Saturation

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

For a long time(when i start learning how to make decent music)i had no idea why saturators even exist.
Now i can't imagine a pro track in a digital environment without such.
Why?
Because saturation is what makes digital ,lifeless sound more alive and analog like,explanation is as simple as that.
I am curious what saturation other producers use and where you put them in a fx chain?
I see some developers offer emulations of their hardware and saturation part is AFTER compressor,but to my taste saturation works better BEFORE anything else...
Will be glad to hear opinions and different point of view about saturation.
I use mostly Plugin Alliance saturation plugins,for the price they are unbeatable,but interested in any authentic stuff available,because i am literally obsessed with quality saturators lately.
Thanks.

[crimsonwarlock]

Because saturation is what makes digital ,lifeless sound more alive and analog like

I think there is a more important use of saturation, and that is as a mix tool. There are several cases where replacing an EQ frequency bump with saturation (using either multiband or emphasize/de-emphasize trick) gives much better control and results. Making vocals more pronounced in the mix is an obvious example.

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

Because saturation is what makes digital ,lifeless sound more alive and analog like

I think there is a more important use of saturation, and that is as a mix tool. There are several cases where replacing an EQ frequency bump with saturation (using either multiband or emphasize/de-emphasize trick) gives much better control and results. Making vocals more pronounced in the mix is an obvious example.

Yeah,that's right,EQ isn't always best choice to push vocal in front and to make it stand out.
Compressors do similar job,but to my taste combination of fx - saturator,compressor,eq works even better.
Any favorite vocal saturators?

[crimsonwarlock]

Any favorite vocal saturators?

Yep, the multi-band distortion (goes from mild saturation to total mayhem distortion) that I built as a combinator-2 in Reason



https://forum.reasontalk.com/viewtopic.php?t=7525742

[Papuzzo]

I use Heavyocity Punish when I want a pronounced effect and FabFilter Saturn 2 when I want gentle saturation on the mix bus.

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

Vocal is total mystery to me.
Instrumental parts are easy,if a man have some idea of what sound want to achieve,but vocal is sensitive material.
Is Tape saturation better,than other for vocal?

[crimsonwarlock]

Is Tape saturation better,than other for vocal?

For bringing a vocal up in the mix, you can actually use some serious amount of distortion. Just split the vocal into a parallel channel, use a highpass filter to get rid of all low and mid frequencies, and put some nice distortion on it. Then, mix this parallel track in under the actual vocal track and hear the magic happen. You can then play with the highpass cutoff frequency for fine-tuning.

Or drop a multiband saturation/distortion on the vocal track and mix in some high-end distortion that way.

[whassup]

Is Tape saturation better,than other for vocal?

For bringing a vocal up in the mix, you can actually use some serious amount of distortion. Just split the vocal into a parallel channel, use a highpass filter to get rid of all low and mid frequencies, and put some nice distortion on it. Then, mix this parallel track in under the actual vocal track and hear the magic happen. You can then play with the highpass cutoff frequency for fine-tuning.

Or drop a multiband saturation/distortion on the vocal track and mix in some high-end distortion that way.

This!

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

Is Tape saturation better,than other for vocal?

For bringing a vocal up in the mix, you can actually use some serious amount of distortion. Just split the vocal into a parallel channel, use a highpass filter to get rid of all low and mid frequencies, and put some nice distortion on it. Then, mix this parallel track in under the actual vocal track and hear the magic happen. You can then play with the highpass cutoff frequency for fine-tuning.

Or drop a multiband saturation/distortion on the vocal track and mix in some high-end distortion that way.

Interesting technique,will try it,thanks
I was amazed how dope saturated sound is inside the mix.
I tried to make Viper sound a 100% Virus,doesn't make it exact,but the sound become very interesting,then continue with other synths and fx in a chain with saturation from the beginning.
Three layers of lite saturation and compression gives nice 3d result.
For keys and pads especially.
Cheers:)

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

My first pop and dance tracks are in progress,focusing everything i learned from sound design in the mix.
Don't wanna copy paste famous songs,sound or artists,just to make best version of what i am doing well and exciting mix is the target now.
To me pro mix isn't following a recipe or 'standard',but to make crowd to go crazy,listening my mix
My default fx chain is pretty basic : Saturation - EQ - Compression.
Any suggestions for something interesting in between?
Filter dynamics is my weakness,but honestly i put it absolutely randomly,wherever inspiration lead or feel the need to energize the sound.
No specific place in the fx chain,mostly in the end,but not always,no idea is there right position...
I like to use some amps as harmonic booster to add brightness,guitar fx sometimes give nice vibe of synthetic track...
Advanced Mixing is new adventure and challenge.
Cheers

[jethrobull]

The so called 'rear bus technique' is good, especially for bringing main instruments and vocals to the front. You may or may not of tried it?

[crimsonwarlock]

The so called 'rear bus technique' is good, especially for bringing main instruments and vocals to the front. You may or may not of tried it?

I actively use that technique in my mixes. Makes a world of difference

Depending on which DAW you use, it might take a bit of work to set it up, though.

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

The so called 'rear bus technique' is good, especially for bringing main instruments and vocals to the front. You may or may not of tried it?

No,but i do it by default as parallel mixing - all instruments to bus,except the drum,which to be fixed in the end.
It's logical workflow,didn't know it is a technique and has a name
By default i think most important is listening very critical and same time creative way,so to let imagination to upgrade the idea ...it's more easy first to imagine and mix in your mind something,then to write it ...at least i used to work this way.
Will read more about this rear bus tech,may be a step ahead ...
Thanks.

[SNBeatz]

Don't know about vocals cause I never really work with them but I still swear by BedroomProducerBlog's BPB Saturator for anything bass. A little on the tape slider with an equal drop in output gain makes things BEEFY. It's free, and I usually try it first before reaching for my other usuals (Saturn 2, Kelvin Toneshaper, Spectre)

Airwindows and Analog Obsession also have a ton of amazing free options. A.O. has PreBOX which includes 12(?) options IIRC and sounds authentic to my untrained ears, and Airwindows Mackity and ZOutputStage are monsters

[vitocorleone123]

Saturation is distortion. Distortion can be used to essentially reduce peaks.

Greg Scott (Kush Audio) said in a recent video that he's largely moved away from using compression in mixing and just uses saturation, instead.

Just remember to be targeted and specific with it, same as any other effect.