Lo-Fi & Vintage Plugins

Tape, vinyl, degradation effects. Add nostalgic character, warmth, and imperfection to modern digital audio.

Overview

Property	Value
Control Count	4-7
Complexity	Medium
Visualizer	Scope Glow, Wave Filled
Layout	Hero or Minimal

Typical Controls

Control	Widget	Range	Evocative Name
Drive/Saturation	Knob	0-100%	HEAT, WARM, WORN
Noise	Knob	0-100%	NOISE, HISS, DUST
Wow/Flutter	Knob	0-100%	WOBBLE, DRIFT, WARBLE
Tone	Knob	0-100%	TONE, AGE, MELLOW
Age/Wear	Knob	0-100%	AGE, WEAR, DECAY

Recommended Visualizer

Primary: Scope Glow

• Phosphor CRT aesthetic
• Perfect vintage match
• Warm, nostalgic feel

Alternative: Wave Filled with warm colors

Layout Pattern

Recommended: Hero Element or Minimal

Hero Layout

┌─────────────────────────────┐
│          WORN               │
│                             │
│   [scope glow visualizer]   │
│                             │
│  [HEAT]  [WOBBLE]  [NOISE]  │
│                             │
│  [tone]   [age]    [bypass] │
└─────────────────────────────┘

Minimal Layout

┌─────────────────────────────┐
│                             │
│         NOSTALGIA           │
│                             │
│    [WARM]     [WORN]        │
│                             │
│    [HISS]     [MIX]         │
│                             │
│              [bypass]       │
└─────────────────────────────┘

Example Plugins

• Tape Emulation - Tape saturation + wow/flutter
• Vinyl Simulation - Crackle, dust, warmth
• Lo-Fi Processor - Combined degradation
• VHS Effect - Video tape aesthetic
• Radio Effect - AM/FM radio simulation
• Cassette - Cassette tape character
• Phonograph - Old record player sound

Design Tips

Vintage Aesthetic is Essential

• Match the visual to the sound
• Warm colors (amber, brown, orange)
• Rounded, organic shapes
• Phosphor glow visualizer

Warmth + Imperfection

• Saturation for warmth
• Noise for texture
• Wow/flutter for movement
• Filtering for age

All-in-One Controls

Consider macro controls like:

• “AGE” = combines wear effects
• “WORN” = increases multiple degradations

Control Names

Lo-fi deserves evocative, nostalgic names:

Technical	Evocative Options
Saturation	HEAT, WARM, GLOW, WORN
Noise	HISS, DUST, CRACKLE, STATIC
Wow/Flutter	WOBBLE, DRIFT, WARBLE, FLUTTER
Filter/Tone	AGE, MELLOW, TONE, OLD
Bit Depth	CRUSH, BITS, LO-FI
Mix	BLEND, WET, DEPTH

Color Suggestions

Tape/Reel-to-Reel

• Accent: Amber, warm orange
• Background: Dark brown
• Vibe: Warm, analog, studio

Vinyl

• Accent: Warm brown, gold
• Background: Near black
• Vibe: Classic, dusty, vintage

Cassette

• Accent: Orange, tan
• Background: Dark gray/brown
• Vibe: 80s, portable, worn

VHS

• Accent: Cyan, magenta (tracking lines)
• Background: Dark blue
• Vibe: 80s video, glitchy, nostalgic

Common Mistakes

❌ Clinical/modern visual style ❌ Cold colors (blue, cyan) ❌ Technical control names ❌ Too precise/clean

✅ Vintage aesthetic throughout ✅ Warm color palette ✅ Evocative, nostalgic names ✅ Intentional imperfection

Variations

Simple Lo-Fi

Controls: Warmth, noise, tone, mix
Visualizer: Scope Glow (small)
Control count: 4
Size: Small (280×320)

Tape Emulation

Controls: Input drive, output, wow, flutter, hiss, tone
Visualizer: Scope Glow or Wave Filled
Control count: 6
Size: Medium (360×380)
Aesthetic: Reel-to-reel vintage

Vinyl Simulation

Controls: Warmth, dust, crackle, age, wear, mix
Visualizer: Scope Glow
Control count: 6
Size: Medium (340×360)
Aesthetic: Record player vintage

VHS/Cassette

Controls: Saturation, wow, tracking, noise, mix
Visualizer: Wave Filled (with glitch colors)
Control count: 5
Size: Medium (340×360)
Aesthetic: 80s portable media