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CrushStation delivers everything from ‘creamy saturation to brutal sonic assault’.

Eventide’s CrushStation is typically priced at an RRP of $99 but currently available for no charge, this should be an instant download for anyone looking to expand their collection of plugin effects.

Eventide has a stellar reputation in the effects game that goes back decades, so when the company drops a freebie, it’s always worth a look. CrushStation features the same distortion algorithm that can be found in Eventide’s popular H9 Harmonizer effects pedal.

A stereo distortion and overdrive with a few tricks up its sleeve, Eventide says CrushStation is “capable of everything from pleasing saturation to massively destructive tones”, and it’s not wrong: this is a versatile processor that’ll come in useful across a variety of contexts, from overdriving guitars and sweetening vocals to crushing the living daylights out of a drum break.

Alongside its core distortion algorithm, CrushStation features a handful of additional effects. Compression can be dialled in via the Sustain control, and can be applied pre- or post-distortion, and the Octave control lets you blend in pitch-shifted copies of the signal at multiple octaves above and below its original pitch, much like an octave pedal.

The plugin’s Grit control dials in additional low-end prior to the distortion stage for a gnarly and abrasive tone, while the unique Sag parameter simulates the sonic quirks of poorly-designed tube amps to apply a “sputtery, crushed and broken” quality to the input reminiscent of “the dead and dying gear of times past”. CrushStation also features a three-band EQ and noise gate.

Another interesting feature is CrushStation’s Ribbon control, a macro control that lets you morph between two snapshots of multiple parameter values. This can be automated or controlled via MIDI CC, so you’re able to hook it up to something like your keyboard’s mod wheel for expressive control over CrushStation’s destructive tones. There’s also a Hotswitch button onboard for quickly toggling between two different presets.

Eventide CrushStation is compatible with macOS and Windows and available in VST3/AAX/AU formats.

To download the plugin, follow this link and use the code PIRATE100 at checkout.

Synthesist Sam Battle (LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER) shared this preview of a new version of the rare Elektor Formant modular synthesizer that Erica Synths plans to release as a set of DIY projects.

The Elektor Formant is an analog modular synthesizer, designed by C. Chapman, that was published starting in 1977 as a series of articles in the European magazine Elektor.

Erica Synths plans to release the Elektor Formant DIY Kit on August 14th, 2025.

The above video offers an overview of the project, and the following video documents Battle’s 24-hour solder-a-thon with Erica Synths:

Watch the videos and share your thoughts on the project in the comments!

Developer Nick Yulma shared this preview of Bricolo, a mechanical music system that’s designed to let musicians, composers and DJs to incorporate musical robotics into their performance and recording setups.

Here’s what Yulma has to say about it:

“Bricolo emphasizes flexibility, allowing users to experiment with different sounds on the fly and make the physical manipulation of objects part of their performances. It invites digital musicians to look up from their screens and view everything around them as a potential sound to utilize. It encourages playful experimentation with physical materials and translates the control and precision of musical sequencing programs into the world of objects.”

The kit consists of a variety of mechanical modules that you can to acoustic instruments or any physical object. A control box connects these modules to a computer or MIDI instrument, so you can integrate robotically controlled instruments into your system.

The basic set include mechanisms for striking, tapping and shaking objects. The Bricolo “Thing Synth” turns physical objects into tunable oscillators, allowing users to play melodies with them. No custom construction or programming is required, just plug in the modules, attach them to objects and start making music.

Details are still to come at Yulma’s site.