What It Does
Modulation 2 applies a physical modulation and demodulation algorithm to video, simulating how brightness information travels through analog radio signals. Higher brightness areas produce higher frequencies, lower brightness produces lower frequencies. The result is a distinctive analog distortion look, ranging from subtle wave-based color shifting to heavy glitch-style effects depending on how you push the parameters.
Originally an After Effects plugin, Premiere Pro support was added in version 2.1.0 (August 2025).
Key Features
Five color modes. Greyscale, RGB, CMY, CMYK, and HSV give you distinct ways to work with color channels. CMY and CMYK look similar but behave differently: in CMY mode the Key color appears at the intersection of the three channels, while in CMYK the Key channel is modulated independently.
Omega, Phase, and Distortion controls. These three parameters drive the wave animation. Omega scales the waves, Phase controls how much waves react to color values, and Distortion sets the number of waves. Animating these three together creates the characteristic moving, shifting look.
Lowpass filters. Three checkbox-based lowpass filters plus one adjustable lowpass filter are available. At very low values on the fourth filter (around 0.0040 or lower), combined with Distortion set to 1000, the effect produces an unusual blurry quality that behaves differently from a standard blur.
Switchable channels. Individual color channels can be toggled on and off, giving you fine control over which parts of the image the effect touches.
Direction and orientation. Waves can run forward or backward, and can be oriented vertically or horizontally.
Who It’s For
Modulation 2 suits editors and motion designers working on music videos, title sequences, or any project that calls for analog-era distortion aesthetics. The color mode options make it flexible enough for both monochrome and full-color treatments. Because Premiere Pro support was added recently, it works natively in the timeline without a round-trip to After Effects.
Pricing
Modulation 2 is a one-time purchase at $39.99. A free trial is available from aescripts. Upgrades from Modulation 1 are free for purchases made after April 1, 2024; otherwise the upgrade costs $10, applied automatically at checkout when you log in.
Modulation 2 is also available as part of the Zaebects Bundle (with Signal and Physarum) at $99.99, saving 23% compared to buying separately.