Break.
Repeat.
Freeze.
FAULTLINE is a free boutique glitch effect for electronic music — tempo-synced beat-repeat, freeze, bitcrush and performance-ready chaos, built to feel like a plugin you would pay for.
Made for techno, house, tech house, drum & bass and ambient producers and sound designers who want instant, musical glitch fills, stutters and transitions — with a clickable preset browser, A/B compare and a global bypass for fast decisions.
Free download · AU & VST3 for macOS · Version v1.0 · Windows version planned.
The real plugin interface.
Exactly as it looks in your DAW.
Creative glitch destruction for electronic music.
FAULTLINE chops, repeats, freezes and crushes your audio in time with the host — from subtle movement to full rhythmic chaos. Everything is tempo-synced and deterministic, so a glitch that sounds great bounces and recalls exactly the same way.
Beat Repeat
Tempo-synced slice repeats and stutters from lazy half-time rolls to fast 1/64 buzz, locked to the grid with click-free seams.
Freeze
Capture and sustain the current slice into a held drone or stab — zero-latency, click-free engage and release.
Glitch Engine
A deterministic, seed-driven event engine fires repeats and chops in musical patterns instead of random noise.
Bitcrush
A continuous digital-degradation insert adds grit, edge and lo-fi character on top of the rhythmic effect.
Shuffle
A one-press performance randomizer that draws a fresh, musical control state from the seed — inspiration on demand.
Hit
A momentary performance trigger that throws an instant glitch moment and pushes the effect fully wet while held.
Preset Browser
Click the preset name for a popup of all 40 factory presets, or step through them with the arrows.
A/B Compare
Store two full settings into A and B and switch instantly to compare ideas without losing your place.
Global Bypass
True processor-level dry passthrough for an honest, click-free in/out comparison straight from the header.
Faultline in action.
A quick walkthrough of the beat-repeat, freeze and bitcrush engines.
Pick a behaviour, then perform it.
FAULTLINE is built around four musical engines plus live performance controls. Drop it on a drum loop, a vocal, a synth or a full bus and it reacts in time, every time.
Beat Repeat
Rhythmic slice repeats from subtle fills to relentless rolls. AMOUNT sets the slice length, RATE sets the grid.
Freeze
Sustain a single slice into a frozen texture — trap stabs, ambient drones and risers.
Glitch + Crush
Density and Variation drive the pattern; Crush adds digital damage for broken-machine character.
Shuffle / Hit
Perform live: Shuffle re-rolls a musical state, Hit throws an instant glitch and full-wet burst.
Premium workflow. Zero clutter.
FAULTLINE is freeware, but it is built like a boutique product: a clean machined interface, a fast preset browser, instant A/B comparison and a true global bypass — so you can audition, compare and commit without breaking flow.
| Workflow | Typical free glitch tool | FAULTLINE |
|---|---|---|
| Presets | A handful, or none | 40 factory presets across drums, vocals, FX and transitions, with a clickable browser |
| Comparison | One state at a time | A/B compare to flip between two full settings instantly |
| Bypass | Host bypass only | Built-in true dry passthrough, click-free, from the header |
| Consistency | Random each playback | Deterministic engine — bounce, recall and render identical |
Start with a sound that already works.
From tight techno drivers and garage rolls to vocal stutters, freeze pads, subtle movement and build-up transitions — there is a starting point for every source, one click away.
Drums & Beats
House, tech house, techno, UK garage and drum & bass fills, rolls and percussion shreds.
Vocals
Repeat, stutter, freeze and digital-damage treatments for vocal hooks and ad-libs.
Freeze & Ambient
Frozen drones, glass pads and trap-ready stabs for texture and tension.
Build-Ups & FX
Risers, downlifters, transition drivers and drop impacts to move between sections.
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Fast answers.
Is FAULTLINE really free?
Yes. FAULTLINE is a free plugin from X-Audio. Enter your email to receive the download link.
Which formats and systems are supported?
AU and VST3 for macOS (Universal — Apple Silicon & Intel). A Windows version is planned but not included in this release.
Does it work in Ableton Live and Logic Pro?
Yes. Use the AU or VST3 in Ableton Live on macOS, and the AU in Logic Pro.
What kind of effect is it?
A tempo-synced glitch, beat-repeat, freeze and bitcrush effect with live performance controls (Shuffle, Hit) and 40 factory presets.
Will my glitches sound the same on bounce?
Yes. The engine is deterministic, so the same settings and seed render identically every time you bounce, recall or re-open the project.
How do I install it?
Unzip the download and double-click Faultline-1.0.0.pkg. The signed, Apple-notarized installer adds both the AU and VST3 automatically — no security workarounds needed. Restart your DAW and load FAULTLINE.