Best type saturation vst for 2025?
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- KVRer
- 7 posts since 28 Dec, 2024
Hello, I need tube type saturation plugins. Price is not important, I want to know the best quality ones. There are options like Kush audio LG drive, Overloud Gem Sculptube, Black Rooster Audio OmniTec-67A, Black Box Analog Design Hg-2. Which one do you recommend? Are there any better ones? (It would be nice if it doesn't use too much CPU)
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- KVRAF
- 1755 posts since 26 Apr, 2019 from Netherlands
Not sure if it's the best, but if price isn't important, then you might as well want to pick this one up as a bonus:
https://unitedplugins.com/DarkFire/
https://unitedplugins.com/DarkFire/
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vitocorleone123 vitocorleone123 https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=333504
- KVRAF
- 2489 posts since 30 Jun, 2014 from Pacific NW
If you want tube and price isn’t a major factor, get hardware.
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- KVRAF
- 5531 posts since 26 Apr, 2007 from Noosphere
Just get either D16 Devastor or Arturia Coldfire. They are workhorses. Plenty of various types of saturation and distortion with a feasible CPU load.
If you want something more unpredictable, then Arturia Dist TUBE-CULTURE.
If you want something more unpredictable, then Arturia Dist TUBE-CULTURE.
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- KVRAF
- 2575 posts since 25 Apr, 2009 from gone
If you are a Cubase user, its multiband saturation named Quadrafuzz is absolutely lovely for tube distorsion.
Simply tick "tube" inside.
It allows you to select only the bands that should trigger the distorsion, and trust me, this changes everything to the result.
Simply tick "tube" inside.
It allows you to select only the bands that should trigger the distorsion, and trust me, this changes everything to the result.
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- KVRist
- 91 posts since 14 Feb, 2023
Better is subjective
Demo a few
Personal fav are specrte, bb tubes waves, and black box hg2 for just pure saturation but I mostly use other plugins like eqs or such to get saturation at every step these days
Demo a few
Personal fav are specrte, bb tubes waves, and black box hg2 for just pure saturation but I mostly use other plugins like eqs or such to get saturation at every step these days
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- KVRAF
- 12174 posts since 7 Sep, 2006 from Roseville, CA
In with my SoundToys Decapitator suggestion before every saturation plugin on the market is recommended. 
Maybe the OP could tell us which ones he owns and/or has tried and what he likes or dislikes about them before we all just blindly throw out our personal favorites.
Maybe the OP could tell us which ones he owns and/or has tried and what he likes or dislikes about them before we all just blindly throw out our personal favorites.
Logic Pro | LUNA Pro | OB-X8 | Prophet 6 | OB-6 | Trigon 6 | Rev2 | TEO-5 | Pro 3 | SE-1X | Minitaur | Integra-7 | TR-1000 | Analog RYTM mk2 | Digitakt 2 | TD-3 MO | TD-3 | Maschine+
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- KVRAF
- 3761 posts since 5 Mar, 2004 from Gold Coast Australia
Why not just get the free (or at least it always was) Softube Saturation Knob? It is just good.
Otherwise, Hornet Analog Channel is/was good (based on the earlier version I used for ages).
In this video I walk through all about what one needs to know about this process and compare several free/cheap options which all do what they say on the tin. Each has a different flavour like all hardware did (and most times several instances of the same unit would be different too).
Before someone asks, I haven't found any of those impressively priced things with silly knobs to sound any better than simpler tools. What I have found in some is fibbyness with things like hidden boosts. This review had me look at the new and wildly priced UAD thing which while nice doesn't manage to have any uberfulness when put to the A-B.
Otherwise, Hornet Analog Channel is/was good (based on the earlier version I used for ages).
In this video I walk through all about what one needs to know about this process and compare several free/cheap options which all do what they say on the tin. Each has a different flavour like all hardware did (and most times several instances of the same unit would be different too).
Before someone asks, I haven't found any of those impressively priced things with silly knobs to sound any better than simpler tools. What I have found in some is fibbyness with things like hidden boosts. This review had me look at the new and wildly priced UAD thing which while nice doesn't manage to have any uberfulness when put to the A-B.
Benedict Roff-Marsh
http://www.benedictroffmarsh.com
http://www.benedictroffmarsh.com
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- KVRAF
- 4314 posts since 20 Feb, 2004
IMO, one of the best saturators is an EQ: VSE-4 by Vertigo Sound. It has per-band saturation, FM drive, and overdrive.
Most importantly, it sounds really (*ducks tomatoes*) analog.
Most importantly, it sounds really (*ducks tomatoes*) analog.
A well-behaved signature.
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- KVRAF
- 7657 posts since 2 Sep, 2019
Since price is not important:
https://wavearts.com/products/plugins/t ... r-vintage/
https://wavearts.com/products/plugins/t ... r-vintage/
THIS MUSIC HAS BEEN MIXED TO BE PLAYED LOUD SO TURN IT UP
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- KVRAF
- 5271 posts since 2 Jul, 2005
Ohmicide from ohm force is free now and is great for more subtle stuff aside from the crazy distortions it was marketed for. It has 4 bands with dynamics in addition to distortion as well as a ton of different distortion algorithms that can be switched per band. I sometimes use it to beef up a drum group or to squish together some layered synths.
You could also look into the Spice VST that allows you to put together a circuit model using engineering models. It's a CPU killer though. Fun to test simple circuits if you into building things especially and it does tubes.
You could also look into the Spice VST that allows you to put together a circuit model using engineering models. It's a CPU killer though. Fun to test simple circuits if you into building things especially and it does tubes.
Don't F**K with Mr. Zero.