Jon BellonaJared KnofczynskiButterfield, Arden2023-09-192023-09-192023-01https://hdl.handle.net/1794/2889373 pagesLossy audio compression is a digital process that uses models of human hearing to remove parts of the sound deemed less important, in order to compress audio to much smaller file sizes. The MP3 encoding process, one of the most famous lossy audio compression formats, can impart audio with a distinctive watery, muffled sound at higher levels of compression. This sound, which I call “lossy distortion,” can be used as a musical effect to inspire nostalgia for early digital audio, or for a more abstract, ethereal sound. In analyzing creative uses of lossy distortion and existing plugins for lossy distortion, I identify some desirable features that are lacking from existing plugins. To fill these gaps, I built two lossy distortion plugins. One, called Empy, gives the user control over a wide variety of lossy distortion sounds. The other, Fish, emulates a particular sound of lossy distortion that other plugins struggle to achieve, by modifying a popular piece of MP3 encoding software. In their sound and user interface, these plugins explore new ground in the rapidly developing field of lossy distortion plugins.enCreative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0-USlossy compressionaudioVSTaudio effectdigital signal processingThesis / Dissertation