RC-20 Retro Color is a plugin developed by XLN Audio that was originally released in 2016. And even though it's been around for over 6 years, it's still one of the most acclaimed and widely used plugins among music producers and engineers everywhere.
This plugin's main purpose is to add a vintage analog flavor to the ultra-clean recordings of the digital era. All the effects are designed to give your tracks more grit, character, and "lo-fi" aesthetic. That said, let's dive into our RC-20 plugin review and walk through everything this plugin has to offer.
RC-20 Retro Color Features
The RC-20 Retro Color plugin consists of 6 main effect modules:
NOISE: This module adds mechanical noise like vinyl crackle, tape hiss, or studio ambience to give your tracks a more authentic and vintage character. There's also lots of customization options to dial in the perfect tonal quality you're looking for.
WOBBLE: This module causes subtle shifts in pitch reminiscent of an old record player, adding more authenticity to your sounds and making it sound like it was sampled directly off an old vinyl record.
DISTORT: This module adds saturation via many different types of distortion, emulating the sonic warmth associated with old analog gear.
DIGITAL: This module acts as a bitcrusher which adds a vintage digital texture reminiscent of old 8-bit style recordings.
SPACE: This module adds vintage reverb to your audio with tons of customization options like Decay, Predelay, and more.
MAGNETIC: This module adds random volume drops that are associated with playback on old tape machines, making your audio sound even more authentically vintage.
There's also an EQ control built into the plugin along with a Magnitude slider that allows you to control the overall strength of the effects. And last but not least, RC-20 comes with a ton of useful presets that help to provide inspiration and show you what the plugin is capable of.
Check out the video below which shows RC-20 in action:
RC-20 Retro Color Price and Compatibility
The RC-20 Retro Color plugin is currently priced at $59, a price cut from the original $99.95 price tag. You can also take advantage of the 10-day free trial for the plugin.
Regarding compatibility, RC-20 is supported by all major DAWs in 64-bit VST, AU and AAX formats (will not function on 32-bit systems). The system requirements for the plugin are listed below:
Mac
macOS 10.10 or later (M1 Native & macOS 12 Monterey supported) (64-bit only)
2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended)
Internet connection (during installation only)
VST, AU, AAX
Windows
Windows 7, 8, 10 (64-bit only)
2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended)
Internet connection (during installation only)
VST, AAX
RC-20 Retro Color Pros and Cons
Pros
It acts as 6+ plugins in 1 package
Tons of high quality presets available
Recent price cuts have made it much more affordable
User interface is clean and easy to understand
EQ control and Magnitude slider give you great control
Cons
"Digital" module can cause a bit of unwanted harshness
Not much else - this thing is killer
Conclusion
XLN Audio hit a home run with the creation of RC-20. At a time when "lo-fi" effects are more in demand than ever, this plugin will give you top notch and authentic analog effects and is an extremely valuable asset to have in your sound design toolkit. Personally, I use this plugin in some capacity in pretty much 100% of my tracks and I don't see that changing any time soon.
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