The Note Audio has released two new plugins, VerbKnife and ToneKnife, both built on a shared analysis engine. These tools aim to give producers and engineers intelligent control over ambience and dynamics. The company describes them as premium audio plugins that rethink how we shape tone.

VerbKnife: Reducing Unwanted Ambience

VerbKnife focuses on the decay and ambience that a source carries. Recorded material, virtual instruments, and samples often bring their own room sound. When you add reverb, the two decays overlap, creating a muddy tail. VerbKnife reduces that unwanted decay and the ambience that follows it. Moreover, it can enhance the source’s own ambience when more space is needed.

The plugin uses auto mode to analyze the incoming signal and set the Target control. This determines the style of reduction, not just the amount. For enhancement, it offers three engines: Classic, Neural, and Hybrid. The Neural engine compares channels band by band and lifts only room-like content. This makes the enhancement natural because it comes from the source itself. In addition, a built-in gate handles low-level tails and residual noise.

Features

• Analysis section for reducing source decay and ambience
• Auto mode sets Target from the material
• Three enhancement engines: Classic, Neural, Hybrid
• Works on recordings, virtual instruments, and samples
• Built-in gate and Mix control

ToneKnife: Dynamic Tone Shaping

ToneKnife takes the same core engine and places it in a dynamics chain. It combines a compressor, an upward expander, and the Adaptation engine. Comp and DComp can operate independently as standard tools. However, running them with Adaptation produces tonal results beyond conventional processing. The Adaptation stage has inherent latency, but Align Mode compensates for it. This brings the engine into time with the other stages, shaping attack and decay as well.

Therefore, ToneKnife offers a deeper approach to what VerbKnife does. It applies level-dependent control, so shaping can target a specific part of the dynamic range. Driven harder, it acts as a saturation stage, with color coming from the engine’s response. This makes it a versatile tool for both subtle and extreme tone shaping.

Features

• Shared analysis engine with VerbKnife
• Compressor, upward expander, and Adaptation in one path
• Align Mode compensates for latency
• Works as a saturation stage when driven hard
• Separate preset system

Pricing and Availability

VerbKnife and ToneKnife are available now at an introductory price of $139 each until October 15th, 2026. The regular price is $199. A 14-day full-featured trial is available after signing up for a free account. For more details, visit thenoteaudio.com.

Price
Intro: $139.00 (excl. VAT)
Regular: $199.00 (excl. VAT)

More info: The Note Audio | VerbKnife and ToneKnife