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
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them, Dubspot may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects our scores or what we recommend (read our policy).
Contenders
RC-20 Retro Color v2 adds an Echo module, Varispeed and moveable modules to XLN Audio's vintage texture effect. $99 intro price at Plugin Boutique.
Effect / Cableguys
ShaperBox 3 by Cableguys is a multi-effect plugin combining 11 effect processors, each driven by drawable LFO waveforms with optional 3-band processing.
Score verdict
On the Dubspot Score, ShaperBox 3 comes out ahead (8.7). That said, the right pick depends on your workflow and budget — read both reviews before deciding.
Technical matrix
| Signal | RC-20 Retro Color | ShaperBox 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $99 intro to 12 Jan 2027 (list $129) | — |
| Dubspot Score | 8.6 | 8.7 |
| Formats | VST3, AU, AAX | VST 2, VST 3, AU (Mac only), AAX |
| Type | Creative effect / character processing plugin | — |
| Effect modules | Noise, Wobble, Distort, Digital, Space, Loss, plus the new Echo module | — |
| Plugin formats | VST3, AU, AAX (64-bit) | — |
| Mac requirements | macOS 10.13 or later (64-bit) | — |
| Windows requirements | Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) | — |
| Upgrade from v1 | $19 at Plugin Boutique until 12 Jan 2027 (list $39) | — |
| Trial | 10 days, full version | — |
| Magnitude control | Single slider to scale the intensity of all active effects at once | — |
| Included effects | — | 11 Shapers: Pitch, Reverb, Time, Drive, Noise, Liquid, Filter, Crush, Volume, Pan, Width |
| Multiband | — | Every Shaper can be split into 3 bands, each with independent LFO and envelope follower controls |
| Modulation | — | Drawable LFO waveforms plus envelope follower per band |
| Mac formats | — | VST 2, VST 3, AU, AAX (Intel and Apple Silicon) |
| Windows formats | — | VST 2, VST 3, AAX (64-bit) |
| System requirements | — | macOS 10.15 or later; Windows 7, 8, 10 or 11 |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.