21st June 2016 #2. I've heard it called mini distressor or poor man's distressor or some similar thing. What you might be left with is a very Anjunadeep sounding bass. Next time your vocals are falling flat in your mix, don’t reach for an EQ. There are exceptions and overlap so that's why it's just a general rule, you can get specific by looking at individual unit details like range of attack times. Apply on a drum bus for ultimate punchiness. The Redopter is potentially the most underrated plugin on this list. Try this baby on lead sounds – synths, guitars, saxophones, vocals – whatever. This should sound full and crunchy. Given the price, I think it offers enough versatility to cover much of the same ground as a pair of Distressors. Real Mix Example: Fabfilter Pro-C 2. First prototyped in 1994 and officially released in 1996, the Distressor was the first of several pieces of top-end studio gear to come out of Empi… “Hyperbits is one of the most reliable and talented producers I’ve had the pleasure of working with.”, Top 20 Saturation & Distortion Plugins for Electronic Music, here is a free recording of a live, in-depth workshop I’ve given on the topic. Remember that a plug emulation of hardware will not sound the same as the hardware (despite what marketing tells you - there are plenty of threads here on that subject if you want to learn more). The Drawmer 1978 might be worth a look. Sometimes, a sub can sound great completely clean. Otherwise you very likely will be playing the "what if" game and a year down the line that extra few hundred you saved might not seem quite worth it. No excuse not to try this one — really strong and dirty sounds. By Xfer Records. Is there a certain setting on the Distressor you like? So with that in mind, here are my favorite 20 saturation and distortion tools, paired with a real-mix-example which demonstrates how I might use each plugin. Slate Dragon can do Distressor and 1176 and everything in needed. Turn up band #3, the ultimate ‘3rd Order Harmonics’ – also referred to as added ‘punch’ or ‘detail’ in a mix. Nothing like a distressor, though, but very flexible in its own right. ...but a pair of Distressor will be about 2000€... SK Note and it's Hardware is just dreadful, those PWM Compressors were bloody Junked Kits then ask Quinto about Hardware he's in to software come a Trade Show Hardware again, then software - Crap stuff! No, indeed it isn't either of those. If you’d like to learn more about saturation and distortion, here is a free recording of a live, in-depth workshop I’ve given on the topic. Set a low-pass around 600hz, and then apply the UAD Raw – keep the distortion very low, but turn up the filter and the volume. Those dull fills should sound pretty awake and alive at this point. And the fact that it is a multi-band saturator makes it one of the most malleable, tweak-able distortion units out there. Share Quote. The people I saw likening them to distressors on gearslutz I think were dealers. I know this sounds crazy but…no drive, no color, nothing. I always thought a Ditressor was the D.D. It can be anything – vocals, percussion, a lead synth, even a bus or group – throw on the Noveltech Character and turn up the character knob. If we know the thing you like, if it's just one or a few, there may be a cheaper compressor that does just that thing. If you are looking to make a trance 2.0 bass, something distorted and appropriate for Anjunabeats or Enhanced, apply the Ohmicide and select the Bass #4 preset. Turn up that input gain and listen as your production comes to life. Apply liberally to anything and everything. If you’re like me – this plugin most likely has fallen into the ‘I own it, I use it, but have no idea what I am doing with it’ category at some point. Real Mix Example: At the end of the day, this plugin is great for subtle drive and weight on a master or group channel. Don’t even bother with the presets on this one – just add a few DBs of ‘Drive’ to the master or a bus – will give surprising amounts of character and beef to pretty much any layer. Bonus: try the Noveltech Vocal Enhancer for a slightly brighter more vocal-ready color! Works ninety-percent of the time, every time. It’s almost too simple, but these analogue emulators can really be the difference between sounding like you made your music on a laptop, using stock software, versus sounding like you made a track in a multi-million dollar studio. There is something about the smoothness with which the URS Saturation plugin works that directs me towards using this thing on