Meet the SilverLine range

Decimort 2

When it comes to emulating the digital crunch and artifacts imparted by early hardware samplers and DA/AD converters, nothing in the box comes close to Decimort 2, a bitcrusher and sample rate reducer that offers far more features than your DAW’s stock ’crusher. Aside from the ability to crush bits and downsample, there are a trio of filters onboard, including two anti-aliasing filters and a flexible multimode resonant offering that can be placed at the start or end of the plugin’s signal path. Other cool features include a Jitter dial for authentic sample rate randomisation, two quantisation methods, flexible dithering and a raft of sampler-emulating presets.

Antresol

Unofficially modelled upon the Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress, an iconic 70s guitar pedal that appeared on countless hit records, Antresol is more than capable of becoming your go-to flanger plugin, meticulously replicating the retro stompbox’s BBD (bucket-brigade device) delay circuitry. Controls are here to apply the original’s distinctive low-cut filter, unique wet/dry balance mix and Mistress BBD mode. While the original pedal only housed a handful of controls, additional features added by D16 include two alternative BBD modes, L/R or M/S, free-running or tempo-syncable LFO with fully adjustable phase-shift, detailed mixer section, and more.

Devastor 2

Originally the inaugural member of the SilverLine squad upon version 1’s release in 2008, the recently updated Devastor is an analogue-flavoured multiband distortion plugin based upon the drive algorithm found in D16’s 303-alike Phoscyon. After your signal is passed through a “dynamics flattener” section, it enters a tasty diode-clipper distortion module before being funnelled into three multimode resonant filters. By selecting one of nine preset routing topologies, the signal can be taken through various series or parallel configurations, facilitating a plethora of distortion effects. There’s also a dry/wet mix for parallel blending, and a simple output limiter to cap overshoots.

Syntorus

This butter-smooth modulation plugin models a pair of analogue delay lines to produce lush chorusing effects in the style of analogue classics such as the famous Solina and Juno chorus designs. The signal is split into two independent paths, each of which features its own LFO (switchable between six wave shapes, along with the option to sync to host tempo), plus a built-in tremolo. There’s also the option to engage a global BBD Emulation mode, which trades the plugin’s clean sound for a more analogue-esque bucket-brigade delay effect. Overall, it’s a versatile tool that’s well suited to any chorusing task: slap it on guitars, bass, synths, vocals – you name it.

Toraverb

Keeping in line with the SilverLine aesthetic is Toraverb: an attractive, slick-sounding reverb that rejects the usual preset algorithms such as plates, halls and rooms, instead providing a detailed array of controls for dialling in your own custom reverb tone. The plugin is divided into two sections for adjusting early and late reflections independently, each featuring a single-band parametric EQ and other useful reverb-tweaking controls. When you’re done with those, there’s a final Mixer section that includes a handy Wet Gain knob for boosting the reverb signal’s level independently of the usual wet/dry mix control.

Fazortan

This deluxe “controllable space phaser” plugin – loosely modelled on a classic 70s phaser pedal – allows you to create the iconic swirling, spacey timbres synonymous with guitar and electronic music. Fazortan features feedback, a choice of two-, four-, six- or eight-stage operation, two LFOs, stereo phase rotation and more, culminating in an effect that sounds unashamedly analogue. As with Redoptor, our original review score was based upon an earlier version, which omitted the ability to sync the LFOs to host tempo. This essential feature has since been added, making Fazortan an all-powerful phaser and a must-have tool for your plugins folder.

Redoptor

Classic guitar amps are well-loved for imparting distinctive, musically-pleasing odd and even harmonic distortion – an effect excellently modelled by Redoptor. Standout features include input high- and low-cut filters, a customisable tube drive stage (including bias and tone controls), plus a powerful four-band EQ for pro-grade tone shaping. We marked Redoptor down a little in our original review as the high-cut filter couldn’t be disabled, low-passing any signal above 8kHz, diminishing its usefulness as a general mixing preamp/saturator. D16 have since updated the plugin to include a bypass switch for this filter – hurrah! – so the plugin would warrant a higher score if reviewed today.

Frontier

An exuberantly tasty limiter that resembles a silver 1176 from the future. Pull down the Threshold and the plugin will simultaneously reduce your signal’s peaks and apply makeup gain. There’s also an Output Volume knob for re-levelling, a delicious Soft Clip circuit, three preset Release controls, and a Control Input parameter that allows you to trigger gain reduction via the input signal’s left, right or mid channels. In use, Frontier is well suited to a broad range of dynamic-controlling applications, from gentle peak-taming, loudness increasing and master limiting through to flavoursome squashing and creative distortion. Frontier is free to both D16 customers and readers.