Phantom Sounds Free Plugin: 56k - Digital Decay & Data Moshing Effect

Hey everyone,

We just released a free effect plugin called 56k and wanted to share it with the community.

The Concept
56k emulates the sound of a failing digital connection—think early internet audio, packet loss, buffer underruns, and all those beautiful artifacts from the dial-up era. It's not a traditional bitcrusher. Instead of just reducing resolution, it simulates a struggling data stream that smears transients, freezes buffers, and introduces rhythmic digital glitches.

Three Processing Modes
→ LAG – Simulates a low-bandwidth connection using slew limiting and phase randomization. At low settings, you get that swirly, metallic MP3-from-1999 sound. Crank it up and transients become mushy and "watery." Great for pads, atmospheric vocals, and dreamy lo-fi textures.
→ CLIP – Wavefolding distortion that folds the signal back on itself rather than hard clipping. Harsh, aggressive, full of complex harmonics. Think blown-out phone speakers or digital clipping. Works well on drums, 808s, and industrial sounds.
→ RING – Classic ring modulation with a sine wave oscillator. As you increase intensity, the oscillator frequency rises, creating metallic, robotic tones—like the screeching handshake of an old 56k modem connecting. Great for sci-fi effects, robotic vocals, and transitions.

Controls
INTENSITY – Master degradation control. Subtle grit to complete destruction.
MIX – Dry/wet blend for parallel processing.
PWR – True bypass.

Specs
Formats: VST3 / AU / AAX
Platforms: Windows & macOS
Price: Free

Download
You can grab it here: https://phantom-sounds.com/pages/free-downloads-1
Just enter your email and we'll send the download links for both Windows and macOS.

Would love to hear what you think or if you have any questions. If you end up using it on a track, feel free to share!

Cheers,
Matteo from Phantom Sounds