/ Saturation / RC-20 Retro Color v2 Upgrade
XLN Audio

RC-20 Retro Color v2 Upgrade

4.9
$19.00 $39.00

51% off until Jan 12

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Main Image
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UI 2
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Product information
Important note: this is an upgrade for owners of RC-20 Retro Color v1. The full version of v2 can be found here.

Add character and analog warmth to any track or mix

RC-20 Retro Color recreates the sound and imperfections of vintage recording gear, now with a creative Echo and an expanded palette of effects to explore. RC-20 adds depth, movement and character, from subtle vintage warmth to warped, otherworldly textures. Take any sound and hear it in color.

New Echo Module

With RC-20’s effects inside the feedback loop, your echoes take on a life of their own. Each pass adds more color, texture, and character.

  • Bring Wobble, Distort, Digital, Space, and Loss into the Echo loop.
  • Push feedback into self-oscillation for cascading swells.
  • Add shimmer and atmosphere with pitched or reversed Grains.

Codec mode

New Codec mode

This new LOSS mode blends MP3-style compression with formant shifting for modern digital degradation. Add packet dropouts using audio repeats or FFT Freeze, then smear the artifacts with Blur.

Distortion types

New Distortion types

Explore new distortion types (Tape, Classic Pre, and Porta) or reinvent legacy ones by pushing them harder with the new Overload feature.

New spaces

New spaces, from familiar to far out

Explore 32 new reverb types, from lush rooms, halls and plates, to cabinets and springs, paired with otherworldly spaces like Thunder and Spectral, in a collection curated for vintage flair.

What's New in RC-20 Retro Color v2

  • Echo: A feedback delay with RC-20 inside the loop so repeats wobble, distort, and degrade as the sound evolves with each pass.
  • Grains: Transform delay trails into wide, shimmering ambient soundscapes and granular textures.
  • Codec: Dial in digital grit that’s become today’s retro, from lossy network compression and packet dropouts to formant shifts and smeared, blurry artifacts.
  • Expanded Sonic Palette: Explore new tape, classic preamp, and 4-track cassette distortions, 32 new reverb types, warp modulation, Digital Sputter and Drive, Space ducking, and pre/post Noise blend.
  • Movable Modules: Drag Wobble, Distort, Digital, Space, and Loss into any order to discover unexpected interactions and timbres.
  • Focus/Cut Filters: Target effect ranges precisely with dedicated filters in the Noise, Wobble, Distortion, and Loss modules.
  • Tempo Sync: Keep modulation, Magnetic tape flutter, and Echo times locked to your project's tempo for beat-synced movement.
  • Loudness Match: Audition changes objectively without volume bias by automatically matching processed output to the dry signal level.
  • Faster Preset Browsing: Instantly discover, categorize, and export presets using tags, custom collections, search filtering, and seamless preset sharing.
  • Enhanced Production Workflow: Stay in the groove with full undo history, module locking, modifier-key control of several parameters at once, snapshot comparisons, oversampling, and master compression.
  • Compatible with v1: The new version of RC-20 Retro Color installs alongside the original, so your existing projects open just as they did before. All the original v1 factory and artist presets are included in v2. You can also import your own v1 presets in a few clicks.
Noise Module
NOISE

Add the texture your sound is missing

Bring your sound to life with vinyl crackle, tape hiss, and a host of new textures, from dial-up chatter to crowds.

  • Blend noise in pre- or post-effects.
  • Shape noise with Cut filter.
  • Set the noise to follow your track or duck under it.
Wobble Module
WOBBLE

Perfectly unstable. Perfectly in time.

Simulate pitch instabilities and speed fluctuations of analog playback. Lock to BPM to create organic rhythmic patterns.

  • Morph between sine and square modulation shapes.
  • Warp the waveform for organic movement.
  • Spread Wobble out for rich, wide chorus.
Distort Module
DISTORT

From gentle warmth to absolute fire

Add grit and grind to color or crush. Saturate a synth, dirty a drum loop, or push your sound until it bursts into flames.

  • New tape, preamp, and 4-track cassette distortion types.
  • Push distortion to its choking point with Overload.
  • Use Focus/Cut to mangle with precision.
Digital Module
DIGITAL

A bit rough around the edges

Add the gritty character of vintage samplers and digital gear, from lo-fi crunch to choked, sputtering fuzz.

  • Lower the sample rate and bit depth for retro bitcrushing.
  • Crank Sputter for a choked, gated "dying battery" sound.
  • Round off harsh edges with Smooth.
Space Module
SPACE

Your sound is going places

Add depth and atmosphere with lush reverbs, characterful rooms and experimental textures, all soaked in vintage flair.

  • Keep busy mixes clear with responsive reverb ducking.
  • Reshape reverb length and timbre with Stretch.
  • Place your reverb in the stereo field with Pan/Width.
Loss Module
LOSS

Codec Magnetic

Give your sound the character of lossy digital audio, with compression artifacts, formant shifts and smeared textures.

  • Dial in packet dropouts for glitchy, fragmented textures.
  • Randomize the phasing of digital artifacts with Blur.
  • Create repeating/freezing packet loss dropout glitches.

Awards

Testimonials
DJ Zinc

DJ Zinc

DJ, Producer & Rinse FM presenter with over 1,000,000 physical record sales across his own productions and labels.

"Great on soft synths, textures, and anything that needs a bit of mojo."

Greg Wells

Greg Wells

Grammy-winning Record Producer, Multi-Instrumentalist, Songwriter & Audio Engineer

"This RC-20 plugin is a blast. Nicely done, XLN Audio!"

MusicTech

MusicTech

The No.1 website for musicians, producers and DJs.

"RC-20 is a wobbly, wonky, fizzy, soul-warming slice of awesome".

Product Reviews
XLN Audio RC-20 Retro Color Review at Music Radar

Our Verdict Not only one of the best retro-ising plugins around, but also a powerful sound-design tool in a general sense, RC-20 is a wobbly, wonky, fizzy, soul-warming slice of awesome. Pros Makes anything sound old. Simple, stunningly effective processors. Cons Space mo...

Read More
System Requirements
  • RC-20 Retro Color v2 is available in VST3, AU and AAX formats and is compatible with all major DAWs, including FL Studio, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Cubase, and more.

Mac

  • macOS 10.13 or later (Apple Silicon Native supported) (64-bit only)
  • 2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended)
  • Internet connection (during installation only)
  • VST, AU, AAX

Windows

  • Windows 7 - 11 (64-bit only)
  • 2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended)
  • Internet connection (during installation only)
  • VST, AAX
Customer Reviews (31)
Reviews Summary

Customers overwhelmingly praise RC-20 V2 as a fantastic and well-priced upgrade to an already legendary lo-fi plugin. Reviewers highlight its intuitive workflow, expanded sound design capabilities ranging from subtle to extreme, and exciting new modules like the delay. While widely considered a must-buy no-brainer, a minor critique noted that the preset selection could be expanded.

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