"Lo-fi" effects are more popular than ever, so naturally music producers are on the hunt for the best plugins that will give their track that old-school vintage feel. RC-20 from XLN Audio and Vinyl by iZotope are 2 of the most popular options when it comes to lo-fi plugins - but one is $99 and the other is free.
So...what's the difference between these 2 plugins? Is RC-20 really worth $99 when you can download Vinyl for free? In this guide, I compared RC-20 against iZotope Vinyl to help you decide which plugin suits your needs best.
RC-20 vs iZotope Vinyl: What's The Difference?
The short answer is RC-20 offers more effects, presets, and control over effects while Vinyl's effect options are somewhat limited. However, Vinyl is able to create the basic lo-fi effects quite well, and if you're only looking for simple vinyl crackle and sound degradation, it will serve your needs just fine.
That said, there's a bit more nuance that goes into what makes RC-20 better than Vinyl, so continue on to learn more about each of these plugins.
After you’re done reading, don’t forget to check out our Bedroom Producer Essentials guide where you'll learn about all the necessary gear you need to get started on your music production journey.
With all that said, let's get into our comparison of RC-20 vs iZotope Vinyl.
Cost: $99.95
Free Trial: 7-day free trial
RC-20 is one of the most widely used "lo-fi" plugins on the market, and for good reason. This plugin packs in a ton of high-quality features and presets and the clean UI is visually appealing and easy to understand.
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 which acts as a dry/wet knob 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.
In terms of a direct comparison against Vinyl, there are definitely a few advantages RC-20 has over Vinyl. Those advantages include:
A much larger preset library
Built-in reverb function
Built-in EQ function
Greater number of effects
More granular control of effects
All these features are certainly nice to have, but at the end of the day it's up to you to determine if these advantages are worth the $99 it'll cost to buy RC-20.
Cost: Free
Free Trial: N/A
Vinyl is a plugin that's become a go-to over the years due to its simple design and straightforward lo-fi effects. While it won't "wow" you with a huge library of presets or customization options, it does a great job of adding a warm vintage character to your tracks.
One cool feature on this plugin is the decade selector, which allows you to pick a certain decade between 1930 and 2000. Each selection will have a certain sound quality to it, with the sound degradation increasing as you move further back in time.
In addition to the decade presets, there are also a few parameters you can tweak to further dial in your desired sound. The Dust, Scratch, and Warp sliders allow you to control the amount of mechanical noise/hiss and subtle pitch shifts while the Wear knob allows you to control the overall audio degradation amount. It also includes a Lo-fi button which adds a digital/bitcrush distortion, but unfortunately you can't adjust the amount of bitcrushing.
Although it doesn't quite match up to RC-20 in terms of customization, built-in features, and preset options, it's still a dependable plugin to help color your tracks.
Final Thoughts
Both of these plugins are popular for a reason - they're both more than capable of adding that vintage and nostalgic color to your tracks. If you're sold on RC-20, go buy it and I guarantee you won't be disappointed. If you're still not sure, just download Vinyl for free to give it a spin and see if it meets your expectations. Since it's free to download, there's really no risk involved there.
In addition to this comparison, we also have a full guide covering some of the best plugins for lofi hip hop, so check that out if you're interested in exploring further.
Enjoyed this guide? Make sure to check out our Bedroom Producer Essentials Guide or some of our reviews/buyer's guides.
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