FabFilter Saturn 2

[Arksun]

I got saturn 1 but i dunno why i got it. It doesnt crush and distort the sound heavily if you want like other plugins? It sounds so tame and i didnt use it much. Are the new algos more heavy? I love decapitator, or ohmicide still more. Aggressive if you want and juicy.

You can still do some pretty wild stuff with Saturn v1 though. Take this example from a track I made while back for production library. First part is the Diva bass on its own, then you hear it with just the Saturn1 fx on top, then finally as it sits in the mix with a section of the final track

http://arksun-sound.com/music/DivaSaturnex.mp3

[Arksun]

Hit quote instead of delete, oops. How do I delete theses? lol

[bmanic]

If you want absolutely no distortion at all but still want to use the envelopes for shaping volume and whatnot (aka make your own compressors) then you can use the band specific Dry/Wet knob. This completely removes the saturation algorithm.

.. but I don't think Saturn was ever intended for mastering.

EDIT: Actually, there is still a clear single harmonic left, even with wet/dry on the band set to 0%. This may be a bug. Will have to check with FabFilter.

no i think that's the soft-clipper i talked about later then, that's present even when you pull the mix down to 0%...

Could be. I suspect it might even be a bug. I've reported it on their forum and asked for them to add a "None" option for the saturation stages so that we can abuse Saturn without any distortion algos at all. Would be a really nice addition with all those LFO's and Envelopes.

[jens]

Nice update - but certainly not 69€ nice.

Weed is completely legal in the Netherlands, so it's an open secret what they smoke over there…

[colonel_mustard]

http://arksun-sound.com/music/DivaSaturnex.mp3

Love your sound design Arksun

I'm just happy the UI went full screen. Saturn's always been a tweaky place rather than a crank it to 11 round these parts. Different tools for different jobs, no matter how many algos. I still reach for analog fx for dirt, but with Saturn you get precision. My favourite is making the feedback threaten to take over, then not quite take over. It's a bit like surfing.

I wish I had more patience to really move in and own it, rather than fiddling and losing time, as I do. Could do with a masterclass or something.

[TIMT]

If you want absolutely no distortion at all but still want to use the envelopes for shaping volume and whatnot (aka make your own compressors) then you can use the band specific Dry/Wet knob. This completely removes the saturation algorithm.

.. but I don't think Saturn was ever intended for mastering.

EDIT: Actually, there is still a clear single harmonic left, even with wet/dry on the band set to 0%. This may be a bug. Will have to check with FabFilter.

no i think that's the soft-clipper i talked about later then, that's present even when you pull the mix down to 0%...

Could be. I suspect it might even be a bug. I've reported it on their forum and asked for them to add a "None" option for the saturation stages so that we can abuse Saturn without any distortion algos at all. Would be a really nice addition with all those LFO's and Envelopes.

This would be most welcome.hoping it gets implemented

[Ploki]

that would make it super useful as a multiband imager and transient designer lol

[MogwaiBoy]

That's strange you would think at 0% mix there should be no harmonic. Sounds like a bug, or if not then something they overlooked.

[LFO8]

Is it sad that I basically use multi band distortions like this on individual tracks as a glorified graphic EQ with wide bands? I make techno, so I'm not so much concerned with preserving the original tone of someone's amp/guitar/vox/whatever, I'm only looking for an interesting sound.

Whatever gives you the sound you are going for man. No rules.

[mrj1nx]

I agree with some that for the full upgrade price I might feel this update doesn't overdeliver on value. But I'm glad there's an update, the main value to me seems to be the new algos. Some of the new subtle ones like Subtle Tape, Subtle Tube, Subtle Transformer is probably more useful than I've imagined. One of my main uses for saturation is taming peaks, and if I can do that with minimal impact to the sound thats awesome. I'm gonna run some tests with the new algos and see how good peak taming vs sound impact they are performing. Also glad to see transformer saturation in there.

[v1o]

Everyone on GS likes this. Everyone on KVR thinks this a bog standard wave shaper in a shiny GUI.

[FapFilter]

I like it too (v1 that is). I'm sure i'll like v2 too, but i'm not in a hurry.

And to put things into perspective: in my experience, it seems like literally every single time something new arrives that's not a total dud, on GS it most certainly is “the best thing ever that trounces everything else there is, i've been waiting for something like this for 20 years, now finally it's here!“
And when the next plugin arrives a few months (sometimes down to just a few days) later, history repeats itself. Over and over again. Every. Single. Time.

Of course most stuff since 2010-2012 or so (sometimes even way before that) is very good, but you can't trust initial reception as being “THE truth“

Oh and i forgot to mention: there are some exceptions, but generally it seems to help a lot over there when the products are of the expensive kind, while inexpensive stuff, or stuff with no photo realistic GUI of a Studer, API, or Empirical Labs, is often overlooked

[bmanic]

Everyone on GS likes this. Everyone on KVR thinks this a bog standard wave shaper in a shiny GUI.

The various saturation algorithms are no doubt a bit simpler than proper analogue modelling (you could call it old school modeling ) but I don't see anybody here calling the plugin bog standard either. What makes this plugin useful and appreciated both here and elsewhere is the sum of it's parts. The things you can do with the modulation is truly useful and awesome. It's also worth noting just how "clean" very fast modulation of parameters is, something that FabFilter has always done well (basically the interpolation of the values).

It's just a really poweful toolkit for experimental sound design.. or subtle highly customizable program dependent saturation.

For instance with the transformer saturation, which is "just another waveshaper", you can mimic a more realistic behavior that has higher harmonic distortion on the lows than it has on the highs, thanks to the comprehensive modulation possibilities.

Also, don't overlook the power and awesomeness of the one knob expander/compressor (though that one is unchanged from the previous version).

[bmanic]

Oh and i forgot to mention: there are some exceptions, but generally it seems to help a lot over there when the products are of the expensive kind, while inexpensive stuff, or stuff with no photo realistic GUI of a Studer, API, or Empirical Labs, is often overlooked

Except if it's an Airwindows plugin.

All kidding aside, I totally agree with you. Expensive, shiny GUI or "pedigree name" (UA, Weiss, Waves etc) tends to get quite a bit of respect over at GS.. but it's a much larger forum than KvR in terms of mixing/mastering.. at least that is my impression. Quite a few of the members there are actually fully working audio professionals in various positions in the field, whereas here it's much more varied (which is why KvR is very dear to me. Absolutely love the forums here, always have!). In a way, KvR is perhaps a more "honest" and "real" environment in terms of the general public. Thus very valuable.

[FapFilter]

Oh, i don't question the skills and knowledge there at all. It's a very good forum and i like lurking there. You just have to keep in mind that you sometimes have to take it with two freighters of salt when it comes to what gear is really needed, though there are of course some more sensible opinions inbetween.

And luckily it's even a bit more than just airwindows. Valhalla, Kazrog, Klanghelm and a few others are also held in high regards over there.