Plugin comparison
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which effect to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
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Contenders
Soundtoys Decapitator is an analog saturation plugin that models hardware consoles, preamps, and studio distortion units to add subtle to extreme warmth.
Effect / Soundtheory
Gullfoss is an intelligent equalizer that uses a computational auditory perception model to improve a mix's clarity, detail, spatiality, and balance.
Technical matrix
| Signal | Soundtoys Decapitator | Gullfoss |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $199 | — |
| Dubspot Score | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| Formats | AAX Native, AAX AudioSuite, VST, VST3, AU | AU, VST, VST3, AAX Native |
| Saturation models | Five analog saturation models modeled on vintage and modern hardware | — |
| Key controls | Analog-modeled Tone control, Mix knob for parallel processing, and a Punish button for extra gain | — |
| Sample rates | 44.1 kHz minimum to 192 kHz maximum | 16 kHz to 384 kHz |
| Architecture | 64-bit only; Apple Silicon compatible | — |
| OS requirements | macOS 10.15 or later; Windows 10 or later (not compatible with ARM-based Windows) | — |
| Current version | 5.5 (requires internet connection for activation) | — |
| Official price | — | EUR 178.00 (no USD price listed on the official store) |
| Editions | — | Gullfoss, Gullfoss Live, Gullfoss Master (share one installer) |
| Processing latency | — | ~20ms (Gullfoss & Gullfoss Master); ~2ms (Gullfoss Live) |
| Channels | — | Mono-to-mono or stereo-to-stereo (stereo compatible with M/S) |
| EQ update rate | — | ~300 equalizer updates per second; ~1000 auditory model updates per second |
| System requirements | — | macOS 10.9+ / Windows 7+, 64-bit host, OpenGL 3.2+; iLok License Manager for activation (no dongle required) |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.