Saturator shoot-out

[Echoes in the Attic]

Still VintageWarmer.

[concealed identity]

Still VintageWarmer.

Don't say this, I've been convincing myself not to buy it for weeks

[pekbro]

Another nice one I like to use:

https://endeavorfx.com/contemporary-color.html

[Echoes in the Attic]

Still VintageWarmer.

Don't say this, I've been convincing myself not to buy it for weeks

I remember 10 or 12 years ago I was trying to recreate it with lots of other things like izotope trash or DAW compressors and saturation, but I just like what VW does. And I still use the old algorithm in V2 which is based on V1, lower latency.

[Morty-C-137]

I really like Blackbox, particularly in m/s mode. Rarely use on the master though.

I really like that one as well. I just don’t understand why they can’t add some auto gain compensation. It’s very tedious to have to keep adjusting all the dials with your mouse when you just want some more color without the added loudness.

[legendCNCD]

I really like Blackbox, particularly in m/s mode. Rarely use on the master though.

I really like that one as well. I just don’t understand why they can’t add some auto gain compensation. It’s very tedious to have to keep adjusting all the dials with your mouse when you just want some more color without the added loudness.

This. I tried it last time, but it was so fiddly to setup I gave up and chose another one for the task. I like the sound and it can be used as "sausager/flattener" for signal. Should really "fix" it.

[skarvika]

My favorites have been iZotope Trash 2 and Fabfilter Saturn 2. Both are really nice on the master for bringing out a little extra in the mids. Nice to see Vertigo VSM-3 getting some love, that'd be my runner up.

Agree with Morty on Blackbox. I never use it on account of liking my eardrums.

[BackInCheck]

I really like Blackbox, particularly in m/s mode. Rarely use on the master though.

I really like that one as well. I just don’t understand why they can’t add some auto gain compensation. It’s very tedious to have to keep adjusting all the dials with your mouse when you just want some more color without the added loudness.

Yes, the lack of auto gain compensation makes it to cumbersome to use. I also found that I like the "box sound" of other saturation plugins (including free ones) more.

[BackInCheck]

If you are on Windows don't underestimate the free offerings by Variety of Sound. There is a new version of their classic Ferric TDS coming, which sounds absolutely fantastic.

[Scoops]

Awwww man!

When I saw the title Saturator shoot-out, I was thinking that there would be maybe something like a single sound file that would be affected by the individual Saturators, and a panel of judges would declare a winner based on some sort of criteria.

Not to be.

In that case, I'll go with Saturn2

[SNBeatz]

I really like a ton of saturators but T-Racks Saturator X in either of the Push Pull modes always sounds so good to me while still eating huge amounts of peaks

[enroe]

If you are on Windows don't underestimate the free offerings by Variety of Sound. There is a new version of their classic Ferric TDS coming, which sounds absolutely fantastic.

Haha, I think Thrillseeker - even in the old 32-bit version - is unrivaled.

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

I highly recommend to check Karanyi Technocolor - 1 usd ,bought it two days ago and its already one of my favs i use in a project.
Its kind of 10-15 sec to find and add cool saturation type .
Very intuitive - just browse the list of saturation types,add some amount and continue with other fx in the chain.
Adore it already.

[BackInCheck]

I highly recommend to check Karanyi Technocolor - 1 usd ,bought it two days ago and its already one of my favs i use in a project.
Its kind of 10-15 sec to find and add cool saturation type .
Very intuitive - just browse the list of saturation types,add some amount and continue with other fx in the chain.
Adore it already.

The demos I heard didn't convince me. It lacks the finesse of something like Variety of Sound TesslaSE mkIII (Windows-only). Technocolor seems to be more of a digital color box rather than a refined analog saturation emulation. It sounds like standard static waveshaping with added generic modulation fx (chorus etc).

[Nerantzis]

For the master bus I’d go with Waves NLS. It adds crisp, clean analog bite without getting messy.