The lofi hip-hop genre has exploded over the past few years thanks to YouTube live streams like those from Lofi Girl and Chillhop. Due to the rise in popularity and simplicity of the genre it has attracted many music producers to try to produce their own lofi hip hop tracks.
One of the defining features of this genre is the warm, vintage, and (purposefully) degraded sound. While there are many ways to achieve this type of sound, there are a few stand-out plugins that lofi producers use in almost all of their tracks. In this guide, I will go over the 5 best plugins for lofi to help take your lofi beats to the next level.
What Are the Best Plugins for Lofi Hip-Hop?
While there are probably hundreds of plugins that could have potentially made this list, I've narrowed down the top lo-fi plugins to these 5:
All of these plugins will undoubtedly contribute in their own unique way to that vintage and retro sound you're after. With all that said, let's dive into our list of the best plugins for lofi hip hop.
Cost: $99.95
Free Trial: 7-day free trial
RC-20 from XLN Audio is often the first plugin producers think of when it comes to lofi plugins, and there's good reason for that. I would consider this the gold standard of lofi plugins due to the number and quality of the effects, all the customization options, and the unique presets.
The plugin consists of 6 main effects: Noise, Wobble, Distort, Digital, Space, and Magnetic. For any of these effects you can control the amount applied as well as other parameters specific to each effect. There's also a master Magnitude slider that allows you to control the overall intensity of the effect applied.
Noise adds mechanical noise like vinyl crackle or tape hiss, Wobble causes subtle shifts in pitch reminiscent of an old record player, Distort adds saturation via many different types of distortion, Digital acts as a bitcrusher which adds a vintage digital texture, Space adds vintage reverb, and Magnetic adds random volume drops that are associated with playback on old tape machines.
All of those effects will help to color your sound and make it more vintage and old-school sounding. There's also tons of presets that allow you to quickly dial in certain sounds with just the click of a button.
Here's a helpful video which shows the plugin in use:
Click the button below to learn more about RC-20 and to download your free trial!
Cost: $149
Free Trial: 30-day free trial
The Vulf Compressor from Goodhertz is another classic lofi plugin that aims to emulate the compression style found in old-school samplers like the SP-303, which was used by some of the godfathers of modern lofi in J Dilla and Madlib.
Part of what makes this plugin great is the simplicity. It has only a few sliders for effects like compression, wow/flutter, and lofi which you can manipulate until you dial in the sound you're looking for. I personally use this most on my drums since it really helps to give them that lofi grit and allows them to cut through the mix really well. You can also use it to glue together all your melodic elements or even throw it on the master channel to give your whole mix a more raw and vintage feel.
Here's a video showing the Vulf Compressor in use:
Click the button below to learn more about the Vulf Compressor and to download your free trial!
Cost: $50
Free Trial: Offers free demo*
Reverb is one of the most widely used effects in any music genre. When it comes to a great "lofi" reverb, my go-to is the Valhalla Vintage Verb. Its unique sound is inspired by classic digital reverbs of the 1970s and 1980s and really helps to give your reverb a warm and vintage feel.
This plugin allows you to switch settings between "1970s", "1980s", and "NOW" which gives you more control over how the reverb sounds and lets you use a clean and "colorless" reverb using the "NOW" mode if you'd like. There's also tons of presets (Concert Hall, Chamber, Dirty Plate, etc.) that you can toggle between until you find the perfect reverb for your specific track.
Here's a video showing the Valhalla Vintage Verb in use:
Click the button below to learn more about the Valhalla Vintage Verb and to download your free trial!
*The free demo gives you the full version of the plugin, however the effect fades out and back in every 45 seconds.
Cost: $39.99
Free Trial: 7-day free trial
While vinyl simulation is extremely popular in lofi hip hop, tape emulation is also a great way to give your tracks a retro and lo-fi feel. DAW Cassette from Klevgrand is one of the best tape emulation plugins on the market due to its simple design and authentic sound.
This plugin makes your tracks sound like they're being played back on an old cassette player from the 1980s. It features Quality dials that allow you to control the extent of the sound degradation, Emulation Type switches that allow you to choose the specific type of cassette player you'd like to emulate, and Overall control dials that allow you to adjust the overall intensity of the effects.
Here's a video showing DAW Cassette in use:
Click the button below to learn more about DAW Cassette and to download your free trial!
Cost: $35.99
Free Trial: 7-day free trial
Last but certainly not least, the Waves J37 is another tape emulation plugin that's one of the go-to's for lofi producers everywhere. The J37 is a digital recreation of a legendary machine of the same name that was used to record tons of classic records in the 1960s and was created in conjunction with the Abbey Road Studios.
While the interface is a bit more intimidating than the DAW Cassette, it offers more effects and more customization options to dial in the specific sound you're looking for. It features controls for wow/flutter, saturation, tape delay, bias, tape speed, and more. The J37 is undoubtedly one of the best plugins for adding that analog warmth to your digitally-made tracks.
Here's a video showing Waves J37 in use:
Click the button below to learn more about Waves J37 and to download your free trial!
I hope this guide helps you learn about some of the top plugins available for lofi hip-hop! Enjoyed this guide? Make sure to check out our Bedroom Producer Essentials Guide or some of our other reviews/buyer's guides.
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