The Experts

In their own words, 2000–2022.

The Expert’s Choice for Over 29 Years

Proof of the first half. The second half has its own.

Engineers and producers who chose DUY, in their own words. Every quote is dated and links to a permanent copy of the page as it stood.

Awards and records named below were checked against public sources in 2026, not taken from what we wrote at the time. Everything in quotation marks is theirs.

What they said, in their own pages

Each of these had a page of their own on the DUY site, with their photograph and their credits. The link opens it exactly as it stood.

  • “I never do a mix without DUY plug-ins.”
    Charles Dye · Mix engineer and producerRicky Martin, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Lauryn Hill, Aerosmith, Jon Bon JoviLatin Grammy for Best Engineered Album, 2001Ricky Martin's "Livin' la Vida Loca" (1999), the first number one built entirely on a hard-disk systemAsked about it he added: if it's on my discography, I've used DUY plugs on it. He also named DaD Valve and DaD Tape in his mixing column for Digidesign's own magazine, which is filed under press coverage because that one is not ours.archived 2003 · on Global BundleSee it as it was published
  • “DUY's DaD Tape and Valve are the analogue juice for my ProTools mixes.”
    Rafa Sardina · Recording and mixing engineerLuis Miguel, Macy Gray, and later Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and BeyonceTwo Latin Grammy Awards when he wrote this, and nineteen Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards todayLuis Miguel's "Amarte Es Un Placer", Album of the Year at the first Latin Grammy Awards (2000)“It's quite refreshing to find plugins that excel at what they are supposed to do. Kudos to DUY!” · and again todayHe also said DUY's plug-ins are not just useful, they are addictive. He wrote this on the way up, not at the top: the Grammys came later. That is the part worth noticing.archived 2003 · on DaD TapeSee it as it was published
  • “If I have to choose a favorite it is probably DUY DaD Valve, which faultlessly mimics the warmth and roundness of glowing tubes, yet of course no added noise.”
    Chris Porter · Producer and engineerGeorge Michael, David Bowie, Elton John, Tina Turner, Take That, Pet Shop BoysGrammy-nominated producerHe recorded most of George Michael's biggest hits. In 2003 he had been using DUY for close to four years.archived 2003 · on DaD ValveSee it as it was published
  • “DUY is warm and original.”
    Andy Gray · Writer, producer and mixerPaul Oakenfold, BT, Tori Amos, Gary Numan, Cocteau TwinsPaul Oakenfold's single "Starry Eyed Surprise" (2002), which he co-wrote and co-produced“I've always loved the crazy stuff you can do with DUY plug-ins.” · and again todayOf DSPider and SynthSpider he said they are both so different, that they have their own tone and sound like nothing else. He also told us the bass on that single came from SynthSpider: a named plug-in, on a named record, in the year it charted.archived 2002 · on DSPiderSee it as it was published
  • “DaD Valve is especially unbeatable in adding warmth and colour to the mix.”
    Paul Carrack · Singer, songwriter and producerMike + The Mechanics, Squeeze, AceHis album "Satisfy My Soul" (2000), which he produced himself and recorded with DUY plug-insHis engineer Nigel Bates added that DUY plug-ins defy convention, and that Valve gives him the warmth and depth sometimes missing in the digital domain.archived 2002 · on DaD ValveSee it as it was published
  • “In fact, it was hearing the effect of DUY's DaD Tape and DaD Valve on audio that finally convinced me to take the leap into Pro Tools back in 1998.”
    Eric Bazilian · Songwriter, producer and musicianThe Hooters, Joan Osborne, Ricky Martin, Cyndi Lauper, Bon Jovi“DaD Tape and Valve are the reason I moved to Pro Tools in 1998.” · and again todayHe wrote "One of Us". Working with Charles Dye, he called the plug-ins the Better Box.archived 2002 · on DUY ShapeSee it as it was published
  • “It's magic! DUY MagicEQ listens to what you've got and helps you get what you want, transforming a mix while keeping its spirit intact.”
    Benedict Fenner · Engineer, mixer and mastering engineerSteve Hackett, Brian Eno, David Bowie“I rely on DUY in all my mixes to give me that little piece of extra magic.” · and again todayHe said this when MagicEQ was announced, and he is still saying it twenty years later.archived 2005See it as it was published

What we put on the home page

These ran in a rotating panel on the front page of duy.com. The text lived inside the image, which is why the archived proof looks plainer than the rest: it is a capture of a website from a quarter of a century ago.

  • “The DUY concept is something I'd been waiting for, for so long...”
    Jean Michel Jarre · Composer and performerOne of the most widely heard electronic musicians aliveThis one sat on the front page of duy.com for at least a year: the August 2000 and August 2001 captures are byte for byte identical.archived 2000See it as it was published
  • “With DSPider, guitar sounds take on another dimension”
    Spike Stent · Mix engineer and producerMadonna, Desiree, Bjork, Massive Attackarchived 2001 · on DSPiderSee it as it was published
  • “I am greatly impressed with the quality and useability of all the DUY plug-ins.”
    Mike Hedges · ProducerManic Street Preachers, Texasarchived 2001See it as it was published

What they say now

Still with us, and still saying so. No archive link because none is needed: this is on our front page as you read it.

  • “DaD Tape is my secret weapon plugin.”
    David Frangioni · Engineer, producer and authorAerosmith, Elton John, Journey“LucidVerb is a powerful and flexible reverb whose sound rivals the best high-end hardware units.” · and again todayHe recorded that on his own initiative, about a plug-in first sold in 1997 and still on sale.archived 2022See it as it was published

For what the audio press wrote about DUY, including Charles Dye naming our plug-ins in Digidesign’s own magazine, see the press coverage. And the story these voices belong to runs from a soldering iron in 1976 to Blade Runner 2049.