If you buy a pack containing RC-20 presets and WAV textures, you have two kinds of material. Load the presets in RC-20 to process a track. Import the WAV files into a compatible DAW or sampler to use them as audio. The plugin is required for the first part; it is not required just to play a WAV texture.
That is how COLORS is organized: RC-20 presets alongside a separate set of WAV textures. RC-20 itself is not included. Check what you already own before choosing a preset pack, then decide which part of the track needs attention.
What does an RC-20 preset change?
RC-20 is an audio effect with six modules covering noise, pitch variation, distortion, digital degradation, space and magnetic-tape-style level variation. A preset gives you a stored set of processing choices. It does not supply a melody or replace the audio you feed into the effect. XLN introduces those modules in its RC-20 overview.
Start with an audio part you want to change: a piano phrase, a drum layer or a sustained instrument, for example. Choose one problem or direction you can describe. “Less clean” is a start; “a small amount of movement on the held chords” makes it easier to judge the result.
Audition the preset in the song
Loop a section with the important neighboring parts audible. Compare the processed and bypassed signal at a similar perceived level. If one version is much louder, adjust the output before deciding you prefer it. This is a listening exercise, not a requirement to hit a universal meter reading.
Use RC-20’s Magnitude slider to explore a less intense version of the preset. XLN describes it as a global control that influences the six main knobs and master controls; it is more than a simple assumption about a wet/dry balance. Its behavior is covered in the top-section guide.
Try three amounts, then replay the whole phrase with the other tracks. If the strongest setting wins only in solo, keep the version that works in context. The preset name does not have to approve your choice.
Change the module responsible for the problem
If you like the overall result but dislike one detail, isolate it. Too much pitch movement points you toward Wobble. If the added noise is too constant, inspect Noise and its Follow control. If an aggressive treatment overwhelms the original sound, compare a lower module amount before discarding the preset.
Those controls do different jobs: Wobble modulates pitch and speed, Noise Follow relates the noise level to the input, and Distort has its own processed/unprocessed mix. XLN’s module guide explains them individually. Change the relevant control, then return to the full arrangement.
Save a variation under a useful name once it fits. RC-20’s browser separates user presets and lets you save a new name rather than overwrite a previous version. See XLN’s preset browser guide. A name such as “SongName verse piano” is easier to revisit than trying to remember which version of “more weird” you meant.
Treat a WAV texture as an arranged part
Place the texture on its own track. Decide where it begins, where it ends and what it contributes. It could appear only in an intro, connect two sections or sit quietly behind a sustained passage. You can hear whether that job works before adding more processing.
Compare a full-length texture with a short excerpt. Try an entrance after the first phrase rather than at the start. If it distracts from a lyric, remove it there. Give it a level and placement based on the song, not on how interesting the file sounds by itself.
If the texture contains a noticeable rhythm, check its timing against the track. If it is an unmetered background sound, do not assume it must follow the project tempo. In either case, inspect what your DAW did when importing it rather than relying on a filename to make the decision.
Try the two approaches separately, then together
Make three short comparisons: the original part, the part through your adjusted RC-20 preset, and the original with a texture added. That tells you which change supplies the character you wanted. Then try the preset and texture together if the arrangement still needs both.
Keep the original recording and save the settings you used. When handing a song to another producer, discuss whether to send a clean version, a rendered effect version or both. The file-handoff guide explains how to make those versions clear.
See the COLORS contents and requirements if you want RC-20 starting points and WAV textures in one pack. Use the parts that help your current track. You are allowed to leave the rest in the folder.