What are you go-to mix bus and master bus "saturation" plugins?

[ElevateAudio]

SlickEQ M (High and Low exciters)
Voxengo Warmifier / OVC-128 (what a combo!!)
Kazrog True Iron
SDRR (Desk mode)
Analog Obsession KONSOL (I really hate to admit this, but it's good)

HI,
I'm curious about your use of Warmifier and OVC-128. I've had Warmifier for a while but could never quite get the hang of it. And OVC-128 I'm still new to. Any tips you might have especially on the masterbus would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Mike

[sleepcircle]

i tried the new fuse audio labs 515 in "amp" mode (as opposed to limiter mode) and i gotta say. it sounds scary good.

[MogwaiBoy]

SlickEQ M (High and Low exciters)
Voxengo Warmifier / OVC-128 (what a combo!!)
Kazrog True Iron
SDRR (Desk mode)
Analog Obsession KONSOL (I really hate to admit this, but it's good)

HI,
I'm curious about your use of Warmifier and OVC-128. I've had Warmifier for a while but could never quite get the hang of it. And OVC-128 I'm still new to. Any tips you might have especially on the masterbus would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Mike

OVC-128 I'm very new too but it's so simple there's really nothing to it, just use your ears and apply to taste. For me it's never more than 1-2 db chopped.

Warmifier I've had for some time and have always enjoyed it. I just use it at the lightest touch. Use Level Dependent mode so the saturation is dynamic, only when pushed, rather than blanketed over everything. The Emphasis controls are shelves before the saturation and the other shelves are post. I barely touch them to be honest. I recommend you to study the different tube models in Plugindoctor to see how they are different to each other in frequency response and harmonics. I forget which one is my favourite, one of the big bottles I think.

Together as a team (Warmifier into OVC-12) they can just ever so slightly soften transients and bring out depth. Before the master limiter they can help bring that final "glue".

[BONES]

FireCobra! I only bought it the other day but I am really digging both the sound and its simplicity. It's on special at the moment and worth checking out.

[plexuss]

Curious about: Wavesfactory Spectre. Intending to demo this one. Seems to be on the modern/sophisticated side of things, at least in interface and how you interact with it like it's an EQ. I keep hearing good things about this so I want to check it out.

The thing to listen for with Spectre is a kind of "ghost" image of the source, coloured based on the band settings. It creates a kind of "other dimension" to the source imaging.

[MogwaiBoy]

Curious about: Wavesfactory Spectre. Intending to demo this one. Seems to be on the modern/sophisticated side of things, at least in interface and how you interact with it like it's an EQ. I keep hearing good things about this so I want to check it out.

The thing to listen for with Spectre is a kind of "ghost" image of the source, coloured based on the band settings. It creates a kind of "other dimension" to the source imaging.

You are not doing anything to quell my interest Ahhh, so that's where the name Spectre comes from... saturation from another dimension sounds like my kind of dirt. I will demo at some point - trying to control my GAS but also more of the mindset "buy one thing, the premium option, instead of a bunch of lesser ones" and that's where Spectre might fit in.

[andymcbain]

i tried the new fuse audio labs 515 in "amp" mode (as opposed to limiter mode) and i gotta say. it sounds scary good.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh yes

VPRE-2C as well. Different to 515, but absolutely god-tier at what it does.

[vitocorleone123]

Moving away from adding much/any saturation at the mix level, preferring to do that at track level.

At most, yin/yang of Kotelnikov GE and, sometimes, a little Softube Tape. Some exceptions apply, of course.

Edit: forgot to mention that i mix in mixbus32c, which also has built in tape saturation on buses and mixbus.

[LoveEnigma18]

Never imagined there would be these many saturation plugins. Great discussion and mentions, but I have just settled on a few for my own sanity.

[sleepcircle]

Moving away from adding much/any saturation at the mix level, preferring to do that at track level.

Yeah, same. I tend to only do a tiny bit, myself—very controlled. And if I'm going to print my mix to tape on mixanalog.com or run it through the mastering chain there, then I leave out software sat entirely.

[Ploki]

i've been using spectre de-emphasized on masters lately. works well.

[vitocorleone123]

Moving away from adding much/any saturation at the mix level, preferring to do that at track level.

Yeah, same. I tend to only do a tiny bit, myself—very controlled. And if I'm going to print my mix to tape on mixanalog.com or run it through the mastering chain there, then I leave out software sat entirely.

Really easy to overdo and wash out the sound. Like reverbs. Some music calls for it though- check out the Kush audio demos. Damn fine music and sound. But not my thing.

I’ve even shied away from analog style mixbus compressors. And I only own two analog style EQs and I’m thinking of selling one.

I think the source sound has a lot to do with it. Hive2 is the “thinnest” synth I have - all the rest are more analog sounding, or are actually analog hardware synths that don’t need saturation per se (sometimes to tone down some of the very low or very high frequencies).

Kush TWK remains my most used saturation plugin. Blue Cat Destructor if I need damage.

[simon.a.billington]

I came across a guy on YouTube recently, Marc Daniel Nelson and well he uses a few things on his mix buss. But one thing he does thats a bit different is he uses an API 560 just because he likes the harmonics it introduces.



He's one of those guys who has a bit of a hybrid approach too. So he uses rack mounts as well as plugins.

[LoveEnigma18]

I personally like the sound of API models (using the Waves ones here). Easy to use and they give a nice colour to the sound.

[simon.a.billington]

I personally like the sound of API models (using the Waves ones here). Easy to use and they give a nice colour to the sound.

I've been meaning to give it a try. Oh wait, not sure if I have those. Well I guess I could always try the IK version if I don't. It will be interesting to give it a go, though.