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Dist COLDFIRE
Dual distortion reactor
Dist COLDFIRE is a dual-engine distortion effect that goes from rich tube saturation to unrestrained sonic destruction in a few clicks. Combine analog & digital algorithms with deep modulation and customization, and unlock near-infinite distortion possibilities for your sound.
To create is to destroy
Twist the simplest groove into a gnarled web of crushed resonance; bring your instruments, vocals, and loops to life with stacked analog drive; zap a synth drone into glitchy bit-crushed mayhem that dances to your beat.
Dist COLDFIRE lets you harness not one, but two powerful distortion engines, exploring their unique and explosive synergy, and creating entirely new sounds with any input signal. This is sonic alchemy on an unprecedented level, yours to master and manipulate - what will you create?
Totally custom distortion
This is no ordinary on/off, dry/wet, analog/digital distortion. Pair up any of the 11 distortion types, from emulated tube heat to icy digital bit crush, customize your routing, sprinkle in some modulation, and forge sonic carnage that’s totally your own.
More than crunch
Create resonant metallic melodies, introduce artificial harmonic reflections, trigger wildly destructive feedback loops; go beyond conventional distortion with 6 custom modulation slots, 16-step sequencing, comb filtering, and much more.
For any sound
Enrich, saturate, pulverize, or transform any sound beyond recognition. Whether you’re looking for warm vocal enhancement, monstrous kick drum impacts, speaker-rattling bass fuzz, or denser-than-black-hole wavefolding, Dist COLDFIRE packs every punch you need.
Intuitive but powerful
Simple enough to create exciting dual distortion effects in just a few easy clicks, but flexible enough to become totally immersed in destructive sound design, Dist COLDFIRE strikes the balance between quickfire plugin and deep processing powerhouse.
Preset library
For when you need to quickly turn up the analog heat or shatter your sound with sub-zero digital crush, Dist COLDFIRE comes loaded with more than 150 specialized presets. From mix enhancers to wild modulated chaos, you'll find your distortion flavor in seconds.
Artificier
Give your simple percussive loops & drum machine stems an android voice with edgy bit-crushing, erratic filter modulation, and erratic bursts of glitchy feedback.
Drums Sidechain Big C
A drum loop becomes an ominous bassy drone, with a pumping sidechain response and aggressive snarling quality that swells with each hit.
Random Bit Sounding
Transform any static sound with a pulsing filter with evolving stacked distortion, adding an abrasive character and crunchy dynamic movement.
Big Stepper
Simple and familiar synth sounds become punchy, powerful, and perfect for those euphoric dancefloor moments. Create huge basses, leads, and pads that'll have you hooked.
Drum Bus Transformer & Tape
Emulating the sound of classic studio hardware, breathe new life into your drum bus with the Transformer and Tape modes, saturating your transients and accentuating the high end with band split processing.
Gentle Lo Fi
Using classic tape-style saturation, give your drums that coveted lo-fi vibe, making even the cleanest stem sound like an unearthed reel from the archives.
The sound of alteration
Distortion is a universal thing, a cause and effect, a means and an end. The folding of an analog waveform; the dense fizziness of a classic ‘70s guitar stompbox; the bite of a sound that’s passed its threshold.
In the sphere of contemporary music, it can mean the pumping analog imperfections of artists like Caribou and Floating Points; the hybrid industrial soundscapes of acts like Nine Inch Nails and Skinny Puppy; the seismic guitar sounds of everyone from Eric Gales to Bring Me The Horizon; the gritty, intimate production of today’s songwriting pioneers like Billie Eilish and Phoebe Bridgers.
Distortion says ‘don’t settle for a sound’. Engage Dist COLDFIRE and alter, experiment, twist, smash, and savor both the means and the end.
The distortion catalyst
From worn out magnetic tape to clipped-signal circuitry to dramatic folds in analog waveforms, distortion can exist in many forms.
Dist COLDIRE fuses 11 of these forms into a single explosive plugin, from red-hot analog to ice-cold digital, each with distinctive controls. Get experimental and discover wild compound reactions yet unheard.
Analog
Tape
Dial in some grainy tape-style saturation and degradation, particularly effective on the low-end, perfect for that organic lo-fi sound.
Tube
The soft-clipping warmth and depth of the vacuum valve sound, rich in harmonics and highly responsive to your input.
Transistor
The biting response of classic echo box preamps, known for its presence and edgy character, great on guitars.
Transformer
A simulation of the nuanced distortion created by magnetic hysteresis, with two options: nickel, for subtle processing, and iron, for more low-mid emphasis.
Germanium
The screaming tone made famous by Germanium diode amps, distortion pedals, and fuzz boxes, bright and red-hot.
Force
Based on classic studio outboard gear, with 4 modes of operation ranging from analog saturation to roaring overdrive, great for your mix bus.
Digital
Rectifier
Imitating the unique harmonic overtones and zapped character achieved by reshaping a waveform’s negative phase.
Bit Crusher
Edgy harmonics and glassy digital noise achieved by reducing the sample and bitrate of a sound, making anything sound harsh and robotic.
Bit Inverter
Introduce crisp digital distortion and unexpected artifacts by modulating a signal’s bit content in real-time.
