Catalog / Unit 001
Guitar distortion processor
PUNK LAB is a guitar distortion and effects plugin for punk and alternative tones. It isn't a copy of any particular pedal or amp. It's built to be shaped: several distortion stages, parallel character layers, body and presence shaping, a room, dynamics and a 10-band EQ, from tight and bright to hollow and deliberately strange.
PUNK LAB v0.5, factory preset “Bright and Tight” (modified).
Schematic overview
Six modules, plus Input, Dry/Wet and Output across the top. Double-click any control to reset it to zero or its no-effect position.
Distortion stages
The core gain structure. Two mandible stages plus a pre-bite, a bite mix and a shell cut to set how the distortion attacks and where its top end stops.
Pre-Bite · Mandible I · Mandible II · Gut Level · Bite Mix · Shell Cut
Parallel character layers
Three parallel layers (ZZZ, Chitin and Buzz) that each have their own level and drive, blended under the main sound with Body Mass and Strike.
Body Mass · ZZZ Bed / Drive · Chitin / Drive · Buzz / Drive · Strike
Tone shaping
Five fixed-point shapers for warmth, body, nasal honk, snarl and presence, set at 260 Hz, 430 Hz, 1.35 kHz, 1.8 kHz and 3.6 kHz.
Warmth 260 · Body 430 · Nasal 1.35K · Snarl 1.8K · Presence 3.6K
Reverb
The room around the sound, from a dry close cabinet to the hollow space of the Empty Room preset.
Habitat Level · Habitat Size · Damping
Dynamics & final stage
Glue, final crush and an output ceiling to hold everything together at the end of the chain.
Glue · Final Crush · Ceiling
10-band EQ
A 10-band graphic EQ from 60 Hz to 16 kHz for final carving.
60 · 120 · 250 · 500 · 1K · 2K · 4K · 8K · 12K · 16K
Specification
.punklabpreset files to back up or shareFactory settings
Five starting points built from the finalized reference settings. Move any control and the preset shows as modified (*). The original stays protected.
Crisp, controlled punk distortion with a firm low end, fast attack, and plenty of upper-frequency bite.
Dense, saturated, hard-hitting distortion with heavy bite, strong mids, and an abrasive attack.
Extreme, compressed midrange distortion with a narrow, nasal, almost telephone-like focus.
A leaner, articulate crunch built around layered texture, upper-mid presence, and less reliance on the main distortion path.
Hollow, spacious distortion with a large audible room around it and an intentionally strange, distant character.
Recordings
Three factory presets. Each clip is a guitar recording without PUNK LAB (Before) and the same take through the preset (After). Switch between them while it plays.
Crisp, controlled punk distortion with a firm low end, fast attack, and plenty of upper-frequency bite.
Before
After
Dense, saturated, hard-hitting distortion with heavy bite, strong mids, and an abrasive attack.
Before
After
A leaner, articulate crunch built around layered texture, upper-mid presence, and less reliance on the main distortion path.
Before
After
Heads up: the After clips are louder than the Before clips.
Operating requirements
Please check these before buying. PUNK LAB is a Windows VST3 plugin only.
| Operating system | Windows, 64-bit |
|---|---|
| Plugin format | VST3, 64-bit only |
| Host | A 64-bit DAW or host that loads VST3 plugins |
| Tested on | Windows 11 with Sonar |
| Other hosts | Not yet tested. If you run it in another DAW, we'd like to hear how it goes. |
| Copy protection | None. No serial, account or internet connection needed. |
Installation procedure
Takes about a minute. There's no installer, just one file to copy.
Use the download button you get right after checkout, or the link in your receipt email.
Right-click the ZIP and choose Extract All…
Copy PhasmidPunkLab.vst3 into:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3Windows may ask for administrator permission for this folder. That's normal; click Continue.
Open your DAW and rescan or refresh its VST3 plugins if PUNK LAB doesn't show up on its own.
Start from a factory preset and start turning things.
Service record
PUNK LAB updates are free for everyone who bought it. When a new version comes out, open the download link from your receipt email and grab the latest ZIP, then replace the old PhasmidPunkLab.vst3 with the new one.
Current release.
Questions
A ZIP file containing the current version of PUNK LAB (PhasmidPunkLab.vst3). The download appears right after payment and is also in your receipt email.
No. PUNK LAB is DRM-free: no serial, no account on this site, no internet check. Copy the file in and use it.
Yes. New versions of PUNK LAB are free for existing buyers. Use the download link from your receipt to get the latest version.
PUNK LAB is a 64-bit VST3 plugin for Windows. It has been tested in Sonar on Windows 11. Other VST3 hosts haven't been formally tested yet. If you try one, let us know how it goes.
Email [email protected] first. It's often a quick fix. If PUNK LAB won't install or run on your system, you'll get a refund. See the refund policy.
Yes. Anything you record or mix with PUNK LAB is yours to release, sell or stream. See the license for the short version of the terms.
Yes. Export any preset as a .punklabpreset file and anyone with PUNK LAB can import it.
Not at the moment. Listen to the audio demos above, and if PUNK LAB won't run on your system, the refund policy has you covered.
Windows VST3 · 64-bit · instant download · free updates
Questions before buying? [email protected]