Cymatics Origin: free vintage/lo-fi effects plug-in has the old and the new
Hip-hop production favorite Cymatics released Origin, a free vintage/lo-fi effects plug-in. Origin has the old and the new: analog sounds, such as tape machines and the fat Juno 106 chorus, are crunched through digital resampling/bit-crushing and a pair of filters for an onslaught of grit and warble.
Cymatics Origin vintage/lo-fi plug-in
Styled in faux brushed aluminum, Origin’s layout is complete with Noise, Saturation, Movement (tape wow & flutter), and Chorus controls neighbouring the master Resample Freq knob. A special randomizer algorithm conjures the wobbliest of tape-degraded pitches, claims Cymatics. Likewise, the Juno 106 chorus emulation does both fast and slow – just like in 1984. Considering the abundance of dedicated (often paid-for) plug-ins aping that exact fabled chorus, grabbing Origin may be worthwhile for that emulation alone.
On the side of digital, the resampler does a nifty thing where the filters actually remove the bitcrusher-style artifacts (if you want that), similar to a steep low-pass filter. The result sounds like Drake’s “underwater” melodies, which feels appropriate for a Cymatics product.
Origin may have simple controls, but it’s not what counts – it’s how you combine them. Between tape defects and digital mangling, you can discover your own lo-fi feel. Best of all, you get to do that all for free! While you may have your lo-fi arsenal sorted already (I’m in a poly-marriage with D16 Decimort and the Soundtoys effects rack), Origin is an origin-al recipe for that coveted lo-fi sauce. I’m looking forward to pushing this one into parameter extremes and seeing how far it goes before it becomes too much of a good thing.
Cymatics Origin – System requirements
Origin works on 64-bit Windows and macOS computers in VST, AU, and AAX formats. The 136MB download requires subscribing to the Cymatics e-mail newsletter.
Cymatics Origin – More information
Cymatics Origin – Video
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