Download page (Windows and Mac 64/32-bit VST2 and AU).

It doesn’t seem to have as much gain as the actual pedal, but the controls are useful throughout the spectrum of their range in ways that the pedal isn’t. It also has two useful switches that select between mono or stereo operation, and a lo/hi switch which alters the character of how the gain and EQ interact. It provides a solid range of gain with that signature midrange boost that is great not only on guitar, but vocals, drums – pretty much anything you can throw at it. It’s exactly what the name implies – a digital recreation of the most famous overdrive pedal of all time.

Download page (Windows and Mac 64-bit VST/AU/AAX).

While it’s built for really high gain sounds, it never seems to get too compressed or smeary – and it can also run in stereo. Built upon Mercuriall’s Neural Hybrid Engine technology, in a lot of ways it actually sounds much cleaner and clearer than its inspiration. It offers the same control set and 3-band EQ with sweepable mids, so you can really tailor the 200Hz to 5kHz range.

Download page (Windows and Mac VST/VST3/AU)įeaturing the signature sound found in BOSS’ notorious distortion pedal, the Metal Area is a recreation of the Metal Zone, and it features all of the gloriously shrill, compressed gain that is so beloved in the hardware pedal version.

It’s a great complement to a clean sound, and can easily push a dirty sound into sweeter saturation. And how cool is this…it has a switchable buffer! This makes it useful for integrating with a hardware pedal chain to get the most out of your tone. Present is the tried-and-true three knob controls, but it also offers a Fat switch that alters the bass response, and a switch to change the clipping from asymmetrical to symmetrical. Ignite Amps has a precise way of modeling analog circuits, and that comes through in the sound of their software.

I included this because while it is a take on a Tubescreamer, it has some options that other similar pedals on this list do not.

Some stellar hidden gems are currently available that rival some of the best free guitar pedal plug-ins available today. They may look like they’re designed only for guitar tracks, but they can be used in really creative ways on sources like vocals, drums, and, of course, synths and keyboards. There are a number of fantastic full-featured amp simulation plug-ins that come bundled with guitar pedals, but less common are dedicated freeware guitar pedal plug-ins.

Best free guitar plugins for garageband