Dist COLDFIRE
Dual distortion reactor
Dist COLDFIRE is a dual-engine distortion effect that goes from rich tube saturation to unrestrained sonic destruction in a few clicks. Combine analog & digital algorithms with deep modulation and customization, and unlock near-infinite distortion possibilities for your sound.
To create is
to destroy
Twist the simplest groove into a gnarled web of crushed resonance; bring your instruments, vocals, and loops to life with stacked analog drive; zap a synth drone into glitchy bit-crushed mayhem that dances to your beat.
Dist COLDFIRE lets you harness not one, but two powerful distortion engines, exploring their unique and explosive synergy, and creating entirely new sounds with any input signal. This is sonic alchemy on an unprecedented level, yours to master and manipulate - what will you create?
Totally custom distortion
This is no ordinary on/off, dry/wet, analog/digital distortion. Pair up any of the 11 distortion types, from emulated tube heat to icy digital bit crush, customize your routing, sprinkle in some modulation, and forge sonic carnage that’s totally your own.
More than crunch
Create resonant metallic melodies, introduce artificial harmonic reflections, trigger wildly destructive feedback loops; go beyond conventional distortion with 6 custom modulation slots, 16-step sequencing, comb filtering, and much more.
For any sound
Enrich, saturate, pulverize, or transform any sound beyond recognition. Whether you’re looking for warm vocal enhancement, monstrous kick drum impacts, speaker-rattling bass fuzz, or denser-than-black-hole wavefolding, Dist COLDFIRE packs every punch you need.
Intuitive but powerful
Simple enough to create exciting dual distortion effects in just a few easy clicks, but flexible enough to become totally immersed in destructive sound design, Dist COLDFIRE strikes the balance between quickfire plugin and deep processing powerhouse.
Preset
library
For when you need to quickly turn up the analog heat or shatter your sound with sub-zero digital crush, Dist COLDFIRE comes loaded with more than 150 specialized presets. From mix enhancers to wild modulated chaos, you'll find your distortion flavor in seconds.
Artificier
Give your simple percussive loops & drum machine stems an android voice with edgy bit-crushing, erratic filter modulation, and erratic bursts of glitchy feedback.
Drums Sidechain Big C
A drum loop becomes an ominous bassy drone, with a pumping sidechain response and aggressive snarling quality that swells with each hit.
Random Bit Sounding
Big Stepper
Simple and familiar synth sounds become punchy, powerful, and perfect for those euphoric dancefloor moments. Create huge basses, leads, and pads that'll have you hooked.
Drum Bus Transformer & Tape
Emulating the sound of classic studio hardware, breathe new life into your drum bus with the Transformer and Tape modes, saturating your transients and accentuating the high end with band split processing.
Gentle Lo Fi
Using classic tape-style saturation, give your drums that coveted lo-fi vibe, making even the cleanest stem sound like an unearthed reel from the archives.
The sound
of alteration
Distortion is a universal thing, a cause and effect, a means and an end. The folding of an analog waveform; the dense fizziness of a classic ‘70s guitar stompbox; the bite of a sound that’s passed its threshold.
In the sphere of contemporary music, it can mean the pumping analog imperfections of artists like Caribou and Floating Points; the hybrid industrial soundscapes of acts like Nine Inch Nails and Skinny Puppy; the seismic guitar sounds of everyone from Eric Gales to Bring Me The Horizon; the gritty, intimate production of today’s songwriting pioneers like Billie Eilish and Phoebe Bridgers.
Distortion says ‘don’t settle for a sound’. Engage Dist COLDFIRE and alter, experiment, twist, smash, and savor both the means and the end.
The distortion
catalyst
From worn out magnetic tape to clipped-signal circuitry to dramatic folds in analog waveforms, distortion can exist in many forms.
Analog
Tape
Dial in some grainy tape-style saturation and degradation, particularly effective on the low-end, perfect for that organic lo-fi sound.
Tube
The soft-clipping warmth and depth of the vacuum valve sound, rich in harmonics and highly responsive to your input.
Transistor
The biting response of classic echo box preamps, known for its presence and edgy character, great on guitars.
Transformer
A simulation of the nuanced distortion created by magnetic hysteresis, with two options: nickel, for subtle processing, and iron, for more low-mid emphasis.
Germanium
The screaming tone made famous by Germanium diode amps, distortion pedals, and fuzz boxes, bright and red-hot.
Force
Based on classic studio outboard gear, with 4 modes of operation ranging from analog saturation to roaring overdrive, great for your mix bus.
Digital
Rectifier
Imitating the unique harmonic overtones and zapped character achieved by reshaping a waveform’s negative phase.
