GMH Audio Releases Free “Buzz Cut” Audio Clipper VST/AU Plugin

GMH Audio has introduced Buzz Cut, a freeware audio clipper available in VST and AU plugin formats for compatible 32-bit and 64-bit DAW applications on PC and Mac.

Buzz Cut is a clipper effect featuring a live waveform display which shows the amplitude of the incoming audio signal in real time. The waveform display also shows the area affected by the clipper circuit to help visualize the amount of applied clipping. The plugin’s features are somewhat reminiscent of the old GClip effect by GVST, although Buzz Cut adds compatibility with Mac-based plugin hosts to its spec sheet.

The control scheme is rather simple, consisting only of three sliders and a couple of buttons. The three sliders affect the input gain, ceiling value, and the output gain. The button labeled HQ will soften the clipping algorithm to prevent harshly distorted sounds. Finally, the Bypass button simply turns the processing on or off.

While testing Buzz Cut, I was quite happy with the results. The interface is well-designed and the clipper sounds as expected. My favorite use for clippers is shaving off the loudest peaks without affecting the transients too heavily. I will often use a clipper before a limiter or a compressor to slightly level out the signal before additional processing. In that regard, Buzz Cut is a perfectly capable tool with intuitive controls and a low CPU footprint.

The plugin can be downloaded completely free of charge from the product page linked below, no registration required. Buzz Cut will work in all VST/AU plugin hosts on PC and Mac. GMH Audio has recently released another freeware plugin called Stereo Tool which is a simple utility for manipulating stereo signals (for something more advanced, check out the recently released Wider plugin by Polyverse Music).

Buzz Cut is available for free download via GMH Audio (1.9 MB download size, ZIP archive, 32-bit & 64-bit VST/AU plugin format for Windows & MacOS).