What are you using to meet all your saturation/coloring needs?

[Peter - IK Multimedia]

We released what I teased above, worth a try for those looking at saturation plugins: http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/trsaturatorx

[Silaris]

We released what I teased above, worth a try for those looking at saturation plugins: http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/trsaturatorx

As a big fan of the T-RackS collection, I am definitely going to purchase the Saturator X in the future. However, my next IK Multimedia purchase will be the Miroslav Philharmonik 2 CE or AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix Power DUO.

[simon.a.billington]

I've been using a few options either separately or together. NLS, Vitamin, SPL Vitalizer, Cosmos, Cobalt Saphira, occasional tape emulations...

Looks like I may be adding the T-RackS Saturator-X to that list as well

[Hink]

another time where I am thankful I use Samp Pro X2 Suite, gotta have the suite to have the Am Modeling plugins and Am-Phibia, AM-Pulse and Am-Track all have options for saturation/coloring and then there's the tube boost efx plugin and VANDAL too...Samp's plugins save me a lot of time and money

[MogwaiBoy]

I've been using a few options either separately or together. NLS, Vitamin, SPL Vitalizer, Cosmos, Cobalt Saphira, occasional tape emulations...

Looks like I may be adding the T-RackS Saturator-X to that list as well

How does Vitalizer compare to all the other saturators you have?

Actually I thought the VSM was their flagship harmonics generator and Vitalizer was more of a spectral/psycho-acoustic type "enhancer".

[simon.a.billington]

I've been using a few options either separately or together. NLS, Vitamin, SPL Vitalizer, Cosmos, Cobalt Saphira, occasional tape emulations...

Looks like I may be adding the T-RackS Saturator-X to that list as well

How does Vitalizer compare to all the other saturators you have?

Actually I thought the VSM was their flagship harmonics generator and Vitalizer was more of a spectral/psycho-acoustic type "enhancer".

Well it's different in the sense where it models it's satuartion "contour" if you can call it that, after the Fletcher-Munsen curve. So it predominantly boosts the harmonics following that principle so not only does the source sound a bit more exciting, but it gives the illusion as if the sound is louder, which it isn't really, and therefore something sounds more exciting to the ear. At least, that's the theory.

In practice I find it's very easy to keep wanting to crank it more and more. The controls are a little confusing at first because of the labelling, but you soon develop a knack for it. If I recall correctly the saturation part is done by tubes, two of them I think.

Because of its design you can use it alongside other saturation plugins. The trick is, if you do end up using several processes then using each one lightly becomes more the key.

It was around long before the VSM and you're right, in terms of a more traditional, harmonic saturation unit the VSM is more obvious and superior in that sense. I've had the Vitalizer a number of years before the VSM came along.

In terms of filling the gaps that other saturation units don't really cover the Vitalizer works well in that context, as does the Cobalt Saphira, but they share very little in common too.

Vitamin, is part compression, part EQ, part saturator, part parallel processor. In a way its different again, but similar at the same time to other saturation plugins.

[MogwaiBoy]

Thank you for the detailed info! I appreciate it.

Sounds interesting - I have been curious about Vitalizer for some time now and your run-down of it definitely has me even more intrigued. I should just demo it!

I love Saphira - just have to becareful what it does to kicks/bass in a full mix. Vitamin is on the radar too. I really dig harmonics/exciters in general... such a subtle but awesome thing.

[simon.a.billington]

Thank you for the detailed info! I appreciate it.

Sounds interesting - I have been curious about Vitalizer for some time now and your run-down of it definitely has me even more intrigued. I should just demo it!

I love Saphira - just have to becareful what it does to kicks/bass in a full mix. Vitamin is on the radar too. I really dig harmonics/exciters in general... such a subtle but awesome thing.

Demo is good. Also wait for it to come on sale again if you are thinking of buying, but that could be a while.

I know what you mean about the enhancers, I'm clearly finding it a hard time resisting these things too!! Haha!!

It's because the all have such a different flavour and many of them could be used in different functions too. Even the IK Satuator-X has come along and is now offering things that other plugins don't!!

If it weren't for my accrued JamPoints and GearCredits, I might find it more easily to resist!! Haha!!

