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Best Saturation plugin?

jcrosby said:
Apparently I've been living under a rock o_O Analog Obsession smokes pretty much everything else I've bought... UAD, Softube, even the (albeit often pretentious) Acustica... Crazy thing is they're free with no obligation to subscribe :shocked:(And unlike Acustica they don't beat up your CPU).

The EQs are surreal. I've owned a lot of hardware over the years and these actually sound like real desk EQs. The transient response is tighter and boosts more colorful than similar models I have by other developers.

The developer has a patreon but kept basically all plugin links public and free. You can download their stuff free of charge simply by scrolling down past the patreon sub box... I'm honestly questioning the fortune I've dumped into UAD, ST, et al over the years and will happily support this chap! (But no obligation for newbs or hobbyists with a limited budget)...

www.patreon.com

Analog Obsession | Patreon

Creating VST3, AU, AAX (WIN / OSX)
www.patreon.com www.patreon.com

All Downloads:
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JFC they have a ton of plugins!

Which ones do you recommend for saturation?
 
Gainstation 2

One of my all time favorites, it’s been used on basically everything I’ve made
 
jcrosby said:
I'm honestly questioning the fortune I've dumped into UAD, ST, et al over the years and will happily support this chap! (But no obligation for newbs or hobbyists with a limited budget)...
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I was quite surprised to see such high praise of these. Seems like I should finally try some of them out too. But they have so many, I'm not sure where to start. Any recommendations?
 
I'm sure I've responded in this thread already at some point, but... as of today, for stand-alone saturation plugins not plugins that also saturate, I still have only 3 or so I use on a regular basis. I try many out, but none have yet replaced (in reverse order of complexity):

* Fabfilter Saturn 2
* Neold Big Al
* Kush Omega TWK

There's no right or wrong answer. No absolute best (at this time) for everyone.
 
MartinH. said:
In the meantime I found this:



Not saturation specific, but some pointers on where to start with Analog Obsession Plugins.
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Reminds me of the creator of Airwindows

I did many blind comparaisons between his "Density" saturation plug-in and Kush's TWK... And honestly, I preferred the free, original Density 1 (not Density 2!) most times, even though they are very similarly and just because of tiny little details in terms of sound.

If you wanna have a nice looking graphical interface though, then sure Kush has you covered :)

By the way, I really like (or should I say love) both. Soundtoy's decapitator is cool, super bold and does subtle things well too, but I don't find myself using it anymore. I should also mention Camel Crusher that just sounds super fat and is great to bring weight to low mids, and as an overall solution Ozone's exciter just works super well and offers plenty of very nice sounding options.
 
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FabFilter Saturn 2, using it in small amounts on a bus channel (clean tube or tape). Very interesting plugin, great multiband option (clear cut system) and modulation options etc. More than just a "typical" saturation or distortion plugin.
 
MarkY said:
FabFilter Saturn 2, using it in small amounts on a bus channel (clean tube or tape). Very interesting plugin, great multiband option (clear cut system) and modulation options etc. More than just a "typical" saturation or distortion plugin.
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Would you pick Saturn 2 in tape saturation mode over ozone 8's vintage tape emulation?
 
vitocorleone123 said:
I know I would, because I can pick and choose what saturation to apply to what band, and shape each band.
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This is the biggest reason why I reach for Saturn first. I rarely want full band saturation. It also has a ton of modulation options for sound design.

U-he Satin and Klanghelm SDRR fill in the gaps. If you're looking for the best tape emulation, it's Satin 1000%. Group and place an instance on every one of your tracks and dial it in, even on the cleanest settings it really opens up mixes.
 
Trash Panda said:
Apples and hand grenades. Ozone’s exciter would be a more accurate comparison to Saturn.
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So which do you like better, apples or handgrenades? I don't care whether the comparison is fair, I already own both plugins. I'm asking because I have trouble making sense of tape saturation in general. I've seen tons of videos on the topic, including those by Dan Worrall of course, but so often when I try to use tape saturation myself either I don't hear a difference, or I've waaay overdone it. And I was starting to wonder if Saturn 2 is even intended to be used as a tape emulation on the master channel, or if an actual tape emulation would be the better tool for that.
 
For me it is mainly Saturn by FF. But Decapitator is great as well. I usually select one of them and I don't even know how I decide..
 
Trash 2 is quite amazing, one of the best iZotope products despite its age and old-fashioned UI.

An easy-to-use one that should not be underestimated and that many of us go with the IKM 20th anniversary group buy is Saturator X.
 
MartinH. said:
So which do you like better, apples or handgrenades? I don't care whether the comparison is fair, I already own both plugins. I'm asking because I have trouble making sense of tape saturation in general. I've seen tons of videos on the topic, including those by Dan Worrall of course, but so often when I try to use tape saturation myself either I don't hear a difference, or I've waaay overdone it. And I was starting to wonder if Saturn 2 is even intended to be used as a tape emulation on the master channel, or if an actual tape emulation would be the better tool for that.
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Tape saturation would generally be applied to at least each bus and the output. It would be virtually inaudible on each, and the combined result should be slightly noticeable. Warmer, thicker, rounder, and a little sweeter. Totally subjective.

Otherwise, it’s an effect if you’re overdoing it to be heard on any given track. Like reverb on a send vs track.

I generally don’t bother with tape saturation across the board, only as an effect (sketch cassette 2). I do use something similar as a mix fx in studio one, though - one of the console emulations.
 
vitocorleone123 said:
Tape saturation would generally be applied to at least each bus and the output. It would be virtually inaudible on each, and the combined result should be slightly noticeable. Warmer, thicker, rounder, and a little sweeter. Totally subjective.

Otherwise, it’s an effect if you’re overdoing it to be heard on any given track. Like reverb on a send vs track.

I generally don’t bother with tape saturation across the board, only as an effect (sketch cassette 2). I do use something similar as a mix fx in studio one, though - one of the console emulations.
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Thanks a lot, that was actually super helpful! I just tried adding Saturn 2 on "warm tape" setting with 10% drive to every track plus the master. Individually I can barely hear a difference, but when I toggled them on and off all at once it was a clear difference. Suddenly it felt like something was missing when I turned them off.
And after doing that, in a blind A/B test I actually preferred to turn the ozone 8 vintage tape off again.
 
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