Viator DSP releases Stimulate, a FREE harmonic exciter VST plugin for digital audio workstations on macOS and Windows.
Harmonic exciters or sonic enhancers are sometimes the unsung heroes of a mix. An exciter can add sweetness and brightness and bring a dull mix to life, whatever the genre. Some people advocate using an exciter plugin more often than EQ to avoid unwanted harshness.
Although, overusing any plugin or using it when it’s not needed can lead to harshness. I say this because while some suggest using exciters more often (but sensibly), some quickly go into overkill mode and slam every track with various exciters. You can have too much of a good thing.
Stimulate v1.4 is a nice-looking plugin that comes with some simple but effective controls.
The first pair of controls (knobs) are Amount and Range. These control the amount of harmonic distortion and the frequency range being distorted (everything above the set frequency).
Next, we have Odd and Even; these determine the amount of odd and even harmonics to be added. Typically, odd harmonics are thought to be more aggressive or rougher around the edges. Some plugins that deal with odd/even harmonics let you choose between the two, so I like that Stimulator allows you to blend both.
A graph on the GUI provides visual feedback of what the harmonics are doing to the signal.
Above the graph are Phase and Oversample buttons. To the right of the graph are Mix (dry/wet) and Trim (output volume attenuation) sliders.
Another thing I like about Stimulator, and Viator DSP plugins in general, is that it keeps it simple. It uses a clean, straightforward interface to do a specific job without any unnecessary bells and whistles.
We’ve covered a few Viator DSP plugins like BT Clipper and Electron EQ that are worth checking out.
We’ve also covered various free exciters like Variety of Sound’s ThrillseekerXTC mkII and Blanka from AudioFB. We featured Blanka around two years ago, but I rarely get to reference Street Fighter-inspired plugins, so I’m not missing this opportunity.
If you like Stimulate or anything else Viator DSP does, you can support the developer through their Patreon page.
Stimulate is available in 64-bit AU and VST3 formats for macOS and Windows.
Download: Stimulate (64-bit VST3/AU plugin formats for Windows & macOS)
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Last Updated on April 8, 2022 by Tomislav Zlatic.
