Saturation

Refuzznik

Refuzznik is a free overdrive and saturation VST plugin developed by Transvaal Audio. Compatible OS(s): Windows.

Refuzznik is a distortion effect that applies a sinusoidal waveshaping function to its input signal(s). Sinusoidal distortion can be mixed with traditional shelving distortion. The relationship between input signal level and sinusoid frequency can be adjusted.

It has the following parameters:

ZeroX: ZeroX (short for “add zero crossings”) is an on/off parameter that affects the shape of the sinusoid function. If ZeroX = “No”, the sinusoid will map each input value to a value with the same sign (positive to positive, negative to negative). If ZeroX = “Yes”, the sinusoid may map a positive value to a negative one and vice versa.

InGain: This parameter determines how much Refuzznik amplifies the input signal before applying the distortion function. An increase in amplification results in louder and/or more distorted sound.

FuncMix: The FuncMix parameter is used to set the mix of sinusoidal and shelving distortion. At FuncMix = 0%, only shelving distortion is used. At FuncMix = 100%, only sinusoidal distortion is used.

AmpMin: This parameter is used to set the minimum amplitude of the sinusoidal function. When the signal level of the input is zero, the amplitude of the sinusoid is equal to AmpMin. The sinusoid amplitude increases with the input signal level and will approach the maximum “normal” VST signal level (which is 1) when the input level exceeds that maximum.

FreqMin: This parameter is used to set the minimum frequency of the sinusoidal function. When the signal level of the input is zero, the frequency of the sinusoid is equal to FreqMin. An increase in frequency usually results in harsher, noisier sinusoidal distortion. NOTE: Sinusoid frequencies are specified as the number of periods/cycles the sinusoid will go through when the input signal level increases linearly from the minimum value (-1) to the maximum value (1).

FreqDif: The FreqDif parameter determines how much the frequency of the sinusoidal function will change when the input signal level goes from zero to the VST maximum. If FreqDif > 0, the frequency will increase with the input level; if FreqDif < 0, the frequency will decrease.

Red Skull Distortion

Red Skull Distortion is a free overdrive and saturation VST, Audio Unit plugin developed by audiorammer. Compatible OS(s): Windows 64b, macOS.

Red Skull Distortion is an aggressive high-gain distortion pedal simulator with chunky metal tones for playing Nu Metal, Grind Core, Hard Core, Trash Metal or any genre that requires crushing sound. The tone section gives you complete control over Bass, Midrange, and Treble to get the ultimate chunk for your rig.

Features:

Stomp-box design.

Level control.

Distortion control.

3 band tone control.

Easy to use.

Low CPU usage.

http://www.audiorammer.com/

Ranger LE

Ranger LE is a free filter and saturation VST plugin developed by Ourafilmes. Compatible OS(s): Windows.

Ranger LE is a smaller version of Ranger and is a very simple effect that allows you to remove unwanted frequencies and saturate the resulting signal.

It features one low cut filter and one high cut filter (12 or 24 dB per octave) and a final gain knob. There’s also a master bypass switch.

This effect has full automation.

This is a free plugin but, to download, you must be a fan of the Ourafilmes Facebook page as it is included in the Ourafilmes Facebook Free Pack.

http://www.ourafilmes.com/

Ranger

Ranger is a free filter and saturation VST plugin developed by Ourafilmes. Compatible OS(s): Windows.

Ranger is a very simple effect that allows you to remove wanted frequencies and saturate the resulting signal.

It features one low cut filter and one high cut filter, both up to 30 dB per octave and with a bypass switch. There’s also a master bypass switch and input and output level meters.

This effect has full automation.

This is a free plugin but, to download, you must be a fan of the Ourafilmes Facebook page as it is included in the Ourafilmes Facebook Free Pack.

http://www.ourafilmes.com/

R47

R47 free overdrive | saturation by TSE AUDIO

R47 is a free overdrive and saturation VST, Audio Unit plugin developed by TSE AUDIO. Compatible OS(s): Windows, macOS.

R47 is a digital emulation of a famous rodent pedal.. It’s well suited for semi-clean/crunch to high gain type of sounds. Use in front of a amp-sim or alone on a track right before a guitar-cabinet emulation software.

Specifications:

2X – 4X (internal) oversampling.

Stereo / Dual mode.

Input and Drive control.

Tone control.

GFX / DSP / Programming by onQel :: John Adrian Johansen.

https://www.tseaudio.com

PWMDrive

PWMDrive is a free overdrive and saturation VST plugin developed by Audjoo. Compatible OS(s): Windows.

PWMDrive features “non-symmetrical” distortion and (optional) 8x oversampling.

