Output Thermal Gives You Multi-Layer, Interactive Distortions For Your DAW

June 26, 2020 Synth Anatomy News, Plugins, Software 1

With Thermal, Output shows Portal’s aggressive brother, a powerful and creative multi-stage distortion plugin for PC & Mac.

With Portal, the developers of Output showed a very exciting and creative granular plugin that offers a lot of sound possibilities. A newly developed “uber” distortion engine now flows into the same interface concept, which brings a multitude of distorted and overdriven effects.

Thermal is Portal’s tearing and growling brother. This is not about beautiful atmospheric textures, this is hardness and rich harmonics. The plugin breaks ground with a multi-stage engine that goes far beyond what multi-band distortions traditionally accomplish, inviting experimentation and inspiring creativity.

Interactive Distortion

Thermal is richly equipped with features: multi-stage distortion and effect processing, 15+ custom distortion types to choose from, 9 built-in FX with addition master compressor + filter, and a circular XY pad linked to distortion parameters.

A feature that I liked already in Portal is the XY control panel that gets new sounds in a playful way in seconds. It provides an easy interface to enhance harmonics by tapping into its layered engines, each with analog and digital distortion algorithms, effects, modulation, and imaging. Also onboard are two complex modulators that are fully customizable and mappable to any parameter.

“If you’re familiar with Output, you know we like to take traditional ideas and flip them on their heads,” said Output CEO, Gregg Lehrman. “Finding and using distortion should be less mechanical and more creative. It should inspire sound design.”