Set Your Sound On fire

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Heatwave is a free one-knob saturation
plugin designed to do one thing:
Bring the Heat

Heatwave is a fast, effective, and free way to add grit and aggressiveness to almost any sound while preserving its original transients. Add sizzle to drum parts without losing the snappy attacks. Beef up a funk bass without softening the slap. Distress an acoustic guitar while preserving the intricacies of fingerstyle playing.

Heatwave employs a minimal but inspiring interface dominated by a single control to “add heat” to the sound. All the magic is hidden behind-the-scenes, so you don’t need to learn anything technical to make skillful use of the plugin. Heatwave preserves and can even exaggerate transients through a complex use of transient shaping, saturation, compression, and EQ.

Hear the Difference with HEATWAVE

Electric Bass

Cinematic Drums

Synth Bass

Horn Section

Drums

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Put on your headphones

Listen to the before and after examples of these sources as we crank up the heat.

THE CONTROLS

Drive

This is Heatwave’s main control. Use it to increase and modify saturation, EQ, compression…everything starts with this knob. This is the first control you’ll want to go for when using Heatwave. You may not need to make any other tweaks to get a great sound.

Input

The Input controls the level going into the Heatwave algorithm that is controlled by the Drive knob. This control can influence the overall sound of Heatwave by pushing audio harder into the algorithm — it can be used in tandem with Drive to customize the sound.

Clip

The Clip button adds a clipper on the output of the Heatwave algorithm which can keep unwieldy transients under control or be used to create a more aggressive or even distorted sound.

Output

The Output control adjusts the level coming out of Heatwave. This control comes after the Clip button, so the character achieved with Heatwave isn’t affected. Consequently, turning the Output up can push the output level above 0dBFS, even with Clip enabled.

Bypass

This button toggles Heatwave on and off. It can also be automated if you only want to use Heatwave at certain points in your track.

What Are The Pros Saying?

“I really love Heatwave on drums. Whether it’s subtle drive or more over the top saturation, it remains musical. I’ve found my new in the box go-to for warmth and character.”

JAMES TERRIS

Musician & Sound Designer
Naked Eyes, Wundercat, Sequential

“Heatwave is a quick path to bitey distortion that fills out in depth as you push it. Especially nice on vocals for a super clear scorch. The lower end of the knob is subtle, so don’t be afraid to push the input gain.”

SO WYLIE

Music Producer & Composer
FLAVIA, Lorelei Marcell, Olivia Reid

“I’m using Heatwave with my vintage modular synths and it quickly adds a wonderful presence and clarity to complex sounds even at low settings…it’s great! “

DREW SHLESINGER

Sound Designer, Synthesist & Composer
Eventide, Korg & Roland

“The way Heatwave enhances beats with transients and punch is impressive. It also brings an added dimension to vocals and instruments, transitioning from a pleasant lift to a tastefully assertive edge.”

WYATT MEAGHER

Producer, Musician & Ableton Certified Trainer
PRPL NRG, Unfollow Me., Telekinetic Walrus

“Coming from the orchestral world, I prefer plugins that are not overly detailed and complex. Heatwave delivers! Super easy to use, and it sounds fantastic!”

VEIGAR MARGEIRSSON

Film Composer & co-owner, Pitch Hammer Music
Joker, Batman Begins, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

“Heatwave is a perfect, fast and simple solution to shape and put the heat on my kicks.”

DEAN COLEMAN

Producer, Remixer
Chris Cornell, SIA, Junior Sanchez

HEATWAVE
Videos

Official Walkthrough

Slate Digital’s V.P. of Product Development, Chad Carrier, shows you the ins and outs of Heatwave. Learn how to make it cook and hear how it affects different sound sources.

SPICE UP EVERYTHING WITH HEATWAVE

Matt from Slate Digital shows you how he uses Heatwave to infuse his synths, guitar and drums with color and even enhance his entire mix.

Features And Specs

AT A GLANCE:

  • IT’S FREE!
  • One-knob saturation plugin
  • Transient shaping, compression, saturation, EQ—all in one
  • Preserves and exaggerates original transients
  • Drive knob ‘drives’ the entire plugin
  • Input level and Clip button influence resulting sound
  • Perfect for drums, guitars, bass, synths, and full mixes

TECH SPECS:

  • OS Compatibility: Mac, PC
  • Plugin Architecture: 64-bit
  • Format: VST2, VST3, AU, AAX
  • Hardware Requirements, Mac:
    Intel or Apple Silicon Processor
  • Hardware Requirements, PC:
    Intel or AMD Processor, 4GB RAM
  • OS Requirements, Mac:
    macOS 10.15 or later (macOS 11 or later rec.)
  • OS Requirements, PC:
    Windows 10 or 11

TWO Legendary Subscriptions.
ONE Unbeatable Price.

Get ALL of Slate Digital and Solid State Logic’s award-winning plugins in one convenient bundle. Unlock over 100 plugins worth over $12,000. Available now Month-to-Month, Annually Billed Monthly or Annually Billed Upfront.

Try Complete Access Free for 30 days. Then pay only $19.99/month with 1 year commitment

PERPETUAL LICENSE

$199

iLok USB dongle required

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