Bit Crusher
Edgy harmonics and glassy digital noise achieved by reducing the sample and bitrate of a sound, making anything sound harsh and robotic.
Bit Inverter
Introduce crisp digital distortion and unexpected artifacts by modulating a signal’s bit content in real-time.
Wavefolder
By distorting the shape of your signal’s waveform, this mode delivers unique overtones and harmonic alterations beyond recognition with 7 shapes.
Waveshaper
An incredibly flexible mode with 11 subtypes of operation, from shattered-signal fuzz to surprisingly resonant asymmetrical drive.
A closer
look
Dist COLDFIRE is simple to use when you need it to be, geared up to unleash complex & thrilling sonic results.
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Artist
Corner
Paul Godfrey
Morcheeba
"Wow, Dist-COLDFIRE is so far out and psychedelic and a real mangling smorgasbord. There are tons of saturators out there now but this one is really something else! I could listen to it for hours"
Ali Staton
Mix Engineer
"Having the dual engines gives you the opportunity to design or treat the sound exactly the way you want - the distortions are incredible sounding."
Romesh Dodangoda
Producer / Mixer Motorhead, Bring Me The Horizon, Funeral For A Friend, Twin Atlantic
"Dist-COLDFIRE is one of the most powerful distortion plugins ever! From subtle to absolutely extreme, there are so many ways to manipulate the sound and turn it into something completely unique."
Y3LLO KOALA
"Dist-COLDFIRE is a creative saturation tool, it has been inspiring me to make new rhythmic elements in my production and it sounds incredible."
Jacknife Lee
Mixing Engineer, Producer (U2, R.E.M., Snow Patrol)
"Dist-Coldfire is insanely great. It's one of the deepest tools I have now. I thought it was going to be just a saturation/distortion plugin and i know what they do. I love them and can't have enough of 'em. but this is far more than that."
Anthony J Resta
Ajax
"Dist-Coldfire is wonderful out of the box; it's the most powerful tone shaper I've ever used. I'm beyond blown away. It's a sound designer/composer's dream come true. I honestly can't remember the last time the sun came up while I was experimenting with something. Overnight, this has changed the way I make music and manipulate sound. ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES. MIND Blowing!"
Billy Bush
Producer / Engineer
"I love Coldfire. So many times distortion in the digital world sounds so one dimensional but this sounds like real life. COLDFIRE brings great tweakability and unique modulation options to a palette of distortion effects that can range from warm and subtle to absolutely apocalyptic."
Luiggy Santiago
Arranger / Music Director / Grammy Award Nominee
"Amazing sound design tool, so inspiring! Also works incredibly on keyboards sounds and electric guitars as well. Definitively a must have plugin."
Press
Clippings
Engadget
On Dist COLDFIRE
"Arturia's Dist Coldfire might be the only distortion plugin you need."
Sonic State
On Dist COLDFIRE
"Dist Coldfire is absolutely fantastic. The 2 engines and the modulation makes it incredible."
Included in
FX collection
Effects you'll actually use
This effect is part of FX Collection, a suite of essential audio effect plugins empowering musicians, producers, and artists to get creative with their production. From iconic recording gear modeled with breathtaking accuracy, to cutting-edge contemporary effects, the collection includes the most fought-after studio tools, rare guitar pedals, modern mix enhancers, and beyond. Elevate your production and add color to your mix like never before.
The features
you need
DAW ready
However you use these plugins; for the amazing tone of their reverb, for the gritty preamps, or for their incredible sound design abilities, you'll be safe in the knowledge that they are fully compatible with your setup. These plugins work with all major DAWs, and on both Windows and MacOS.
TAE® Powered
The exclusive analog modeling technology that makes our emulations indistinguishable from the originals.
By accurately mimicking the characteristics of analog oscillators, filters, and soft clipping, we can provide astonishing component-accurate detail and authentic analog charm in equal measure.
Gallery
Main Features
Two distortion engines
11 distortion algorithms to choose from, each with specific controls:
Tape
Tube
Transistor
Transformer
Rectifier
Germanium
Force
Bit Crusher
Bit Inverter
Wavefolder
Waveshaper
Hidden Advanced control panel for in-depth sound design
5 routing options: Serial, Parallel, Stereo, Mid/Side, Band Split
Routing balance slider to blend Distortions A & B, with real-time visualizer
Pre or Post 3-mode Dynamics module: Compressor, Multiband, Limiter
Feedback module
6-mode Pre Filter per distortion engine, including Comb Filtering
2-band Post Filter per distortion engine
6 assignable modulation slots, each with 4 modes: LFO, Function, Follower, 16-Step Sequencer
Over 150 presets built-in
A/B comparison
Oversampling