Inear Display is back with the FREE Danaides 2.0 sound-mangling plugin

Inear Display has released a free sequel to its sound-mangling plugin for macOS and Windows – Danaides 2.0.

Danaides and its developer, Inear Display, have been around for a long time, and it’s fair to say it’s been a storied journey so far.

In short, Inear Display launched around 2012, shut down in 2025, and made its entire plugin collection available as donationware in February of this year.

What the short version doesn’t tell you is that Inear Display, founded by Thomas Hennebert, created some much-loved experimental sound design tools along the way, like the previously discontinued Danaides, which first appeared in 2013.

Danaides 2.0 is a major overhaul of the original plugin, bringing modern looks and performance to the classic sound.

As a sequenced sound-mangling plugin, Danaides 2.0 combines three fairly destructive FX with a clever modulation system.

The three FX are Driller, Metalizer, and Reducer, each offering something different.

Driller adds a glitchy texture by looping and repitching audio slices. Metalizer is a delay that adds texture and motion. Reducer brings that lo-fi grit by reducing the sample rate.

While the three core FX establish the sound-mangling character, the other elements bring it to life.

Before we get to the morphing LFOs and modulation sequencers, we have a morphing Pre-Filter with Cutoff and Resonance controls.

Each LFO features two sub-LFOs with independent rate controls.

There are two modulation sequencers: an FX Sequencer and a Dry/Wet Sequencer.

I really like the FX Sequencer; you can modulate a specific effect per step, and the colour-coded display helps you keep track.

Danaides 2.0 is available in AU and VST3 formats for macOS and Windows.

There is no backward compatibility for patches created in version one. However, Danaides 2.0 is very easy to get into, and it comes with a bunch of factory presets to get you started.

It’s great news that Danaides is back, even better news that Inear Display is moving forward, and there’s more to celebrate ahead, as the developer suggests evolution in Danaides’ future updates.

We already have a lot to be thankful for with Inear Display, and Thomas Hennerbert has given a lot to the community, so if you’re able, consider supporting his work and efforts with a small donation.