iZotope Celebrates 15th Birthday with 64-bit Version of Free Vinyl Plug-in

iZotope, Inc., makers of award-winning tools for audio production, is announcing the re-release of Vinyl, their free vinyl simulation plug-in. By emulating the characteristics of vintage records and record players, Vinyl is the ultimate lo-fi weapon for anyone looking to add the dirty, dusty feel of a different era to their sound.

The new version of Vinyl has been updated to support modern operating systems and audio editing software: the plug-in is now 64-bit compatible on both Mac and PC and supported formats now include AAX and VST3. Vinyl also features a new Spin Down button that simulates slowly stopping playback of a record, with results that can range from a dramatic “record stop” to a subtler nuance on an individual instrument. All of Vinyl’s classic features allow a user to simulate the dust, scratches, crackles, pops, and warping of a worn record as well as the mechanical noises of a turntable. In addition, the Warp features are now available for use in all supported plug-in formats.

Re-issued as part of the company’s 15th birthday celebration, the re-release harkens back to iZotope’s very beginnings in a dorm room at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Back in 2001, Vinyl was iZotope’s very first product—experimental audio processing software made by a small group of like-minded engineers and music lovers who wanted to bring more high-quality creative tools to the audio community. The novelty of a free digital effect that offered such flexibility over nostalgic, analog sounds made the plug-in an instant success. Before long, Vinyl’s touch could be heard on everything from songs to soundtracks to sound effects for film, television, and video games.