Plug-ins

A much‑loved creative distortion plug‑in is back from its sabbatical, and it looks like the break has done it good!

These plug‑ins are all about warmth and distortion, and the flavours on offer range from gentle saturation at the subtler end of the scale through to crunching overload and squelchy obliteration.

Coil Audio’s CA‑70 valve preamp is based on classic Western Electric and RCA designs dating back as far as the 1930s.

Strymon’s reputation for making top‑quality digital effects pedals is second to none, but now they’ve made some of their creations available as DAW plug‑ins.

Plamen is a five‑band saturator, in which each band can be processed using one of five different saturation algorithms.

With the KD1 saturation effect, McDSP show that their analogue plug‑in system can deliver more than just dynamics processing.

Magma offers a one‑stop shop for analogue‑style attitude and warmth.

This deceptively simple plug‑in has been designed to blend ‘nice’ and ‘nasty’ saturation any way you need it.

Arturia’s new distortion processor is good for much more than just a bit of dirt and fuzz!

MTurboAmp lets you build pretty much any amp or distortion pedal you want!

As the name implies, Tupe emulates both tape and tubes — but it goes a bit further than most other saturators.

This plug-in’s primary role is in beefing up drum and percussion sounds, though it can also work well on bass parts or to add a sheen of analogue warmth to other instruments.

If your sounds need a lift, perhaps you need Rift?

There are many types of distortion that can be pressed into service in the name of musical creativity, ranging from soft...

BDE, or Big Distortion Engine for long, is the second plug‑in from producer and engineer Jordan Swift.

Delving into multiband distortion territory, God Mode offers three types of overdrive that can be dialled in at the same time.

SubBass Doctor 808 is designed to add sub-bass to sounds that already reside in the sub-50Hz low-frequency register.

From subtle warmth to full-on modulated mayhem, this plug‑in covers a lot of ground.

Warmth is the name of the game for these three EQs, which boast modelled Marinair transformers and a range of different virtual vacuum tubes.

There's rather more to FabFilter's redesigned multiband saturator than a slicker GUI.

If your audio has been particularly naughty, perhaps Heavyocity can give it the treatment it deserves...