D16 Group Decimort 2 Review – Please Distort Responsibly!

On January 7, 2016, D16 Group Audio Software released version two of the critically acclaimed Decimort, a high-quality bit crusher widely hailed by the audio professionals for its authenticity in emulation of vintage DA sound. Decimort 2 builds upon the advanced signal processing algorithms from the original Decimort, simulating the entire sampling path in AD/DA converters, the warmth and coloration of the classic sampler circuits recreated with painstaking accuracy.

Boasting zero internal aliasing and artifacts in addition to analog-style filters in pre- or post-resampling modes, Decimort is the industrial powerhouse of professional in-the-box bit crushers.

My initial reaction to the new GUI in Decimort 2 is that it is both significantly more attractive and intuitive to interact with. The new optional pre (Approximative) and post (Image) anti-alias filters offer significantly more control of aliasing and frequency response where necessary – they can really clean up the signal and make certain inputs appreciably easier on the ears.

My personal favorite new feature is the jitter, which introduces short-period random fluctuations to the resampling frequency that can yield (while altogether different from downsampling distortions) some very pleasant harmonic distortions.

There are now two available quantization methods: mid-raiser and mid-treat decimation algorithms, each exhibiting a distinct dynamics response – this switch works great on sources such as drums where complete control over dynamics behavior is imperative.

Controllable dithering is an innovative Decimort 2 feature that offers a reduction in audible quantization errors, meaning you can now go even more overboard to your sound-mangling heart’s content!

Additionally, they’ve added the option to use Decimort as a small or large size – the large size looks incredible on my retina screen. The new tag-based preset browser is concise and a highly effective use of screen space.
MIDI-learn functionality is accessible for all plugin parameters: essential for users like me who love the physicality of honing parameters with the tactile response of a MIDI input device.

The only real drawbacks I can see are that the more extreme settings are naturally going to be more situational – while yeah, you probably won’t be slapping this device on every channel on more severe settings, this plugin is the perfect choice for adding some authentic lo-fi sonic wallop to instruments.

I like it a lot on subtler settings too, which it excels at for bus processing. Great for any and all users that utilize distortion or that benefit from some analog-style warmth and grit, this one is a formidable addition to any producer’s distortion/saturation toolkit, especially given the price. Please distort responsibly!

Format: VST, AU, AAX – 32/64-bit1
Price: €39 / $49 / £32 (incl. all taxes – if applicable)