CODEC Review (free lofi glitch plugin)

I forget exactly when or how I came across this plugin, but it really took me by surprise.
I’ve tried dozens of bit reduces and tape/ mp3 effects, so my initial expectations were honestly pretty low. But the pink minimalistic UI, with bizarre pixel display drew me in. Described as an “internet compression algorithm” I knew, and was correct, that I might really enjoy this one.

“internet compression algorithm”? think data compression, not audio compressors, like when you .zip a file. When sending audio over the internet, it is compressed and decompressed to save bandwidth, if you’ve ever watched a live stream or had a video call, you might have heard some of these audio effects as the compressed data doesn’t always come out the other end correctly.
This is exactly what codec is designed to simulate as an effect.

The controls in Codec (outside of the crunch section)use similar language to bit reducers, but function to simulate variations of this data loss algorithm. There’s 3 different codec modes, and 3 different loss modes to choose from as well, giving a variety of flavor combinations, my favorite being “repeat” which really gives those weird buzzing internet stutters I remember from earlier in the 2000s.

Codec has been a go to simple yet free digital glitch effects. Great for those little zippery crackly artifacts, which when peppered in intentionally can add nice top end detail to a track. Clearly this one isn’t for everyone, but if you’re into glitchier music it’s a must have in my opinion.

You can download Codec for free here: https://lese.io/plugin/codec/