7 Best Rotary Speaker & Leslie Plugins 2025

If you’re chasing that unmistakable swirling motion, three-dimensional depth, and organic movement that only a spinning cabinet can deliver, you’re in the right place. Rotary effects have shaped the sound of organs, guitars, synths, and even vocals for decades, and today’s best rotary speaker plugins capture that magic with remarkable realism.

From subtle chorale shimmer to full-tilt tremolo swirl, modern emulations don’t just imitate the effect; they recreate the character, warmth, and physical behavior of real horn and drum rotors. Whether you want to add gentle motion to pads, gritty tube-driven movement to guitars, or wide, expressive stereo animation to keyboards, the leading options offer everything from detailed rotor physics to mic modeling, cabinet resonance, acceleration behavior, and more.

What follows is a breakdown of the standout choices available right now, each bringing its own flavor of movement, saturation, and spatial energy to your mixes. Let’s dive into what makes each one special and how they help your tracks come alive.

1. Arturia – Rotary CLS-222

The Arturia Rotary CLS‑222 is a detailed rotary speaker emulation designed to bring the classic Leslie cabinet sound into your DAW. It delivers authentic rotor motion, tonal nuance, and stereo movement without needing physical hardware.

With dual preamp modes, rotor customization, and a visualizer that shows rotor behavior, the plugin can be used on organs, guitars, synths, and even pads, adding motion, depth, and character to any track.

• Rotary Speaker Simulation

You get a highly authentic recreation of the Leslie-style rotary speaker, with separate bass and treble rotors that rotate independently. The plugin simulates the natural Doppler effect and harmonic modulation caused by rotor movement, so instruments feel like they are performing in a live space.

As I mentioned, you can add depth, movement, and dimension to organs, guitars, synths, or pads, giving tracks to add more organic and immersive character. The stereo field dynamically changes with rotor motion, letting you place sounds more expressively in a mix.

• Dual Preamp Modes

You can choose between two preamp styles to shape the tonal character of the signal. The clean op-amp mode preserves clarity, providing a transparent and accurate sound that’s perfect for subtle modulation or maintaining articulation in dense mixes!

The valve mode introduces harmonic warmth, subtle saturation, and compression-like behavior, which enhances the musicality of the effect, giving sounds a vintage, analog feel. You can switch modes on the fly or automate them for expressive tonal changes within your track.

• Rotor Speed Control

Here you can toggle between slow and fast speeds, reproducing the classic Leslie “chorale” and “tremolo” effects. Also, you can automate speed ramps for smooth transitions, creating swells, builds, or dynamic contrasts that respond naturally to your arrangement.

The control affects both bass and treble rotors independently, giving you fine control over how modulation evolves over time. This is ideal for expressive performances or adding motion to static sounds.

• Stereo Width and Balance

Adjust the stereo width of the rotor effect to taste, from a subtle spread to a fully immersive, wide rotation. Bass and treble components have separate balance controls, letting you sculpt the stereo field and frequency emphasis precisely. This helps the plugin sit perfectly in any mix, whether you want a subtle sense of movement or a dramatic, space-filling effect. It’s especially useful when working with layered instruments or multitrack arrangements, ensuring clarity and cohesion.

• Dry Bass Option

You can also keep the low end completely dry while applying rotor modulation to the mids and highs. This prevents bass frequencies from becoming muddy or losing definition, which is crucial for modern mixes where low-end clarity is essential

• Lastly, Built in High-Pass Input Filter

2. T-Racks Leslie

Rotary speaker sounds have defined the warmth and motion of organs, guitars, and synths for decades.

Capturing the essence of both slow and fast rotor motion adds depth and movement to any instrument. T-Racks Leslie brings that iconic swirling character into your DAW as a software plugin, faithfully reproducing treble and bass rotor dynamics with natural Doppler effects.

I find it  satisfying when you dial in the right settings, it makes your tracks feel alive and instantly musical! And here is what you get… features are very similar to Arturia CLS-222:

• Rotary Speaker Emulation

You can apply authentic Leslie-style modulation to your instrument, with independent control of bass and treble rotors. Slow and fast rotor motions create dynamic stereo movement and depth. You can dial in subtle chorale effects or intense tremolo swirls, giving your tracks a live, organic feel.

• Dual Rotor Control with Speed Automation

You can manage rotor speeds independently for slow and fast modes, and automate transitions for expressive swells, rhythmic changes, or build-ups. This flexibility lets you shape the modulation to match the musical context precisely.

