Plasma from developer Dimethoxy is a free, open-source digital audio effect for VST3 hosts.
There has been no shortage of interesting distortion effects in the last few years. One of my personal favorites is Minimal Audio’s Rift, which takes a decidedly different approach to how distortion is achieved. And let’s not forget our very own BPB Dirty Filter Plus.
Plasma by Dimethoxy is also wild and comes in at the beautiful cost of nothing. You’ve got quite a few controls at hand, so it is worth exploring.
You’ve got 10 distortion effects to choose from, each with its unique attributes. Some go into unruly territory in short order, which might be what the doctor ordered.
There is an interesting girth selection for each distortion module as well, letting users add a little more treble. This works wonderfully in conjunction with the trio of filters you have on offer.
Users have the option of dialing in a low-pass, high-pass, or peak filter to help get the distortion settings just right.
I’m a sucker for visualization, and Plasma is no slouch there. You’ve got a wonderful oscilloscope at the top of the interface, allowing you to see exactly what sort of mangling you’re getting up to with the audio in real-time.
Now, Plasma seems tailored for your harder dance styles like hardstyle, gabber, hardcore, and whatever else you can dream of. However, I do find it works quite well in more sedate genres.
If you’re looking to add a little of that powdery grit to a lo-fi recording, this, combined with a little wow and flutter, could go a long way. Speaking of wow and flutter, check out the new Blowdio plugin which we tested earlier today.
Plasma is free as in freedom, as opposed to beer, so you don’t need any management software or an account. You’ll just need to grab the binary for your operating system of choice, and you’re off to the races.
It isn’t terribly hungry on your resources either, so you could realistically use this on multiple sources over an entire mix.
Plasma is available for Windows and Mac computers. Supported plugin formats at VST3, you’ll need a wrapper or something for Logic Pro X and Pro Tools. It is available for Intel and Silicon Macs, so you should be good provided you’re running 10.13 or newer.
Download: Plasma (FREE)
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