Plugin Boutique’s latest episode in the Top 5 Friday series of videos has host Tim Cant taking a look at some of 2020’s most essential plugins.
In this video, we run through our Top 5 Essential Plugins of 2020. Whether they were released in 2020, or just simply plugins that we have thoroughly enjoyed, take a look at what plugins we had the most fun with.
The featured plugins are the Generate synth, Comeback Kid creative delay, Stutter Edit 2, ShimmerVerb, and the Portal granular fx.
Check out the breakdown below.
5. Generate by Eventide / Newfangled Audio
Using a selection of five oscillator algorithms and three wavefolder selections, Generate is a synth that sounds unlike any other. If you’re looking for gritty, distorted, filthy analogue tones, you’re come to the right plugin.
Those oscillators give you control over the amount of ‘Chaos’, and let you Animate them into pulsing, throbbing tones. The wavefolder lets you put loads of drive into the sound, and the filter section gives you a West Coast-style Low Pass Gate to dull or brighten the sound.
Generate will set you back €149, and there’s a free version called Pendulate to give you a taste of those nasty, distorted oscillators.
4. Comeback Kid by Baby Audio
A delay effect with real flavour, Comeback Kid gives you parameters like delay time and feedback, of course; and also control over tape-style parameters, a sound shaper with filtering and transient shaping, and stereo effects to make your delays wider and more present.
Comeback Kid can do phaser-style delays, lofi-digital delays, spacey, reverbed delays, stereo pitched delays, saturated tape-style delays, mono delays, ducked delays… you get the picture – all sorts of different delays. It’s £40.
3. Stutter Edit 2 iZotope
Developed by iZotope in conjunction with electronic pioneer BT, Stutter Edit 2 is a buffer-based effect that’s ideal for creating repeats, glitches and stutter effects. Plus, with the bountiful selection of extra effects modules such as LoFi, Chorus, Comb, Reverb, Flanger, Delay, Phaser and Filters you get a completely hatstand degree of control over the input signal.
With in-depth control over parameters, and detailed drawing of modulation shapes, this one is the be-all and end-all of glitchiness. It’s yours for $220.
2. ShimmerVerb by Eventide
Eventide have taken their decades of DSP knowhow and turned them into an ethereal effect that will take practically any sound you chuck at it and transform it into a shimmering soundscape of delight. Featuring two tuning controls for creating stunning pitched effects, ShimmerVerb is ideal for adding dramatic, chilled or just plain lush reverbs to your tracks. You can modulate multiple parameters at once with the ribbon control macro, and of course there’s a freeze button for trapping your audio in perfect, glacial hibernation. Very ice indeed!
1. Portal by Output
A granular plugin that breaks your audio down into tiny pieces and reassembles it in exciting new ways, Portal will take you on a psychedelic journey into the unknown. Boating a pretty but simple Main page and an Advanced page with greater control over the effect’s functionality, Portal is amenable to both preset junkies and those with an eye for miniscule details.
As well as the main event pitched granular processing Portal also features two insert effects from a choice of seven, master filters and compressor, and two flexible envelopes for modulating its parameters in a countless exciting ways. It’s £134.
Check out all of these products at the Plugin Boutique store.
