MBD4 – Multiband Distortion & Compression

Four bands. 32 distortion models. Your kind of damage.

Give your bass more bite without driving the sub into fuzz. Add weight to a drum bus, bring grit to a vocal, or push a synth loop into a completely different texture. MBD4 puts distortion and dynamics together, with independent control over four frequency bands.

This multiband distortion plugin combines 32 distortion models with a compressor in every band. Choose your frequency splits, select a different character for each region, and decide whether distortion comes before or after compression.

Start gently, push harder, or blend a little destruction into the original sound.

Put the Dirt Where It Belongs

MBD4 lets you focus on the part of your sound that needs attention.

Split your signal into LOW, LOW MID, HIGH MID and HIGH using three adjustable crossovers. Keep the low band free of distortion while adding harmonics to the mids. Roughen up percussion above the kick, thicken a guitar, or add a digital edge to the upper bands.

Every band has its own compression, distortion and processing order. Solo individual bands to hear what you are shaping, then return to the full signal and find the right balance.

Listen Some Audio Demo here:

 

 

From Warmth to Wreckage

Explore a palette that runs from rounded saturation to aggressive fuzz, clipping, wavefolding and digital damage.

Choose valve-style breakup, germanium and silicon fuzz, diode and FET drive, tape-inspired saturation, transformer colour or console-style density. For a more radical sound, reach for Wave Fold, Wave Wrap, Digital XOR, Zero Gate or Feedback Scream.

Every band has access to all 32 distortion models, plus OFF. Combine different characters across the spectrum, or focus a single model on one frequency region.

DRIVE / REDUCE sets the intensity, DIST MIX blends the effect locally, and DIST OUT helps balance the level.

Compress the Distortion. Distort the Compression.

Processing order changes the way a sound responds. MBD4 lets you choose that order separately in every band.

PRE Compression

Place distortion before the compressor, so compression reacts to the harmonics and level changes created by the distortion.

Use this approach to add character, then shape the resulting dynamics.

POST Compression

Place distortion after compression and makeup gain. Control the incoming dynamics first, then drive the result into your selected distortion model.

Use PRE in one band and POST in another to build a different response across the spectrum.

Dynamics with Character

Each band includes threshold, ratio, attack, release, knee and makeup gain controls. Let transients through, tighten sustained energy, or use stronger compression for a denser sound.

Stereo-linked detection applies the same gain reduction to the left and right channels within each band. Dedicated gain-reduction meters show how much the compressor is working, while band SOLO and BYPASS controls make it easier to hear each change.

Need compression without distortion? Select OFF in the distortion menu.

Want distortion without gain reduction? Set the compressor ratio to 1:1.

Blend in the Attitude

Use DIST MIX to balance distortion within each band, then use the global DRY / WET control to blend the complete processed signal with the dry path.

Build a heavily compressed, saturated texture and bring it in gradually. Add a trace of fuzz to a bass, thicken a drum loop, or mix a rough layer underneath a clean vocal.

Input gain, local distortion output and global output gain give you control over the balance as you work.

128 Factory Impact Presets

Find a starting point with 128 Factory Impact presets, organised into eight categories with 16 presets in each:

• Drums Bus – Weight, punch, saturation and parallel processing for drum groups.
• Drums Hits – Character for kicks, snares, claps, hats and percussion.
• Bass – Low-end control, harmonic detail, drive and fuzz.
• Guitar – Valve-style crunch, transistor bite and heavier textures.
• Vocals – Warmth, density, grit and creative vocal processing.
• Synth Keys – Colour for synths, arpeggios, pads and keyboard sounds.
• Mix Bus – Cohesion, tonal character and controlled density for groups and stems.
• Creative Destroy – Folding, digital damage, broken textures and extreme transformations.

Adapt the crossover points, dynamics and distortion to your source, then save your own settings.

See the Spectrum. Shape the Sound.

The colour-coded crossover display shows the four frequency regions over an output spectrum analyser. Drag the crossover markers or use the frequency controls to choose where each band begins and ends.

Input and output peak meters, individual gain-reduction displays and an interface scalable from 75% to 200% keep the controls readable as you work.

Automate processing parameters from your DAW to change drive, blend and dynamics throughout a track.

32 Distortion Models to Explore

Original Characters

Disto Fuzz, Rage Clip, OverDrive, Bit Reducer and Multi Fuzz.

Five original MultiBlasterFX characters, from overdrive and clipping to fuzz and sample-rate reduction.

