Plugins for Lo-Fi Hip-Hop Production

■ Greetings

This is my second post. I usually make Vocaloid songs at home using both Mac and Windows. Recently, I’ve been listening to a lot of Lo-Fi hip-hop BGM on YouTube, so I decided to challenge myself by creating some Lo-Fi tracks. In this post, I would like to introduce some useful plugins for producing Lo-Fi styled music.

■ LOVE-FI - Quiet Music

LLOVE-FI LITE is a free VST / VST3 / AU instrument plugin, perfect for composing and producing Lo-Fi beats, Chillwave, Chillhop, Lo-Fi Ambient, and more.

There are both free and paid versions available, and LOVE-FI LITE is the fully free version. With just one plugin, you can play 19 different sounds. This program serves as a preview of the paid version.

The paid version consists of the following three plugins:

（1）LOVE-FI MIGHT NIGHT – Piano, Pad, and Bass sounds

（2）LOVE-FI RHYTHM – Drum machine

（3）LOVE-FI THINGS – Ambient noise generator such as vinyl crackles and wave sounds

Even with LOVE-FI LITE, you can experience all three types of sounds, so I recommend starting with the free version. If you like it, consider purchasing the paid version, which actually is not very expensive. For those who want to create melodies instead of just using samples, this plugin could be a great help. It’s filled with pleasant and inspiring sounds that will immediately spark your creativity.

For those who want to create their own melodies instead of just arranging samples, I think this plugin is a great companion for composing. It offers many beautifully crafted sounds that instantly make you think, "This is awesome!" and will spark inspiration just by playing them.

■ Tape Mello-Fi – Arturia

Tape Mello-Fi is an effects plugin that adds the warmth of retro tape to your tracks.

It’s inspired by the legendary Mellotron, a musical instrument that was released in 1963, and it lets you recreate unique sounds using tape reels, analog circuits, and aging effects.

This plugin has four adjustable settings:

1. PREAMP
Adjust distortion with the DRIVE knob. Press the explosion-marked switch for extra distortion. The TONE knob lets you tweak the tape sound’s nuances, and the NOISE knob adds subtle texture from noise.

2.
Customize the character of the tape reel with options like Flutter (fast pitch variations), Wow (slow pitch variations), and Wear (simulating worn tape sounds). Mechanics adds mechanical noise for a retro feel.

3. TAPE STOP
Create a gradual slowdown or stop of the tape. You can sync it with the tempo from 8 bars to 1/4 bar. This feature allows you to add an interesting effect with just one click.

4. FILTER
Turning left applies a low-pass filter, while turning right applies a high-pass filter. This can dramatically change the sound, making it a useful tool for song transitions.

Currently, this plugin costs $99, though it was previously offered for free. It’s worth purchasing at this price, but you may want to check for any sales or discounts first.

■ Audiomatic Retro Transformer (Reason Plugin) – Propellerhead

This is a "retro converter" plugin bundled with the Reason DAW. Unfortunately, it cannot be purchased separately, but Reason itself comes with a large number of effects and instruments, such as unique synths and drum machines, making it a great DAW to consider for serious music producers.

Audiomatic is a fun, intuitive plugin that doesn’t require much thinking. It has 16 modes, including:

Vinyl mode

Tape mode

Wash mode (?)

Each mode instantly creates a Lo-Fi or retro atmosphere with just a click. You can listen to examples of each mode on SoundCloud.

■ iZotope Vinyl

This well-known plugin allows you to recreate the texture of records from specific years (1930-2000). It’s a free plugin that you can use once registered, and here are some of its features:

RPM: Choose from 3 options for record speed, changing the frequency of noise.

Mechanical: Adds mechanical noise like clicks and clacks.

Electrical: Adds electrical noise.

Lo-Fi: One-click button to add extreme Lo-Fi effects.

Spindown: Slows down the sound, like when a record player is turned off.

Dust: Adds a dusty, scratchy noise.

Scratch: Adds intermittent breaks and skips in the sound.

Warp: Alters the pitch for a degraded sound.

■ Other Lo-Fi Plugins

There are many more Lo-Fi plugins out there, including:

• RC-20 Retro Color - XLN Audio
• Retro Fi - Waves Audio
• Lofi Space - Waves Audio
• Tape Cassette 2 - Caelum Audio
• Origin - Cymatics

If you want to dive deep into Lo-Fi sounds, I highly recommend checking these out!

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