SpeakerSim

Name: SpeakerSim
Price: 39.9 USD
Author: NoiseAsh

by NoiseAsh · Multi-FX · Speaker and device simulator

Not rated yet

SpeakerSim emulates 18 speakers and devices, from megaphones and phones to car stereos, radios and a jukebox, for mix checks and effects.

It adds a lo-fi distortion unit, a limiter and EQ, and was listed at $39.90 on sale (regular $129).

Best for: Vocals, Mix Bus, Sound Design, Guitars. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: lo-fi, vocals, broadcast, sound design, drums, convolution, electric guitar, hardware emulation, impulse-response based, bus processing, clean, creative, full mix, gritty, mix bus, mixing, playful, resizable UI, solid-state, vintage, vinyl.

What it does

SpeakerSim is a convolution-based speaker and device simulator. NoiseAsh pitches it both as a sound-design effect and as a way to "check your mix roughly in different speaker systems".

18 models: three megaphones, old computer, cellphone, vintage phone, jukebox, answering machine, headphones, car, toy, mini guitar cabinet, plus radio, walkie-talkie and turntable, each of those three in standard and roomed versions.
Convolution engine: models built from convolution, with extra controls to reshape the sound.
Dry/wet: a blend control for morphing between the clean and the processed signal.
Lo-fi unit: a degrade distortion stage for grit and damage.
Tone: a three-band solid-state EQ (low shelf, mid, high shelf) plus low- and high-pass filters.
Level and interface: an intelligent limiter and a resizable interface.

The demo is fully functional with no time limit but mutes the output briefly every 30 seconds.

Source: NoiseAsh product page

When to use it

SpeakerSim is the cheap, quick choice for phone, radio and megaphone effects. Compared with Speakerphone 3, it has a much smaller library (18 models) and fewer extra effects, but it costs a fraction of the price and is quicker to set up. Unlike Super VHS, which adds lo-fi tape colour, it reproduces the sound of specific playback devices. Its built-in EQ, distortion and limiter cover most of what you need to finish the effect without extra plugins.

Best for: telephone, radio and megaphone vocals, lo-fi drum treatments, and rough mix checks on small speakers.
Genres: any style; also useful for film, games and podcast post-production.
Look elsewhere if: you need a large device and room library for film work; Speakerphone 3 covers far more.
Tip: MusicTech found it especially good on vocals and drums; use the dry/wet control to blend the effect in rather than going fully wet.

What producers say

MusicTech saw it as a good-value sound-design tool, with small usability gripes.

MusicTech (Alex Holmes, 2019) praised the characterful emulations, "especially good on vocals and drums", and the shaping tools and dry/wet slider.
Criticisms: the same review found the interface too small (it has since become resizable), some models too quiet, and the distortion "pretty nasty when set to full".

MusicTech review

Where to buy

NoiseAsh: $39.90 (regular $129)

Tutorials and reviews

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