Bitcrusher plugins are an easy way to add distortion and character to a track. Use it to create lo-fi effects and give your sound some extra sizzle and crackle.
While most DAWs come with some kind of stock distortion or bitcrusher plugin, it’s always fun to experiment with new tools. These are some of the best free bitcrusher plugins you can try right now.
The Best Free Bitcrusher VSTs
Kilohearts Bitcrush
This option from Kilohearts is a straightforward bitcrusher with a clean design and easy-to-understand interface. It’s quickly become one of my favorite bitcrusher plugins, along with everything else in the free Kilohearts Essentials bundle.
Despite its simple appearance, Bitcrush is incredibly versatile. It has the standard bit depth and sample rate controls you’d find on most other bitcrusher plugins.
But it also lets you modify parameters like the analog-to-digital conversion quality or add some dithering noise to reduce some of the distortion. This lets you customize the sound beyond just simple bitcrushing.
Bitcrush works as a standalone plugin, or as a module within Kilohearts’ premium plugins.
PCM2612 Retro Decimator Unit
At first glance, the PCM2612 Retro Decimator Unit doesn’t look like much. But its unique approach offers a special FM crunch that’s unlike everything else on this list.
It’s derived from Inphonik’s virtual instrument, the RYM2612 Iconic FM Synthesizer, a recreation of the Sega Genesis sound chip. Basically, they took some of the tech from the instrument and turned it into a standalone bitcrusher.
The Decimator Unit’s design is stupid simple. There’s one giant knob that controls the bitcrushing, and another switch to swap between two different output modes. Not much else for you to fuss with.
And as a bonus, you can choose between two GUI form factors. I like the more compact box display, but others might prefer the wider rack display.
You can learn more about PCM2612 in this comprehensive overview.
TAL-Bitcrusher
TAL Software’s free bitcrusher VST is simple and easy to use. Its no-nonsense design offers all the basic functionality you need in a bitcrusher:
- Bit Depth and Sample Rate adjustments
- Low- and High-shelf EQ
- Noise cross modulator
- Dry/Wet and Volume settings
No gimmicks with this one. If you’ve never used a bitcrusher plugin before, TAL-Bitcrusher is a good one to start with.
Tritik Krush
Krush is a favorite among many producers. It combines digital bitcrushing with analog distortion and other controls, giving you gritty effects.
The GUI has two main sections. The main upper section controls the overall sound and distortion:
- Digital bitcrush and downsampling
- Drive staging (think of drive for guitar pedals/amps)
- Analog-style resonance filters
But where this plugin really shines is with its modulations. They can add extra motion and randomness to your distortion settings, breathing new life into an otherwise static sound.
Krush has a premium version, KrushPro, which adds more features to customize your sound even further. That said, the free version is more than competitive with some premium plugins.
DeltaModulator
On the surface, DeltaModulator looks like a pretty simple plugin. It offers the standard bit depth and downsampling controls found on most other bitrushers.
But under the hood, it’s doing something a little different.
As its name suggests, DeltaModulator uses delta modulation to perform its downsampling effect. In simple terms, it’s a digital-to-analog audio conversion (or as close to it as a free digital plugin can get).
The technique is similar to how the Nintendo Entertainment System would process samples. As a result, you can get a close approximation of the NES DCPM channel.
HomeCorrupter by igorski
As the name suggests, HomeCorrupter makes your audio sound “corrupted” like it’s coming through an old computer. In igorski’s words, it takes you back to when “computers weren’t actually that good at handling audio.”
This free bitcrusher VST degrades your audio resolution by changing the bit depth and sample rate — pretty much like any other bitcrusher.
But I’d say that HomeCorrupter’s most interesting feature is the “computer clock speed” reduction. It slows down and degrades your audio even further, giving you a more vintage computer vibe.
Further Reading
People often use bitcrushers to make nostalgic lo-fi video game sounds. If you’re into that sort of thing, then you might like these other resources:
