Serato - Hex FX

Serato Hex FX is a multi-effects plugin with 50 chainable effects and over 200 presets, for producers who want character and movement on drums, samples, bass and buses. It runs as VST3, AU and AAX on Mac and Windows.

The idea is six effect slots in a chain, with one big control on top. The Hex Dial isn't a wet/dry knob: it moves parameters across the whole chain at once, so a single turn can take a loop from clean to crunchy and smeared. It's a more playable way to work than automating six plugins separately.

The effects

Bit crushers, compression, delays, distortion, filters, modulation, reverbs, saturation, shapers and time stretch, with some nods to the SP-404, the Commodore Amiga and old reel-to-reel along the way. Version 1.1 added a four-mode spring reverb, Cassette Sim with hiss, wow and flutter, and a 3-band EQ. The lo-fi side is where it really shines: grit that sits behind a beat rather than on top of it.

Performance FX

This is where the DJ heritage shows. Brakers, repeaters, halftime, vinyl backspins, Serato's Rollout and DJ Transform can be triggered and tweaked in real time, which is great for live-feeling transitions and fills in a beat.

Presets and the Macro Editor

Over 200 presets, including signature chains from Disclosure's Guy Lawrence, Lord Finesse, DECAP, Jake One and others. The Preset Macro Editor lets you decide exactly how each effect responds to the Hex Dial.

Who it's for

Hip-hop, lo-fi and house producers who like effects as a creative tool rather than a corrective one. It isn't a surgical mixing toolkit, and that's not what it's for.

Features

• 50 effects across six chainable slots
• Over 200 presets, including artist signature presets
• Hex Dial multi-parameter control and Preset Macro Editor
• Performance FX: brakers, repeaters, halftime, backspins, Rollout and DJ Transform
• Spring Reverb, Cassette Sim and 3-band EQ
• Customisable chains and user presets
• Formats: VST3, AU and AAX

System requirements

• Version: Serato Hex FX 1.2
• Mac: macOS 14 Sonoma, 15 Sequoia or 26 Tahoe; Intel Core i5 or Apple Silicon (M1 or later)
• Windows: Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit; 6th generation Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 3000 series or later. Windows on ARM is not supported
• CPU with AVX support
• 8GB RAM, 15GB free disk space
• A DAW that hosts VST3, AU or AAX plugins
• Licence: activation code redeemed at serato.com

SOUND7 is an authorised Serato reseller. Digital delivery: licence activation code sent by email.

Demo