USER MANUAL BETA

Small beast.
Serious bite.

Unleash Basilisk.

Basilisk moves from focused crunch to venomous saturation without sanding away transient detail. Two carefully voiced clipping stages, a musical filter and a level control make it fast to dial in good tones and difficult to make them boring.

VST3 / MAC + WINDOWSAU / MAC

Download & get started ↗

Basilisk plugin artwork — THE KING OF SERPENTS.
NOW IN YOUR SIGNAL CHAIN.

USER MANUAL BETA

Download Basilisk.

01

Open your Ordesa DSP email

Open the email from Ordesa DSP containing your Basilisk download link. Use the email address associated with your beta invitation.

02

Follow the download link

Open the link in that email to access your Basilisk downloads. Sign in if prompted, using the account associated with your invitation.

03

Choose your platform

Download the ZIP for Windows or macOS to the computer where you will use Basilisk. On macOS, choose AU for an AU-compatible DAW, or VST3 for a VST3 host.

Basilisk download page showing the Windows and macOS download options — Select the ZIP for your operating system.

Windows installation ↗macOS · VST3 installation ↗macOS · AU installation ↗

Cannot find the email?

Check spam or junk folders. Contact contact@ordesadsp.com with your invitation email address if it is still missing.

USER MANUAL BETA

Install on Windows.

01

Extract the ZIP

Close your DAW. Right-click the downloaded Windows ZIP and choose Extract All….

02

Copy the plugin

Copy the extracted Basilisk Distortion.vst3 into the folder shown opposite. If it is a folder, copy it whole.

Windows may ask for administrator permission to copy into Program Files.

03

Open your DAW

Reopen your DAW, rescan VST3 plugins if needed and load Basilisk Distortion on an audio track.

Windows File Explorer showing Basilisk Distortion.vst3 in C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3 — The extracted plugin in the shared VST3 folder.

VST3 destinationC:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\

Paste this path into File Explorer. Create the folder if needed.

First use

Follow the license activation steps.

VST3 folder reference: Steinberg VST 3 Developer Portal ↗

USER MANUAL BETA

Install VST3 on macOS.

01 Install the plugin

Close your DAW and extract the ZIP. In Finder, press Shift + Command + G and open:

~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/

Optional · Create the VST3 folder

Only if the folder does not exist, run in Terminal:

mkdir -p ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3

Now copy Basilisk Distortion.vst3 from the extracted ZIP into this folder.

02 Allow the beta to load

This beta is not yet notarized; macOS may show “Apple could not verify…”. Developer ID signing and notarization are planned for launch.

Open Terminal, paste this command and press Return:

TERMINAL / macOS

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine \
  "$HOME/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/Basilisk Distortion.vst3"

Removes the download quarantine flag from only Basilisk Distortion, without disabling macOS security settings. Run it only on the beta received directly from Ordesa DSP.

No output usually means success. Repeat after installing a new beta if needed.

03 Open your DAW

Reopen your DAW and rescan VST3 plugins if needed. Load Basilisk Distortion on an audio track, then activate your license.

Finder showing Basilisk Distortion.vst3 in the user Library Audio Plug-Ins VST3 folder — Basilisk Distortion.vst3 in your user VST3 folder.

USER MANUAL BETA

Install AU on macOS.

01 Install the plugin

Close your DAW and extract the ZIP. In Finder, press Shift + Command + G and open:

~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/

Optional · Create the Components folder

Only if the folder does not exist, run in Terminal:

mkdir -p ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components

Now copy Basilisk Distortion.component from the extracted ZIP into this folder.

02 Allow the beta to load

This beta is not yet notarized; macOS may show “Apple could not verify…”. Developer ID signing and notarization are planned for launch.

Open Terminal, paste this command and press Return:

TERMINAL / macOS

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine \
  "$HOME/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Basilisk Distortion.component"

Removes the download quarantine flag from only Basilisk Distortion, without disabling macOS security settings. Run it only on the beta received directly from Ordesa DSP.

No output usually means success. Repeat after installing a new beta if needed.

03 Open your DAW

Reopen your DAW and rescan Audio Units if needed. Load Basilisk Distortion on an audio track, then activate your license.

Screenshot pendingmacOS AU folder

Basilisk Distortion.component in your user Components folder.

USER MANUAL BETA

Activate your license.

Connect to the internet and use the account associated with your Basilisk beta invitation.

