How To Use Saturation Plugins to Get Phat Drums and More
Audio saturation is one of those effects that doesn’t get enough love. We all know how vital EQ, compression and reverb are, but mastering the art of saturation is just as important to making phat, punchy mixes.
So today we’re going to show you the secret sauce on how to turn audio saturation into your greatest mixing weapon. Here’s what we’ll be covering:
● What is audio saturation?
● Parallel processing and saturation
● Multiband EQ treatment
● Free one-knob saturation plugins
● Saturation on vocals
● Sound design with saturation
What Does a Saturation Plugin Do?
Audio saturation originally referred to harmonic distortion gained from overloading analog hardware. Nowadays we can get the benefits of this effect from plugins.
Audio saturation does the following:
● Enhances the harmonics of a signal
● Compresses the signal
● Alters the EQ
By enhancing harmonics, saturation adds a pleasing warmth and depth. Compression from saturation provides a natural sounding squeeze that adds presence, while the subtly altered EQ adds a rich character. The added harmonics that saturation introduces also increase perceived loudness, which makes it perfect for getting a stubborn part to sit right in the mix.
Now let’s dig into some audio saturation techniques to take your mixes to the next level.
Parallel Processing Makes Phat Saturation Tones
Parallel processing involves blending the saturated signal and dry signal together. This can be achieved with the mix control on a saturation plugin.
When learning how to use saturation plugins, if you master just one technique, then this should be it. This is because with parallel processing, you can maintain the full tone and weight of the original signal, while also getting an ear-catching saturated tone that can really make a part pop.
A good rule of thumb when using parallel processing, is to only use as much of the wet signal as you need to get the desired sound. This is because hammering the saturation too hard can make lows and mids fizzy and highs too harsh.
Therefore, if you’re shelling out for a saturation plugin, get one with a mix control. It’s possible to manually set up parallel processing in your DAW, but it’ll be a lot easier just to start with a plugin that has that feature integrated.
Parallel Processing on Drums and Bass
Parallel processing is applicable to any audio source when using saturation, but it can be a real monster when used to push drums and bass.
You can use parallel processing to add depth and presence to your kick and snare, while also maintaining the power of the transients. Use tape saturation for warming up drums and subtly pushing them forward, or a tube saturation to push drums harder with extra punch.
You can use parallel processing on bass guitar and synth bass to maintain the body of the sound while also pushing up the perceived loudness and presence. Use tube saturation or the similar transistor saturation to create an aggressive sound on bass.
With parallel processing you can drive the saturated signal hard to get a zingy sound, and then blend it with the dry signal to avoid washing out the low end.
Tape saturation is a great pick if you want to add warmth and depth to your bass while still giving it a push forward. In this case you want to keep the dry signal as the firm base of the sound and then inch up the wet signal until you get the desired push and character.
An important step to nailing saturation tones on drums is to start with powerful drum samples and loops that already sit well in the mix right from the point where you drop them in your DAW.
Why Multiband EQ Is a Game Changer on Saturation
One of the most powerful ways to get phat audio saturation tones is with multiband EQ. The simplest method to achieve this is by using a saturation plugin with an integrated multiband EQ, such as Fab Filter’s Saturn 2, which is the holy grail saturation plugin, by the way. Alternatively, you can use a multiband EQ plugin and then run it into the saturation plugin.
Using multiband EQ with saturation is so powerful because it allows you to split up and treat the different EQ bands separately. For example, you might want to split it into bass, mid and high frequencies.
Using Saturn 2, you can use the different frequency bands to apply different types of saturation to different bands, at different levels, intensities and tones. You can even saturate some EQ bands while leaving others completely dry.
Multiband EQ on Bass and Drums
When using multiband EQ, you can start with a tape saturation on the low end on bass instruments and kicks to add presence, depth and warmth. You want to keep it fairly subtle, as too much dirt here will make the bass lose its power. You could then hit the mid-range or highs with a heavier, more aggressive saturation treatment to add some real bite. Tube, transistor or amp saturation are all good choices here.
For elements like hihats, cymbals and vocals, you can use multiband processing with tape or transformer saturation to add sizzle and presence to the highs, while leaving the lower registers untouched, or at more subtle settings. This leaves the core tone of the signal intact while allowing you to push these treble instruments forward in the mix.
Multiband EQ on Buses and Mixes
Multiband processing is right at home when running saturation on a drum bus or full mix, as you can shape the character for each section. For example, using subtle processing on the bass to retain the low end, while pushing a band in the mid or high range to bring out vocal or drum elements more prominently.
If you really want to get a drum bus cooking, then having the right cymbal tones is not something to sleep on, so check out the huge collection of cymbal and hihat samples at Sample Focus.
