Kombinat4
by Audio Damage · Distortion · Multiband distortion
Not rated yet
Kombinat4 is a multiband distortion that splits audio into up to eight bands and gives each its own distortion engine, or chains engines in series.
It has 38 engines, twelve output filter types, a built-in Rough Rider compressor and 2x/4x oversampling, for $49.
Best for: Drums, Bass, Keys & Synths, Guitars, Sound Design. Genres: Electronic & EDM, Hip-Hop & Trap, Rock & Indie, Metal.
Keywords: multi-band, AUv3/iOS, bass, drums, electric guitar, oversampling, aggressive, creative, sidechain input, sound design, synths, clean, destructive, external sidechain, fuzz, built-in mix knob, mixing, overdrive, parallel processing, ring mod, soft clip, stutter, surgical, tube, wavefolding.
What it does
Kombinat4 is Audio Damage's flagship distortion, billed as "Multi-Band Destruction". It gathers the engines from Kombinat Tri and Grind, adds new ones, and lets you run them across up to eight frequency bands or in series.
- 38 engines: 13 from Kombinat Tri (Fuzz, Saturate, Clip, Ring Mod, Octaver, Tube Clip, Nerd Rage and more), 11 from Grind (Tanh, Overdrive, Polynomial, MXR, Soft Clip and more) and 14 new ones, including Wavefold, Chebyshev, Bitwise, Diode Clip, Feedback FM, Fractal, Stutter and Erosion.
- Multiband mode: up to eight parallel bands with Linkwitz-Riley crossovers, each with its own engine, gain and solo.
- Serial mode: chains all eight engines one after another across the full frequency range.
- Output filters: twelve types, including 2- and 4-pole low-pass, high-pass, band-pass and notch, three OTA-style variants, a 914-style ladder band-pass and Filterpod.
- Rough Rider compressor: at the output, with a sidechain high-pass filter and an external sidechain input.
- Feedback and safety: a global feedback path with its own attack/decay envelope, an Engine Mix control that blends clean and driven signal, AGC, a DC blocker and 2x or 4x oversampling.
- Presets: a folder-based browser with favourites and ZIP import/export, compatible with the iOS version.
Free demos are available.
Source: Audio Damage product page
When to use it
Kombinat4 is the pick for sound design with a huge range of distortion types at a low price. Compared with Saturn 2, it has far more engines (38 against Saturn's smaller set of styles), but its product page lists no LFOs or modulation matrix, so movement comes from automation. Compared with iZotope Trash, it adds a serial mode and a built-in compressor, while Trash goes further on filtering and convolution. It is also much more aggressive in character than Output's Thermal, and more about raw distortion than Rift's modulated effects. One iOS user found it quicker than Saturn 2 for dialling in a sound.
- Best for: aggressive drums and bass, synth and guitar mangling, and band-specific distortion.
- Genres: electronic, industrial, hip-hop, rock and metal.
- Look elsewhere if: you want modulated, moving distortion (Saturn 2 or Rift) or subtle mix-bus warmth (a dedicated saturator).
- Tip: solo each band while you set its engine and gain, then bring the others back in.
What producers say
Early users on iOS were enthusiastic about the sound and value, with a few workflow complaints.
- Loopy Pro forum users praised the range of engines and the price; one called it "one of the very few digital distortion effects I've ever liked on guitar".
- Criticisms: no drag-and-drop reordering in serial mode, band widths resetting when a new band is added, and no display of the frequency range each band covers.
Where to buy
- Audio Damage: $49
- Plugin Boutique: $49
Tutorials and reviews
- Kombinat4 / Audio Damage Kombinat 4 Distortion Plugin // Walkthrough & Demo
- Kombinat4 Multiband Distortion by Audio Damage (No Talking)
- Audio Damage Kombinat4 Multiband Distortion FX - Tutorial
- Exploring Audio Damage Kombinat 4
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