01

Open Basilisk

Load Basilisk in your DAW. Choose Activate Invitation from its license screen.

02

Sign in through your browser

The plugin opens the Ordesa DSP activation page. Sign in with the email address that received your beta invitation.

No account yet?

Click on → Create account. Enter your name, invitation email and password. Choose Sign up, confirm your email, then return here. Already registered? Use password reset if needed.

03

Use your beta license

Select the Basilisk license linked to your invitation and click Use license. Confirm activation for this computer.

04

Return to your DAW

Keep Basilisk open. Complete the browser steps, then return to your DAW and wait for activation to finish.

Basilisk license screen showing the online activation option — Choose online activation from inside Basilisk.

Ordesa DSP browser activation page confirming that the Basilisk license is activated — Confirm in the browser, then return to Basilisk.

USER MANUAL BETA

Main controls.

Basilisk plugin interface with Distortion, Filter and Volume controls — Main interface

01

Main Toolbar

Manage presets, save sounds, and access license and update settings.

02

Distortion

Sets the intensity and harmonic density of both clipping stages.

03

Filter

Moves from dark and thick to cutting and present.

04

Volume

Matches level or pushes the next processor in your chain.

05

Bypass

Turns the effect on or off. When bypassed, the original signal passes through without processing.

USER MANUAL BETA

Advanced settings.

Open the panel with the arrow at the bottom of the interface.

06

Input Trim

Adjusts the level entering the distortion circuit. Use it to compensate for hotter or quieter inputs.

07

Mode

Normal quality uses less CPU. High quality provides maximum processing quality.

08

Level meters

Shows or hides the lateral level meters.

USER MANUAL BETA

Uninstall Basilisk.

Save your project and close your DAW. Follow the steps for your operating system.

Windows

01

Open the VST3 folder

Press Windows + E to open File Explorer. Paste this path into the address bar and press Enter:

C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\

02

Delete Basilisk

Select Basilisk Distortion.vst3 and press Delete. If it appears as a folder, delete that entire .vst3 folder. Approve administrator permission if Windows asks.

macOS

01

Open the folder for your format

In Finder, press Shift + Command + G. Paste the path for the format you installed and press Return:

VST3

~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/

AU (Audio Units)

~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/

02

Move the plugin to the Trash

Select Basilisk Distortion.vst3 for VST3, or Basilisk Distortion.component for AU. Press Command + Delete to move the entire item to the Trash.

If you installed both formats, remove both from their respective folders.

USER MANUAL BETA

Help & support.

The plugin does not appear.

Check that the extracted .vst3 or .component is in the correct folder. Enable the installed format in your DAW, rescan and restart the host if needed.

Windows installation ↗macOS · VST3 ↗macOS · AU ↗

macOS blocks the beta.

Follow the Terminal step for your format: VST3 or AU. Check the filename and folder. Repeat after a new beta download if needed.

No sound or unexpected levels.

Check track routing, Input Trim and Volume. Toggle Bypass to compare the original signal.

Playback struggles.

Select Normal quality in the advanced panel to reduce CPU use.

USER MANUAL BETA

Version & changelog.

Plugin: Basilisk Distortion 0.3.0 · Beta1
Manual: Revision 05 21 October 2026 · English

Plugin changelog

0.3.0

Beta1

Initial beta release.

CURRENT VERSION

ordesadsp.com/products/basilisk ↗

Small beast.Serious bite.

Download Basilisk.

Open your Ordesa DSP email

Follow the download link

Choose your platform

Install on Windows.

Extract the ZIP

Copy the plugin

Open your DAW

Install VST3 on macOS.

01 Install the plugin

02 Allow the beta to load

03 Open your DAW

Install AU on macOS.

01 Install the plugin

02 Allow the beta to load

03 Open your DAW

Activate your license.

Open Basilisk

Sign in through your browser

Use your beta license

Return to your DAW

Main controls.

Main Toolbar

Distortion

Filter

Volume

Bypass

Advanced settings.

Input Trim

Mode

Level meters

Uninstall Basilisk.

Windows

Open the VST3 folder

Delete Basilisk

macOS

Open the folder for your format

Move the plugin to the Trash

Help & support.

The plugin does not appear.

macOS blocks the beta.

No sound or unexpected levels.

Playback struggles.

Version & changelog.

Plugin changelog

Beta1

New beasts.Fresh tones.

Small beast.
Serious bite.

New beasts.
Fresh tones.