Clean audio is typically the goal when producing music in a DAW. But distortion is often the secret ingredient that makes the mix pop.
We focused on analog distortion in our article about free saturation plugins. But now, let’s look at the best free bitcrusher VST plugins on the market.
A bitcrusher reduces the bit depth of the processed audio signal, resulting in signal degradation. It’s a very “digital” sounding distortion that works well for various mixing and sound design tasks.
Small amounts of bit reduction can make sampled drums sound more crunchy and crisp, an effect that’s reminiscent of old-school hardware drum samplers like the legendary E-mu SP-12. Of course, more bitcrushing will result in more distortion, which is suitable for creating distorted bass sounds, glitchy sound effects, etc.
If you want to get that lo-fi ‘crushed’ or ‘glitched’ tone without breaking the bank, then any of these plugins will do the trick.
Best FREE Bitcrusher VST Plugins (2024 Update)
Here is a list of the best free bitcrusher plugins right now:
- Krush
- Delta Modulator
- HomeCorrupter
- MBitFun
- PCM2612 Retro Decimator Unit
- TAL-Bitcrusher
- Bit Loser
- BPB Dirty Spring
Krush by Tritik
Krush has been a fan favorite for a long time now. It’s one of the best free bitcrusher plugins for a bedroom producer.
This plugin is a versatile, easy-to-use audio destruction tool with bit-crushing, clipping, downsampling, and filtering abilities.
Krush also has a modulation section for customizing tempo, waveforms, and depth parameters, which allows for extensive fine-tuning capabilities.
One of its best features, however, is the user interface. The GUI is clean and intuitive at the same time. The controls are straightforward, and modulating various parameters is an easy task.
Download: Krush
Delta Modulator by Xfer Records
If you’re looking for a simple, distraction-free bitcrusher plugin that will make your audio sound like a 90’s Nintendo game, Delta Modulator by Xfer Records is probably your best choice.
Unlike other bitcrushers, this one is based on a signal modulation technique found in the Nintendo NES console’s delta modulation channel, which is why it has a unique sound.
Try using Delta Modulator on your favorite synth patch to give it a retro 8-bit feel.
Download: Delta Modulator
HomeCorrupter by Igorski
HomeCorrupter can make your audio sound like it is coming from an ancient computer with broken speakers. It does so by altering the sampling rate and bit-depth of the incoming audio signal to reduce the overall resolution of the audio.
You can further degrade the quality by reducing the ‘clock speed’ parameter, which simulates decreasing the computer clock speed (like an old PC).
Other parameters include – sample rate, bit depth, and playback rate, which can be adjusted using the corresponding sliders. Plus, these parameters can also be layered with an LFO.
We reviewed this free bitcrusher plugin last year and loved it.
Download: HomeCorrupter
MBitFun by Melda Production
MBitFun is an advanced bit-crusher effect that offers unique distortion capabilities you won’t find elsewhere.
This free bitcrusher transforms the input audio signal into limited fixed-point precision, ranging from a single bit to 16 bits per sample. So you can effectively process each bit of the audio and modify it accordingly.
MBitFun comes with many presets, and most of them are pretty good. But to really fall in love with MBitFun, you should experiment and fiddle around with its controls.
We checked it out back in 2015, and it’s still one of the best bitcrushers available.
Download: MBitFun
PCM2612 Retro Decimator Unit by Inphonik
PCM2612 Retro Decimator Unit features a straightforward interface with a simple control scheme that’s easy to operate. The large knob at the center is hard to miss and is used to adjust the 8-bit decimation applied to the input audio signal.
The other parameters include a mono-switch, a dry/wet mix, and an output filter switch. The output filter switch allows you to choose between the digital output and the Sega Genesis circuit’s legacy line output, giving you that much-desired ‘Crushed’ sound effect.
The PCM2612 plugin is a gem- and it’s surprisingly free! We reviewed it a year ago and loved its features.
Download: PCM2612 Retro Decimator Unit
TAL-Bitcrusher
TAL-Bitcrusher is just a simple bitcrusher with a sleek look and useful functions. So, if you’re not looking for any fancy or advanced functionality, this will work well for you. The customizable parameters include:
- A low and high-shelf EQ.
- A dry/wet mixing knob.
- A bit-depth adjustment knob.
- A noise cross modulator.
- A sample rate knob.
TAL-Bitcrusher’s simplicity is likely its biggest advantage over other freeware bitcrushers. It lets you dial in usable sounds quite quickly.
Download: TAL-Bitcrusher
Bit Loser
Bit Loser is a free bitcrusher that stands out due to its multiband processing setup. It allows individual control over low, mid, and high bands, offering more control over how you apply the ‘digital filth’ to your audio.
In addition, the Corruptor feature introduces variability in bit crushing and sample reduction processing. A probability parameter is also included, resulting in randomized signal modulation.
Bit Loser also lets you control the dry signal, with each band having its own dry/wet mix slider. This makes it an excellent tool for parallel processing.
Download: Bit Loser
BPB Dirty Spring
BPB Dirty Spring is a spring reverb VST plugin with a built-in bitcrusher. When you apply the effect to your track, the bitcrushed reverb adds a crunchy charm to your audio.
You can adjust the decay and tone knobs to shape the reverb according to your needs. The Kick button simulates kicking a hardware spring delay and previews the spring reverb sound. There’s also a pre-delay knob that lets you achieve some remarkable echo/delay effects.
Multiple bit-crushing modes are available, ranging from subtle to full-blown, over-the-top distortion and decimation. Overall, BPB Dirty Spring is convenient for adding grit and flavor to clean tracks.
Download: BPB Dirty Spring
For more freeware plugins and instruments, return to our Free VST Plugins page.
18 Comments
Tricky Loops
onNo, I’m using bit-crushers and with them I make such an earth-shaking, ass-kicking beat that everyone on the dance-floor is throwing their clothes away…so everybody can have a crush on somebody… :-)
(Don’t believe everything in this world…)
jay
onthe link for “LoFi PLUS by Subtek”
sends us to a “console DEMO” page …
(or did i miss something reading while translating
from english to french…)
bmovie
onI really like SicknDstroy
http://www.ineardisplay.com/sickndstroy/
beta tester
ondunno if best, at least one of them Novaflash Distorder
http://www.numerisson.com/novaflash/vst/distorder/index.html
Aelfric
onVirtual Creations Elite Reducer 2 is now available on the Mac.
Arseniy
onCMT Bitcrusher – also has very good distoriton with 3 options!
U-o
onMissing Tritik Krush here…
Bryan Lake
onThanks for the shout! I love Tritik plugins! And yeah, Krush should definately be on this list. Tritik is having a two-year anniversary sale btw! 30% off TkDelay and Moodal :)
Admin Stimbach
onVST
Datajake
onI am working on a bitcrusher of my own. As of now, it is only available as a Windows VST plug-in. The source code is on GitHub. https://github.com/datajake1999/C1Bitcrusher
Tomislav Zlatic
onInteresting! Please let me know when the plugin is ready and I’ll check it out.
Datajake
onI just released the first version. It can be found on the plug-in’s GitHub repository.
rek
onCMT is down!
Arseniy
onHello! All your d.pr links are not working anymore!
Mark Dancer
onBit Loser by Bunker Noise is now payware. Low-priced (€19.99, but currently reduced to €4.99), but no longer freeware.