What It Does
Signal by Zaebects recreates analog television transmission at a technical level. Rather than applying a surface-level filter, it actually encodes your video as a modulated analog signal, separating luminance and chrominance, then decodes it back into a color image. The result is analog degradation that behaves the way real signal interference does, not a stylized approximation.
It works in both After Effects and Premiere Pro.
Key Features
Real analog signal emulation. The core of Signal is a genuine simulation of how analog video encoding works. Distortions emerge from the physics of the signal model, which is why the output tends to read as authentic rather than digital.
Many tweakable parameters. You can degrade specific parts of the signal independently, giving you control over how and where the breakdown appears. This makes it useful for anything from subtle vintage warmth to full signal collapse.
Several noise types. Multiple noise modes let you dial in the character of the degradation, whether that’s tape dropout, luminance noise, or chroma bleed.
Authentic TV bend distortion. The plugin includes the kind of horizontal bending and sync instability you’d see on an aging CRT with a misaligned head, a detail that’s hard to fake convincingly with other tools.
Old videotape aesthetics. Beyond the signal model, Signal covers the visual signatures of VHS, including color smearing and the soft, washed quality of magnetic tape playback.
Who It’s For
Signal is a good fit for editors and motion designers working on projects where analog authenticity matters: music videos, retro title sequences, horror or lo-fi content, archival-style documentary work, or any project where a VHS pass needs to hold up under scrutiny. It’s also available as part of the Zaebects Bundle alongside Physarum and Modulation 2, which saves 23% if you need multiple tools from the same developer.
Pricing
Signal is a one-time purchase at $39.99 for a single-user license. Floating server and render-only licenses are also available at different price points. A free trial is available via aescripts. Educational discounts of 50% off are available for qualifying buyers. Signal is also included in the Zaebects Bundle for 23% savings across three plugins.