• Amp and Saturation Controls

You can adjust gain, tube warmth (Contour), tube distortion (Tube Drive), and select tube behavior (Tube Mode) to color and shape the sound. These controls let you add subtle warmth or heavier saturation depending on your mix needs.

3. UAD Waterfall Rotary Speaker

UAD made emulation of the iconic Leslie 147 rotary cabinet, designed to bring its three-dimensional movement and vintage sound straight into your DAW. You get the full sonic depth of both the horn and drum rotors, along with the cabinet’s physical resonances, thanks to mic-modeling and high-resolution signal processing.

The power amp section is also modeled, so you can dial in tube-driven saturation and harmonic richness exactly the way you want it. This isn’t just a rotary effect. Waterfall Rotary Speaker is an a full, realistic cabinet simulator that lets you shape immersive Leslie texture for your vocals, guitars, keyboards, or anything else in your mix.

When you tweak the settings, you can feel the motion and grit come alive, and it’s easy to make the effect sit perfectly in your track while still giving it that classic Leslie vibe you’re looking for!

• Tube Power Amp Saturation

This isn’t a “clean” Leslie emulation. Waterfall includes a modeled tube power amp, and you can drive it using the Drive control to add warm overtones, gritty saturation, or full-on distortion depending on how hard you push it

• Rotary Speed Control and Dynamics

You can switch between Slow, Brake, and Fast rotor speeds, and there are separate Accel and Decel controls to govern how quickly the rotors speed up or slow down. On top of that, Speed Trim lets you fine-tune the maximum speed of the horn and the drum independently. This gives you complete control over how your rotary motion evolves, letting you craft expressive swells, dramatic builds, or tight rhythmic changes in your music.

• Rotary Cabinet Emulation

As mentioned in the intro, you get a highly accurate model of the classic Leslie 147. Both the horn and drum rotors move independently, creating real Doppler pitch modulation and amplitude variation. The interaction between the rotors and the cabinet, including reflections and phase relationships, is precisely modeled. You can shape a rich, spatial swirl that makes your instruments feel alive, rather than relying on a simple, shallow LFO.

• Mechanical Noise Modeling

Mechanical artifacts like belt noise, rotor wind, and relay clicks when switching speeds are all accurately modeled

• Microphone Placement Options

You can choose from different mic configurations for the horn section, selecting classic mic models and adjusting stereo or mono positions. The drum rotor also gives you mic selection and balance control, letting you decide how the bass section is captured. This flexibility lets you make the cabinet sound exactly how you want it, whether you want a focused, upfront tone or a more ambient, room-filling vibe.

4. MeldaProduction MRotary

Whether it’s creating subtle swirls or dramatic spinning motion, rotary effects can really change how a part interacts with the rest of the mix. MRotary lets you control all aspects of a rotary speaker simulation in your DAW, from rotor behavior to mic placement, giving you the freedom to dial in exactly the vibe you want.

I find it rewarding when you tweak the controls and hear sounds gain motion, warmth, and life without leaving your project.

• Multi-Speaker Cabinet Control

You can configure up to six virtual speakers per cabinet, each with independent positioning, pan, and algorithm settings. This lets you create a fully immersive stereo field with precise control over how each rotor interacts in space

• Dual Algorithms for Each Speaker

Each speaker can run one of two algorithms, offering distinct sonic characteristics. One algorithm emulates classic Leslie cabinet physics with natural rotor motion, while the other is more mathematically precise for tighter, more controlled effects.

You can switch between algorithms in real time or blend them subtly for unique textures, letting you dial in exactly the rotary character you want.

• Deep Modulation System

MRotary gives you four modulators that can act as LFOs, envelope followers, or MIDI/audio-triggered sources. You can assign them to rotor speed, distortion, EQ bands, stereo width, or cabinet parameters.

This allows you to craft highly expressive and dynamic performances, for instance making the rotor speed increase with note velocity or having the distortion respond to incoming audio peaks. Modulation adds life to every chord, pad, or lead, without manually automating each knob.

• Cabinet Material and Resonance Options

You can choose from several cabinet materials, including wood, glass, textile, and metal, each influencing the tonal color and resonance of the rotary effect. Adjusting these parameters gives you the ability to simulate small vintage combo cabinets or large stage-style Leslie rigs

• Built-In Tube-Style Saturation and Amp Section

The plugin includes a tube-style amplifier section with Drive, Volume, and Tone controls. You can add subtle warmth or push it into aggressive, harmonically rich saturation. Drive interacts with modulation and rotor speed to produce realistic overtones, giving instruments a vintage, “played-in” character.

