Unplug Red offers Prisma (free version), a multiband distortion plugin for Windows and Linux.
Prisma is a multiband distortion plugin from Unplug Red, and it has one of the wackiest GUIs I’ve ever seen.
There are two versions of Prisma, the paid version ($40) and the free version. As far as I can tell, the only difference between the two is that the free version includes a non-intrusive banner (if you try it, and find more differences, let me know in the comments).
I’ll start with the GUI since it’s so whimsical. It’s multicolored, has blinking cartoon-like eyeballs for controls, and it makes me think of Pinball Number Count from Sesame Street.
Each of the four bands (Low, Low Mid, High Mid, and High) has Cross and Gain controls and space for four modules. There are sixteen modules to choose from, including Soft/Hard Clip, Heavy, Fold, Bit Crush, Sample Divide, Pan, and more.
With sixteen modules available and so many ways to use them and have them interact, Prisma provides many flavors of distortion.
Unplug Red designed Prisma for advanced tone shaping and gives a few examples of common use cases, such as harsh distortion being applied on a narrow band for a more subtle effect or distorting bass recordings on the higher frequencies without damaging the low end.
As distortion freebies go, Prisma is definitely one of the most visually striking you’ll find, and the modular design should make it one of the most versatile.
The more I look at Prisma, the more I think no matter how versatile it might be or how subtle it can be, the GUI makes me want to do something crazy with it.
Talking of free distortion, check out our BPB Dirty Filter Plus if you haven’t yet. It’s a completely overhauled version of the original BPB Dirty Filter plugin and features four different dirt modes.
Other recent freebies include DEVIL multimode distortion plugin from Thenatan.
Prisma is available in 64-bit VST and VST3 formats for Windows and Linux.
Download: Prisma (free version available)
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