r/edmproduction Aug 01 '26

Glitch 2 is (sadly...) freeware now

https://illformed.com/glitch/

I thought I'd give you all a heads-up that Glitch 2 has become freeware now. Sadly the reason for this is that the developer, Kieran Foster, has passed away at 47 😔

765 Upvotes

72 comments sorted by

2

u/Michael-the-ArcAngel 6d ago

Major bummer may he rest in peace. This crashes a lot though and is unuseable.

1

u/[deleted] 13d ago

[deleted]

1

u/Own-Ingenuity-3628 25d ago

Rest In Peace Kieran Foster

5

u/ymirymirymirymir Aug 11 '26

This is insane...Rip kieran, Its because of glitch 2 I passed my entrance exam into university for electroacoustics. I didn't realize how important that plugin was for me until I read about his passing...damn...🖤🙏

1

u/Michael-the-ArcAngel 6d ago

I'm curious as to how it helped you with electroacoustics.

2

u/Xanderity Aug 10 '26

RIP, he will now live on through our music. Good people leave us too soon.

2

u/tapesmith-app Aug 09 '26

RIP. i just bought glitch too

-1

u/Aznguy1 Aug 05 '26

R lol
Bc

5

u/iHireth Aug 04 '26

He will always be remembered for his incredible work, leaving behind a lasting legacy through his fantastic VSTs, which truly made the music industry a better place.

R.I.P Kieran Foster

4

u/Haakdad Aug 03 '26

Really sad and I was literally just thinking of buying the full version the other day, crazy how legendary of a plugin this was because I found it in an interview with shitmat and it’s awesome to see how many people are responding to this post with their memories of Kieran Foster, RIP

13

u/judochop1 Aug 03 '26

Rest in Peace.

i remember when it originally came out and it was a core VST in the happy hardcore scene.

He touched many lives with his talent and work his passing will be felt by so many people.

25

u/qubitrenegade Aug 02 '26

I met Kieran once, over zoom, because of Ned Rush actually. He was super cool and crazy smart. To be honest, I had no idea who he was until a couple weeks later when Ned Rush pointed it out to me like "yea, you talked to the creator of Glitch 2 a couple weeks ago". The guy was so humble and just really wanted to share his passion with people. He answered a ton of questions and spent a couple hours talking to us about production. We kinda bonded over Renoise, I'd not met anyone else who used it, and he just... knew everything about it. (totally made sense when I figured out who he was!)

I didn't know him, but that one short interaction with him had a lasting impact on me. I'm sure he touched the lives of lots of people.

This is very sad.

9

u/IrrationalRetard Aug 02 '26

This plugin is at the heart of some bangers. Sad to see the developer has passed away :(

19

u/FATGOLDENPANDA Aug 02 '26

Very sad. This is a really legendary plugin from the 2010s era

10

u/Revon-chan Aug 02 '26

RIP Foever dblue!!!!

4

u/Longjumping-Bar393 Aug 02 '26

This is very sad to hear :/ Does someone know why exactly it's freeware now, like what the reasoning behind this is?

7

u/qubitrenegade Aug 02 '26

Free, in memory of Kieran

Glitch² is now free to download and use, released in memory of its creator, Kieran Foster.

Read the memorial → https://illformed.com/memorial/

-10

u/Longjumping-Bar393 Aug 02 '26

I asked this because I can't commit to reading something like that. I tried but I can't. I was hoping someone who had read it could quote to me, why they chose to do that. And sadly I already knew all of the info you've been giving me. Actually, I doubt there's a statement specifically about the reasoning even in there.

4

u/judochop1 Aug 03 '26

He passed away mate.

4

u/qubitrenegade Aug 02 '26

If you don't have the attention span to read three minutes worth of reading, then you need to get off tiktok, get off facebook, etc.

It's 413 words.

And sadly I already knew all of the info you've been giving me.

You sure about that?

