Do you have a Go-To Plugin for Warming Up, Saturation, +Character ?

[whassup]

Airwindows ToTape9

[kernaudioio]

yeah just to echo: what people call "tape warmth" is mostly gentle program-dependent compression with correlated harmonic distortion. the multiband nature means the low end compresses differently to the top, which is why things feel fuller without getting muddy. static waveshapers add the same character at every input level, which is why they can make things feel louder but not warmer.

for an affordable option that handles the spectral awareness side: i've built WARM ($29, kernaudio.io/warm) with tape, tube, and transformer modes if that can peak your interest. it tracks spectral content so the harmonics follow your signal instead of sitting flat on it. alongside that, Airwindows ToTape and Fuse Audio / NEOLD are the names i'd point to. PSP VintageWarmer for the bus is still a valid choice for everything Echoes mentioned which i still use for some thing.

[jens]

Universal Audio Verve

Thanks for the helpful feedback

UA Verve looks very interesting. I'm checking it out. It's price is $99. , I might wait for a sale price if I decide to buy it.

Nah - for 99 you get 10 UAD plugins of your choice (out of almost all of their native plugins) with their Winter Mix Tape bundle.


Edit: I'm like a week too late with that comment...

[DCrown]

my first plugin is always an iLok plugin,
ILok adds the color of API-550A console

[psy dive]

https://forever89.studio/topos/ is criminally underrated IMO.

It's so intuitive to dial in the right color using a map instead of clicking through algos, and you can blend them smoothly.

Super light on CPU, small in size, and sounds great. Goes from subtle color to overdrive.

It's my go-to for livening up anything and lives on almost every channel.

Seems a bit pricey at first but it's absolutely worth it. The demo is unlimited and no registration is required. You can't access the map in the demo, but you can still click through the algos and get a feel for the sound.

The included speaker sim is great for synths and works the same way. Give it a shot!

No, I'm not affiliated ^^

[Orchidius]

Airwindows ToTape8

Actually there's lots of great saturations from Chris, from subtle to completely bonkers...

+10.000 for Variety of Sound, it's top notch

Soundtoys stuff like Decapitator is great.
Fabfilter Saturn is very good as well.

I also really dig u-he Satin and the drive in his Runciter.

[buchertaudio]

Disclosure: I'm the developer of Warmth Engine, so take this with that in mind.

Great thread — lots of solid picks here. PSP VintageWarmer on the bus is hard to argue with, and Airwindows ToTape keeps getting better with every version.

I'll add my perspective on what I was missing in my own workflow: most saturation plugins apply the same character across the whole spectrum. That works for some things, but I kept wanting to push warmth into the low-mids without the top end getting harsh. That's what led me to build Warmth Engine — it has a spectral tilt control that lets you shape where the harmonics concentrate. Not a replacement for the classics, but a different approach for when you want more control over the color.

macOS AU/VST3, €49 — buchertaudio.com/plugins/warmth-engine.html

[noahrbc]

Kalifornia Dynamic Alkane

[Calagan]

Funny how each thread asking for some "go to" plugin for "analog warmth" is always a list of hundred of different plugins.
Any saturator actually does the same, but in its own way. So there's no "go to". And at the same time, it's never necessary to have plenty.
I use the Ableton Live built in saturator, Tupe, Coldfire, Decapitator, Saturn, Wires (for very lofi vibe) and recently I get the Arturia's J-37. All are great, and doing something different, but I could live with only the built-in Live saturator. Only Saturn and Coldfire are truly specials with features...

[billinder33]

I'm really digging the newly released Grit Blender saturation plugin: viewtopic.php?t=628374

It excels at producing 'obvious' saturation without going into full blown distortion unless you really push it. Wouldn't really call it 'warm', though it can be coaxed into doing that. Awesome in mid-side mode, using the frequency band filters, and blending in the 12 different saturation types in varying degrees.

[himalaya]

I've been restoring my old tracks made in the 1990s and recorded on DAT. I've found that a combination of Analog Designs Black Box (HD-2MS), LTL Silver Bullet (in conjunction with other processing like compression and eq) gives me an instant mojo that really works in this context. Instant vibe, lift, 'warming' effect with gentle saturation. So these two are my go to plugins at the moment for my little restoration project.

But, I also turn to Acustica Audio Taupe, Acustica Audio Crimson, The Oven, PSP Saturator, Black Rooster OmniTec-67A, Fuse Audio VCL-864U for similar tasks. Stacking some of those with subtle processing in each can really add up to lots of lovely character without destroying anything in the process.

[Cyoon]

PSP VintageWarmer
Sonimus Burnley 73
Sonnox Dynamics (Warmth Mode)
u-he Satin

[martinjuenke]

Nothing warms better than my secret weapon:

IMG_0760.jpeg

[whassup]

Nothing warms better than my secret weapon:

IMG_0760.jpeg

Unschlagbar!

Leider 32 bit aber dafür mit der Original Vintage Skin!

[simon.a.billington]

I have many of them, different choices, different colors, all very dependent on what you want to do. Though, the simpler and most immediate ones would be Arturia DIST Tube Culture, IK Saturator X, SPL TwinTube, Waves Magma BB Tubes, Elysia Phil's Cascade.

Or a choice guitar amp head, without the cab.