Synths – anything that sounds overly digital. If the Sound Toys Decapitator had a younger brother (aside from the Radiator) the URS Saturation tool would take the cake. While there are some great videos that might help you wrap your head around it here and here. Each hardware compressor will bring it's own thing to the table and thats why you see racks of them used by the big boys. For mid-range distorted basses, I’ve yet to find anything better for added color and weight. Well, I have a Dragon and a couple Distressors. The Saturn has some really powerful presets emulating some crunchy amps and tape saturators. Next time your mid-range bass needs help creating that ‘wall of sound’ style drop or full section, put the Waves GTR Amp on a send-return bus, select the preset ‘Bass Mo-Town – Below & Above’ and dial in the send to taste. VCA compressors tend to be medium grab speed, FET - fast grab, Optical - slow grab. This is pretty much the BEST saturation plugin in the game. In your next future-house production, try adding the Camel Crusher to your top hollow-bass layer, set the preset to ‘British Clean’ and turn the master mix-knob down to 30-45%. When you buy products through links across our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. FMR PBC-6A. However, if you happen to write a cool ambient melody, try recording your voice 3 times (keep one take in the middle, pan one hard left, pan one hard right), and apply the Redopter on the group with plenty of reverb. By the way, Hyperbits Masterclass students can receive the academic Sound Toys discount and get 50% off the entire Sound Toys suite. Switch the Saturation type to ‘Keep High’ and dial in the saturation knob to 30-40%. For a drum bus, try turning down the treble 1 notch, while dialing the input 2 notches. Next time your track is suffering from some inherent dullness, try adding some ‘air’ by applying harmonic distortion via the Twin Tube. Keep the Maserati on the clean setting, and try generously dialing in the presence – this should add some crisp, guitar-like over-tones to an otherwise digital synth layer. The reason this plugin exists – it’s sole purpose on earth – is for you to TURN UP THE HEAT. Slap on the Saturn, select the preset ‘Best Of – Back in the Day’, set the mix somewhere between 20-30%. This thing sounds great on vocals – the next time you want that distorted vocal effect in your track, try the One Knob Driver. Or, play around with the super powerful presets. Don’t over think this plugin btw – if it sounds great, use it. Hendyamps. You can try other VCA compressors to see if it fits your budget / needs but they will still have their own voicing. Sure, you can saturate your music to add warmth, depth, and character – but you can even add some movement to your saturation with the ridiculously cool and powerful DRIFT control. Hey there! It’s got a very specific fuzziness to it that I absolutely love. Select ‘Drive – Smooth Overtones’ and turn up the drive knob liberally, up to 50%, and then turn down the mix knob to taste (I usually end up between 5-15%). It can be very useful to thicken up a sound and squash it just right when used it in subtle amounts! When building your Audien style super-saw stack, isolate a single note lead playing the main melody. I discovered the Reviver when one of my Masterclass students suggested this as an alternative to the famous Oxford Inflator. Other times, it needs some extra dirt to sit right in a mix. I ask this because the Distressor does many things. Absolutely love the bass amps in there. This is pretty much the most incredible plugin deal in the entire industry because you are getting the entire Sound Toys Bundle for roughly the cost of just one Sound Toys plugin. Potentially the most powerful distortion on this list, look no further if you are going for a wow factor in terms of sheer color, depth and weight. Honestly, this plugin sounds way too good to be free. Pick ONE element in your mix that needs some attention. new and improved 1176 as there was a few year gap when 1176's were not made and that gave rise to the EL8. I haven't had the pleasure, but if you're looking for a versatile compressor the UBK Tweaker seems worth a listen. Everyone is striving for analogue warmth in their digital productions, and this might be the ultimate ticket. This monster emulates a 1970’s distortion. Well, what's already been said - if you want Distressors, get Distressors. Most producers, at some point in their production journey, come across the revelation that is saturation and distortion.