Rustortion
Rustortion is a free guitar and bass amp simulator for Linux and Windows, built in Rust.
What Rustortion is
Rustortion is a free guitar and bass amp simulator for Linux and Windows, built in Rust. It can run standalone with JACK or as a VST3 or CLAP plugin in a DAW. Its signal processing offers 12 DSP stages, including preamp, compressor, tone stack, power amp, effects, graphic EQ, and NAM model loading. Oversampling is configurable from 1x to 16x, and impulse response cabinet simulation is available for guitar and bass. Users can save and load presets, switch them with keyboard hotkeys, record in real time, use a built-in tuner, apply FFT-based pitch shifting, and connect MIDI controllers. Plugin bundles are listed for Linux x86_64, Linux aarch64, and Windows x86_64. The project is MIT-licensed, experimental, and under active development; it advises use at the user's own risk. Linux builds require PipeWire and JACK support plus a Rust toolchain. There is no macOS build. The interface supports English and Simplified Chinese. Linux x86_64 is labeled tested in a DAW, while Linux aarch64 and Windows x86_64 builds were created in CI but not hand-tested.
Good
- Free and MIT-licensed
- Standalone, VST3, and CLAP formats
- Configurable 1x–16x oversampling
- Impulse response cabinet simulation
- Built-in tuner and MIDI support
Watch out
- No macOS build
- Experimental and under active development
- Linux requires PipeWire, JACK support, and Rust
- Some plugin builds were not hand-tested
Who it suits
Rustortion suits guitarists and bassists on Linux or Windows who want a standalone amp simulator or a VST3/CLAP plugin. It may also interest users seeking preset switching, MIDI support, recording, and cabinet simulation.
Verdict
Rustortion offers a broad set of amp-simulation and audio tools in free Linux and Windows builds. Its experimental status, Linux requirements, and lack of a macOS build are important limits to consider.
Plans and prices
From Rustortion's own pricing page, checked 9 Oct 2001.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Rustortion | Free | MIT-licensed; standalone and VST3/CLAP builds |
The facts
Each one read from Rustortion's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Audio formats
- It runs standalone with JACK or as a VST3 or CLAP plugin in a DAW.checked 9 Oct 2001
- Build requirements
- The README lists Linux with PipeWire and JACK support and a Rust toolchain as requirements.checked 9 Oct 2001
- Cabinet simulation
- Impulse response cabinet simulation is available for guitar and bass.checked 9 Oct 2001
- Hardware testing
- The project says it has been tested on a Raspberry Pi 4 and a reasonably high-end desktop PC, and that results may vary on other hardware.checked 9 Oct 2001
- License and maturity
- The project is MIT-licensed, described as experimental and under active development, and says it should be used at the user's own risk.checked 9 Oct 2001
- Localization
- The README lists English and Simplified Chinese UI support.checked 9 Oct 2001
- Other tools
- The feature list includes real-time recording, a built-in tuner, FFT-based pitch shifting, and MIDI controller support.checked 9 Oct 2001
- Plugin builds
- The release page lists VST3 and CLAP plugin bundles for Linux x86_64, Linux aarch64, and Windows x86_64.checked 9 Oct 2001
- Plugin testing
- The latest release labels Linux x86_64 as tested in a DAW and Linux aarch64 and Windows x86_64 as built in CI but not hand-tested.checked 9 Oct 2001
- Presets
- Users can save and load presets and switch presets with keyboard hotkeys.checked 9 Oct 2001
- Processing
- It offers configurable 1x–16x oversampling and 12 DSP stages, including preamp, compressor, tone stack, power amp, effects, graphic EQ, and NAM model loading.checked 9 Oct 2001
- Purpose
- Rustortion is a low-latency guitar and bass amp simulator built in Rust.checked 9 Oct 2001
Where it runs
- Platform limitation
- The README says there is no macOS build because plugin signing and notarization require an Apple Developer ID.checked 9 Oct 2001
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