There is an interesting open-source plugin project called Wet that brings together a collection of free audio plugins for Mac, Windows, and Linux. In this video, I take a look at six plugins from the Wet collection, covering delay, reverb, EQ, compression, and a more ambitious mastering processor.
What makes Wet particularly interesting is not just the fact that the plugins are free. The project is open source, and the developers have built the plugins directly on the official Steinberg VST3 SDK rather than using JUCE or another third-party framework. The collection also supports both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs, along with Windows and Linux.
Wet Delay
Wet Delay is an 80s rack-style digital delay designed around a vintage 12-bit digital character. It includes six delay times extending up to 2400 milliseconds, stereo operation, channel cross-talk, and input and output metering.
The combination of the rack-style interface and 12-bit character gives it a distinctly vintage digital direction rather than trying to emulate a modern, ultra-clean delay.
Wet Reverb
Wet Reverb follows a similar 80s rack-style approach, this time with a digital reverb processor featuring a 12-bit character.
Several reverb options are included, including Schroeder-style diffusion, room, plate, hall, cathedral, and cosmos modes. Stereo operation, channel cross-talk, and LED-style metering are also part of the design.
Wet EQ
Wet EQ takes inspiration from British console-style equalizers. The plugin includes desk-style saturation, channel cross-talk, high-pass and low-pass filters, input gain controls, and gain-dependent Q.
It is designed more like a console channel EQ than a modern surgical equalizer, making the character of the processing part of the workflow.
Wet Compressor 76
Wet Compressor 76 is based around a 76-style compressor circuit model. One of its more interesting characteristics is that distortion increases as compression increases.
The compressor includes fast, normal, and slow time constants, step input and output controls, input gain reduction metering, and output metering.
The Wet Mastering Processor
The most ambitious plugin in the collection is simply called Wet. It is an open-source desk-style mastering processor built around an eight-stage fixed signal chain.
The processing chain includes input gain, HPF, color, LF shelf, HF shelf, compression, widening, and output gain. Instead of presenting a huge collection of individual mastering controls, Wet takes a more structured approach to the mastering signal path.
More Plugins Are Coming
At the time of recording, two additional free plugins were described as upcoming. Depending on when you watch the video, they may already be available.
The Wet project is worth watching because the interesting part goes beyond the individual plugins. Making the source code available and building the software around the official Steinberg VST3 SDK gives the project a different approach from many commercial and freeware plugin developers.
The collection supports Windows, Linux, and macOS, including both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.
If you’re looking for free audio plugins with vintage-inspired processing, or you’re simply interested in open-source music production software, the Wet collection is an interesting project to explore.
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