Virtual instrument and sample library producer, SampleScience, has launched a new free plugin – the VHS Noise Generator. The tool features 26 distinct VHS background noises, each one created using an antiquated VCR and a different tape.

• READ MORE: Best freeware instruments in 2023: Nine of the best free drum machines

VHS Noise Generator captures the nostalgic crackle of old VHS tapes, to give your tracks some serious home-made, throwback touches. The plugin has been designed to add “lo-fi character and warmth” to any audio source, including synths, drums, vocals and guitars.

Onboard within the plugin are four effects: distortion, delay, chorus, and reverb as well as amplitude ADSR, multi-LFO, and highpass/lowpass filter. There are also three voice modes to utilise – polyphonic, monophonic, and legato.

Check out the demo below for a clearer idea on how it works:

A range of audio brands have been getting crafty with nostalgic and quirky soundscapes in recent months. Earlier this December, XLN Audio launched its Life plugin which allows users to capture sounds heard in their everyday life – from a dripping tap to an amp crackle – to then use as beats.

With the compatible field recorder app from XLN Audio, Life users can capture sounds and have them automatically appear in the plugin ready to implement into music.

Similarly, Love Hultén and Chase Bliss recently collaborated on a custom, not-for-sale synth which integrates the new Chase Bliss Lossy pedal. The pedal – which is available to the public for purchase – emulates the quirky sounds that occur during audio degradation. It channels the Y2K, nostalgic weirdness of sounds that have been shrunk, transferred, and compromised.

The VHS Noise Generator plugin is compatible with all major DAWs (except Pro Tools), and is available for Windows and macOS in 64-bit VST/VST3/AU formats for free. Find out more or download now at SampleScience.

The post SampleScience’s free plugin is its most abstract yet – a VHS noise generator to add “lo-fi character” to any audio source appeared first on MusicTech.