• Advanced EQ and Stereo Shaping

MRotary features a dynamic equalizer that can respond to signal level and modulation

• Mechanical Realism and Artifacts

Mechanical details such as belt noise, rotor friction, and subtle artifacts are modeled and controllable. You can dial in the right amount of mechanical realism to match your track, enough to feel organic, or minimal for a cleaner, studio-style effect.

• Preset Library

You get 40+ presets covering classic Leslie tones, vintage-inspired textures, and modern experimental sounds

5. Eventide Rotary Mod

I noticed how easy it was to get a moving rotary sound without having to think too much about settings. With that said, Eventide Rotary Mod gives me that classic spinning-cabinet vibe in a simple, usable way.

I like it because you can quickly add motion and depth to pads, guitars, or synths, and you can hear the effect clearly without it sounding overprocessed or fake. It’s satisfying to dial in, and you can shape it so it sits naturally in your track instead of overpowering it.

• Rotary Cabinet Emulation

You get independent control over the horn (treble) and drum (bass) rotors, which lets you shape how each part of the cabinet moves. You can dial in slow or fast rotor speeds, and the rotors respond dynamically to input, so you hear motion even on simple chords. This makes it easy to add life to keyboards, pads, or guitars without overthinking automation.

• Speed Control and Acceleration

You can adjust the speed between slow, fast, or brake modes, and fine-tune how quickly the rotors ramp up or down. It lets you create natural swells, gradual builds, or abrupt changes in motion, depending on the track. It’s especially handy when you want dynamic transitions that feel like a real Leslie.

Stereo Spread and Balance

The plugin lets you control how wide the stereo field is for both the horn and drum sections. You can tighten the effect for a focused sound or spread it for a bigger, more immersive feel. It’s straightforward to make it fit into any mix, whether you want subtle movement or something more pronounced.

• Built-in Microphone Placement Options

You can select different mic positions for the horn and drum, and adjust their balance to suit the mix

6. UVI Rotary

Using UVI Rotary in my projects, I’ve found it’s the kind of plugin that immediately makes instruments sit better in a mix. It lets you add authentic Leslie-style movement to your tracks in a way that’s easy to control and use!

• Rotary Cabinet Simulation

You get a highly detailed emulation of a Leslie-style cabinet, with both horn and drum rotors modeled independently

• Rotor Speed and Acceleration Control

You can choose between Low (chorale) and High (tremolo) speeds for each rotor and adjust acceleration and deceleration times independently. This lets you control how quickly the rotors speed up or slow down, so you can craft smooth swells, rhythmic changes, or dramatic transitions that sit perfectly in your track.

• Stereo Spread and Balance

The plugin lets you control how wide the stereo field is for both the horn and drum sections. You can tighten the effect for a focused sound or spread it for a bigger, more immersive feel. It’s straightforward to make it fit into any mix, whether you want subtle movement or something more pronounced.

7. PSP L’otary2

PSP L’otary2 is a software emulation of a classic Leslie-style rotary speaker, designed to provide precise control over the characteristic motion and tone of rotating cabinets. The plugin captures both horn and drum rotor behaviors, including speed changes, stereo motion, and the subtle interaction between low and high-frequency components.

It allows detailed shaping of the rotary effect without introducing unnecessary complexity, making it suitable for a wide range of instruments and audio material.

• Rotary Cabinet Sim

The plugin accurately models a Leslie-style rotary cabinet with separate horn and drum rotors. Each rotor can be adjusted independently, allowing control over speed, stereo placement, and interaction between bass and treble components.

The simulation includes the natural Doppler shift and amplitude modulation of moving rotors, giving instruments a realistic sense of motion and depth. This allows subtle modulation for gentle movement or fully immersive swirling effects depending on the track’s needs.

• Dual Rotor Speed Modes

Both bass and treble rotors feature slow and fast modes that replicate classic chorale and tremolo speeds. Smooth acceleration and deceleration controls simulate the gradual ramping of rotor motion, creating natural swells and dynamic transitions.

• Mechanical and Acoustic Artifacts

PSP L’otary2 includes subtle mechanical noises such as belt sounds, rotor wind, and cabinet resonance to enhance realism. These artifacts can be dialed up for authenticity or minimized for a cleaner effect.

The inclusion of acoustic interactions between rotors and the cabinet adds extra depth and character, simulating the imperfections and nuances of a real hardware Leslie.