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Writer's pictureMichael Joyce

RC-20 vs J37: Detailed Plugin Comparison and Review

When it comes to finding the best plugins to give your tracks that "lo-fi" character, RC-20 Retro Color and J37 are often the first 2 that come to mind. Both of these legendary plugins offer their own unique take on vinyl and tape emulation, making each a potentially valuable contributor in your mixing arsenal.


So, which one of these plugins should you spend your hard earned money on? In this guide, I compared RC-20 against Waves J37 to help you decide which plugin suits your needs best.


RC-20 vs J37: What's The Difference?


The short answer is RC-20 provides a wide variety of "lo-fi" effects such as vinyl emulation, distortion, wobble, and more while J37 offers a more focused and authentic take on tape emulation based on an actual piece of analog gear. That said, each of them will undoubtedly give your mix a more vintage, nostalgic, and warm analog feel in their own unique way.


After you’re done reading, don’t forget to check out our Bedroom Producer Essentials guide where you'll learn about all the necessary gear you need to get started on your music production journey.


With all that said, let's get into our comparison of RC-20 vs Waves J37.

 
RC-20 Retro Color by XLN Audio
  • Cost: $99.95

  • Free Trial: 7-day free trial

RC-20 is one of the most widely used "lo-fi" plugins on the market, and for good reason. This plugin packs in a ton of high-quality features and presets and the clean UI is visually appealing and easy to understand.


The plugin consists of 6 main effects: Noise, Wobble, Distort, Digital, Space, and Magnetic. For any of these effects you can control the amount applied as well as other parameters specific to each effect. There's also a master Magnitude slider which acts as a dry/wet knob to control the overall intensity of the effect applied.


Noise adds mechanical noise like vinyl crackle or tape hiss, Wobble causes subtle shifts in pitch reminiscent of an old record player, Distort adds saturation via many different types of distortion, Digital acts as a bitcrusher which adds a vintage digital texture, Space adds vintage reverb, and Magnetic adds random volume drops that are associated with playback on old tape machines.


All of those effects will help to color your sound and make it more vintage and old-school sounding. There's also tons of presets that allow you to quickly dial in certain sounds with just the click of a button.


In terms of a direct comparison against J37, there are a couple advantages RC-20 has over J37. Those advantages include:

  • A "Digital" effect

  • Built-in reverb function

  • Vinyl and tape emulation (J37 is a tape emulator only)

  • Greater number of effects

  • Dry/wet slider

All these features potentially give RC-20 a leg up against J37 depending on exactly what you're looking for from your new lo-fi plugin.


Here's a video showing RC-20 in use:

J37 by Waves
  • Cost: $29.99 (current sale price)

  • Free Trial: 7-day free trial

J37 from Waves is a digital recreation of a legendary tape machine of the same name that was used to record tons of classic records in the 1960s and was created in conjunction with the Abbey Road Studios.


While the interface is a bit more intimidating than RC-20, it offers tons of unique effects and more customization options to dial in the specific tape-inspired sound you're looking for. It features controls for wow/flutter, saturation, tape delay, bias, tape speed, and more. It also comes packed with helpful presets to give you a jumping off point for applying the effects in your tracks. The J37 is undoubtedly one of the best plugins for adding that analog warmth to your digitally-made tracks.


In terms of a direct comparison against RC-20, there are a couple advantages J37 has over RC-20. Those advantages include:

  • A "Tape Delay" effect

  • More granular control of effects

  • More unique sonic character

However, one drawback to consider is that J37 is a tape emulation plugin, while RC-20 offers both tape and vinyl emulation, making it slightly more versatile. That said, tape emulation is still a fantastic way to give your tracks that "lo-fi" grit you're after, and with J37 you're able to achieve more realistic tape emulation than RC-20.


Here's a video showing Waves J37 in use:

 

Final Thoughts


Both of these plugins are extremely popular among music producers and engineers for a reason - they're both awesome. J37 will give your mix a more authentic and focused tape emulation based on specific analog gear from the 1960s while RC-20 provides a bit more versatility and breadth of effects. In short - you really can't go wrong with either one. In fact, using both plugins in conjunction with one another would be a great idea as well.


In addition to this comparison, we also have a full guide covering some of the best plugins for lofi hip hop, so check that out if you're interested in exploring further.


Enjoyed this guide? Make sure to check out our Bedroom Producer Essentials Guide or some of our reviews/buyer's guides.


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