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iZotope Releases FREE Trash Lite Distortion Plugin

By 31 Comments3 Mins Read
iZotope Trash Lite

iZotope released Trash Lite, a freeware distortion plugin based on the new commercial plugin called Trash (€109).

Now, if you’ve been around VST plugins for a while, you’re probably already familiar with iZotope Trash. It’s a legendary distortion plugin and one of iZotope’s flagship products before the age of Ozone and other currently popular tools.

So how is any of this new?

Well, the new plugin is basically Trash version 3. However, iZotope seems to have simply called it Trash to keep things nice and elegant.

What’s more important for us budget-minded music producers, though, is that iZotope also released a completely free version of the plugin called Trash Lite.

Trash Lite features a smaller feature set, but I was super happy with how it sounds and how versatile it is during a quick test run earlier today.

I also loved the new interface. It’s modern and clean-looking but doesn’t lack in the intuitiveness department, either. Some modern interfaces sacrifice user experience for good looks, but that is not the case here.

As soon as you load Trash Lite in your DAW of choice, it’s pretty clear what each parameter does.

The centrally-positioned Trash module is where you’ll adjust the distortion algorithm, gain amount, tone, and mix. It’s fantastic how versatile the distortion module is.

I was able to apply some pretty wild distortion to a drum loop, then use the tone control to make it less aggressive, and finally adjust the mix knob to get a drum loop that sounds more aggressive without being completely obliterated.

There are 60 (!) different distortion modes to choose from, so there’s plenty of fun to be had if you enjoy experimenting with sound design. If you prefer plugin-and-play effects, iZotope also provides a wide selection of presets you can browse and use as a starting point.

While the distortion module is the plugin’s central focus point, it’s not everything that Trash Lite has to offer.

You also get a neat randomization tool (fun to use when you’re out of inspiration for sound design) and a limiter mode with the auto-gain option to prevent loudness accidents while playing with dangerous levels of distortion.

If you want more features like multi-band processing and convolution, then be sure to check out the paid version of Trash. If, however, you simply need a versatile distortion plugin to add some spice to your sounds, Trash Lite is a fantastic choice (as is our free BPB Dirty Filter Plus plugin).

Trash Lite is available in VST, AU, and AAX plugin formats for Windows and macOS. You can also download it as a free iOS app for the iPad. The paid Trash plugin typically costs €109 but is currently on sale for €87.20 (you’ll save €21.80).

Download: Trash Lite (174 MB download size)

More:

Tomislav is a music producer and sound designer from Belgrade, Serbia. He is also the founder and editor-in-chief at Bedroom Producers Blog.

31 Comments

    • Bob

       on

      Make sure you use your iZotope login details and not your Native Instruments one. If you have a password manager it could be using the latter.

      Reply

    • Min Sako

       on

      Yes,I also have some issues when I log in to iZotope every time, so I have to change my password to solve it.It’s troublesome but it works for me.

      Reply

      • Your Name

         on

        So it’s not just me. It repeatedly tells me my password is incorrect, even after I’ve just changed it. I have to change it nearly every time I want to log in.

        Reply

    • Ho

       on

      Solution:

      Please don’t use the auto-fill function when logging in to the iZotope website.

      Delete the suggested email address and password.

      Then enter your iZotope credentials manually.

      Reply

  6. Mike

     on

    There is an Intro Sale for 29€/$ for this on Pluginboutique, Also check your “Loyalty offers” on the izotope page,because there is a “upgrade offer” for 33€/$ if you own the old version.

    Make sure you don’t buy this overpriced.

    Reply

  10. alex

     on

    Well, it’s easier to tweak, which was the main complaint about Trash 2. Since I don’t care about that and the GUI is leggy as hell I’ll stick to Trash 2.

    Reply

  11. Robin

     on

    Cool, it is supposed to be very good. I’ve got a ton of distortions, but it’s surprising how different they often still are, even when they use the same methods and rarely as good as hardware ones. I’m curious to how good this one really is.

    Reply

  13. Bruno de Souza Lino

     on

    Looking at the UI for the full version, this is clearly a downgrade over Trash 2. There’s no pre and post EQ and I doubt you can change module order like you can on 2.

    Reply
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