Cotorro Audio has released P1E-RU, a free multiband harmonic exciter plugin for Windows.
P1E-RU splits your signal into three fixed frequency bands (low from 20 Hz to 350 Hz, mid from 350 Hz to 2.5 kHz, and high from 2.5 kHz to 22 kHz) and lets you apply saturation to each one independently.
I don’t like that you can’t adjust the crossover points, but the Linkwitz-Riley crossover architecture keeps everything phase-aligned, which is nice for a free plugin.
There are three saturation models to choose from. Analog gives you classic tape-style harmonics, Vintage leans toward tube-like even harmonics, and Digital is a more aggressive model with harsher transients.
Each band has its own mix control, so you can blend in exactly how much saturation you want per range. It would be cool if we could apply different saturation types to different bands.
The output knob gives you ±12 dB of gain, and there’s a bypass switch for quick A/B testing to make sure you’re actually improving the signal and not just crushing it. The plugin uses fixed 2x oversampling for a smoother high end.
It’s a simple plugin, but in my opinion, that’s the appeal. I just wish the frequency bands were adjustable.
That said, if you need to saturate your signal with a bit more precision than a full-band exciter allows, P1E-RU is a pretty good option. It lets you focus on just the highs in a vocal or just the lows in a bass without affecting everything else.
The developer recommends it for master bus glue in subtle amounts, vocal thickening, electric guitar and bass enhancement, and adding punch to drums.
The potential deal-breaker is that P1E-RU is Windows-only and available only in VST3 and LV2 formats. No macOS or Linux support for now.
P1E-RU is hosted on itch.io as a pay-what-you-want download, so you can grab it for free or throw a few dollars the developer’s way.
Fair warning, if you’re a sucker for indie video games like me. Itch.io will recommend some games alongside the download, and if you spot something you like, good luck not losing an afternoon to it.
Download: Cotorro Audio P1E-RU (FREE / pay what you want)
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Last Updated on April 6, 2026 by Tomislav Zlatic.
