Super VHS

LOFI VIBES FROM A STRANGE DECADE

As kids of the 80s, we have always been drawn to the sound of slightly out-of-tune synths, warm tape saturation, gritty samples and grainy reverbs.

So we set out on a mission to capture the lofi spirit of our favorite decade — and bring it into a new decade.

Meet a complex algorithm with eight simple knobs. We named it ‘Super’ for its powers and ‘VHS’ for its sound.

FEATURES

A chain of six meticulously crafted ‘one-knob’ effects:

• STATIC — Static noise synthesizer
• HEAT — ‘Analog tape’ saturator
• SHAPE — Sample rate reducer
• MAGIC — Dark chorus FX
• DRIFT — Pitch fluctuation LFO
• WASH — ‘Bad hall’ reverb

Also including  an Internal/hidden EQ, bit-crusher and limiter.

THE TIME MACHINE THAT ISN’T A DELAY

We wanted this plugin to be like sending your sounds back in time, then re-discovering them on a worn-out VHS tape 30 years later. All with the click of a single button, right inside your DAW.

The result is six unique effects coming together in a versatile signal chain. Super VHS will add some lofi authenticity to whatever clean sound you run through it — from a subtle touch of character to extreme sonic twists that leave your head spinning. Each effect has just a single control, but multiple parameters under the hood, allowing you to find endless combinations to transform your synths, samples, guitars, drums, vocals and beyond.

EFFECTS OVERVIEW

• STATIC: A synthesized hum, generated by a pink noise oscillator mixed with a digital saw wave.
• HEAT: A warm sounding saturation algorithm inspired by ‘consumer-grade’ tape machines from the early 1980s.
• SHAPE: A sample rate reducer (with some extras) inspired by 1980s 8-bit samplers.
• MAGIC: A lush “Juno style” chorus — but modeled with a slightly darker and more detuned tone.
• DRIFT: An internal LFO creating unpredictable pitch and time fluctuations, ranging from ‘natural’ to ‘supernatural’.
• WASH: A grainy, unnatural sounding, hall reverb, inspired by digital rack effects from the VHS-era.
• MIX: Controls the over-all wet/dry balance.
• OUTPUT: Controls the global output.
• HIDDEN PROCESSING: High shelf EQ attenuation, bit-crusher, limiter.

WAIT, WHERE ARE THE PRESETS?

Like our ‘I Heart NY’ parallel compressor, Super VHS isn’t designed for preset browsing. Instead, you have all the controls you need at your fingertips — allowing you to create the right sound for any purpose in a simple and intuitive way. The effect algorithms respond very differently to different sounds and instruments — so you never know where you’ll end up.

And a final word of warning: Super VHS is not a ‘one-size fits all’ kind of plugin.

Each effect will sound amazing on some things and totally destroy others (which may be exactly what you’re after!). More often than not, a little goes a long way.