Shattered Glass Audio has released SGA1566, a free tube saturation plugins in VST/AU format for Windows and Mac users. SGA1566 is based on a single channel vintage tube preamplifier. With new additions on the original project, such as adding tone controls and made it stereo, SGA1566 achieve the most authentic analog sound, the whole circuit is. IZotope Ozone Imager. The Ozone Imager is an essential free VST plugin for trap beats. Softube Saturation Knob This Saturation Knob is one the best free analog emulation plugins out there. Even Dave Pensado gives it two thumbs up! Use it anywhere to add some character and distortion. Saturation: The Secret Weapon of Mixing (+ 5 Best Free Saturation Plugins) Will 0 Comments Saturation is one of the most misunderstood and underused plugins in mixing – it adds warmth, punch and depth to your mix, and can give it a high quality, “expensive”- sounding sheen. Today we are showing what we think are the best 5 FREE vsts for mixing and mastering in 2018. What do you think?There are EQs, Compressors, Saturators, Autop.
Like the best free FL Studio plugins, the beauty of Sitala lies in its simplicity. We found that it lets you lay down grooves quickly, and the results are always musical. We especially like how the interface allows you to play it like an instrument. Piano One by Sound Magic.
Lots of people are obsessed with the ‘warmth’ of analog studio gear. Sure—it sounds fuller, more human, more present.
But these days, modeling technology has become really good at simulating the effects of analog circuitry. Our computers and DAW apps are powerful enough to handle these VST workhorses.
So forget about spending tons of money on analog gear.
Here’s 7 VSTs (for both PC and Mac) that will give you that sweet analog warmth.
SGA1566 Tube Preamp
TDR Slick EQ
Ace Amp
Molot Compressor
Voxengo Tube Amp
MJUC jr. Compressor
Softube Saturation Knob
What’s all the analog fuss about?
Ok, so what does analog circuitry do to your sound? What’s everyone so obsessed about?
What people like about analog sound are the quirks and imperfections.
So when people talk about ‘warm analog sound’ they’re referring to:
Subtle distortion and drive
Harmonic distortion
Tape Saturation
Vacuum tubes
Preamps
What these processes do to your sound is often hardly noticeable. That’s what the magic’s about—you won’t hear them, but they’ll make a huge difference in how your track sounds and feels.
The cumulative effect of analog processes is what people are gushing about.
1. SGA1566 Tube Preamp
Shattered Glass Audio’s SGA 1566 gives you a single channel vintage tube preamp. The whole circuit is simulated in real time to get you that authentic analog sound.
Use the SGA 1566 as a saturation compressor to boost the warmth of your track. Or add a bit of grit with the tube overdrive.
Free Analog Saturation Plugin
The newest version is also lighter on your CPU––so no computer freak outs!!
Download the SGA 1566 for free here.
2. TDR Slick EQ
“This little guy sounds amazing” –Dave Pensado
The TDR Slick EQ is a sleek easy-to-use three-band EQ that gives you amazing sound—like all Tokyo Dawn Records plugins.
Warm up your sound by choosing a non-linear option under Output Stage. That’ll add subtle harmonic distortion and texture.
Download the TDR SlickEQ for free here.
3. Ace Amp
Ace Amp—another Shattered Glass Audio creation—is based on classic 1950s style tube amps.
Control the input, volume, feedback, output. Choose between three resampling options.
This amp plugin has simple controls and doesn’t eat up your CPU.
Hot Tip: Try it on vocals for a cool aesthetic effect.
Download the Ace for free here.
4. Molot Compressor
Vladg’s Molot is a compressor with character. Even the vintage Soviet look is on point.
Molot will give your sound interesting color. I recommend reading the manual to learn how to tune it properly—it’s worth the read.
Download Molot for free here.
5. Voxengo Tube Amp
Voxengo’s Tube Amp gives you warm overdrive, fuzzy distortion and everything in between.
It imitates tube overdrive in the style of single-tube mic preamps.
Hot Tip: Use the low-pass filter to imitate the texture of lower-quality tubes.
Download Voxengo’s Tube Amp for free here.
6. MJUC jr. Compressor
Klanghelm’s MJUC jr. compressor is simple and elegant.
Best Free Saturation Vst
Use it for smooth compression or a heavier pumping effect. MJUC jr. is based on vintage compressors of the 1960s––it even looks like one.
