Best free plug-ins this week: A healthy dose of distortion
Best free plug-ins this week: A healthy dose of distortion · Source: ToneLib, Gearnews
This week’s collection of free plug-ins is all about a healthy dose of overdrive and distortion! We’ve got no less than four distortion effects for guitar and bass for you, from gentle tube saturation to full-on Tube Screamer mayhem. Here’s TubeWarmth, BassDrive, Vibanez CM-V and Vibanez TS-V.
Ready to discover hundreds of other free plug-ins? Head over to our huge archive!
ToneLib TubeWarmth
Tired of dull and lifeless digital recordings? ToneLib TubeWarmth is here to the rescue! The free plug-in emulates gentle tube overdrive and adds even harmonics to the audio signal, bringing new colors and depth to anything you throw at it. You can adjust the Warmth and Depth to dial in just the right amount of saturation. There’s also a frequency analyzer that shows you exactly what’s going on. Just don’t expect bold, gritty tube overdrive – it’s more of a subtle effect.
TubeWarmth is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux in VST, VST3, AU, and standalone formats.
ToneLib BassDrive
The second free plug-in by ToneLib in today’s collection is BassDrive, which is obviously inspired by the famous SansAmp Bass Driver pedal. The overdrive focuses on the low frequency range, which makes it ideal for bass or low-tuned guitar. The developer says that BassDrive can deliver anything from deep and gentle tones to sharp and aggressive overdrive. It’s got the familiar Drive and Blend controls, as well as a tone equalizer with four bands.
BassDrive is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux in VST, VST3, AU, and standalone formats.
In case you prefer hardware, the Tech 21 Programmable Bass Driver DI pedal is available from Thomann* for €299.
SynthIV Vibanez CM-V
SynthIV is on a mission to recreate a bunch of classic Ibanez pedals as free plug-ins. We’ve already featured Vibanez TL-V and Vibanez EM-V. Now it’s time for some more aggressive tones: the new Vibanez CM-V plug-in emulates the CM-5 Classic Metal pedal from the late 80s. The developer says that it stays true to the original pedal’s signal chain and principle of operation. It’s got Level, Tone, and Distortion knobs and a big foot switch – what more could you possibly want?
Vibanez CM-V is a VST3 plug-in for Windows.
SynthIV Vibanez TS-V
Did I just say “recreate a bunch of classic Ibanez pedals”? Well, SynthIV has taken on what is clearly the most famous of them all, as well: the venerable TS-5 Tube Screamer! The Valvescreecher TS-V plug-in offers Level, Tone, and Distortion knobs for dialing in just the right amount of screaming. By the way, it’s definitely not the first Tube Screamer emulation we’ve featured in our freeware series – for more free Tube Screaming, also check out Nembrini Audio NA808 and GuitarML TS-M1N3.
Vibanez TS-V is a VST3 plug-in for Windows.
For those of you who prefer analog circuitry, the current Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini, TS808, and Tube Screamer Bass pedals are available at Thomann*.
* This post contains affiliate links and/or widgets. When you buy a product via our affiliate partner, we receive a small commission that helps support what we do. Don’t worry, you pay the same price. Thanks for your support!
- tonelib-tube-warmth: ToneLib
- tonelib-bass-drive: ToneLib
- synthiv-vibanez-cm-v: SynthIV
- synthiv-vibanez-ts-v: SynthIV
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