Numerical Audio Mr. LoFi, creative audio degrader FX plugin for iPadOS

Numerical Audio Mr. LoFi is a new creative audio degrader effects processor for iPadOS with AUv3 plugin support.

With today’s available technologies, anyone can compose professional music at a high level without noise, etc. With the growing interest in analog technology (synths, etc.), interest in the sound of the 80s and 90s was rekindled.

This gave rise to a trend that led to the introduction of numerous audio degrader plugins to the market. Numerical Audio Mr. LoFi is the latest and is a new one for iPad musicians.

Numerical Audio Mr. LoFi

Mr. LoFi is a new, easy-to-use, creative audio degrader FX plugin for iPadOS. Yes, that’s right. Numerical Audio Mr. LoFi is only available for iPadOS. There is no iPhone or macOS AUv3 version. Let’s see, maybe in the future.

At its core is a macro control knob that gives you hands-on control over the selected effect, infusing vintage, nostalgic effects into your audio source.

But don’t let the simplicity fool you – beneath the surface lies a powerful engine meticulously crafted to simulate the soul of vintage hardware, says Kai Aras of Numerical Audio.

Before the audio infusion, you can set the input level of your signal and add drive for crispier results. In the next step, you can select one of four distinct playback modes: 

• Cassette: inspired by analog mixtapes with warm saturation, tape hiss, and subtle pitch variations
• VHS: a unique, wobbly audio character of classic videotapes
• Vinyl: the timeless sound of records with authentic crackles, pops, and the gentle hum of a turntable
• Vintage Digital: the early days of digital audio with bit-crushed textures, sample rate reduction, and the signature sound of early microprocessors.

A nice selection of different flavored engines. Then, Numerical Audio Mr. LoFi gives you four different speaker emulations zu choose from: (Studio, Hi-Fi (80s/90s home stereo system), Boombox (punchy, mid-focused), and Television (vintage CRT television).

The playback engines and speaker emulations can be instantly mixed into sounds using the big macro knob. Since the modes are all available on the interface without menu diving, you can quickly swap modes and try them out.

Further, you can fine-tune your nostalgic sound with advanced controls, including noise (hiss, hum, and crackle), warble (pitch instability), and H-Control. The latter is also a form of creative macro control that changes according to the selected mode. 

First Impression

Anyone familiar with apps from Kai Aras or Numerical Audio is probably familiar with the Artifacts Lofi Processor and plugin. This one follows the same audio degradation principle and offers more control over the effect.

Mr. LoFi appears to be an interesting audio degrader for iPadOS. However, I wonder how similar or different it is from Artifacts LoFi. We’ll have to see in the tests.

Numerical Audio Mr. LoFi is available now for an introductory price of $5,99 instead of $9,99. It runs as a standalone app and AUv3 plugin on iPadOS.

More information here: App Store 

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