Valve

Valve Warm, Valve Push-Pull and Valve Starved.

Explore rounded saturation, balanced two-stage drive and sagging, low-voltage-style breakup.

Transistor, Diode and FET

Germanium Warm, Germanium Broken, Silicon Fuzz, Diode Clip, LED Clip, JFET Drive and MOSFET Drive.

Move between soft asymmetry, spluttering fuzz, brighter transistor textures and different clipping responses.

Tape, Transformer and Console

Tape Saturation, Transformer Iron and Console Drive.

Add magnetic-style colour, transient rounding and dense saturation.

Clipping, Shaping and Rectification

Hard Clip, Soft Clip, Cubic Drive, Sine Shaper, Wave Fold, Wave Wrap, Rectifier, Octave Fuzz and Crossover Drive.

Shape peaks, fold waveforms, introduce discontinuities or explore rectified and octave-up fuzz textures.

Digital and Dynamic

Bit Crush, Digital XOR, Zero Gate, Slew Drive and Feedback Scream.

Reduce amplitude resolution, scramble bits, gate textures, reshape fast transitions or introduce nonlinear feedback.

MBD4 at a Glance

• Four independent frequency bands: LOW, LOW MID, HIGH MID and HIGH.
• 32 distortion models plus OFF, available in every band.
• Independent PRE or POST compression distortion routing per band.
• Dedicated threshold, ratio, attack, release, knee and makeup gain controls per band.
• Stereo-linked compression within each band.
• Per-band DRIVE / REDUCE, DIST MIX and DIST OUT controls.
• Three adjustable 24 dB/octave Linkwitz–Riley crossovers.
• Band SOLO and BYPASS controls with individual gain-reduction meters.
• Global input gain, output gain, DRY / WET and BYPASS.
• Output spectrum analyser and input/output peak meters.
• 128 Factory Impact presets across eight categories.
• User preset saving and loading in the full version.
• Resizable interface from 75% to 200%.
• DAW automation of processing controls.

Try MBD4 on Your Own Tracks

Explore the demo with 32 presets selected across all eight Factory Impact categories and a limit of 51 minutes of audio processing per plugin instance.

SAVE remains available, so you can keep settings you create while exploring. Loading and reloading user presets are disabled in the demo. DAW project state saving and recall remain available.

Download the demo and hear what MBD4 brings to your drums, basses, vocals and synths.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is MBD4?

MBD4 is a multiband distortion and compression plugin from AudioBlast. It splits audio into four frequency bands, each with a compressor and a choice of 32 distortion models.

Can I use a different distortion in every band?

Yes. All four bands have independent model selection, DRIVE / REDUCE, DIST MIX, DIST OUT and PRE / POST compression routing.

What is the difference between PRE and POST compression?

PRE places distortion before compression, so the compressor reacts to the distorted band. POST places distortion after compression and makeup gain, so the compressed signal drives the distortion.

Can I keep the low end free of distortion?

Yes. Set the LOW band distortion to OFF and process the other bands separately. Compression remains available in the LOW band.

Can I use MBD4 as a multiband compressor?

Yes. Set distortion to OFF in all four bands and use their independent compressor controls. To use distortion without gain reduction in a band, set its ratio to 1:1.

What is the difference between Bit Reducer and Bit Crush?

Bit Reducer changes the sample-rate texture. Bit Crush reduces amplitude resolution, ranging from 16 down to 2 bits as its intensity increases.

How many presets are included?

The Factory Impact bank contains 128 presets in eight categories: Drums Bus, Drums Hits, Bass, Guitar, Vocals, Synth Keys, Mix Bus and Creative Destroy.

Can I use parallel processing?

Yes. DIST MIX blends distortion locally in each band, while the global DRY / WET control blends the complete processed path with the dry path.

Are the distortion models replicas of specific hardware?

The valve, germanium, FET, tape and transformer names describe their intended sonic character. They are character algorithms rather than measured replicas of specific hardware circuits.

Can I resize the interface and automate parameters?

Yes. The interface offers sizes from 75% to 200%, and processing controls can be automated from your DAW.

What are the demo limitations?

The demo provides 51 minutes of audio processing per plugin instance and 32 presets selected from all eight Factory Impact categories. SAVE is enabled. Loading and reloading user presets are disabled. DAW project state saving and recall remain available.

Where can I find the user manual?

The MBD4 English User Manual covers installation, activation, crossovers, compression, all 32 distortion models, routing and preset management.