CamelCrusher

CamelCrusher is a legendary free distortion plugin from Camel Audio. Although discontinued, the plugin is still available for download and can be used in modern DAWs. The plugin combines three different effects into one capable sound coloration and tone-shaping tool. CamelCrusher includes a distortion module, a filter, and a compressor. All three modules feature simple controls and provide great-sounding results. I love using CamelCrusher on drums.

Apply a tiny bit of tube distortion, a subtle filter cutoff, and some gentle compression in Phat Mode, and a thin-sounding drum loop transforms into a heavy-hitting version of itself. Another great feature is the Mix knob which lets you apply parallel processing to your signal. This is particularly useful when using higher amounts of distortion, as it lets you dial down the intensity while preserving the distorted texture.