SoundToys has announced a new Analog Saturation Modeling plug-in: Decapitator.

SoundToys described the thought process that lead to its design: "Sometimes little ideas take on a life of their own, especially at SoundToys. SoundToys users had been loving the "analog" sound of plug-ins like EchoBoy and FilterFreak so much that they asked SoundToys to create a dedicated saturation plug-in. The designers at SoundToys weren't content to just copy a few bits of code from those popular plug-ins. Instead, they started on a multiyear search for the analog "mojo", collecting all sorts of classic and obscure mic preamps and console channels, and developing new techniques for simulating the organic character that only comes from a properly aged (and abused) piece of gear. Now, SoundToys is finally ready to demonstrate the first product of that tone quest – Decapitator."

Decapitator models the saturation or distortion created when driving professional analog studio equipment. SoundToys analyzed vintage and modern classics from Neve, API, Ampex, EMI and Thermionic Culture and more to create accurate models of high-end studio gear. Decapitator creates that highly sought after analog sound from subtle harmonic changes to extreme driven distortion.

Decapitator features an intuitive interface with the look and feel of classic analog gear. A selection of tone controls including high cut, low cut, and a single "Tone" knob give you additional shaping control that take many of these classic sounds past their original design. The "Punish" button pushes even more gain through the modeled saturation circuits for more extreme drive. It also features a "Mix" control for blending the original sound with the sound of Decapitator, without the need for routing and bussing, and built-in auto leveling controls the output volume for a perfect balance automatically, even in the "Punish" mode.

"It really is kind of magic just like that old analog gear." says Mitch Thomas, SoundToys sales and marketing director, "With small amounts you get warmth and punch that can smooth and open a mix, beef up a bass or add that magic mojo to a vocal or guitar . With large amounts or in "Punish" mode, you can get extreme saturated overdrive for tortured drums, screaming vocals, or that over the top guitar sound The end result is a great sounding analog saturation that represents some of the most sought after sounds in the industry, past and present."

Decapitator allowed the designers to focus on one goal and and that was to take the modeled analog sound even further and with more detail than their previous plugins, creating a realistic high quality analog saturation that can be used in all aspects of audio production.

Available 4th quarter 2009 for TDM/RTAS/AudioSuite, AudioUnits, and VST. More details and demo versions will be posted at www.soundtoys.com as they become available.