Developer Audio Damage has rebooted an old classic with the free ShinRonin modular filter/delay plugin.
Audio Damage is a name that has been around for a long time, and the Colorado-based developer shows no signs of going away anytime soon.
In March of this year, we covered the release of Evil Otto, a free OTT-style compressor, and today, we’re looking at the reboot of a plugin over two decades old.
ShinRonin is a ground-up rebuild of Audio Damage’s 2003 Ronin modular filter/delay plugin.
Despite being discontinued in 2009, Ronin maintains cult status in many circles, thanks to the weird and wonderful textures made possible by its modular architecture.
Ronin fans will be glad to hear that the much-loved modular architecture is still in place.
Like the original, ShinRonin features two delay lines, two morphing filters, and two LFOs, each with independent controls.
Both delay lines have Sync, Loop, Thru, and Reverse modes.
Between the dual multi-wave LFOs and envelope follower, ShinRonin isn’t short on movement.
And with the morphing filters (notch, lowpass, highpass, and bandpass) and two saturation modules, you have smooth, evolving textures, rich harmonics, and a little grit when you want it.
With all of that said, it’s with the two onboard matrices that things get really interesting.
You have the Control Routing matrix for modulation sources, etc., and the Audio Routing matrix for routing the audio signal from any module to another module’s input (even itself).
Although capable of producing fairly tame effects, Ronin is much more at home running wild and creating the unexpected.
With everything seemingly unchanged (even the refreshed GUI retains a dated appearance), this rebuild is all about modern functionality and performance.
ShinRonin is available in AU, VST3, AAX, CLAP, and LV2 formats for macOS (10.13 or later), Windows (10 or later), and Linux (Ubuntu 20 or later).
Additionaly, an iPad version is coming soon.
Audio Damage already has a reputation for giving back to loyal customers; a few years ago, the developer made 35 legacy plugins available for free.
But I’m sure this free reboot will only strengthen that relationship further, and it’s much appreciated.
However, should some Hollywood bigwigs ever decide to reboot the movie Ronin, replacing Robert De Niro and epic car chases with reality TV stars and e-scooters, I won’t go to see it; not even for free!
Download: ShinRonin (FREE)
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Last Updated on July 1, 2026 by Tomislav Zlatic.
