DAWJunkie has released Hot Switch Jr., a distortion plugin that is available for free in a limited-time offer.
Developer DAWJunkie has been featured in some articles here already, as they offer a suite of free plugins based on their paid XL versions. Last time I covered their experimental stereo phase synth aptly named Slurpy Jr, which had a couple of cool tricks up its sleeve.
My impression of the DAW Junkie brand is that it prioritizes function over form. The Jr.-style plugins usually have a very minimal interface with a limited number of controls.
The dated, retro aesthetic is something you’ll either love or hate, but the design is at least never confusing or overwhelming – you dial these in by ear quickly instead of getting lost in a myriad of knobs, sliders, and incremental adjustments.
This time, DAWJunkie is back with a free distortion plugin called Hot Switch Jr, made for infusing your tracks with warm saturation and added texture. It works on both Windows and macOS and comes in AU and VST formats.
You have three different saturation stages: “warm”, “hot,” and “melt” respectively. Each stage has a knob that controls the amount of distortion and a small button labeled “extreme” that can be engaged for even more bite.
The three different saturation stages can be operated in isolation or in combination with each other, which opens up for anything between subtle fatness, warmth, and presence to very gritty sounds that are constantly breaking up in different ways.
This could definitely be used to lift a slightly too anonymous lead instrument up from a busy mix, thicken up some pads, crush drums, or use the extreme amounts of distortion for sound design purposes.
I didn’t manage to find a manual for the plugin, which is kind of a bummer. It’s not like you need a manual to operate Hot Switch Jr., but in a time where the plugin market is overly saturated with basic saturation and distortion plugins, knowing what’s going on under the hood is always nice.
Does it enable oversampling, for instance? What are the different saturation stages actually doing regarding transfer curves and the like? These things are, of course, irrelevant when you adjust by ear: if it sounds good, it is good. And Hot Switch Jr. can sound good!
Learning new things about audio and getting to know what your tools are actually doing is interesting for some of us.
Furthermore, I bet most readers here already own way too many overlapping, redundant plugins bogging up their FX list.
With that said, Hot Switch Jr. produces some interesting tones, and it is free for a limited time. If this sounds like the thing for you, grab it while it’s hot.
Download: Hot Switch Jr. (FREE for a limited time – email required)
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Last Updated on November 3, 2025 by Tomislav Zlatic.
