XLN Audio RC-20 Retro Color

XLN Audio RC-20 Retro Color is the go-to plugin for adding vintage character, warmth, and imperfection to digital productions. It became essential for lo-fi hip hop but works across any genre that needs analogue texture.

Six Modules

Each module handles a different dimension of vintage character, and they can work together or independently.

Noise adds vinyl crackle, tape hiss, and static at various intensities. Choose from multiple noise profiles and control the level to taste — from barely perceptible warmth to obviously degraded vinyl. Wobble introduces pitch drift and flutter like worn tape machines and warped vinyl. Subtle settings add organic movement; extreme settings create seasick modulation.

Distort provides saturation from gentle harmonic warmth to aggressive crunch. Multiple distortion characters cover tape-style compression through to transistor clipping. Digital offers bitcrushing and sample rate reduction for retro digital artefacts — think early samplers and lo-fi converters.

Space adds reverb and ambience with vintage character, from tight rooms to washy lo-fi halls. Magnetic simulates the frequency response and gentle compression of magnetic tape, rounding transients and warming the overall tone.

The Flux Engine

The Flux engine adds randomisation across modules, creating organic variation that prevents the effect from sounding static. Each play-through sounds slightly different, mimicking how real analogue equipment behaves.

Interface

The hardware-inspired design with satisfying knobs and VU meters makes the plugin a pleasure to use. 60+ factory presets cover everything from subtle warming to heavily degraded textures, and each serves as a useful starting point.

Who Is This For?

• Lo-fi hip hop producers — almost mandatory for the genre
• Mix engineers adding analogue warmth to sterile digital recordings
• Producers wanting tape and vinyl character without hardware
• Sound designers creating retro textures and degraded atmospheres
• Anyone fighting sterile digital sound who wants instant vintage vibe