Bless Audio released a free distortion and reverb effect plugin called Abyss.
It’s available as a ‘pay-what-you-want’ on Gumroad, with no minimum price for both Mac and Windows machines.
Abyss is a creative tool with simple controls spread out on a captivating interface.
Layout-wise, you can access controls over the distortion (DISTO) module on the left, while on the right, you can find parameters for the REVERB module arranged similarly for quicker accessibility.
Starting from the bottom, the first knob for each module defines the Mix amount or blend of the selected effect.
Moving up, there is the Style knob which can create a variety of different textures and sonic colors for each effect.
Finally, at the top, you can find the Drive and Ambiance knobs.
As you can imagine, the former drives more signal into the distortion unit for added character. The latter, on the other hand, works as a sort of reverb decay where stronger settings create a more spacious sound and longer reverberations.
At the center of the plugin, you can notice a cool artwork about some sinister creatures of the abyss to strengthen the concept of the plugin.
Overall, it’s a simple effect and quick to use.
Unfortunately, I can say that the reverb and distortion modules don’t sound great.
However, it’s also true that Abyss has a unique sound, so it can be a fantastic sound design tool in its own right!
A weird thing that I found out during my tests was that the plugin already transforms and processes the original sound even if the Mix knobs are fully turned down.
It creates an instant lo-fi character, which can create mysterious and dark tones when combined with the reverb effect.
Unfortunately, there is no output gain, so you have to manually take care of any volume bumps when turning the Drive knob high so as not to go into the red in your channel’s readings.
The Style controls are interesting for exploring various sonic directions and can be automated in your DAW for more unexpected outcomes.
As always, we suggest you try the software, experiment, and even open a discussion in the comments below to give your thoughts and exchange feedback with other fellow bedroom producers :)
Furthermore, if you like the plugin, consider supporting the developer.
WARNING: Several BPB readers have reported that their malware scanners reported an issue with the download. We have removed the download link for now.
Download: Abyss (FREE or pay what you want)
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Last Updated on December 29, 2023 by Tomislav Zlatic.
