Get the Soul Squash vintage compressor by Tone Empire for FREE for a limited time.
Soul Squash is a FREE vintage compressor pedal plugin that delivers a dose of retro sheen and instant Funk/Soul vibes.
Soul Squash usually retails for £30.95, but you can download it for free now from the developer’s website and at Plugin Boutique.
We all know from experience that the price of a plugin is no assurance of its performance, be it good or bad.
Cheap or free plugins often turn out to be relatively priceless to us, and, of course, expensive software doesn’t always live up to expectations, sometimes leaving us struggling to find reasons to keep using it because we’ve paid for it!
But, as much as it’s not about the price, there’s something awesome about getting a freebie that usually costs more than a typical impulse buy, and at £30.95, I’d say Soul Squash fits that description.
Tone Empire calls Soul Squash a sonic time capsule brimming with retro allure and modern finesse, and that’s a pretty fair summary. The plugin does what it’s supposed to do with minimal fuss, thanks to a lovely but simple interface with no little more than the necessary controls.
Soul Squash works well on individual instruments like bass, guitar, keys, or even vocals.
I’m always interested in simple plugins that can give my keys or bass a little more authenticity when it comes to a classic Funk or Soul sound, so I’m looking forward to putting Soul Squash to good use.
But it’s also ideal for groups of tracks, adding the right amount of cohesion and unity without losing the clarity and impact of individual parts. It adds punch where needed, and everything else gets some of that warm sound of nostalgia.
The controls are self-explanatory; the main controls are Compress, Output, and Dry Mix with a Gain Reduction meter just off to the left. On the right, you’ll find Input/Output Adjustment knobs and a Thick switch that adds a low EQ bum post compression for a thicker sound.
If you’re heading to Plugin Boutique to grab Soul Squash, don’t forget you can pick up Alicia’s Keys from Native Instruments (usually £89) for just £12, which would entitle you to claim one of this month’s free gifts (PolyMAX, W495 EQ, or a one-month Loopcloud Artist Plan trial).
Soul Squash comes in 64-bit AU, VST3, and AAX formats for macOS (10.13 upwards) and Windows (10 upwards).
Download: Tone Empire / Plugin Boutique (FREE – regular price $39)
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11 Comments
yambu
onIt’s a shame my DAW Samplitude ProX crashes with this plugin
alex
onSounds really good. It is a CPU hog, but that’s what freezing/bouncing is for.
Mars
onI had their neural q plugin on my computer a while ago and was pretty buggy. then they released v2 and was even buggier and had a deafening feedback chirp whenever I would bypass/turn on. I’ll never use another one if their plugins again even tho I’m sure it’s been ironed out by now
Andy
onTo claim polymax you can buy CHORDS PRO Upgrade from CHORDS or HEAT 2 Upgrade from Heat by 22Bullets by W.A. Production
5$ each instead 12$ of alicia keys library
Andy
onor RX950 Classic AD/DA Converter Utility by Inphonik for 10$
Perfect emulation of AKAI RX950 AD/DA Converter
Lucas
onThe RX950 *is awesome, and I don’t gravitate towards stuff that’s lofi for the sake of lofi, it has to have some actual character. Anyone who’s used an AKAI sampler or convertor, even if its not the S-series that it’s based off, will recognize that they did a solid job on this, from the filters to the actual drive it sounds solid and warm, and has a rear-panel knob that’s kind of a sheen/air/lift that’s useful to counterbalance any filtering that’s taken some upper frequencies out.
Haha, I bought it on sale for $10 a few years ago, and despite only having a handful of pennies laying around most the time, I felt bad about grabbing it for $10 since I use it often, so I bought it on sale again. I mean… twenty bucks… ? that’s reasonable. That said, I encourage people to grab it for $10. ;)
Arseniy
onDoes it always require internet connection?
alex
onNo, it’s like Arturia Software Center – you gotta be logged in for a plugin to work, but you don’t have to be connected to the internet.
Dan
onI get a warning that the installer has Malware
Docent Novak
onsame here
Wing Yee
onThank you!