Dist OPAMP-21 by Arturia distortion plugin interface

Dist OPAMP-21: Op-Amp Distortion Effect by Arturia

Rated 4.6/5 on Plugin Boutique (8 ratings)

Dist OPAMP-21 is a stereo distortion and saturation effect plugin from Arturia, built around an emulated op-amp circuit. It offers four virtual preamp modes and up to eight character switches for shaping grit, warmth and drive.

VST2AUAAXStandaloneWindowsmacOS64-bit

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01Overview

Dist OPAMP-21 is an Arturia effect in the Distortion subcategory, available as a VST2, AU, AAX and standalone application. It is modeled on a classic solid-state guitar pedal approach to amp-style grit, adapted for production work in a DAW. Users can select one of four preamp modes, combine character switches, and use stereo mode, filtering, output EQ and dry/wet mixing to shape the result. It runs on Windows and macOS in 64-bit hosts.

Best for

Guitar distortion
Vocal saturation
Drum bus grit
Parallel distortion
Bass preamp tone
Mix saturation

Developer: Arturia
Category: Distortion
Store: Plugin Boutique

02Key features

What you get

Stereo distortion and saturation with emulated op-amp circuit behavior
Four virtual preamp modes: MODERN, NORMAL, LEAD and BASS
Up to eight combinable Character switches
Drive, Presence and High controls for shaping distortion
Stereo mode selector: L-R, Mid and Side
Dry/Wet control for parallel processing
Pre-Drive high-pass and low-pass filters with Curve control
3-band Output EQ with visualizer and two oversampling modes

03In depth

Sound and Distortion Character

Arturia describes Dist OPAMP-21 as a distortion and saturation effect inspired by a guitar pedal, with a direct, amp-like sound. The plugin offers Drive, Presence and High controls for shaping the distortion, along with a Pre-Drive high-pass and low-pass filter section with a Curve control for low-end emphasis.

The four modes are MODERN, which uses a flat EQ with no coloration, and NORMAL, LEAD and BASS, which are based on Mesa Boogie, Marshall and Fender style preamps. Up to eight Character switches can be combined, including Mid Boost, Low Drive, Clean Amp, Bright Switch, Vintage Tubes, Speaker Edge and Close Mic-ing, so many different tonal configurations are possible.

Workflow and Routing Controls

For parallel processing, the Dry/Wet control blends the processed signal with the original. The stereo mode selector offers L-R, Mid and Side processing, and a 3-band Output EQ with visualizer helps adjust the final tone.

Two oversampling modes are available, one for higher audio quality and one for lower latency. An A/B comparison function lets you switch between settings while listening. The plugin is NKS-ready.

04Specs

Will it run?

Formats, systems and requirements as listed by Plugin Boutique. Missing details are left out, not guessed.

Developer	Arturia
Type	Plugin
Category	Distortion
Formats	VST2, AU, AAX, Standalone
Operating systems	Windows, macOS
Architecture	64-bit

05FAQ

Questions, answered

What is Dist OPAMP-21?

Dist OPAMP-21 is an Arturia distortion and saturation effect plugin built around an emulated op-amp circuit. It provides stereo processing with four preamp modes and a set of selectable character switches.

Which formats and operating systems does Dist OPAMP-21 support?

Dist OPAMP-21 is available in VST2, AU, AAX and Standalone formats. It runs on Windows 10 and later (64-bit) and macOS 10.13 or later, and ARM processors are not supported on Windows.

What do I need to use Dist OPAMP-21?

It needs a 64-bit DAW that supports VST2, AU or AAX, or it can run as a standalone application. The system requirements list 4 GB RAM, a 4-core CPU at 3.4 GHz, 1 GB of free disk space and an OpenGL 2.0 compatible GPU.