Best Distortion Plugins – Top 10 Distortion Plugins 2012

Best Distortion Plugins – Plugin Boutique best distortion plugins 2012. 

We’ve asked our Plugin Boutique users to list their best distortion plugins in our annual survey. Here’s the best distortion plugins for 2012 as listed by our respondents!  View video for each plugin in the player below and find out more about our best distortion plugins and where you can buy them in the text descriptions.

1.  Ohm Force – Ohmicide

Ohmicide:Melohman came first in our list of user rated best distortion plugins. Ohmicide is just one of the best software distortions ever made. It’s common knowledge that “a great distorted sound changes everything” and it’s exactly what Ohmicide:Melohman delivers. In one death blow. Ohmicide:Melohman can work with up to 4 frequency bands, all four bands having their own independent knobs for Noise Gate, Dynamics, Distortion, Feedback Generator and all mixing abilities, in addition of a twist of pre- and post-processing (distortion input, high shelf output and more). You’ll be able to listen to the Ohmicide:Melohman distortions on the albums of artists such as Chemical Brothers, Prodigy, Björk, David Bowie, Napalm Death, The Killers, among many others.

2. Camel Audio – Camel Phat

Our users voted CamelPhat second in our list of best distortion plugins. CamelPhat is the ultimate phattening processor! A powerful ‘colouring’ multi-effect that’s been specially engineered to work wonders on guitar, bass and drums, adding warmth, punch and presence wherever they’re required.

3. Camel Audio – Camel Crusher

CamelCrusher came third in our list of best distortion plugins. CamelCrusher is a free ‘colouring’ multi-effect plugin. It offers two characteristically different distortion sounds which can be blended together to create a wide variety of tones and textures. Great for guitars, drums and plenty more!

4. Native Instruments – Guitar Rig

GUITAR RIG 5 PRO is the ultimate software solution for perfect custom tone with more amps, more effects and more creative potential than ever before, all in a powerful and intuitive virtual effects rack.

The latest version includes two essential new high-gain amps, six powerful new effects, and 19 new cabinets — exquisitely modeled in stunning sonic detail. And for complete custom control and a new level of realism, GUITAR RIG 5 PRO gives you the all-new Control Room Pro. Premium sound quality, maximum flexibility and total control for guitar, bass and more.

Best Distortion Plugins – Plugin Boutique Top 10 Distortion Plugins 2012.

5. D16 Group – Devastor 

Devastor is a simple but remarkable Multiband Distortion Unit. It is an enhanced version of the distortion unit from our synth Phoscyon. Being multiband, the sonic mangling capabilities are endless!

6. Sound Toys – Decapitator

Analog saturation has long been the magic mojo that engineers have used as their swiss army knife of mixing. It’s used on drums, bass, vocals guitars, everything. It can be used to beef things up, thin things out, give them some edge, fry them up nice, add a bit of warmth, pull things out of the mix, or even create a signature sound. Used subtle to extreme, analog saturation is the golden child of great mixes. That’s why we took our time, bought and listened to all the great analog classics, and painstakingly created that magic for you in Decapitator.

7. Ableton – native distortion effects

If you’ve used music software before, you’re already familiar with one half of Ableton Live. Live’s Arrangement View is a familiar working space: time moves from left to right, while tracks are stacked vertically.

But Live also features the revolutionary Session View: a unique sketchpad for improvising, playing and performing with musical ideas, without the constraints of the timeline. Freely and independently start and stop any number of audio or MIDI loops – everything stays in sync. Almost everything in Live works in real-time – add, reorder or remove devices, play with Live’s flexible track routing and more – all without interrupting your creative flow.

8. IK Multimedia – Amplitube

AmpliTube 3 has the largest selection of gear available, and our development team is continuously building upon that selection. In the complete AmpliTube 3 flagship full version, there are 160 individual pieces of gear to choose from. Plus, you can add other packages to the mix like AmpliTube Fender™, Ampeg® SVX, AmpliTube Slash and more and choose from over 230 pieces of gear.

Best Distortion Plugins – Plugin Boutique Top 10 Distortion Plugins 2012.

9. Fab Filter -  Saturn

FabFilter Saturn offers a range of different high quality distortion models, inspired by the vintage sound of tubes, tape and guitar amps. In addition, you also get three creative distortion styles, with which you can smudge, stretch, crush, rectify and clip your sounds in weird and unexpected ways. With its multi-band design and per-band feedback, dynamics, drive, tone and modulation options, Saturn will bring a unique flavour to your music.

10. Audio Damage – Kombinat

From mild tone-shaping or adding a bit of grit to full-on total waveform destruction, Kombinat Dva, the long-awaited sequel to our popular Kombinat plug-in, is a complete toolbox of sonic warfare. With 13 different options in each of the three distortion engines (plus pass-through), Kombinat Dva is capable of sophisticated and unique sounds. Want to add a ring mod to the low end, a mild tube clip to the mids, and a bit-reduction algorithm to the high end? No problem. Want to run your signal through three sine-warps or fuzz algorithms in series? This is your box.