The steps performed are:

Measure the amplitude.

DC-Offset signal depending on amplitude (LFO controlled).

Gain.

SoftClip.

HiPass (to remove DC).

Gain.

http://www.audjoo.com/

PTEq-X

PTEq-X is a free overdrive and saturation and eq VST, VST3, Audio Unit plugin developed by Ignite Amps. Compatible OS(s): Windows 64b, macOS.

PTEq-X is a digital emulation of 3 famous vintage passive program equalizers.

It has been developed to have all the characteristics of the original hardware, plus some circuit improvements and additional features to increase its versatility.
Every single component on the signal path of the real analog circuit has been taken into account and modeled in the best possible way to match the original sound, keeping an eye on CPU performance and real-time playability at the same time.
PTEq-X is meant to be used as a studio equalizer for tracking, mixing and mastering inside hosts capable of VST or AU Plug-Ins support.

Main Features:

Three different equalization modules with perfectly analog curve response even at highest frequencies.

Ignite Amps 3rd generation triode stage analog modeling for 4 different tube types.

Additional selectable frequencies for the PEQ1A model, compared to the original design.

Refined filters frequency precision for the MQ5 and HL3C models, compared to the original design.

Switchable equalizers and tube stage modeling for better CPU usage management.

Switchable linear phase oversampling for aliasing reduction.

Global input / output level controls.

Mono / Stereo processing support.

Double precision (64-bit) floating point processing.

Fully automatable controls.

Ignite Amps proprietary preset management system with bank file import/export functions.

http://www.igniteamps.com/

Powershaper

Powershaper is a free overdrive and saturation VST, VST3, Audio Unit, AAX plugin developed by Voxengo. Compatible OS(s): Windows 64b, macOS.

Powershaper is a saturation, distortion and overdrive effect plugin for professional music production applications. Powershaper’s approach to saturation is unique as it works in multi-stage manner utilizing dozens of saturation stages in a specified variation. While Powershaper was designed to apply extreme saturation, it can be also used to boost presence of audio tracks subtly.

The flexibility of this saturation plug-in is most apparent when applying saturation to the drums: it is possible to dial settings that retain or even extend the punch while applying strong pleasant coloration and presence effect.

Powershaper can be used to apply saturation with good results to various sounds: vocals, drums, bass, guitars, synths, mixes:

Powershaper features:

Multi-stage algorithm.

Algorithm variations.

Stereo processing.

Preset manager.

Undo/redo history.

A/B comparisons.

Contextual hint messages.

All sample rates support.

Zero processing latency.

User interface color schemes.

Resizable interface.

Retina and HighDPI support.

https://www.voxengo.com/

PhreePhuzz

PhreePhuzz is a free saturation VST, VST3, Audio Unit, RTAS, AAX plugin developed by LVC-Audio. Compatible OS(s): Windows 64b, macOS.

PhreePhuzz is a saturation plugin pure and simple. Although the controls are very simple to use, PhreePhuzz utilizes many underlying technologies used to create LVC-Audio’s PreAMPed, Toned, TonedPLUS and HotPhuzz plugins. PhreePhuzz has six distinct saturation settings. Each of these settings utilizes a distinctly-tuned multiband saturation algorithm. All internal processing occurs using 4x oversampling to reduce the aliasing effects of saturation.

PhreePhuzz can be pushed into overt distortion; however, it excels at more gentle saturation effects. Each of the four saturation settings has emphasis on different frequency components. PhreePhuzz can be used to give a track low-end saturation without dulling the high frequencies, or it can be used to give a shimmering high-end sparkle without muddying the bass.

System Requirements and Specifications:

Windows: VST, VST3, RTAS, and AAX plugin formats. PhreePhuzz requires Windows XP SP 3 or newer with a processor that supports SSE2 (AMD or Intel processor from around 2004 or later). An iLok device is required to use the AAX format.

OS X: AU, VST, VST3, RTAS, and AAX plugin formats. PhreePhuzz requires OS X 10.5 or later, and an Intel processor. An iLok device is required to use the AAX format.

PhreePhuzz

PhreePhuzz can be downloaded at LVC-Audio.

http://www.lvcaudio.com

Phase90

Phase90 is a free overdrive and saturation VST plugin developed by Smart Electronix. Compatible OS(s): Windows.

by Antti of Smart Electronix

Phase90 is recreation of classic guitar pedal MXR Phase90.

NOTE: This is a proof-of-concept project to see how modeling the distortion of FET-based phasers affects sound, so don’t expect loads of fancy parameters.

NOTE: Phase90 uses the hosts’s default GUI.

http://www.smartelectronix.com/