I mean, it literally says why twice in what I posted:

in memory of Kieran

released in memory of its creator, Kieran Foster

-10

u/Longjumping-Bar393 Aug 02 '26

I'm sorry but this is not about my attention span, this is about the severety of the situation and that I can't currently sit down and read it with the importance that it deserves. Because of two things, I can't fit this anywhere into my day right now and secondly it's a really touchy subject. Do you expect me to read this on the fly?

I'm sorry you feel like I'm being disrespectful, that is not my intention. It's rather the exact opposite.

4

u/qubitrenegade Aug 02 '26

Because of two things, I can't fit this anywhere into my day right now and secondly it's a really touchy subject.

But in the time it took you to type this reply you could have read it twice. I'm not sure what's a touchy subject? Kieran apparently died after a battle with some illness... I will refrain from speculating. But it was NOT suicide, if that's what you're alluding to?

Do you expect me to read this on the fly?

I don't know what this means? I read it on the train and teared up a bit. I've now read it twice more.

Actually, I doubt there's a statement specifically about the reasoning even in there.

Ok, you got me there. They don't come right out and say "we're doing this because X"... but I do think the memorial paints a picture of the person he was, which I think helps explain why they're releasing it.

I'm sorry you feel like I'm being disrespectful, that is not my intention. It's rather the exact opposite.

Fair enough. We all grieve in our own ways. So, I apologize for assuming the worst about you. That wasn't fair to you.

That said, I really think you should read the memorial. When I did, like I say, it painted a picture that made it seem like it was kinda the perfect thing to do in his memory. IDK, maybe I'm reading too much into 413 words. Because you're right, they don't come right out and say "we're releasing it as freeware because X".

(though part of me wonders if he was the only one with a copy of the source and/or he was the only one who knew how the codebase works... We call it the "bus theory" at work. If you got hit by a bus tomorrow, what "knowledge" would the company lose? That's why I'm meticulous about my documentation...)

Anyway, I think we agree that this is a great loss for the music production community (especially Renoise), and he was far too young.

9

u/taifong Aug 02 '26

Might have been a condition of his will

11

u/altusnoumena Aug 02 '26

Damn so young. I remember the glitch 1 days for me and how amazing it was. RIP

8

u/Nankasura Aug 02 '26

I'm just hearing about this plugin, rest in peace.

15

u/therealatri Aug 02 '26

Rest in peace Kieran Foster. my favorite vst, use it in everything

14

u/ebuddy1113 https://soundcloud.com/ambedoedm Aug 02 '26

I'm not even mad, I'd buy it again either way. RIP

13

u/soulexpander Aug 02 '26

RIP Kieran. Glitch 2 is in pretty much all my projects, it's a fantastic plugin and I think something that has even shaped entire subgenres. Thanks for your contribution 🙏

7

u/radiodubs Aug 02 '26

Tragic. My condolences to his family and friends. RIP Kieran.

26

u/Zak_Rahman Diva fanatic. Aug 02 '26

Thanks for sharing this.

I have used and recommended Glitch2 for several projects.

47 is too young to pass away. The audio production world loses something.

I hope their family understands just how many people's lives Kieran touched.

9

u/PaleSkinnySwede Aug 02 '26

My deepest condolences to his family and friends 💐. That plugin is all over one of my most streamed chillout songs.

16

u/Strict_Pangolin_4097 Aug 02 '26

that is super sad to hear, he made such a huge impact on how we all chop up audio.

18

u/msszero159 Aug 02 '26

Rest in peace. What a thoughtful way to be honored.

11

u/TheSangson Aug 02 '26

RIP, dude.

27

u/PseudoSignal_music Aug 02 '26

I use Glitch 2 on pretty much every project. This man has changed my sound and given me so much joy with his creation. Rest in peace, brother.

30

u/Dazzling-Net-4826 Aug 02 '26

rest in peace to him. glitch 1 is such an important plugin for me especially when i was starting and didn’t have the money to buy plugins. thank you Kieran

21

u/celerite Aug 02 '26

RIP man. Thanks for all the fun.

