Harmonics

Name: Harmonics
Author: HoRNet

by HoRNet · Saturation · Harmonic waveshaper

Not rated yet

Harmonics is a free HoRNet plugin that lets you set the level and phase of individual harmonics to build your own waveshaper.

It has 10 harmonic generators and runs natively on Apple Silicon.

Best for: Bass, Keys & Synths, Vocals, Drums, Sound Design. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: bass, free, harmonic enhancer, sound design, vocals, clean, synths, experimental, Apple Silicon native, beginner-friendly, drums, extreme, gentle, minimal controls, mixing, single-band, single knob, visual feedback, warm.

What it does

Harmonics is a free waveshaper from HoRNet that lets you "tune each harmonic" instead of picking a fixed saturation curve. It is built on Chebyshev polynomials, so each slider adds one specific harmonic to the signal.

10 harmonic generators: one slider per harmonic, so you build the distortion from individual partials.
Amplitude and phase: each harmonic has its own level and phase, which changes the shape of the resulting curve.
Fundamental control: the fundamental can be turned down, even to zero, for hollow or broken-sounding effects.
Waveform display: shows the shape a sine wave takes after processing, so you can see the curve you are building.
Presets: a set of factory presets as starting points.
Range of use: from gentle warming to extreme distortion, as HoRNet frames it.

Version 1.1.0 is free. A paid Harmonics Pro version also exists.

Source: HoRNet product page

When to use it

Harmonics is the pick when you want to choose exactly which harmonics get added, rather than pick a modeled character. Compared with Decapitator or Saturation Knob, it has no analog-style drive curves to lean on; you build the tone yourself, harmonic by harmonic. That makes it more precise for jobs like adding upper harmonics so a bass reads on small speakers, but slower to get a pleasing result than Decapitator's five styles. It is also free, where Decapitator is a paid plugin. Since the effect depends heavily on input level, it rewards some experimenting.

Best for: adding chosen harmonics to bass, synths and vocals, and sound design with odd waveshapes.
Genres: any, especially electronic and experimental music.
Look elsewhere if: you want a ready-made analog character with one knob; Saturation Knob or Decapitator get there faster.
Tip: a KVR user found low input levels produce only a few harmonics, so drive it harder for more; SoundGym suggests pulling the fundamental to zero for a "broken record" effect.

What producers say

Opinions are split: some like its clean, precise shaping, while several KVR users heard little or no effect.

KVR users rated it 2.4 out of 5 from 5 reviews. One (2025) called it a "very clean and user-friendly waveshaper"; another (2019) said it works but needs "quite a volume" at the input and better documentation.
SoundGym called it "a really interesting little plug-in" with an "unusual amount of control", praising its presets and how easy it is to tweak.
Criticisms: older KVR reviews (2018 to 2020, version 1.0) reported no audible effect or no harmonics past the 4th; these predate the 1.1.0 update.

Where to buy

HoRNet: Free

Tutorials and reviews

Harmonics overview - Free VST plugin

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