Hit the Modulation tab to reveal the slide-down interface, then click in as many envelope generators (six max), envelope followers (four max), XLFOs (six), XY controllers (four) and MIDI CC sources (10) as you need. Oh, and then there's FabFilter's superb modulation system, of course, which is as awesome here as it is in the company's other plug-ins and enables you to design set-ups of staggering complexity. The Mix knob, meanwhile, enables parallel processing.įurther sound shaping is on hand in the shape of the Dynamics knob, a feedback loop with a ringing frequency range of 10-1000Hz (for emulating mic/speaker feedback), and a four-band amp-style 'tone' EQ. There's also a mid/side conversion mode, in which, rather than L/R panning, the Drive and Level pan controls set the balance between the mid and side signals for each of those two stages.
The Drive knob sets the level of the input signal into the algorithm (and changes the colour of the display background) and can be panned, for stereo effects. Destroy mode, for example, wantonly combines bitcrushing, sample rate reduction and soft clipping and Smudge does all manner of weird temporal stuff. So, what can you actually do to each of those bands? Saturn offers 16 saturation, distortion and clipping Styles, taking in tube, tape and amp algorithms, as well as a trio of extreme 'creative' distortions.Įach band can be set to its own Style, and everything from gentle tape-like warming to total decimation is catered for with the regular options, while the three mad ones push things over the limit (pun half intended). Up to six bands can be activated, and for extra editing wiggle room, the GUI has a Wide setting, about 30 per cent wider than the Normal one. The frequency range on either side of the line becomes a separately controlled band, the volume of which is set by raising or lowering the handle that appears in the middle (or via the Level knob).Ĭlick a band to select it for editing with the main controls, all of which operate on a per-band basis, including distortion Style drag to select contiguous bands hold Ctrl/Cmd to select non-contiguous bands etc. The crossover appears as a vertical line, which can be dragged left and right to the desired frequency. You can fiddle around and get real close, adjusting input, drive, etc-but it’s a bit awkward.To add a multiband crossover (with a fixed 24dB/octave slope), click the '+' button that appears when the mouse pointer approaches the top of the display.
Saturn 2 lacks the fine tuning you would need to tweak “everything” you can on your trusty head.
The Amp style is never going to sound like a real guitar amp. Tubes Fabfilter Saturn 2 audio plugin Subtle Tube linear analysis Fabfilter Saturn 2 audio plugin Subtle Tube harmonic analysis Fabfilter Saturn 2 audio plugin Clean Tube linear analysis Fabfilter Saturn 2 audio plugin Clean Tube harmonic analysis Fabfilter Saturn 2 audio plugin Warm Tube linear analysis Fabfilter Saturn 2 audio plugin Warm Tube harmonic analysis Fabfilter Saturn 2 audio plugin Broken Tube linear analysis Fabfilter Saturn 2 audio plugin Broken Tube harmonic analysis There is quite a bit to scroll through, so you click on the category below to jump to that section if you want:
If you are interested in some hints or tricks, you can check out the manual for my Saturn 2 presets. But I find the UI on Saturn both functional and remarkable, and it is still fun! Just always wanted to point this out, and now I have! (My instincts say yes, because obviously they aren’t listening very carefully.) No one enjoys the fun of a cool-looking plugin more than me, mimicking both the sound and look of what it is emulating. I wonder if it was wrapped in an analog-looking UI if it would “sound” different to those people. There are some people who seem to think Saturn has a “harsh” or “digital” sound. Foldback, for instance, looks pretty calm when the Drive is at 0%.
Some of these, especially the ones FabFilter calls “FX”, are going to go real crazy real quick when you push up the Drive knob. I tested all of the distortion styles at the default setting.