Lacquer

Saturation

Add saturation, soften the top end and push into groove distortion. Move the cutting head across the disc to change the colour over time.

Download for Windows

Windows · VST3, 64-bit · v1.0
Free · No account required

Lacquer plugin interface: a charcoal panel with an amethyst-lit groove display, the Drive dial and the Radius, Character, Damping and Ghost controls

Set the saturation

Drive sets how hard the signal is pushed. Shape changes the saturation curve and Bias adds asymmetry. Level compensation helps balance the increase in gain as you turn Drive up.

Tone focuses the saturation on the high or low end. Character colours the harmonics.

Lacquer Drive, Shape, Bias, Tone and Character controls

Move across the disc

Radius sets the cutting head’s position. Press Engage to move it inward over the selected Duration. Inner grooves add distortion and soften the top end.

Damping tames high-frequency peaks before saturation.

Lacquer’s engaged groove, Radius, Duration and Damping

Add Ghost and AIR

Ghost adds an echo before or after the main sound. Rotation sets the spacing; Pre mode uses latency that your DAW compensates for. Air adds upper harmonics.

Lacquer Ghost in Pre mode, with Rotation and Air controls

Control the treble

Duck reduces treble in response to the input or an external sidechain, with attack and release controls. Delta lets you audition the difference between the processed and original signals.

Lacquer sidechain source, Duck, attack and release

Features and requirements

Saturation	Drive, Shape and Bias with automatic level compensation. Tone sets high or low frequency focus, Character colours the harmonics, and oversampling reduces aliasing.
Groove	Engage starts the cutting head’s travel. Radius sets its position and Duration sets the travel time. Inner grooves add distortion and soften the top end; Damping tames high-frequency peaks.
Ghost and AIR	Ghost places an echo before or after the main sound, with spacing set by Rotation. Pre mode introduces host-compensated latency. Air adds upper harmonics.
Sidechain	Duck reduces treble using the input or an external sidechain, with adjustable attack and release.
Output	Dry/wet mix, Delta audition, output gain, input and output meters, and bypass.
Requirements	Windows 10 or 11, a 64-bit Intel or AMD processor, and a VST3-compatible DAW. Mono and stereo tracks supported.
Controls	Factory and user presets, a resizable interface and DAW automation of effect parameters.

Download Lacquer

Run the Windows installer, then restart your DAW or rescan its plugins. Lacquer will appear in your VST3 list. No account required.

Windows 10 or 11, a 64-bit Intel or AMD processor, and a VST3-compatible DAW. Installation notes