Wavefolder
By distorting the shape of your signal’s waveform, this mode delivers unique overtones and harmonic alterations beyond recognition with 7 shapes.
Waveshaper
An incredibly flexible mode with 11 subtypes of operation, from shattered-signal fuzz to surprisingly resonant asymmetrical drive.
A closer look
Dist COLDFIRE is simple to use when you need it to be, geared up to unleash complex & thrilling sonic results.
Explore its accessible interface and flexible features, and savor whatever degree of destruction you’re looking for. On the other hand, if you’re looking to take your destructive sound design deeper, its advanced panel offers heaps of extra functionality and room for experimentation.
Overview
Dist COLDFIRE
1
Distortion control panels
Tap into each of Dist COLDFIRE’s 11 distortion modes with specialized control for each one, from bit depth to tube wiring. Each mode features controls for output level, dry/wet level, and bypass.
2
Master controls
Control the master input and output levels of Dist COLDFIRE, inject some post-distortion tilt EQ, and tweak the dry vs. wet signal to ensure that your distorted sound is heard loud and clear.
3
Routing selection
Rearrange the signal flow between Dist COLDFIRE’s two distortion engines to unlock an array of compound sound-alterations, from the uber-saturated to the unpredictably wild. Choose between series & parallel, stereo and mid/side, and even a band split mode to process different frequencies.
4
Routing balance
For parallel, stereo, mid/side, and band split routing configurations, click and drag the routing balance to flow smoothly between the sound of both engines. Better still, you can modulate this parameter for unstoppable movement between your chosen distortions.
5
Visualizer
From vivid coloration to grainy pixelated textures, see your distortion in action with the central real-time visualizer, color-coded to match your chosen algorithms. This can also be bypassed for a focused workflow.
6
Pre Filter controls
Sculpt your sound before it reaches Dist COLDFIRE’s distortion engines; you’ve got 6 modes to choose from, including resonant low/band/high pass, plus notch and comb filtering for carving edgier input signals.
7
Post Filter controls
Get a little bit surgical with your sound post-distortion and ensure that everything sits nicely in your mix with a simple 2-band EQ.
8
Dynamics
The Dynamics module is a secret weapon up Dist COLDFIRE’s sleeve. With pre or post-distortion configuration, enhance your sound’s response and impact with a built-in Limiter, Compressor, and Multiband Compressor.
9
Feedback
Create sprawling distorted reflections, make drums resonate like strings, and sprinkle warped glitchy rhythms into your projects with this filtered feedback delay module. Sync to tempo, quantize to pitch, or set it loose entirely.
10
Modulation
Swap static sound processing for distortion that evolves, flickers, and dances to your tune. Dist COLDFIRE comes armed with 6 freely assignable custom modulation slots: choose from a syncable LFO, multi-stage function generator, custom envelope follower, or 16-step sequencer, with dozens of parameters to modulate at will.
The features you need
- DAW ready
- ASC
- Resizable GUI
- Real-time control
- In-App Tutorials
- Preset browser
TAE® Powered
The exclusive analog modeling technology that makes our emulations indistinguishable from the originals.
By accurately mimicking the characteristics of analog oscillators, filters, and soft clipping, we can provide astonishing component-accurate detail and authentic analog charm in equal measure.
Gallery
Main Features
Two distortion engines
11 distortion algorithms to choose from, each with specific controls:
- Tape
- Tube
- Transistor
- Transformer
- Rectifier
- Germanium
- Force
- Bit Crusher
- Bit Inverter
- Wavefolder
- Waveshaper
Hidden Advanced control panel for in-depth sound design
5 routing options: Serial, Parallel, Stereo, Mid/Side, Band Split
Routing balance slider to blend Distortions A & B, with real-time visualizer
Pre or Post 3-mode Dynamics module: Compressor, Multiband, Limiter
Feedback module
6-mode Pre Filter per distortion engine, including Comb Filtering
2-band Post Filter per distortion engine
6 assignable modulation slots, each with 4 modes: LFO, Function, Follower, 16-Step Sequencer
Over 150 presets built-in
A/B comparison
Oversampling
Platforms specifications
Windows
- Win 8.1+ (64bit)
- 4 GB RAM
- 4 cores CPU, 3.4 GHz (4.0 GHz Turbo-boost)
- 1GB free hard disk space
- OpenGL 2.0 compatible GPU
Required configuration
- VST, AAX, Audio Unit, NKS (64-bit DAWs only).
Apple
- Mac OS 10.13+
- 4 GB RAM
- 4 cores CPU, 3.4 GHz (4.0 GHz Turbo-boost) or M1 CPU
- 1GB free hard disk space
- OpenGL 2.0 compatible GPU
Work with ASC
- An elegant and simple solution to help you install, activate, and update your Arturia software.
All manufacturer and product names mentioned on this page are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with Arturia. The trademarks of other manufacturers are used solely to identify the products of those manufacturers whose features and sound were studied during the development. All names of equipment, inventors, and manufacturers have been included for illustrative and educational purposes only, and do not suggest any affiliation or endorsement by any equipment inventor or manufacturer.
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