Audio engineers and producers looking to bring classic guitar-pedal distortion and saturation to their productions will rejoice over the Arturia Dist OPAMP-21, a software emulation of the classic Tech 21 SansAmp effects pedal that's known for its direct amp-like sound. The plug-in adds cutting punch, harmonic color, and pure aggression to any sound.
Whether it's that gritty rough edge, that in-your-face impact, or that final transparent boost you're after, Dist OPAMP-21 delivers the full range of crisp, urgent, colorful distortion and saturation for which you've been looking. Dist OPAMP-21 is Mac and Windows compatible and works with all major DAWs utilizing VST, AAX, AU, and NKS formats (64-bit only).
At a Glance
- Stereo distortion and saturation effect with emulated op-amp circuit behavior
- Drive, Presence, and High controls for customizing your distortion sound
- Stereo mode selector: L-R, Mid, Side
- Added Dry/Wet control for parallel processing
- Pre-Drive high-pass and low-pass filters with Curve low-end emphasis
- 3-band Output EQ with visualizer
- 2 Oversampling modes for supreme audio quality or lower latency performance
- A/B comparison
- NKS-ready
4 modes of virtual preamp:
- Modern: Flat EQ, no coloration
- Normal: Mesa-Boogie-style preamps
- Lead: Marshall-style preamps
- Bass: Fender-style preamps
Combine up to 8 character switches:
- Mid Boost 1
- Mid Boost 2
- Low Drive
- Clean Amp
- Bright Switch
- Vintage Tubes
- Speaker Edge
- Close Mikin
Amplike Distortion
Just like its hardware ancestor, Dist OPAMP-21 delivers a unique flavor of solid-state-guitar amp-style grit—responsive, organic, immediate, and as hot as you need it to be.
Character Unlocked
Explore hundreds of distortion configurations with Dist OPAMP-21's deceptively simple controls; combine its 4 modes with up to 8 character switches to find your own crunchy flavor.
For Any Sound
From adding sizzling heat to your vocals, to adding amped analog character to your instrument tracks, to saturating your whole drum bus, Dist OPAMP-21 is a true distortion Swiss Army knife.
Modern Enhanced
Surpass the traditional possibilities of guitar pedals and studio gear for a DAW-friendly workflow; enjoy a host of additional contemporary features, from parallel processing to expanded stereo controls.
Amped Sound in a Few Clicks
- Reinvigorate any sound with the thrill of guitar amp presence, the harmonic depth of cascaded op-amp circuitry, and that elusive sense of more that sometimes only analog distortion can bring. The best bit? Get all this and more in a few clicks, no audio expertise necessary.
- From mix-smoothing saturation to all-out distorted attitude, Dist OPAMP-21 is a go-to that you never realized you needed. Perfect for when your guitars need extra richness and bite in a mix, your vocals need a touch of extra presence and a grungy edge, or your drums could use a little extra punch - once it's engaged and cranked in your mix, you'll never look back.
A Direct Hit
- Step back in time to the late ‘80s, at a time when the world of music technology was witnessing innovation after innovation. Sampling was in, analog synthesizers were being upstaged by their sharper digital descendants, and guitar players were discovering a compact, reliable, consistent alternative to valve amps that was solid-state technology.
- This growing demand in alternatives to the old school of heavy temperamental amps was answered by a number of manufacturers and industry names who raced to emulate the elusive tube sound—that’s where Tech 21 came in.
- The SansAmp was released in 1989, and it was a guitar pedal that immediately looked like it had a lot going on under the hood. More than just a distortion pedal, this little black box was designed to give guitarists a convincing amped-up sound straight into the desk. To this day, it’s considered the first amp-in-a-box solution offered to musicians.
- By today’s standards, its amp emulation may not be perfect. But, like many innovative and novel bits of gear, it transcended its original purpose. Its relative wealth of controls, modes, and coloration options made it a surprisingly effective saturator, great for injecting grit and warmth into any sound. Its notoriety landed it in the hands of countless musicians, from Kurt Cobain’s iconic screaming guitars to Tchad Blake’s signature parallel saturation heard on records by Arctic Monkeys, The Black Keys, and many more. Today, Dist OPAMP-21 puts all that op-amp character and more right in your DAW.