Plugin Boutique is currently offering a freebie for new users: you can get Lifeline Format by Excite Audio completely free when you sign up for a new Plugin Boutique account.
Lifeline Format is a versatile bitcrusher that typically costs $20, so this is a nice opportunity to add a gritty sound design tool to your arsenal at no cost.
This isn’t one of those “free with any purchase” promotions Plugin Boutique regularly runs (like this month’s opportunity to grab a free copy of Excite Audio Motion: Dimension Lite).
There’s no need to buy anything to get this freebie. Just register a new user account, confirm your email, and you’ll receive a unique redeem code in your welcome email. That’s it!
I tested this offer last evening and received the email one minute after signing up. Check out the screenshot below to see how it looks.
Once you have the code, add Lifeline Format to your shopping cart, apply the coupon, and complete the free checkout.
However, please note that this offer only works with new accounts. You can’t get this freebie with an old Plugin Boutique account.
Lifeline Format is part of Excite Audio’s Lifeline Modules series, which offers individual effects pulled from their larger Lifeline Expanse and Lifeline Console plugins.
Being a bitcrusher at its core, Lifeline Format focuses on audio degradation. You get four creative algorithms for reducing bit depth and sample rate while adding musical digital artifacts.
The four core modes include Degrade and Resample (classic bit and sample rate reduction), Flatten (a gated bitcrusher effect targeting transients), and my favorite Washed (a distorted “underwater” sound reminiscent of a broken MP3).
It’s a solid lineup of distortion tools that lets you go from subtle lo-fi textures to full-on sonic destruction. But Washed definitely stands out as the most unique effect that you won’t find in most other plugins (it’s close to something like Codec v2.0).
I tried Lifeline Format on some drum loops and synth pads, and it really shines when you want to inject lo-fi imperfections into a lifeless sound. The multiband functionality adds extra depth, as it lets you process specific frequency ranges independently for more detailed sound design.
There are 50 presets to help you get started, and the interface is clean, modern, and fully resizable. It’s also super light on CPU and runs with zero latency, which is a plus if you’re working on a larger session or just want to keep things snappy.
Lifeline Format is compatible with 64-bit macOS (10.15 or higher) and Windows (7 or higher) systems. It’s available in VST, VST3, AU, AAX, and standalone formats.
It’s not clear if this free offer is time-limited or if Plugin Boutique plans to rotate which plugin is available to new users, so I’d recommend signing up soon if you don’t already have an account.
Get the freebie: Lifeline Format (FREE after registering a new account on Plugin Boutique)
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Last Updated on July 7, 2025 by Tomislav Zlatic.
