In this article, we will share our top picks for the best distortion plugins.
The importance of having different distorters
Distortion is a commonly used effect in music production that involves adding harmonic distortion or saturation to an audio signal. This effect can be used to add warmth, character, and color to a track, as well as to make it sound more aggressive or edgy.
In guitar and bass-heavy genres, such as rock, metal, and punk, distortion is often used to create the signature distorted guitar sound closely associated with these genres. However, distortion can be applied to a wide variety of instruments, including drums, vocals, and synths, and can be used to create a variety of different effects.
In addition to adding character and grit to a track, distortion can also bring out certain frequencies or harmonics in a sound. This can be particularly useful in the mixing and mastering process, where engineers may use distortion to shape and balance the frequency content of a track.
With that being said, not all distortion plugins are created equal, and that makes things even more interesting because you can achieve unique-sounding tones by mixing and layering more of them.
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The best Distortion plugins
So, what are the best plugins for distortion?
Here’s a list of the best deals available on AudioPluginDeals.
- Audio Assault Bulldog
- Audio Assault ReAMP Studio
- Black Rooster Audio MAGNETITE
- Diginoiz Trapdrive
- Tone Empire Loc-Ness
Audio Assault Bulldog
The Bulldog is a 3-channel amp simulator that emulates one of the most sought-after American High Gain Monsters. Audio Assault has achieved a 1:1 emulation, providing warm high mids and low end for those who prefer them. The amp is designed to provide brutal tones while maintaining pristine cleans and crunchy rhythms.
Before the amp, the Audio Assault team included three stomp boxes to help you dial in the perfect tone. The Gate pedal eliminates noise from your signal, the boost pedal shapes your guitar’s tone, and the drive pedal makes your amp more aggressive and focused.
Additionally, there are three post effects included to help you sculpt your tone. Use the 9 band EQ to fit the amp to your mix, and add depth to your leads with the Delay and Reverb.
The dual cab loader allows you to use any IR with movable mics. You can link the loader to your favorite IR folders for quick and easy access.
Other features include Tuner Stereo Routing, 16x Oversampling, Accelerated Graphics & Resizing, My Amp Feature for a unique tone, Double track emulation, and over 80 presets ranging from Jazz to Djent.
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Audio Assault ReAMP Studio
ReAmp Studio is a comprehensive guitar suite that includes 36 Stompboxes, 103 Amp Heads, 100 Cab IRs, 35 “FLEX” Cabs with movable mic positions, a Rack FX Module, and a Dual IR Loader with IMPACT control to enhance realism.
The Cabinet Loader enables you to freely position the mic using FLEX Cabs, while the IMPACT control adds more realism to your IRs. The Focus function provides additional power to your IRs. Additionally, the dual cab loader allows you to mix and match your preferred IRs, while linking to your preferred IR folders for easy browsing.
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Black Rooster Audio MAGNETITE
Black Rooster Audio has meticulously replicated the sonic characteristics of analog tape, including Class A recording and playback amplifiers, tape response and saturation, NAB pre- and de-emphasis EQs, various tape speeds and bias levels, as well as hiss and hum. They have even included an adjustable wow and flutter feature to emulate frequency modulation due to motor speed fluctuations.
To ensure maximum performance despite complex computations, DSP operations are pipelined using the SSE2 instruction set. Additionally, the plug-ins feature auto-adjusted oversampling that efficiently attenuates aliasing artifacts using a low latency linear phase Dolph-Chebyshev poly-phase design. The oversampling is tailored to the session’s sample rate, saving valuable CPU power while providing the most transparent sound possible.
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Diginoiz Trapdrive
TRAPDRIVE is a newly launched distortion plugin designed specifically for trap music and similar genres. It’s tough, rough, and even drastic, giving your tracks that edgy sound that stands out in a wild way. If you’re a fan of Xxxtentacion’s “Look At Me,” Scarlxrd’s “Heart Attack,” Bones’ “HDMI,” and other similar tunes, and you need uncompromising distortion in your productions, then this plugin is for you!
This plugin is perfect for distorting 808 and bass sounds, vocals, guitars, and synths. You can even use it on buses or mixes if you’re feeling adventurous. With eight types of distortion to choose from, including arctan function, hard clipping, bipolar exponential, unipolar exponential, and bit crushing, among others, you can easily create the sound you want without worrying about the theory. Just turn up the Amount knob and enjoy the sound of violence!
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Tone Empire Loc-Ness
The drums are a crucial part of any music mix, and can either make or break a track. Experienced engineers have been using compressors, pre-amps, EQs, and saturation to create unique sounds for decades. Loc-Ness is a plugin that combines all these controls to add the perfect touch to your drums. This channel is dedicated to processing individual drum hits, the room sound, and the entire drum bus. With four modeled analog signal paths, Loc-Ness can add light to crunchy saturation with the “Crust” control, and “Smash” can limit and sustain the sound into a pleasing “Splat” or “Thrust.”
The two filters enable you to focus on the bands you want to process while leaving the rest of the sound untouched. With dedicated wet and dry controls, you can quickly achieve the drum sounds you envision. Loc-Ness can be used with both acoustic and electronic drum recordings and is also effective on other sounds such as bass, guitars, pianos, strings, vocals, and other percussions, making it a versatile tool for any producer.
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