Flip the ‘Time Constants’ switch to choose between slow, fast and auto. This changes the attack and release time. It affects other parts of the circuitry too, giving you interesting analog-style saturation.
Download the MJUC jr. for free here.
7. Softube Saturation Knob
This Saturation Knob is one the best free analog emulation plugins out there. Even Dave Pensado gives it two thumbs up!
Use it anywhere to add some character and distortion. Drag it on your vocal track to add shimmer.
The great thing about this one is how simple it is: literally one knob and a switch. Change the switch setting to choose between the kind of distortion you’ll get.
Download the Softube Saturation Knob for free here.
Fake It Till Ya Make It
These effects are the missing ingredient in your digital sound.
The key with analog emulation is to avoid overdoing it. Bring in the effect until you hear it, then dial it back a notch. It’ll still make a huge difference. Your sound will be fuller and warmer.
Use these plugins and people will be asking for your studio secrets in no time.
Make sure to grab the whole LANDR-approved free VST plugin collection:
Saturation is one of the most misunderstood and underused plugins in mixing – it adds warmth, punch and depth to your mix, and can give it a high quality, “expensive”- sounding sheen.
At some point in the music production journey, EVERY successful producer and engineer I know has at some point stumbled across the revelation of saturation and distortion.
Saturation really is an integral part of the process when it comes to creating amazing-sounding mixes, and it doesn’t even have to cost you anything.
There are some incredible free plugins out there on the market, and I’ll share them with you later in this post.
Of course, the distorted sound of electric guitars is known to us all, but what about using saturation and distortion (being two heads of the same beast) in a more subtle way? What does it do in the mixing process?
Well, not to put too fine a point on it: It can mean the difference between your music sounding like it was created at home on a laptop, or sounding like it was created in an expensive, professional studio. Mixing with saturation can mean the difference between a thin, tinny, digital-sounding mix and a full-fat, warm and organic mix.
Interested? You should be because it’s simple, easy and the impact can be huge.
In this post, we are going to look at:
What saturation is
Why you absolutely should be using saturation
The different types of saturation
When & how to use saturation
WHERE to use saturation and…
My top 5 free saturation plugins
My top 5 premium saturation plugins
For more tips on using saturation,click here.
What is saturation?
In the audio plugin world, saturation involves emulating the audio being driven through analogue hardware equipment, adding harmonic distortion. There are different types of saturation – and they all have their own character – but the premise is the same.
Saturation simply enhances the frequencies that are already in a sound. I like to think of it like the saturation control on a television; it makes the colours more intense and vivid, right? Saturation plugins do the audio equivalent.
Here’s a diagram of what I mean. On the left-half is the signal with no saturation applied, and on the right is with saturation:
(Notice the example wave with saturation is fuller and fatter without peaking any higher).
Why should you be using saturation in your mixes?
As already stated, saturation will take your music from sounding in the “digital” realm to sounding warm, analogue, with added depth and character. It’s subtle, but our ears pick up on the subtleties of music. If your music sounds thin, weak or “cheap”, the chances are very high that saturation will help.
The different types of saturation
So what hardware are these plugins actually emulating? Well, there are three main types of saturation: Tape, tube, and transistor. They are generally used in subtle amounts, but collectively over a mix can make a huge difference. Let’s have a quick look at each of them, their typical characteristics, and then where we might use them:
Tape saturation
Obviously, we record straight to our computers nowadays, so tape saturation plugins emulate the sound of the audio being recorded through tape machines. But why would we want to do that?
They introduce what are known as “odd order harmonics” (don’t worry too much about the difference between even and odd order harmonics – that’s for another day), which create subtle compression and slight, irregular shifts in frequency response. They tend to roll off high-end frequencies and boost the lows a little, too.
As I say, pretty subtle, but tape saturation is often described as sounding punchy and warm, which is great for adding fatness and depth to your mix.
Tube Saturation
Tube saturation plugins emulate the sound of the audio being driven through tube amps, introducing what are known as “even order” harmonics (again, don’t worry about these terms too much!).
Tube saturation adds a subtle form of compression, but when pushed hard can have an aggressive edge. It’s often characterised as sounding warm, musical, and punchy. It can increase perceived loudness, dimension, and fatness.
