Free Software Friday is our regular Friday feature here at the dBs Institute blog. We dig the depths of the music production and media webosphere and discover what downloadable plugin freebies are worth double clicking each week.
Fans of free VST plugins will instantly recognise TDR (Tokyo Dawn Records). Responsible for some of the most iconic free plugins available, their reputation is well deserved. Today, we're highlighting Molotok, a free compressor that makes some huge improvements on an old classic.
A simplified version of the TDR Molot GE (€40), the Molotok and it's bigger brother aren't emulations of vintage hardware, its sound and behaviour are definitely inspired by that era of hardware. It goes without saying that both versions are heavily inspired by the classic Molot compressor by Vladislav Goncharov, that's made pretty much every 'Best Freeware' list since its release.
This foundation on the idiosyncratic nature of vintage hardware makes Molotok incredibly flexible with whatever you throw at it. Vocals can receive some refinement, some punch and life can be added to guitars and basses, but much like the original VladG Molot, where this plugin really shines in on drums and percussion. Crisp and punchy hits are a breeze, or you can decimate your loops into dust.
Despite its clear influence from the VladG Molot, the most notable departure is in the interface which has been completely redesigned and comes with a host of workflow improvements. You now have a bypass switch, can A/B test, resize the UI (from 100% to 150%), adjust the refresh rate and take advantage of the preset manager.
TDR Molotok is available to download for free on both Windows and macOS (VST/VST3/AU/AAX, 32-bit, 64-bit) using the link below.
FIND OUT MORE
https://www.tokyodawn.net/tdr-molotok/
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