ClipLAB
Deep destructive clipping, harmonic mayhem, beautifully brutal. More than just a Logic Pro ClipDistortion emulation. ClipLAB is a creative lab for overdrive, tone shaping, chaotic filters, and musical EQ distortion, designed by a producer, for producers.
Clip a wave, right here
This is what ClipLAB does to your audio. Pick one of the seven clipper styles, then push the drive and symmetry, or just grab the waveform and drag. Horizontal is drive, vertical is symmetry.
Gray is your input signal, blue is the clipped output, the inset shows the live transfer curve.
Fourteen flavours of damage
Kicks, basses, and screeches pushed through ClipLAB, from oldschool 909 crunch to full harmonic mayhem. Press play, scrub the waveform, feel the clip.
All demos processed with ClipLAB only, no other effects in the chain.
Multi-stage clipping engine
From analog inspired warmth to hard edged digital saturation, dial in the right character with intuitive drive, symmetry, and curve controls. Includes Console mode with position control. The output clipper can be oversampled 2x, 4x, or 8x to reduce harshness.
- Drive
- Adds gain to the input signal, pre clipping.
- Tone
- Acts as a tilt filter or high shelf. Optionally snaps to the musical key.
- Clip Filter
- Adjusts post distortion coloration.
- Curve
- Morphs the shape of the clipping saturation, shown live in the curve display.
- Symmetry
- Pushes distortion into asymmetric territory.
- Intensity
- Sets how strongly the curve shaping is applied.
Seven clipping algorithms, three oversampling modes
Pick a clipping character, then place it exactly where it belongs in the signal chain.
- Clipper Style
- Sets the clipping algorithm: Hard, Soft, Cubic, Asym, Fold, Fuzz, or Rect.
- Oversampling
- 2x, 4x, or 8x. Higher settings reduce aliasing harshness at the cost of extra CPU load.
- Console & Position
- Enables a console style algorithm for less digital distortion and more analog warmth. Can be placed at different positions in the DSP chain, for example pre EQ.
Shape distortion and resonance in tune
Snap your tone and EQ frequencies to musical notes. Stay in key, design harmonics with intent, and never second guess your filter tuning.
- Low Cut
- High pass filter ahead of the EQ stage. Set all the way left to switch it off.
- Slope
- Sets the steepness of the Low Cut filter, in dB per octave.
- Freq
- Center frequency of the selected EQ band, 1 to 4. Can snap to the nearest musical note.
- Gain
- Boost or cut at the selected frequency.
- BW (Q)
- Controls the resonance or width of the band.
- Peak
- Shapes the slope of the resonance. Use with caution, it can cause self resonance.
- Pan (EQ 3 & 4)
- Spreads the band left and right in the stereo field.
In Key mode clicks to the nearest musical note while you turn, exactly what ClipLAB's Tone In Key toggle does to the filter.
Distortion that fits the mix
Shape your sound's tone while locking it to your track's key: distortion and resonance that always land in tune.
- Tone In Key
- Locks the Tone frequency to the nearest musical note.
- EQ Snap (Band 1 & 2)
- Snaps the EQ band frequency to the musical key.
With snapping enabled, the display updates to a note name, for example C#3, and the parameter value adjusts accordingly. Disable the toggle to revert to frequency display in Hz and free tuning.
When subtle isn't an option
Engage chaos. Experimental filters, phase shifts, and comb delays obliterate your signal. One slider controls the madness.
- Chaos Mode
- Engages aggressive filtering, combing, and signal disruption.
- Chaos Slider
- Controls frequency offsets and filter instability. The delay effect causes pitch transposing.
If you decide to stack multiple ClipLABs for further distortion, be cautious with the Chaos feature: it will resonate indefinitely. Be kind to your speakers.
Careful. This slider does to the page what Chaos Mode does to your signal. Slide back to zero to restore order.
Surgical control after clipping
Hi shelf, low pass, sub shaper (mono maker), and sub gain give you precise shaping once the signal has already been distorted.
- Hi Shelf
- Adds brilliance or tames highs, with frequency and gain control.
- LP Filter
- Softens top end harshness.
- Sub Shaper
- Collapses the low end into mono for a tight, focused bass. Set all the way left to switch off.
- Sub Gain
- Adds weight below 100 Hz.
Animate distortion and EQ over time
An advanced LFO with multiple destinations, polarity, shape, time division, and phase control.
- Rate
- Sets the LFO rate in Hz, or tempo synced to host BPM.
- Phase
- Adjusts the phase of the LFO.
- Depth
- Sets the amount of modulation.
- Wave
- Shape of the LFO: Sine, Saw, Triangle, or Square.
- Destination
- EQ 1 or 2 frequency and gain, Drive, or Symmetry.
- Polarity
- Unipolar modulates only upward from the base value. Bipolar swings above and below it.
Dial in the final blend
Manage the drive blend and final output level, then decide exactly where the last stage of clipping happens.
- Input / Mix / Output
- Input Gain, dry/wet Mix, and Output Gain manage the drive blend and final output level.
- Clip Output Toggle
- Enables final stage hard clipping. Disabled allows for clipping in the DAW instead.
- Level Meters
- Real time input and output peak metering.
A smart preset system built for speed
Instant load and save, a curated randomizer for creative inspiration, and DAW safe recall behaviour.
- Init
- Resets all values to neutral.
- Randomize
- Click the dice icon for creative inspiration through useful parameter randomization.
- Save / Load
- Store and recall your favorite sounds from the menu.
- Preset Browser
- Step through saved .lus presets with the arrows. ClipLAB remembers the last loaded preset.
Presets are stored in User / Documents / Lussive Audio / ClipLAB / Presets.
Destruction with precision
Tonal and atonal kickdrum sound design
Kick enhancement and glue
Harmonic layering for synths and guitars
Vocal dirt and tone sculpting
FX processing and chaotic transitions
Get more out of ClipLAB
Hover for in-context help
Hold the cursor over any control for two seconds without moving it to activate the help system. While hovering over knobs, info about what the control does is shown.
Turn features fully off
Even with the EQ on, you can deactivate the Low Cut by setting it all the way left to Off. The same applies to the Sub Shaper, all the way left turns the feature off.
Skip the inflator
Used an inflator style plugin before? No need, if you keep Clip Output engaged, it makes sure your audio doesn't exceed 0 dB. Turn Clip Output off to benefit from your DAW's channel clipping or other effect plugins instead, you're in control.
Be careful stacking Chaos
If you decide to stack multiple ClipLABs for further distortion, be cautious with the Chaos feature, it will resonate indefinitely. Be kind to your speakers.
Crunchy kick recipe
A general good practice for getting a crunchy kick from a 909: set Low Cut around 30 to 60 Hz, gain EQ 1 around 600 Hz, lower EQ 2 around 300 Hz, then start playing with the Symmetry and Clipper Style controls.
Runs wherever you produce
Mac
- AudioUnit or VST3 host
- Apple Silicon native, or Intel 2.0 GHz
- Mac 10.13 (High Sierra) or later
- 1024 x 768 resolution or higher, resizable UI
- 64 bit only
- Internet connection required for activation
Windows
- VST3 host
- Intel or AMD 64 bit, 2.0 GHz or faster
- Windows 10 or Windows 11
- 1024 x 768 resolution or higher, resizable UI
- 64 bit only
- Internet connection required for activation