW control, preset chains and detailed parameter editing, and onboard low-latency DSP for monitoring. Softube offers an optional Flow subscription that expands the library to 145 Flows and over 65 plugins on a subscribe-to-own basis.
For dealers, the third-party compatibility update potentially broadens the controller’s customer base to producers invested in competing plugin brands, strengthening its positioning as a universal mixing solution rather than a Softube-only accessory.
For more information, visit gearnews.com.