Build big sounds fast with free one-knob saturation plugins
One-knob saturation plugins are ideal for building big sounds quickly. And the best part? If you’re interested in learning how to use free saturation plugins, there’s plenty of one-knob freebies.
Examples include:
● Softube's Saturation Knob
● Slate Digital's Heatwave
● Klevgrand's FreeAmp
With complex plugins, it can be tempting to get lost in the weeds with endless knob twiddling. But with one-knob plugins, there’s only one main parameter to work with, so just by using your ears, you can quickly find the sweet spot to take a source to the next level.
One-knob saturation plugins are great for songwriting, demoing and experimentation, because they allow you to stay in a creative zone and focus on developing the track. Sometimes you can throw on a one-knob saturation with the intention of coming back and redoing the sound.
Oftentimes though, the one-knob early solution ends up sounding great on the final track.
Getting Extra Mileage Out of Free One-Knob Saturation Plugins
If you haven’t got the budget for a high-end saturation plugin, then there are still ways to get extra mileage when you use a free one-knob saturation plugin.
You can achieve this by pairing it with other effects such as EQ, which can help you shape certain frequencies before (or after) the signal hits the saturation plugin. Use this for applications such as maintaining the low-end presence or maintaining a smooth, pleasant high end.
You can also use techniques like parallel processing to keep the full-bodied sound of the original signal while spicing things up with saturation. FreeAmp features an integrated mix control, but other free one-knob saturation plugins like Heatwave and Saturation Knob lack the feature.
If you’re using a saturation plugin that doesn’t have a mix control, then you can still set up parallel processing manually in your DAW. How to do that is beyond the scope of this article, but there’s plenty of great guides on manually setting up parallel processing online.
How To Use Saturation to Make Vocals Pop
Vocal production can make or break a track when it comes to drawing in the listener. Luckily for us producers, saturation can work wonders when it comes to making vocals really pop and sit in the mix in a compelling and musical way.
Tape saturation is perfect for adding that little extra push to make vocals really sparkle and catch the listener’s ear. Using a moderate amount of it can add presence, depth and a powerful character to vocal tracks.
To achieve greater depth and presence with a vocal, you’ll want to use parallel processing to maintain the original tone of the vocal, so it doesn’t become too tinny.
In many cases it’s also wise to keep the saturation level fairly mild so you don’t start to degrade the vocal – add just enough to make it sparkle.
Make Your Vocals Shine Running EQ into Saturation
If your saturation plugin has an integrated EQ, then it’s a handy tool to further dial in the sound. Let’s look at some useful EQ tweaks to prepare a vocal heading into a saturation plugin:
● Below 100 Hz: Run a high pass filter to roll off low end noise that adds nothing to the vocal and clashes with bass instruments.
● 400-600 hZ: Notch out this region to avoid boxiness. Beware of hollowing it out by going too far.
● 1-4 kHz: Boost to add presence in the vocal midrange, but not so far to add harshness.
● 5-8 kHz: Dialing back here helps reduce sibilance and harshness. This is especially useful with saturation as the effect can make these elements more pronounced.
● 10-15 kHz: Add a high shelf here to add air and crispness to a vocal.
Quite a few listeners focus almost entirely on the vocals. That’s why it’s important to start with the best, by using high quality vocal loops and samples from Sample Focus in your productions.
Even if you’ve already tracked the main vocal in your studio, then you can always leverage loops and samples to make your vocal production stand out with additional layers and backing vocals.
How To Use Saturation Plugins for Sound Design
When you learn to use saturation plugins together with other effects, then it can create some truly surprising and unique sounds. This is because when saturation is driven hard, it drastically changes the tone of a signal, which together with other effects can result in unexpected sounds. Therefore, effects like delays, reverb, filters and EQ can help you unlock creative saturation treatments.
One example of combining saturation with other effects is taking a vocal (or other) melody, then adding an aggressive saturation until it breaks up the signal, then adding delay and reverb. This creates an eerie, otherworldly sound that’s quite distinctive.
So when you’re working on productions, don’t be afraid to branch out from the basic tricks you can do with saturation. Try chucking on different effects, trying out different presets, settings and saturation types, and see what unique sounds you can create using saturation as the starting point.
Plugins like Fab Filter’s Saturn 2 are perfect for sound design, as they feature many types of saturation, such as multiple types of tape, tube, transformer and amp saturation. These types of saturation, together with the integrated features, such as multiband EQ and modulation options, allow basically unlimited creativity within the plugin.
If you need some catchy melodies to help spark some songwriting inspiration, then don’t forget to check out the huge collection of melodies on various instruments that are available on Sample Focus.
