Trash Lite, TesslaPRO mkIV, Reflex Dynamic Range Meter: Free Plugins of the Week
iZotope Trash 3 is out, and there’s a FREE Lite version that doesn’t cost you a penny! Other freebies of the week include an update to Variety of Sound’s popular TesslaPRO saturator and an incredibly useful dynamic range meter.
iZotope Trash Lite: Free
iZotope made waves this week with the release of Trash 3, now simply called Trash. Everyone’s favorite distortion plugin is finally back with multiband distortion, convolution modeling, and plenty of sound shaping options like an envelope follower and filter. Check out Trash here.
The best thing, however, is that iZotope also released a FREE Lite version of Trash. While Trash Lite doesn’t offer all of the bells and whistles of the paid version (intro price: $77), it does feature the main Trash module with over 60 distortion types. You can even blend up to four different settings using the X/Y pad. Furthermore, Trash Lite offers a simple Tilt EQ for sound shaping, as well as auto-gain and limiter functions. Easily a no-brainer!
iZotope Trash Lite is available for macOS and Windows in VST3, AU, and AAX formats. There’s also an AUv3 version for iPadOS.
Variety of Sound TesslaPRO mkIV
Variety of Sound has released TesslaPRO mkIV, the latest version of the popular saturation plugin. Designed to delicately color the sound, refine transients, and add dimension to the stereo field, TesslaPRO mkIV introduces subtle analog-style artifacts to your tracks – perfect for breathing analog life into digital recordings.
The new version comes with a new transformer model that offers enhanced realism thanks to built-in hysteresis effects, the developer says. Moreover, Variety of Sound has also simplified the gain staging to ensure consistent performance regardless of the input level.
Variety of Sound TesslaPRO mkIV is a VST / VST3 plugin for Windows.
Reflex Acoustics Reflex Dynamic Range Meter
Keeping a close eye on the dynamic range is essential in mixing and mastering. You need to ensure that your tracks perform well on streaming platforms and a wide variety of playback devices, while avoiding the lifeless sound associated with too much compression and limiting. The new Reflex Dynamic Range Meter plugin by Reflex Acoustics visualizes the dynamics across the frequency spectrum, making it easy to pinpoint problematic areas.
In addition to a large full-range display, Reflex Dynamic Range Meter offers eight individual frequency bands. The loudness meters are superimposed over scrolling waveform displays, providing a good overview of what’s going on in real time. In addition to this, Reflex Dynamic Range Meter offers a choice of mid or side metering, as well as two filter modes. A very useful tool to have in your arsenal!
Reflex Dynamic Range Meter is available for macOS and Windows in VST3 and AU formats. According to the developer, AAX support is in the works.
Looking for more free plugins like Trash Lite, TesslaPRO mkIV, and Reflex Dynamic Range Meter? Check out our huge archive!