Neural DSP Mantra

Stop Building Vocal Chains. Start Finishing Vocals.

Every producer knows the drill: load a tuner, then a gate, then an EQ, then a de-esser, then a compressor, then saturation, then set up delay and reverb sends, then a doubler, then automate it all. By the time the chain sounds right, the creative spark is gone.

Neural DSP Mantra — the company’s first vocal production plugin, launched July 2025 — deletes that entire process. One plugin, one window, every essential vocal tool in the order you’d actually use them. You go from a raw take to a finished, release-ready vocal without ever leaving the interface.

Speed Where It Matters: The Correction Section

Mantra’s Correction section is built for momentum. Tune gives you real-time pitch correction with Tolerance (how far off a note can be before it gets pulled back) and Humanize (keeps natural vibrato and drift intact) — dial in transparent correction or full modern hard-tune in seconds. Sculpt is an adaptive EQ that analyzes your voice and mic in real time and adjusts itself, doing the tedious resonance cleanup for you. Add the noise Gate, De-Esser, and 4-band parametric EQ with HP/LP filters, and the source is cleaned, tuned, and shaped before you’ve even touched the creative stuff.

One-Click Character: Dynamics & Saturation

The Multimode Compressor switches between three iconic behaviors instantly: Tube (LA-2A-style optical smoothness), Stress (Distressor-style aggressive punch), and Multi (OTT-style multiband energy). No auditioning five different compressor plugins — pick the flavor, set the amount, move on.

Same story with Multimode Saturation: Tape warmth, Tube Culture-Vulture-style harmonic drive, or Digital bitcrush grit. Two modules, and a flat vocal suddenly has the weight and presence of a finished record.

Width and Space Without the Send Maze

Harmonies generates up to 8 pitch-shifted voices with a DI Mute switch for auditioning the stack solo — choirs and thickening layers without duplicate tracks. The Multimode Delay (Analog BBD, Circular Lexicon PCM-70-style, Tape RE-201-style, Dual) and Multimode Reverb (Hall, Plate, Ambiance) each include a built-in ducker, so echoes and tails automatically duck under the dry vocal. No sidechain routing, no automation lanes — it just works. Add the Chorus (2290-style), Flanger, Phaser, and Neural DSP’s proprietary Doubler, and the vocal sits wide and deep in seconds.

Record Through It, Mix Through It

Tracking Mode runs Mantra at low latency with light CPU, so artists can monitor the fully processed chain while recording — better headphone sound means better takes. Mixing Mode switches to full-resolution processing with enhanced Sculpt dynamic spectral shaping for final detail. One plugin from first take to final bounce.

And it’s not vocals-only: every module works on synths, drums, and guitars, so Mantra doubles as a fast creative multi-effect across your whole session.

The Details

• Price: €189 regular — now €59.99 (~68% off). SKU: NEURALDSP-MANTRA
• Category: Mix & Master Plugins. Brand: Neural DSP
• Formats: 64-bit VST2/VST3/AU/AAX + Standalone app included
• Platforms: Windows 10+, macOS 13+ (native Apple Silicon)
• Authorization: free iLok License Manager + iLok account required
• Artist presets included; updated Preset Explorer (v1.1.0)

FAQ

How much faster is a Mantra vocal workflow, really?
Instead of loading, routing, and balancing 8–10 separate plugins and sends, you open one interface with the full chain pre-ordered. Presets get you 80% there instantly; tweaking two or three modules finishes the job.

Can singers monitor through Mantra while recording?
Yes — that’s what Tracking Mode is for. Low latency and light CPU let the vocalist hear the fully processed sound (tuning, compression, space) in their headphones with no perceptible lag.

Does the built-in ducker replace sidechain compression on delays?
For vocal effects, yes. Each delay and reverb engine ducks its own output under the dry vocal automatically, keeping the lead intelligible without manual sidechain setup.

Will it work in my DAW?
If your DAW hosts 64-bit VST2, VST3, AU, or AAX, yes — plus there’s a standalone app. You’ll need the free iLok License Manager and an iLok account for authorization.