Berglind Audio has released Oolong Jr, a free saturation plugin for macOS (Windows version coming soon).
Oolong Jr is a streamlined version of the full-featured Oolong saturator. That said, even in its cut-down form, the freebie packs decent amounts of mojo and might earn a spot in your mixing chain.
It’s designed as a straightforward saturation tool capable of anything from delivering subtle harmonics to more aggressive drive.
I like that it’s not modeled after any specific piece of analog gear but is instead tuned by ear to sound musical. It aims to deliver the vibe that falls somewhere between the sound of tube preamps and tape machines without being tied to any specific emulation.
The interface is clean and super minimal. You get a very limited set of controls: Drive, Smooth, Full, Make Up, and Mix, plus an On/Off switch.
The Drive knob does exactly what you’d expect, pushing the signal into subtle overdrive and adding harmonics. The Smooth control softens the clipping and can help tame harsh transients or overtones.
Now, as for the third large knob, Full appears to adjust the low-end response or fullness of the signal, giving you more weight. At least that’s how I understood it while testing the plugin.
You can hear the plugin in action below, but keep in mind the video features the full version.
There’s also a basic wet/dry mix control and a make-up knob for compensating gain after adding saturation. When you combine all of this, it’s easy to blend saturation tastefully without needing external gain staging or parallel processing setups.
One of the biggest advantages here is the sound. I’ve tried it on drums, synths, bass, and vocals, and it brings that satisfying analog-style thickness without going overboard. It reminds me of our own free BPB Saturator quite a lot.
If you’ve used the big-name tape or tube emulations, you might find Oolong Jr offers something slightly different. It’s less clinical and more character-driven.
As for the full version of Oolong, it expands the control set quite a bit (and even a bit too much in terms of how busy the GUI looks, at least for me).
You get additional modes like Wide, Warm, Crispy, and more advanced routing options, including mid/side and input gain control. There are also filters, stereo width settings, and more nuanced tonal shaping.
But if you’re just after a solid, nice-sounding saturator without bells and whistles, Oolong Jr nails it.
You can download Oolong Jr for free by entering your email on the product page. The full version is $30, but there’s a “pay what you want” option for both editions if you’d like to support the developer.
Oolong Jr is available in VST3 and AU formats for macOS, and Windows support is expected soon.
Download: Oolong Jr (FREE, pay what you want)
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Last Updated on October 27, 2025 by Tomislav Zlatic.
