Rift

Name: Rift
Price: 129 USD
Author: Minimal Audio

by Minimal Audio · Distortion · Hybrid

vst3s Score 8.7/10 · rated #3 of 10 distortion

Rift splits a waveform into its positive and negative halves and distorts each independently before recombining them, which produces harmonics conventional clippers can't.

Feedback, filters and a deep modulation system make it a sound-design tool first.

Best for: Sound Design, Bass, Keys & Synths, Drums. Genres: Electronic & EDM.

Keywords: sound design, synths, bass, drums, multi-band, deep, macro controls, MIDI-controllable, mixing, modulation matrix, physical modelling, preset-driven, rhythmic, sample-rate reduction, tempo-synced, wavefolding, wide.

What it does

Rift is Minimal Audio's hybrid distortion. Its multi-polar engine splits the waveform into positive and negative halves, distorts each separately and recombines them.

30 distortion types: in five groups covering waveshaping, wavefolding, noise, bit-depth and sample-rate reduction, with up to six stages of processing.
Feedback: physically modelled feedback and delay for pitched, resonant or echo effects, routed back through the distortion if you like.
Filters: morphing filters that can go before or after the distortion, with MIDI note tracking and stereo spread.
Multiband (version 2): distortion, feedback and filtering can run through a multiband crossover.
Modulation and presets: an envelope follower, LFO and drawable curve sequencers that can modulate any parameter, 400+ presets with macros, and Play and Advanced views.

Version 2 also came with the free Rift Filter Lite and Rift Feedback Lite.

Source: Minimal Audio product page

When to use it

Rift is the most synth-like of the rated distortions. Like Output Thermal and Arturia Dist COLDFIRE it's built for sound design, but its split-polarity engine, feedback and curve sequencers make it more of a "distortion synthesizer" than a saturator. For subtle or mix-bus work, FabFilter Saturn 2 is the better fit.

Best for: bass design, rhythmic and tempo-synced distortion on synths and drums, and turning plain sounds into feature parts.
Genres: electronic music, especially bass music, techno, experimental and cinematic sound design.
Look elsewhere if: you want simple, light saturation, or your computer is short on CPU.

What producers say

Reviewers rated it among the most inventive distortion plugins of recent years.

Sound On Sound (John Walden, 2021) said it "can transform the dullest of sounds" and liked how the two views balance ease and depth.
Gearnews (2021) called it a "distortion synthesizer, of sorts" and the most innovative distortion in years, raising the bar set by Trash 2.
Gripes: a steep learning curve in Advanced View, high CPU use (reduced in version 2) and no demo at launch.

Where to buy

Tutorials and reviews

Similar plugins

Dist COLDFIRE by Arturia · Dual engine · $79
Thermal by Output · Multi-stage · $149
FURY by Heavyocity · Modular creative distortion · $39
inShaper by Sound Particles · Waveshaping and wavefolding distortion · $69
MWaveFolderMB by MeldaProduction · Multiband wavefolding distortion · $49
MWaveFolder by MeldaProduction · Wavefolding distortion · Free
MWaveShaperMB by MeldaProduction · Multiband custom-curve waveshaper · $39
RP-Distort 2 by Rob Papen · Multi-module distortion · $46.10
MWaveShaper by MeldaProduction · Custom-curve waveshaper · Free
Indent 2 by Unfiltered Audio · Clipper/distortion · $15

All distortion