Transistor Saturation
Transistor saturation plugins emulate the audio being driving through transistor circuitry. This gives a “hard-clipping” kind of compression, which is aggressive if driven hard (think of pushing the levels too high in your DAW).
The is great for creative sound design purposes like making a guitar or vocal fuzzy or gritty, but for mixing one would usually be a bit more delicate with the settings, creating a smoother tone.
When, where & how to use saturation
Ok, so now you know about saturation and why it’s great, where should you use it in your mix?
Well, there are no hard and fast rules that can’t be experimented with, but generally speaking (and with all audio processing in general), the moves get smaller the further along the chain you go, for instance. Also, I almost always use an EQ after adding saturation plugin, just to reign in some of the boosted frequencies (usually sub-bass frequencies).
Your saturation moves will most likely be larger on your individual elements than on the buss you send them to, and smaller still on the master channel (if, indeed, you are doing your own mastering). In a nutshell, the further along the processing chain you go, the less you are likely to need.
Let’s have a look / listen at some examples…
Synths
The trouble with a lot of soft-synths is that they can sound quite flat, thin or dull – basically like they were generated by a computer! Saturation is a perfect way to add character and analogue warmth. Try adding some tube saturation to enhance the harmonics and add a little grit. This method will increase the perceived loudness and bring your synths more upfront in the mix.
Saturation on drums can be used both on the individual drum sounds and – more commonly – on the drum buss. Tape saturation will help glue your drums together with light compression and experiment with the other types of saturation to add “fatness”, high-end excitement and punch to help them pop out the mix more.
Saturation on bass is a great way to fatten up your low-end. It also adds mid and high frequencies, which is perfect for getting your bass line to pop even on poor quality speaks without much bass response (e.g. smartphone speakers). I recommend experimenting with different types of saturation to get the best sound.
Saturation is fantastic on vocals! If you ever feel your vocals lack warmth, body or weight, some gentle saturation can really fatten them up (in a good way) and make them pop. You can also use saturation to gently compress them and tame any wild transients, and warm up harsh-sounding vocals. Guitars (particularly acoustic) can be enhanced in the same way, and for the same reasons.
Remember, the further along the processing chain you go, the less saturation you are likely to need. However, using it on your busses can sound great. On the vocal buss, for example, it can help “gel” the different vocal tracks together (i.e. lead vocals, doubles, backing, etc.). Also – as mentioned – it can also glue your drums together and make them sound more cohesive.
Master Buss
I tend to use saturation VERY subtly on the master buss, to create more cohesion, perceived loudness and analogue warmth. Tape saturation is perfect for this, but experiment with tube saturation, too.
All together then
So, what does it sound like going from no saturation to using it on all of the above elements? Let’s have a quick A/B test to hear the difference 🙂
A BIIIIG difference in quality, right? Hopefully, I’ve convinced you of the merits of saturation – now let’s look at some of the best (free) tools out there at the moment…
Top free 5 saturation plugins
Ok, now let’s get you kitted out with the best free saturation plugins! You might end up using just one or two of them….pick what works for you (These are all available for both Windows and Mac):
Softube Saturation Knob
Voxengo Tube Amp
Shattered Glass SGA1566
Klanghelm IVGI
LVC PhreePhuzz
Top 5 premium plugins
Now free is all good (and we love it), but you generally get more control and quality from premium plugins. When you are ready to invest, these are the plugins I use in almost every mix:
Soundtoys Radiator
Soundtoys Decapitator
Kush Omega458A
FabFilter Saturn
Sonnox Inflator (technically a harmonic exciter rather than a saturation plugin)
Conclusion
And there you have it! My guide to saturation. Hopefully, you’ve been convinced of the transformative power of using saturation in your mixes.
If you enjoyed this post, don’t forget to download my free “30 Essential Mixing Tips” here.
In the meantime, what are your favourite saturation plugins, and do you have any particular saturation techniques? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
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Will Darling runs EDMtips.com – a website and YouTube channel dedicated to helping Electronic Dance Music producers seriously improve their production skills. Will has written for EDMprod, LearnMusicTech, ADSR, and has featured in Future Music magazine. His popular “Music Theory for EDM Producers” course has helped thousands of producers get to grips with fun, simple techniques for writing better dance music.