Best saturation/excitement plug-ins

[Ermz]

Yeah, is it fun running like a max of 4 Fatso's on the Quad card?

Thanks for all the suggestions, really appreciated. I'm thinking I'll try the MixSaturator. iZotope Trash actually worked really well using 'tape saturation' for vocals on the last project.

Gabriel, the unit you're referring to is the HEDD, isn't it? I think I ran overheads through it on the last project, or room mics or something. Didn't have enough time to stop and actually listen, just took the owner's advice that it'd sound good! The TDM version is the Phoenix, which everyone has been wanting to come over to native for ages now.

 

[Plec]

Yeah, is it fun running like a max of 4 Fatso's on the Quad card?

It certainly is a very interesting situation...

 

[Lasse Lammert]

I used to use virsyn vtape which is really great.
Now I've got AC1 and AC2 of which I primarily use AC1...it's beats everything I've tried before.

 

[Nuno Filipe]

PSP Vintage Warmer is also very good.

 

[C_F_H_13]

Ac1/2
DUY valve and tape

tried everything an keep coming back to it.

 

[Ermz]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Unfortunately I can't do Analogue Channel since I'm not on ProTools for mixing.

I'm going to give PSP MixSaturator 2 a shot and see how that rolls.

 

[reneisgod]

''I can't do Analogue Channel since I'm not on ProTools''

+1 and thats just

Im actually very interested in this topic at the moment,
im about to record another song and id like to add some tape/saturation
to my guitars and vocals, be this good or bad its something im going to experiment with anyways.

any comments on the voxengo tape bus?

 

[Ermz]

I've heard a few people around saying it sounds 'too digital' to them, so I wrote it off the list.

A decent quick fix is Steinberg's Magneto. Sometimes it lets tracks 'blend in' to the mix a lot better for me. Especially if they're just digital synths, fake piano or stuff like that which needs a bit of 'warming'.

 

[Plec]

Yeah, no go on the Voxengo TapeBus here either. Digital, harsh, trashy............... I'd say PSP Mixsaturator is the smoothest and fattest of the bunch. Just don't forget to use it in Tape3 if you want it to sound tight.

 

[reneisgod]

cool cheers guys, im recording a new track tomorrow ill see what i can do
with PSP Mixsaturator , anywhere i can grab a demo to mess around with?
and ill take ur word on the voxengo thing wont even bother myself with it.

 

[ElektricEyez]

Yeah, is it fun running like a max of 4 Fatso's on the Quad card?

Well it's not THAT bad, but if you had the FATSO you probably wouldn't want any more than 3 instances of it anywhere in your mixes but that thing sure does sound freakin amazing! I've used it on bass, overheads/toms buss and master buss and it does sound great! Not to mention I had SSL EQ's transient deisgners, 1083's 1176's, Fairchilds, and quite a few other UAD-plugins all over that mix with a quad and granted I had that meter as high as 92%, it was very well worth it! My first experience working with the UAD plugins and it was nice. I'd like to hear the waves similar plug ins next to it, because that card is sort of a pain for various reasons, but overall I liked em!

 

[KeithRT99]

digi reeltape is my favorite. Really tapey.

 

[Ermz]

Man, no kidding about that MixSaturator Tape 3 mode. I had it squeeze my rhythm guitars a bit and it instantly added fatness and 'squish'. It was like getting a touch of 5150 on the tone. I'm digging it so far! No to be used on everything though!

 

[kev]

Man, no kidding about that MixSaturator Tape 3 mode. I had it squeeze my rhythm guitars a bit and it instantly added fatness and 'squish'. It was like getting a touch of 5150 on the tone. I'm digging it so far! No to be used on everything though!

Glad you like it dude! Its a good "secret weapon" :Smug:

 

[ApolloSpeed]

Ferox

 

[mick thompson]

the exciter plugin in logic 8 is pretty good

 

[zvish]

tested this psp yesterday and it rocks! I used ferox before

 

[WestCoastCrush]

Going to have to agree with Lasse on this one. Analog Channel is the bomb. I've used Cranesong's Phoenix and I like it's simplicity, but I prefer to have a few more options and parameters, so I'm going to give it a close second.

But I love Analog Channel's AC2 plug for tape saturation. Especially after tracking guitars in through my API A2D with the 312 almost all the way up and the converter level low. Electric guitars running through that thing and then the AC2 set to Studer or Otari with a small head bump on the "15 IPS" and "Vintage" tape settings, using the "Bias" knob to tame the highs and subdue the harsher top end, a healthy bass roll off point and enough input gain to drive the guitar sound into the red can make even single tracks of guitar on tiny amps sound COLOSSAL. I kid not, those plugs alone almost make it worthwhile to switch to a Pro Tools LE or HD-based system if you're using something else.