Hi,
I've been eyeing up Satin for a while, and testing using the demo, trying to see if its will warm up my sounds a bit.
Basically, Im mostly using VSTs (including Diva/Zebra/Ace/Bazille) and also an Access Virus, am from what Ive read about Satin (and tape emulation/saturation), its helping knock a bit of the digital edge off, by a bit of a combination of knocking high ends off, smearing ... and generally helping 'glue' the track together.
Whilst playing with the demo of Satin it does indeed appear to do this for many sounds I put through it, it does give 'something', something a bit hard to describe in words as its quite subtle.
Also im not sure if Im using it quite right, am I correct in saying the effects are more pronounced when you push the input? (With the presets, Ive usually been trying to find a 'sweet spot' with the Input level, but I'm not sure this is the right approach ... and i don't touch the output)
BUT, Ive got very little experience in mixing, and Im wondering, if I could achieve much the same affect with better EQ'ing, compression and more saturation on patches...
Ive had a look around (google/yt etc) but most of the discussions are not around synths etc, more to do with balance of mix/drums etc.
thoughts? how do you use it?
Satin on synths?
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 868 posts since 2 Jan, 2013
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- KVRAF
- 1617 posts since 11 Dec, 2008 from Minneapolis
I feel like the overall effect is going to be most pronounced with high input, but the greatest contrast in how hard different frequencies are hitting the tape is usually at a tamer point. The standard digital methods sort of make everything louder or softer, Satin is different, things are both louder and softer.thetechnobear wrote:am I correct in saying the effects are more pronounced when you push the input? ... wondering, if I could achieve much the same affect with better EQ'ing, compression and more saturation on patches...
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- KVRist
- 253 posts since 13 Nov, 2013 from London
"it does give 'something', something a bit hard to describe in words as its quite subtle."
- that's what I mainly use it for, and I place it on every single channel, including the master. With drums I just use the multidrums preset on the drum's master bus, I tend to throw two instances on the vocal bus, one as a chorus effect and the other as a vocals enhancer. On synths played in lower octaves I use a tweaked version of the Synth Bassline preset, and everything else uses some kind of Satin sprinkle.
It's also great used as a chorus or delay effect.
I don't know whether you could achieve the same sound with EQ/comp/Saturation.
Anyway, that's how I mainly use Satin. Most of my stuff consists of Zebra these days, and I would never NOT run it through Satin.
- that's what I mainly use it for, and I place it on every single channel, including the master. With drums I just use the multidrums preset on the drum's master bus, I tend to throw two instances on the vocal bus, one as a chorus effect and the other as a vocals enhancer. On synths played in lower octaves I use a tweaked version of the Synth Bassline preset, and everything else uses some kind of Satin sprinkle.
It's also great used as a chorus or delay effect.
I don't know whether you could achieve the same sound with EQ/comp/Saturation.
Anyway, that's how I mainly use Satin. Most of my stuff consists of Zebra these days, and I would never NOT run it through Satin.
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 868 posts since 2 Jan, 2013
thanks guys, its good to hear how others use it.
I played quite a bit more with it, and agree with the above, it always has some subtle effect, in lower frequencies it more pronounced.
(Ive also found its teaching me a bit about how to alter synth patches, to be more to 'my taste', in particular with EQ and saturation.)
I also do like the delay and chorusing effects, they are different from the normal effects of the same name, and surprisingly flexible.
anyway, I took the plunge, and Im looking forward to seeing how it works, especially when used on multiple tracks.
I played quite a bit more with it, and agree with the above, it always has some subtle effect, in lower frequencies it more pronounced.
(Ive also found its teaching me a bit about how to alter synth patches, to be more to 'my taste', in particular with EQ and saturation.)
I also do like the delay and chorusing effects, they are different from the normal effects of the same name, and surprisingly flexible.
anyway, I took the plunge, and Im looking forward to seeing how it works, especially when used on multiple tracks.
