iZotope Vinyl is a new and free plugin by iZotope. Recently, it gained more and more attention due to being a free alternative to RC-20 Retro Color by XLN Audio.
Quick note: If you are looking for a alternative that is graphically more similar to the RC-20 you can check out this video by Navie D:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPP6LBI2MMc
Here he introduces a free vst made by i.c.e. Beats.
Now let’s continue with Izotope Vinyl:
Vinyl records change over time due to being used: they get scratches, the grooves get deeper and even a thick layer of dust upon the surface can start to build. All of these changes to the vinyl surface lead to associated changes within the characteristic sound of them.
On a side note: The Warp Depth parameter is used to adjust the amount of the Warp. Higher values lead to deeper warps in the record, which will then cause greater varations within the pitch.
The user can choose between four different warp models: inverted Peak, Peak, inverted Sine and Sine.
This pugin gives you all of these factors and lets you adjust them within its interface to emulate the analog charm of a vinyl record in mono or stereo.
Additionally, there are input and output gain controls on the right side of the plugin.
Further, the year of the vinyl playback combination and RPM selection can be selected and a stylish spin-down effect can be done via pressig only one button.
iZotope Vinyl Installation
An intial registration with iZotope’s website is necessary in order to get access to you serial number. This process is free. After installing the program you will be asked to enter your serial number. Please be aware that the the correct version of the Windows C ++ Redistributable must be installed. However, in my case this did not lead to any problems.
Final Plugin-Reviews.com Rating
I would give iZotope Vinyl a rating of 4/5. It is a quite good alternative to RC-20. However, in direct comparison, it lacks a lot of features that RC-20 has to offer.
Further Reading:
You should think about combining the plugin with either Effectrix or Glitch2 to spice up your sample:
You are welcome to leave your opinion and let me know what you think about the plugin.