Saturator

[Sean in Silence]

Where would this go in my signal chain?
If I wanted to put this on my guitar tracks would I do it on each track individually or the guitar group track?
Thanks

 

[sash poask]

i'd say on the group track, but wait till someone more experienced comes along

 

[AeternusEternus]

When that more experienced person comes along, also: What IS a saturator? I've always been curious.

 

[sash poask]

well once again, wait till someone who knows their stuff, but a saturator plugin is mainly like a subtle overdrive, normally emulates tape saturation you used to get on consoles....gives you some "warmth"

 

[ahjteam]

think it as if this was in the 1985, you would put be to the point where the tape machine would be in the signal chain. after the recorded material and before the console. So if you are using ampsims, after the cabsimulation and before any after processing.

 

[sash poask]

really? i tend to have it after my basic eq

 

[Erkan]

Is there a right or wrong way of where to put the saturation? I mean.. different slots in the signal chain should yield different results, but is it safe to say one result is more "right" than the other?

I can imagine there might be technical aspects though, that makes it more "logical" to put the saturation right after the cab simulation, instead of after the whole chain. Interesting for sure, I'd like to know more.

 

[sash poask]

yeh same here, whenever i used one i put it straigh after the eq, i mean i just always do the low and high passing before i do aythign else, dont see the need for the saturation to get the unnecessary frequencies coming into it...or am i missing something?

 

[ahjteam]

really? i tend to have it after my basic eq

thats same kind of neverending debate like "comp - eq" VS "eq - comp".

 

[sash poask]

thats same kind of neverending debate like "comp - eq" VS "eq - comp".

ok fair enough, was just wondering if there was any particular reason for it...guess its just a preference thing

 

[Sean in Silence]

I did a little bit of messing around
and found that with this particular tone and saturator plugin I like it on the guitar group track
BUT
I can also get a different sound by putting into each individual track and in a different slot
so I'm going to answer my own question and say (which many of you have already said) whatever sounds good!
hahaha
Thanks for all of the responses!

 

[AeternusEternus]

Interesting. How do free saturators stack up against premium saturators? It seems as though the effect is small enough that it doesn't much matter. Maybe I'm actually interpreting things incorrectly.

 

[Ermz]

It's one of those effects that's small but adds up if you place it on every track. A lot of the old analogue guys that have switched ITB run the saturators as the first plug-ins in their chain to approximate the vibe of their outboard desks, tape machines etc.

I'm with the camp that found saturation just made my mixes sound worse. Using cheap digital saturation that sounds nothing like tubes, transistors, transformers & tape just cheapened my mixes, made them sound more lo-fi, muddy etc. None of the saturation so far really sounds like the real deal - ESPECIALLY the tape sims. If you want analogue tape, use analogue tape. If you want the outboard gear vibe, use outboard gear. All we have for the moment are largely static modeling apps like Nebula to approximate the vibe from these units. Until they become more usable, I think embracing the strengths of digital and using them with the strengths of REAL analogue is the way to go. We can't have it both ways solely ITB just yet.

 

[Kazrog]

Any HD guys have experience with this?

http://www.cranesong.com/PHOENIX.html

I've always been a but curious how it sounds compared to the other options out there that are multi-host friendly. I myself never use any kind of tape saturation plugins, haven't found any I've liked.

 

[dontletmedrown]

Yes, Phoenix is lovely. It lets you cycle through different saturation types. I'd describe it as a "papery compression" kinda sound but of course doesn't react like a compressor. It seems to increase the apparent loudness kind of like the Waves L2 plug- but doesn't sound like crappy limiting. I wish it were VST so I could use it on my home rig, but right now it is TDM only. The designers seem to have no interest in anything other than TDM.

 

[James Murphy]

Phoenix is really good Shane.

 

[James Murphy]

well once again, wait till someone who knows their stuff, but a saturator plugin is mainly like a subtle overdrive, normally emulates tape saturation you used to get on consoles....gives you some "warmth"

tape saturation, as it's name implies, in caused by hitting tape hot... can be done with or without a console... but usually those using tape machines these days are also using consoles.

yeah, saturation plug-ins emulate the effect of hitting analog tape hot enough to cause "saturation"... when done right it's very desirable and pleasant to the ear for some tracks, and even the 2-Buss.

 

[Ermz]

Any HD guys have experience with this?

http://www.cranesong.com/PHOENIX.html

I've always been a but curious how it sounds compared to the other options out there that are multi-host friendly. I myself never use any kind of tape saturation plugins, haven't found any I've liked.

The Cranesong stuff rocks. The HEDD is a great converter/saturator unit which doesn't sound quite like tubes or tape but it does its own thing really well. These are in the 'so dear that I may as well buy the actual analogue units' price range here in Oz though.

 

[Erkan]

Using a real analog tape for warmth also adds the stuff that people don't want in today's modern recordings, namely hiss and other noises right?

So I think analog emulating digital stuff is pretty cool, it just needs to get better I guess... and less static.

 

[GarethSE]

Anyone who doesn't like a pleasantly audible hiss on their recordings is a chode, but hey that's just my opinion.
I come from the school people that likes his hip-hop with plenty of record player crackle and hiss, and I just so happen to like everything I listen to be like that aswell.
I never saw why a bit of hiss is a bad thing I guess.