Temper

Temper may seem confusing at first glance. Based on a phase distortion algorithm, it can do what no other distortion plugin on this list can—much more than traditional clipping. You can customize the distortion type with three controls – Curve, Drive, and Saturation. The Drive knob goes from -10 to 10. With the gain set to zero, there is no distortion at all. At any other setting, the plugin applies a different flavor of distortion that is determined by how the Saturation and Curve controls are set.

The Cutoff control sets the frequency of the low-pass filter, and the Resonance controls emphasis. Temper also adds a bit of harmonic excitement. The spectrum analyzer shows dry and wet signals simultaneously, giving a solid visual representation of what the plugin does to your signal. You might not find much use for it on guitars or a drum buss, but it can do great things for electronic instruments and styles of music.