Adding some vintage-sounding 8-bit grit to your tracks might not only be a nostalgia thing but also a valuable production trick. And now you can do it for free, thanks to the PCM2612 Retro Decimator Unit.
This is a bitcrusher effect based on the same technology developed for Inphonik’s RYM2612 Iconic FM Synthesizer we covered time ago here on ANR (their rendition of the Sega Genesis sound chip).
The 8-bit decimation is inherited from the FM synth’s PCM playback feature, packed in a simple and compact effect unit. It gives a distinctive 8-bit quantized and aliased effect to any sound you plug into it. On one hand, it adds distorsion due to the 8-bit quantization, and on the other hand it adds aliasing due to the resampling. Also, the PCM2612 can emulate the line-out circuitry of the Sega Genesis Model 1, released in 1988.
The little effect plug-in is available now, for free, as VST, Audio Unit, AAX, Rack Extension and iOS App. The plugin is basically platform-agnostic, since it is also native for Linux and Apple Silicon M1 machines!
This is also the first Inphonik plug-in that features two different graphical interfaces: one vertical (box) and one horizontal (rack), to suit the various devices and preferences of users.
The PCM2612 is also a new piece to their RYM2612 ecosystem. As much as their RYMCast Genesis VGM Player, the PCM2612 has a place of choice as a companion effect plug-in that completes Inphonik’s offer in the Sega sound emulation field.
You can hear the plugin in action here below:
Features
- Free!
- 32-steps scalable 8-bit decimation
- Dry / Wet level knob
- Stereo / Mono switch
- Switchable output filtering between Legacy (modeled after the Sega Genesis Model 1 amp output circuitry) and Crystal Clear (purely digital)
- Graphical interface scaling options (1x, 1.5x, 2x)
- Switchable graphical form factor (vertical box or horizontal rack)
- Native Linux and Apple Silicon plug-in
Availability
- 64-bit VST 2, VST 3, 64-bit AAX plug-in for Windows (Vista and higher)
- 64-bit VST 2, VST 3, AU, AAX plug-in for macOS (Intel & Apple Silicon, 10.7 and higher)
- 64-bit VST for Linux
- Rack Extension for Reason (10.1 and higher for Windows and macOS)
- AUv3/IAA app for iOS (11 and higher for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch)
