All Kilohearts plugins are available through the installer as 64-bit VST, AU and AAX plugins for Windows and Mac. Most of them are also available for Reason Studios Reason, but if you are a Reason user you have to get your plugin through the Reason Studios Shop. As plug-in within any VST, AU, or AAX host / DAW Effect category: Distortion, bit-crusher, frequency shifter, ring modulator, radio lo-fi Number of presets: BITE: 81 / DIRT: 74 / FREAK: 79 Download size: 274 MB Download manual: CRUSH PACK MANUAL.
Last Updated on December 15, 2020 by
Here’s a list of both the best Free Bitcrusher plugins, aswell as the best Paid/Premium ones that are currently available.
Let’s get started!
Best Commercial Bitcrusher VST/AU Plugins
The four plugins that I will list now are premium, or paid.However, they are extremely affordable, so check them out.
Bite by Denise (Windows, Mac)
The Denise Bite is a flexiblebit-crusher plugin for adding subtle and not-so-subtle digital style distortionto your tracks.
It has been designed totransition smoothly from 32-bit all the way down to 1-bit, and has a continuous‘analog’ control that softens the digital edges caused by the quantizationprocess.
Together with itsvariable-slope multiband setup and stereo link option, the Denise Bite is asmooth and versatile tool that combines best of both the analog and the digitalrealm
Bite is the most affordable yet good sounding bitcrusher Icould find, since it only sells for about $15.
Find out more about Bite by Denise Here.
BitCrush Snapin by KiloHeartz (Windows, Mac)
Bitcrush can bring you back tothe digital hardware of the past. It simulates the audio being played backusing a low-quality sampler with limited sample rate and bit depth.
This plugin is a snapin’,which means that it can be used as a regular VST/AU plugin, or it can be usedwith KiloHeartz’s snapin hosts such as Snap Heap and Multipass.
It’s a very easy bitcrusher touse since it only features six different controls, and that’s it!
Find out more about Bitcrush Snapin here.
Decimort 2 by D16 Group(Windows, Mac)
Decimort 2 recreates the gritand coloration that the lower sample rate and bit-depth of the earliersampler circuits had.
Vst Plugin Bit Crusher
It adds that vintage samplersound back to any loop, bassline, or any sound played through it.
Apart from being a vintagesampler emulation, Decimort 2 is also an awesome bitcrusher with filter, capableof extreme settings for dramatic results.
Features
- Two optional anti-alias filters
- Adjustable Jitter
- Two quantization methods
- Controllable dithering
Find out more about Decimort 2 here.
Pixelator by Joey Sturgis Tones (Windows, Mac)
JST creates some of the best plugins out there. I absolutelylove the GuitarVST Plugins they have.
Bitcrusher Vst Plugin
Now, about Pixelator; It’s a great-sounding and easy to use Bitcrusherthat can create low-resolution sounds through a variety of modes that all sounddifferent.
Find out more about Pixelator here.
Best Free Bitcrusher VST/AU Plugins
Krush by Tritik (Windows, Mac)
Krush is a bitcrusher for Mac OS X and Windows,available in Audio Unit, VST and AAX formats.
With its bit crushing and downsampling algorithms, Krush isdesigned to combine the crispy taste of the digital realm with the warmth ofits drive stage and analog modeled resonant filters.
A modulation section allows a user to modulate any parameter.The sound palette produced by Krush is intended to range fromdirty digital effects to crunchy modulated colors, with all bit-crushingeffects in between.
Features
- Crunchy drive stage
- Bit depth reduction
- Free or tempo-synced modulation speed
- 4 modulation waveforms
- Clean and intuitive
- Tooltips and preferences in english, french, portuguese or spanish.
- File based preset system
You can download Krush here.
MBitFun by Melda Production (Windows, Mac)
All the plugins that Melda Production creates are awesome!They have loads of different ones which I already mentioned in some of my otherposts.
Here are the links to said posts;
Their BitCrusher plugin is also one of the best free onesout there, plus it comes with a couple extra features that most others don’thave.
You can download MBitFun here.
TAL-Bitcrusher by Togu Audio Line (Mac,Windows)
TAL-Bitcrusher is a simplebitcrusher with low- and high-shelf EQ and a noise cross modulator included.
Features
- Adjustablebit-depth (0-32-bit).
- Adjustablesample rate divisor (up to / 512).
- Noisecross modulator.
- 24 dBlow- and high-shelf filter.
- 10presets for bass, leads and drums.
- Low CPUusage.
You can download TAL-Bitcrusher here.
Bitcrusher by CMT (Windows Only)
The CMT Bitcrusher is one of the simplest plugins out there.
With only a handful of controls, anyone should be able touse it in a matter of seconds.
If you need to apply some quick and simple digitaldistortion, this one should fit your needs.
You can download CMT Bitcrusher here.
Time Machine by ToneBoosters (Windows, Mac)
TimeMachine allows to simulate the effect of A/D andD/A aliasing, re-sampling, and bit reduction (both linear and mu-Lawquantization).
Features
- Zero-latencyprocessing.
- Supportof all sampling rates from 44.1 to 192 kHz.
- Re-samplerate adjustable between 1000 and 44100 Hz.
- Bitdepth adjustable between 0 and 16-bits on a continuous scale.
- Linearor mu-Law quantization, with or without dithering.
- Analogsaturation.
You can download Time Machine here.
Thrummaschine by de la Mancha (Windows Only)
Thrummaschine is a 3-banddistortion effect with independent, LFO-driven, filters.
Make your bass, mid and high frequencies oscillate at differentspeeds, shapes and pan, with whatever flavor and level of distortion you dialin for each band.
Features
- 3user-defined bands for bass, mid and high frequencies, with overlap ifrequired.
- 3filters with tempo-sync LFO, for each freq band.
- Overdrive,distortion and bitcrush effects.
- Sendlevel for each band to each effect.
- Pan andvolume for each band.
You can download Thrummaschine here.
Multiband Bitcrusher I by Hilofi (Windows Only)
Multiband Bitcrusher I is a multiplebitcrush & downsample plug-in.
It selects 4 frequency bands from the incoming signal – Low;Middle Low; Middle High; High – and then processes them through the bitcrusherand/or the grinder.
Frequency cut-off point for each band is selectable in avariable range depending on the band; unselected frequencies are cut.
Features
- 4 selectable frequency ranges
- Selective Bitcrush & Downsample for each band.
- Additional “grind” for each band to squash more your signal.
- Additional gain for each band.
- Mute-solo-bypass for each band for better control of the bitcrushing process.
- Enabling/disabling post filter for each band.
You can download Multiband Bitcrusher here.
Conclusion
Bitcrusher plugins are generally simple, which means thatpremium ones are often not worth it unless you can really take advantage of someof their features.
I would recommend that you download all the free ones, see if you like them and THEN decide if you really want to spend your money of the commercial ones.