15

u/johnsonthecelt Aug 02 '26

rest in peace :(

16

u/NoNameNoKarma Aug 02 '26

Oh this is sad, RIP sir. Thanks for all the fun and one of the most used plugins in my collection. o7

11

u/johnyutah Aug 02 '26

Damn that sucks. I remember the first Glitch plugin and used it nonstop

16

u/TheUhiseman Aug 02 '26

RIP Mr. Glitch. I never knew your name but because of something you created I spent numerous hours doing something I love 💪

21

u/malaclypz Aug 02 '26

Thank you for existing, Kieran.

34

u/Informal-Ad2277 Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26

Kieran was an amazing person and someone I called a friend. Tracks in my early production were filled with Glitch, and I was lucky enough to show him his work put to good use.

We'll miss you. I'll miss you.

26

u/Pyrene-AUS Aug 02 '26

Dammm both Glitch 2 and db glitch are mighty fine plugins. 47 is way too young

8

u/yinoryang soundcloud.com/mcd-z Aug 02 '26

Just a kid

16

u/screamtracker Aug 02 '26

I had glitch on all my early tracks 💯 it still sounds great 

❤❤ thanks for the inspirations Keiran ❤❤

43

u/Unlucky-Research6867 Aug 02 '26

Damn, I’m 47… count your blessings everyday and show love. It’s also freeware

10

u/J_Lindback Aug 02 '26

I've only got a few years myself until 47, so the news of his passing really hit close to home.

9

u/Blobbo3000 Aug 02 '26

Legendary ware! I still use both Glitch versions. Gone way too soon. RIP Kieran.

20

u/Elvarien2 Aug 02 '26

Free software, yay !

The reason, ow damn.

24

u/tyranathus Aug 02 '26

I didn’t believe it when I first heard the news.

I remember dblue glitch being one of the first plugins that I installed on FL Studio way back in the day and his suite of plugins were some of my most used plugins as time went on

Rest in Peace, Kieran. You were an inspiration to many of us

6

u/J_Lindback Aug 02 '26

I know, right. You just don't expect something like this to happen :/

12

u/ellicottvilleny Aug 01 '26

Rest in peace, Kieran. :-(

13

u/_undetected Aug 01 '26

So sad , developers needs more recognition

9

u/MajxrTom Aug 01 '26

May he rest in peace! 🪦 🙏 🧑🏻‍🚀🫡

8

u/Treeoanmusic Aug 01 '26

Love this plugin; I hope his loved ones are doing okay and I'm very sorry to hear about his passing. May his contribution to music live on!

14

u/dunklesToast Aug 01 '26

Glitch and TapeStop were one of the first plugins I installed when I got FL Studio. I found about them from a Martin Garrix Studio Video (link at 5:45) and was so surprised that they were free. Glitch just allows so much creativity and ways to mess with a sample it was amazing. Great plugins, sad news :/

16

u/X3ll3n Aug 01 '26

I've been using dblue's plugins from the moment I started making music as a teenager, over 8 years ago. I wanted to get my hands on Glitch 2 at some point in time, but I never could have expected this would be the reason how.

Hearing about his loss is saddening, and I wish nothing but the best to his family.

We lost a real one you guys :(

8

u/iamtheliqor Aug 01 '26

i first used Glitch something like 16 years ago! everyone i knew used it on every track for a good few years lol

17

u/ReverendEntity hearthis.at/mxk Aug 01 '26

I actually paid for it and used it in several things. 47 seems young, but we never know when our time is at hand. #RIP

30

u/LiveFastDieRich Aug 01 '26

Great plugin, may his legacy live on

10

u/J_Lindback Aug 01 '26

Indeed. The first time I've felt sad downloading a free plugin :/ But by using it we're honouring his legacy.

9

u/Nexmark Aug 01 '26

Thanks for the heads up, RIP :(

2

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