10 Creative Plugins of 2022
2022 has been a great year for new creative plugins, while many new tools have been announced this year, I want to cover some of the more creative ones. So while I wont be listing everything, the focus of this list is more unique and experimental plugins. One of the themes this year seems to have been “spectral”, lots of new spectral tools, and spectral updates, between GS-DSP’s spectral collection, bitwig spectral suite, the new spectral modules for Infiltrator 2, Vital’s spectral filter, and the Spectral splitting of Novum, spectral is no longer an obscure and rare effect.
I actually plan to write a small guide to spectral plugins soon.
This “top 10” style list is going to be in chronological order, everything on this list was released this year.
By no means are these the “best” plugins, or my favorite, or “must have” they just had to be on my radar, unique, and released in 2022.
So if your new channel strip or tape echo isn’t listed, it’s nothing personal
FRAGMENTS: Granular effects are some of my favorites, and Fragments really was a nice addition to the collection, with 3 different grain engines, modulation, and a couple effects there’s really a lot of creative sound design you can do with this one.
I have a brief article comparing Fragments with Portal, and another effect on our list, Graindad here: https://www.databroth.com/blog/portal-vs-fragments-vs-graindad
https://www.arturia.com/products/software-effects/efx-fragments/overview
MAGIC DELAY: A new developer on the market GS-DSP has previously worked with Tonstrum in creating SPCTRL EQ. GS-DSP continues this spectral legacy by introducing Magic Delay.
In fact, GS-DSP released 3 separate “Magic” plugins this year, but I’m including them all here. These plugins allow you to morph between custom drawn spectral remaps, where one axis is input frequency, and the other is effect intensity.
This really allows you to sculpt sound in new and creative ways. On the more extreme and bizarre side of things, these effects really push sound design in new directions
DIGITALIS: Such a simple but fun effect, Digitalis is a “lofi” design box. Incorporating 3 sections of lofi effects and continuing our theme with a spectral effects, Digitalis allows you to draw and import images as spectral filters.
As well there are a few ways to degrade audio and some fun beat repeating options for glitchy chaos. The 4 modulation lanes really bring Digitalis to the next Level allowing you to add motion and sequencing into the effect.
NOVUM: Dawesome’s second synth Novum is somewhat of a hybridization of granular and spectral synthesis. While not technically spectral synthesis, Novum allows for spectral importing of samples, that splits the sample into 6 layers dependent on sound qualities.
This isn’t simply band splitting, but some sort of smart splitting that separates noise and different timbral characteristics. From here you have a full granular engine that can be split into 6 independent layers.There’s also a quirky “tone flower” which lets you alter the spectral characteristics of each layer.
MORPH EQ: Minimal Audio created one of the more interesting EQs, this one is built around motion. It doesn’t seem to be particularly tailored towards standard EQing, but has a nifty feature letting you draw paths for each band, and using a single control to move all bands through their respective pathways simultaneously. The magic here comes from the UI and visualization, while you could just automate eq, there is a coordination required between mapping frequency and gain on two separate lanes. Multiply this by the amount of bands you want, and recognize that you can’t really save automation as a preset. and it becomes clear why something like Morph EQ is so special.
NEEDLEPOINT: Unfiltered Audio’s Latest plugin Needlepoint originated as a small module in Lo-fi-af. Rather than using a looped sample to emulate vinyl grain, UA wanted to synthesize it within the plugin.
This not only gets rid of fairly obviously looped crackles, but now allows you the freedom to control variables. Needlepoint lets you adjust particle density, for various sizes of dust, vinyl wow and flutter, and even a record skipping and spin down effect.
COLDFIRE: Another new plugin from Arturia, if Fragments was a response to Portal, this was their response to Thermal. Coldfire brings together several different distortion modes that you can load into to slots, some filtering, feedback, and a sizable selection of modulation.
The distortion engines cover both analog emulation and extreme digital waveshaping. I really appreciate the recent surge of creative multi distortion effects, you can read my comparison between Coldfire, Thermal, and Rift here: https://www.databroth.com/blog/coldfire-vs-rift-vs-thermal
https://www.arturia.com/products/software-effects/dist-coldfire/overview
GRAINDAD: Another granular effect from 2022, this time from Sugar Bytes. Graindad is a bit of a weird one, but still very fun, and a master of randomization. Graindad isn’t quite as advanced as some of the other grain effects, but offers a very unique “Harvester” modulation system, utilizing different orbs and orbits/ paths to generate controlled but chaotic motion on larger and slower scales. There’s also an interesting trigger mechanic which I’ve admittedly not explored enough.
I find the grain engine in this one to be a bit more plasticky, but in a good way, it’s often kinda gloopy or rounded off in character. You can see my comparison here: https://www.databroth.com/blog/portal-vs-fragments-vs-graindad
POCKET DIMENSION: Freakshow Industries came out of left field with this one. Adding yet another crazy esoteric device to their collection. If we dispel the mystery a little, Pocket Dimension is a simple buffer looping effect with a few controls that can be linked to an XY pad.
The XY pad cycles through random AI generated artwork at a rate that those who are sensitive to visual stimulation will likely find uncomfortable, if not dangerous, take caution with this one. When you click on the screen it freezes a random piece of “art” and zooms in slowly as the effect increases.
There’s also a handful of sigils which define a path for a little UFO to follow adding an additional layer of modulation. If you haven’t heard of Freakshow Industries before today, take note that they give you the option to steal their plugins right next to the Buy button to purchase them.
KULT: And to round the year off, yet another synth from Dawesome, Kult brings strange attractors and chaos theory into oscillator generation. Kult really adds some new texture into the world of synthesis, the various crackling, wavering, and organic disorder derived from mathematics are unique to this method of sound generation. You can read my full review here: https://www.databroth.com/blog/kult-review
If you plan on purchasing any of these plugins via Plugin Boutique, please consider supporting me by using one of my affiliate links
Plugin Boutique: https://bit.ly/3gMg99X
Fragments: https://bit.ly/3YT4ICi
Digitalis: https://bit.ly/3YZq3Kr
Novum: https://bit.ly/3BZ1R0V
Morph EQ: https://bit.ly/3jH5ORF
Coldfire: https://bit.ly/3vup4Ey
Graindad: https://bit.ly/3WT7hTg
Pocket Dimension: https://bit.ly/3Ieohit
Kult: https://bit.ly/3VgRb4v