[Aleatoriac]

Typically, on a snare, for example, I'll run:
EQ (TDR VOS Slick EQ with Saturation enabled, maxed.)
Then Fabfilter Saturn. Maxed.
Then Oxford Inflator. Totally maxed.
Then NI Driver. Totally pushed, then another instance, maxed.
Softube Saturation Knob, totally maxed, but I'll leave the bass neutral setting.
Then another EQ, anything with saturation, and I'll totally max it.
Then Voxengo Tube Amp, completely utterly maxed.
Then Guitar Rig, with all the pedals, amps, in series, input completely up, all in the red, maxed beyond reason.
then Camel Phat 3, all four distortion options maxed (especially Mech).

Then Waves SSL, with the "Analog" button on, you know, for that noise. No other controls are touched. Oh, wait, input is maxed so that it's clipping.

Then GClip, completely at the top. Input maxed, clipping totally maxed.

Then I try to get Antares MicMod EFX - just for the saturation section, but it won't load anything, can't find the mic models, and crashes my computer.

So I reconstruct this meticulous signal chain, save it, leave off MicMod, then run everything into 50 limiters in series, 246 compressors in series, and another 3,444 limiters, each of these totally maxed input, lowest threshold, most gain reduction possible. If they have a saturation section, it's totally maxed.

Then Ferric TDS because I would like some tape saturation, there might not be enough saturation.

By this time I've lost, probably, maybe, some of the transients, so I run Voxengo Transmod, Waves Trans X, and the Sonnox transient thingy, whatever it is. All maxed.

It's my sound, bro.

[MogwaiBoy]

^^^^^^ When did you join Noisia?

Also... only one snare? Why not 4 different snares multibanded and mixed at 25% each?

[JerGoertz]

Sounds good! But have you considered adding a little distortion, to help the snare "stand out" in the mix?

Typically, on a snare, for example, I'll run:
EQ (TDR VOS Slick EQ with Saturation enabled, maxed.)
Then Fabfilter Saturn. Maxed.
Then Oxford Inflator. Totally maxed.
Then NI Driver. Totally pushed, then another instance, maxed.
Softube Saturation Knob, totally maxed, but I'll leave the bass neutral setting.
Then another EQ, anything with saturation, and I'll totally max it.
Then Voxengo Tube Amp, completely utterly maxed.
Then Guitar Rig, with all the pedals, amps, in series, input completely up, all in the red, maxed beyond reason.
then Camel Phat 3, all four distortion options maxed (especially Mech).

Then Waves SSL, with the "Analog" button on, you know, for that noise. No other controls are touched. Oh, wait, input is maxed so that it's clipping.

Then GClip, completely at the top. Input maxed, clipping totally maxed.

Then I try to get Antares MicMod EFX - just for the saturation section, but it won't load anything, can't find the mic models, and crashes my computer.

So I reconstruct this meticulous signal chain, save it, leave off MicMod, then run everything into 50 limiters in series, 246 compressors in series, and another 3,444 limiters, each of these totally maxed input, lowest threshold, most gain reduction possible. If they have a saturation section, it's totally maxed.

Then Ferric TDS because I would like some tape saturation, there might not be enough saturation.

By this time I've lost, probably, maybe, some of the transients, so I run Voxengo Transmod, Waves Trans X, and the Sonnox transient thingy, whatever it is. All maxed.

It's my sound, bro.

[wald]

We released what I teased above, worth a try for those looking at saturation plugins: http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/trsaturatorx

Sounds nice. But it introduces 6 times the latency of Decapitator.

[Aleatoriac]

^^^^^^ When did you join Noisia?

Also... only one snare? Why not 4 different snares multibanded and mixed at 25% each?

That's actually a really good idea. We'll see if I can bring my CPU to it's knees yet!

[MogwaiBoy]

Back on the subject of saturators and harmonic exciters... Waves Maserati HMX is on sale for the next 20 hours.

Anyone have any experience with it compared to Aphex Aural, Saphira, Reviver, etc etc? Seems to also combine subtle delay, verb and stereo widening to the colouration.

Edit: Watched some videos and it seems much more in the stereo enhancer camp.

[simon.a.billington]

Finally have the Saturation-X, have net had a chance to play with it yet, however.

While on the subject of Waves through, they clearly have a few choices for saturation/harmonic distortion, but one thing I thought was worthwhile bringing up is the Butch Vig Vocals. That has a fantastic saturation circuit as well as some built in compression and eq.

I use it to grunge up delay quite recently, but i imagine you can use it for quite a number of saturation tasks.