The biggest benefit about so many plugins is they don’t have to be used on one thing. The versatility that comes with them, especially distortion, is that you can put them on anything. Yeah, the standard is guitars and such, but to help bring out a vocal on a track (especially with parallel compression) many will throw on a distortion plugin.
The Best Distortion Plugins Highlighted
- MDMX Distortion Modules – All tones
- Abbey Road Saturator – Raw & Gritty
- Saturn – Rough & Gritty
- Saturator X – Crisp Distortion
- Renaissance Bass – Low & Rumbling
- OneKnob Driver – Rough Vintage
- SSL Native X-Saturator – Cleanly Distorted
But thinking about these in the regular approach, distortion has become iconic for guitars. With the right distortion, you can take a track from being “so so,” to being cranked in the car with everyone’s head banging.
What To Look For When Choosing a Distortion Plugin
Below you will find what you need to look at specifically whenever you are looking for your next distortion plugin.
Pricing
Many of these plugins are a total steal if you look at the right times. Distortion and saturator plugins are way better than pedals when it comes to recording due to their customization that goes more in-depth than many pedals, at half the price.
Compatibility – System Requirements
Most plugins will work with any operating system, but you will want to make sure yours is up to date. The biggest barrier that many producers, especially newer ones, will run into is having slower and outdated computers that cannot keep up.
DAW Compatibility
For compatibility, you need to find a good distortion that works on your DAW, and any other you will come in contact with. If you are like most engineers, you have your one main DAW and then one that you will work in on the side.
Frequency of Use
You want to be able to pick a plugin that will help you in as many ways as possible. A lot of engineers will track a guitar with a straight DI signal as well as through an amp. If you add distortion to the DI it can create a great tone in combination with the amplifier.
AMP Features & Tone
Each distortion will have its own style and tone you will need to look for. Make sure you know the style you are looking for. Or if you want one that works for many different styles, you will most likely have to pay a little more to get all of the universal options in one package.
Skill Level
Most distortion plugins are designed to work in the same way as a pedal. So if you have experience with that, you will be all set. However, some will have a layout like an amp head, with more options for more detailed settings.
7 Best Distortion & Saturation Plugins
For these plugins, we are looking for purely distortion and saturation in the plugin. If you are wanting to learn about the best emulators and amp heads subscribe to see our guide on best guitar VSTs.
These are our picks for the best distortion and saturation plugins.
1. MDMX Distortion Modules
Waves has outdone themselves when it comes to distortion plugins. This one, in particular, comes with 3 different styles of distortion in one package that allows you to dial in literally any tone you want to. Although commonly utilized for guitar, it’s common to add depth and tone to something like hip hop vocals.
- Who’s it for? Intermediate Engineers and Above
- Tone: Any
- Price: $99
- DAW Support: All popular DAWs supported, good for Pro Tools.
System Requirements:
| Mac | Windows | |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM8 GB free disk space on the system drive | 8 GB RAM8 GB free disk space on the system drive |
| Operating System | 10.12.6-10.15 | Windows 10 64 bit |
2. Abbey Road Saturator
The Abbey Road Saturator is one of my personal favorites and is known for its ability to bring out the raw grit on any track. If you want to drive anything from guitars to drums or even vocals, this is the best choice.
- Who’s it for? Intermediate to Advanced
- Tone: Raw and Gritty
- Price: $199
- DAW Support: All popular DAWs supported, good for Logic.
System Requirements:
| Mac | Windows | |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM8 GB free disk space on the system drive | 8 GB RAM8 GB free disk space on the system drive |
| Operating System | 10.12.6-10.15 | Windows 10 64 bit |
3. Saturn
This plugin from fabfilter has so many capabilities that can shape your tone in one place. It has received praise from grammy-nominated engineers as well as being a praised plugin by gearslutz.com.
- Who’s it for? Intermediate and Experienced Engineers
- Tone: Rough and Gritty
- Price: $154
- DAW Support: All popular DAWs supported, good for Ableton Live.
System Requirements:
| Mac | Windows | |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM | 8 GB RAM |
| Operating System | OS X 10.8 or Higher | Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, or XP |
4. Saturator X
The Saturator X from IK Multimedia is a heavy driver that really pushes each track it’s on to the limit. It has multiple styles for matching the perfect sound to your song.
- Who’s it for? Beginners
- Tone: Crisp Distortion
- Price: $79.99
- DAW Support: All popular DAWs supported, good for Reason.
System Requirements:
| Mac | Windows | |
| Memory | 4 GB of Ram (8 GB suggested) | 4 GB of Ram (8 GB suggested) |
| Operating System | 10.9 or later | Windows 7, 8, or 10 |
5. Renaissance Bass
Also known as the R Bass, this plugin is a fantastic plugin that you can find on many of my own tracks. This plugin really pushes the limits of your guitar, bass, or keyboards.
- Who’s it for? Beginners and above
- Tone: Low and Rumbling
- Price: $79
- DAW Support: All popular DAWs supported, good for Studio 1.
System Requirements:
| Mac | Windows | |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM8 GB free disk space on the system drive | 8 GB RAM8 GB free disk space on the system drive |
| Operating System | 10.12.6-10.15 | Windows 10 64 bit |
6. OneKnob Driver
If you are looking for a straight edge to bring into your vocals or guitars, but do not know much about creating your own tones? Look no further. This is a great first step when it comes to learning how to mix in your own distortions.
- Who’s it for? Beginners
- Tone: Rough Vintage
- Price: $49
- DAW Support: All popular DAWs supported, good for Garageband
System Requirements:
| Mac | Windows | |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM8 GB free disk space on the system drive | 8 GB RAM8 GB free disk space on the system drive |
| Operating System | 10.12.6-10.15 | Windows 10 64 bit |
7. SSL Native X-Saturator
Solid State Logic has been playing a key role in music for decades. Their boards and equipment are the thing of legend and now, you have the opportunity to work with their own equipment like never before.
- Who’s it for? Intermediate
- Tone: Cleanly Distorted
- Price: $119
- DAW Support: All popular DAWs supported, good for (choose a random one)
System Requirements:
| Mac | Windows | |
| Memory | 4 GB of Ram (8 GB suggested) | 4 GB of Ram (8 GB suggested) |
| Operating System | 10.10 or later | Windows 7 SP1 or later |
Drive Your Experience
The next step in your mixes is pushing that distortion to its peak. Having your instruments stick out is your #1 priority. With that in mind, you need the ride drive to push you to taking your next jump in your mixing capabilities. With the information we brought here, you can find just what you need to give yourself that edge.
Compare Distortion Plugin Prices
| Plugin | Manufacturer | Price |
| MDMX Distortion Modules | Waves | $99 |
| Abbey Road Saturator | Waves | $199 |
| Saturn | fabfilter | $154 |
| Saturator X | IK Multimedia | $79 |
| Renaissance Bass | Waves | $79 |
| OneKnob Driver | Waves | $49 |
| SSL Native X-Saturator | Solid State Logic | $199 |
Jarrett is a hardcore Lover-Jazz Lover-Rock Lover-Blues Lover-just a music lover. He has the hair to match — Jarrett and provides in-depth insight into all things guitar and music engineering.