XLN Audio's Retro Color could give your modern productions an old-school flavour

By Ben Rogerson
( Computer Music )
published

New plugin promises to add "life and texture"

Retro Color gives you six modules to play with.
Retro Color gives you six modules to play with.

XLN Audio's RC-20 Retro Color is a new plugin that's designed to bring the "warm, cosy feeling" of vintage recording equipment into your DAW. It features six modules, and can replicate the sound of everything from vinyl records to VHS machines.

Desirable imperfections such as noise, wobble and dropouts are the order of the day, with distortion and bit reduction promising to add grit to your bass and drums. There are also space, chorus and filtering effects.

If you want additional character, you can use the Flux Engine to add subtle or extreme levels of instability and fluctuations to all of the modules, giving you even more of an 'analogue' feel. Presets are provided for drums, keyboards, guitars, bass post production.

Available soon, RC-20 Retro Color will run on PC and Mac in VST/AU/AAX formats. Keep your eye on the XLN Audio website for more.

Ben Rogerson
Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.