Soundtoys Tone

[dubguy99]

You can turn the saturation off by selecting the "clean" saturation option.

The Clean option isn't clean. It actually produces a lot of harmonics. Oddly, the Op-Amp option is the clean one. I say oddly because there was an op-amp Big Muff that produced it's fuzz by clipping op-amps. But don't take my word for it, open up Plugin Doctor and check for yourself.

Honestly, I'd swear that was a bug if it hasn't been like that for years.

TIL. I always thought it was clean. I turn down the input gain, too, maybe that's why I didn't notice.

[ramseysounds]

I love the sound of SoundToys plug-ins, but hate the fact you have to run your sound very quietly in to them (always have to add a separate gain plug-in before them).
Just doesn’t fit in to my workflow very well.

what are you talking about?

Sorry if I was a bit unclear.
I meant that most (all?) of SoundToys plug-ins saturate quite heavily if you run your signal peaking at 0 dB into them. Good example of this is Sie-Q. That is why I need to add an gain plug-in before them (and after to bring the volume back up).
I use lots of other plug-ins that do not need this kind of gain staging, so it just slightly annoys me I when need to add these separate gain plugins to my effect chains.

who the hell sends a signal into any processor at 0db? Seriously, research gain staging.

[ramseysounds]

Soundtoys plugins are effects. The initial tone (sound) is generated by the source it is processing. Understand??

No that’s not true. The initial tone is generated by the source. But the effect plug in imparts its own quality on that sound. And if that quality is uniform across all their effects plug ins, then we can talk about them imparting that quality on the original source, an whether we like that uniform quality or not. By the way, Webster’s defines tone as: “musical sound of a specific quality.” So we can definitely talk about the Soundtoys tone.

BS

[gaggle of hermits]

I meant that most (all?) of SoundToys plug-ins saturate quite heavily if you run your signal peaking at 0 dB into them. Good example of this is Sie-Q. That is why I need to add an gain plug-in before them (and after to bring the volume back up).
I use lots of other plug-ins that do not need this kind of gain staging, so it just slightly annoys me I when need to add these separate gain plugins to my effect chains.

which plugins that purport to be doing some level of analogue emulation or do saturation don't react badly if you cornhole the levels at 0dB like that?

[statue]

who the hell sends a signal into any processor at 0db? Seriously, research gain staging.

Aren't you a friendly chap!

which plugins that purport to be doing some level of analogue emulation or do saturation don't react badly if you cornhole the levels at 0dB like that?

Well not all plug-ins do some sort of analogue emulation.
Look, of course you should not drive your signal at 0dB in to an analogue emulating plugin unless you want to abuse your sound.

But please guys, not all plug-ins do analogue emulation.

My point really is this: I wish SoundToys plugins had an input trim gain knob, or a calibration setting like Klanghelm plugins.

[gaggle of hermits]

I just find it way easier simply to adjust levels on the way out of instruments or stems to peak at -12dB or go a little over 0 on transients on a -18dB-calibrated VU. It makes no practical difference to the non-modelled plug-ins and leads to a lot less messing around with gain.

[ramseysounds]

who the hell sends a signal into any processor at 0db? Seriously, research gain staging.

Aren't you a friendly chap!

But please guys, not all plug-ins do analogue emulation.

My point really is this: I wish SoundToys plugins had an input trim gain knob, or a calibration setting like Klanghelm plugins.

I'm actually a very friendly chap if you take time to get to know me.

Seriously, my initial question still stands - who the hell sends a signal into ANY processor at 0db? Unless you want to seriously f**k your sound up, it's madness. Turn it down and your speakers up.