Corrosion

Corrosion 1.1.0 is available, this update is free for owners of the plugin and includes:

• Fixed plugin run-in only on Rosetta on M1
• Fixed VST3 crashing in some DAWs when external side chain was selected

Ring modulator, distortion weird sounds.

HoRNet Corrosion: A Distortion Effect for Unique and Creative Sound Design

Corrosion is an innovative audio effect born from the collaboration between The Buildzer and HoRNet Plugins. The plugin is specifically designed to create distorted, corroded sounds, giving musicians, sound designers, and producers a tool to add grit and texture to their tracks. Whether you want to introduce roughness to smooth bass lines, add character to synthetic sounds, or enhance drum loops, Corrosion offers a wide range of possibilities. It’s particularly effective when used on snare drums, kick sounds, or any element that needs to be “thickened” with a powerful, noisy distortion.

At its core, Corrosion utilizes a very straightforward but effective processing technique known as ring modulation. This method creates unique and compelling sonic results. The basic concept involves modulating a synthesized source, such as white noise, sine waves, saw waves, or square waves, to modulate the input sound. This process introduces intermodulation distortion, which is the result of combining two signals that create harmonic content. This harmonic distortion is what gives Corrosion its distinct, noisy character, making it ideal for adding metallic textures to your sound design.

The result of modulating one sound with another is the creation of new harmonics that enrich the original sound. When the modulator and carrier are not in tune, they produce dissonant metallic distortion, which can transform any sound into something more aggressive, full, and distorted. This is where Corrosion excels—by giving users complete control over the modulation source. The plugin allows you to choose from several modulation sources, including white noise, sine, saw, and square waves, each offering a different flavor of distortion. The white noise option, for example, brings an intense, chaotic character to the sound, while the sine wave produces a smoother, more controlled distortion.

One of the key features that set Corrosion apart from other ring modulators is its resonant filter. Unlike other ring modulators, which often rely on static, simple filters, Corrosion allows you to filter the modulation signal using a resonant filter. This filter is adjustable, giving you the ability to tune the modulator to a specific frequency. This feature opens up endless creative possibilities. The track pitch option enables you to have the modulator automatically follow the fundamental frequency of your input sound, adjusting the modulation in real-time. This ensures that the modulated sound stays in tune with the original sound source, adding a unique harmonic resonance that is constantly evolving based on the pitch of the input signal. It’s a rare and powerful feature that no other ring modulator offers.

The flexibility of Corrosion doesn’t stop there—it also includes analog saturation. This feature allows you to add warmth and grit to your signal by introducing analog-style distortion. When enabled and driven hard, this saturation mimics the characteristics of transistor distortion, adding a fat and punchy tone to any sound. This combination of ring modulation and saturation makes Corrosion a highly versatile tool, capable of transforming any sound, from the subtlest bass line to the most aggressive drum loop. When using Corrosion with drum loops, for example, you can hear how the saturation adds thickness and punch to the sound, while the modulation creates complex, evolving textures that make the loop feel more alive and dynamic.

To make the ring modulation even more flexible, Corrosion allows you to use an external audio input as the modulator source. This means you can take an existing audio track and use it to modulate another track, further expanding the possibilities for creative sound design. Whether you’re using a vocal track to modulate a bass line or applying one drum loop to modulate another, the results can be stunning. This external modulation capability adds another layer of depth and flexibility to the plugin, allowing you to create intricate, complex sounds that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to achieve with traditional distortion and modulation techniques.

Corrosion is designed with ease of use in mind. The plugin interface is clean, intuitive, and straightforward, with simple controls for input, output, and bypass. You can easily adjust the level of modulation and distortion, fine-tune the resonant filter, or switch between different modulation sources with minimal effort. The simplicity of the controls doesn’t mean that Corrosion lacks power; on the contrary, its ability to create complex, evolving sounds with just a few simple adjustments makes it an essential tool for any sound designer or producer.

Whether you’re looking to add thick, aggressive distortion to bass synths, create noisy, chaotic drum sounds, or simply add some grit to your smooth, clean audio tracks, Corrosion offers a wide array of possibilities. The combination of ring modulation, resonant filtering, analog saturation, and external modulation capabilities makes it a unique tool for shaping sound in creative and unexpected ways.

Corrosion is not just about adding distortion—it’s about transforming sounds and exploring new sonic landscapes. With its powerful modulation capabilities, the resonant filter that tunes to your sound, and the option for external modulation, Corrosion allows for a wide range of creative possibilities, from subtle texture enhancements to extreme sonic transformations. Whether you’re working on electronic music, sound design for film, or experimental audio, Corrosion is an essential plugin that will inspire new ideas and take your sound to the next level.

In conclusion, Corrosion by The Buildzer and HoRNet Plugins is a game-changing effect that brings a unique combination of ring modulation, analog saturation, and resonant filtering to your audio processing toolkit. Its ability to modulate sounds with synthesized waveforms and external inputs, combined with its track pitch feature and versatile saturation, ensures that you can create anything from subtle harmonic enhancements to powerful, chaotic distortion. For anyone looking to add texture, depth, and character to their tracks, Corrosion is the tool to reach for.