Effects are a sound designer's bread and butter, capable of taking a bang-average synth patch or sample and transforming it into something that makes a track stand out from the crowd.
There's never been a more diverse selection of effects available to producers in search of a unique sound, from emulations of classic hardware effects like tape delay and spring reverb to fantastically innovative sound-manglers the likes of which we've never seen (or heard) before.
Here, we round up six of the most creatively capable effects for experimenting with sound design.
1. Polyverse Supermodal
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If you think going ‘off road’ with your filter use is switching to the band-pass option, then Supermodal might be a bit too much for you. There are 27 filter models based on everything from instruments (bells and pianos) to a ‘band-limited noise filter’, and as if there’s not enough in the choice department, there’s extensive modulation from six main source categories. If this sounds too outrageous, everything is kept in check, making Supermodal super useful.
$99 from Polyverse
2. Arturia FX Collection 5
Yes it’s a bundle of effects rather than a single title, so somewhat at an advantage, but as with V-Collection, FX Collection 5 can’t be ignored. It has 34 effects and some may not be ‘out-there’ enough if your designs are off-road – emulations of rather straight-laced classics abound – but there is also plenty of grit, filter and distortion action among the high quality effects. Considering the saving on the individual cost, it’s a gem.
€499 from Arturia
3. UJAM UFX
Sound designers after a clean, highly flexible and a great value reverb need look no further: your algorithmic chariot awaits. But actually, UFX is a lot more than that, with filter features, out-there sounds, ducking and freezing, you can make a hell of a lot of (very clean) noise. Its creativity options are instant and plentiful, and what a price.
£43 from UJAM
4. Native Instruments Guitar Rig Pro 7
Thought Guitar Rig was just for guitarists? Think again; it has ‘sound designer’ written all over it. With 26 guitar and bass amps (with cabs) plus 115 effects, we almost feel like we’re cheating by including it here. But at £179 for that, how can we not? You might need to be a guitar whizz to design a sound from scratch, but the rest of us can rest assured you’ll get 100s of great quality ‘designs’ thrown back at you.
£179 from Native Instruments
5. United Plugins Pluralis
Pluralis is a genius concept: a plugin with two delay engines that each work on part of the signal, split according to Mid/Side, Left/Right, Quiet/Loud, and Low/High modes. With Quiet/Loud, for example, one engine works on the signal above a certain level, the other below. You might think ‘there’s a reason no-one has done that before’, but it really does deliver hugely creative results.
€79 from United Plugins
6. Sugar Bytes Effectrix 2
Effectrix has been doing its bonkers effect sequencing since 2008 but recently got a proper overhaul with v2, and it’s as creative as ever. With it, you can run sequences, sounds, whatever, through it and then choose from 14 effects to layer over them. It’s an amazing live performance tool but also an instant sound design dream.
€129 from Sugar Bytes
