New Software Review: Saturn2 by FabFilter
FabFilter furthers their popular Saturn distortion plugin with version 2. Can this versatile saturator find its way into your workflow?
Distortion is cool. Few would disagree. And it can take on many forms. From subtle guitar or vocal saturation on pop songs from decades past, to the punishing guitar tones of death metal, distortion is among the most important of tools for musicians, engineers, and producers.
The use of distortion can be more than just a stylistic choice. Sometimes, the tasteful and calculated application of distortion or saturation can be used either partially or completely in lieu of EQ or dynamics treatment.
In my opinion, you can never have enough options for saturation in your plugin arsenal (or hardware collection, for that matter). But in terms of software, FabFilter‘s Saturn already needs no introduction. It is a common name seen in the plugins folder of many a producer worth his or her salt, and now in its second iteration, aims to even further solidify itself among the best of distortion tools.
Let’s join Saturn2 for an orbit and see what it’s all about.
Features
In terms of flavor, Saturn2 can spit out everything from low key tube-like saturation all the way to crushing distortion. This second iteration features an updated GUI, and a nice list of crucial updates which are outlined in detail in the easy-to-find user manual on FabFilter’s website.
Some notable improvements here on version 2 include (but aren’t limited to) a new Linear Phase Mode, adjustable slopes for crossovers, a “Superb HQ” Mode which even further reduces aliasing, new amplifier emulations and distortion styles, expanded envelope generator functionality, new Slider and Full Screen Modes, and much more.
Outside of new features, Saturn, simply put, is a powerhouse. Inherently by design, it is one of the most comprehensive tools for saturation available. Its multi-band distortion processing and per-band Drive, Mix, Feedback, Dynamics, Tone, and Level controls make it an obvious stand-out among its ever evolving landscape of competitors—a scene in which it is all too easy to get lost in the shuffle.
Being that some form of saturation can be found in just about every track in a given session of mine, I was excited to put Saturn2 through the paces. From a snare top mic to a bass cab, a guitar lead to a synth, a lead vocal to the entire mix bus—distortion permeates my signal chain. Does Saturn2 have what it takes to become a mainstay?
In Use
I’m a drummer, and drums are always where I start digging into a mix first. And because I’m usually mixing rock-type material, sculpting a nice subtle tape saturation is typically my aim for the kit. There’s nothing quite like hitting the input of a tape machine just right for that little bit of dirt and squash, and tape saturation is known to do nice things to drum transients in particular.
And to reiterate, one of the things I love most about the use of saturation is its ability to also serve as a way to control dynamics and EQ. Depending on your use of saturation, you can diminish, or even in some cases, eliminate the need for further dynamics or EQ processing. So as I am putting Saturn2 to the test, it’s worth noting that I am listening in part through that lens.
So, as I used the Drive knob to push a kick drum harder and harder through Saturn2 on its “Warm Tape” setting, I was met with a fantastic first impression of what this plugin can do. I’ve mixed enough drum kits to be able to quickly identify the point at which a plugin does what I need it to do so I can move on. With the close kick mic in this instance, followed by the snare top, it took all of about 10 seconds each to find the sweet spot for a perfectly saturated and slightly squashed transient.
Both of these instances harkened back to the first time I had opened an instance of Soundtoys’ Decapitator, which is my sort of Gold Standard for analog-like saturation. Saturn2 got me there, in the same style, and quick—with what seems like more usable options across its feature set, too.
My process for drum mics extends to the drum submix, other instrument buses, and even the mix bus itself; I find it advantageous to saturate in stages. A little on the close mics, a little on the instrument submix for glue, a little on the entire mix bus, or maybe even a parallel instance of it where it’s driven harder and tucked underneath.
With respect to using Saturn2 on instrument submixes, I found it super helpful to have the Tone controls at my disposal for broad stroke equalization. Granted, there is always at least one instance of EQ on the instrument buses in my sessions, but the very scaled-back and utilitarian nature of the controls on Saturn2 (as they don’t feature sweepable frequencies) forces you to not focus on the minutia, trust your ears, and move on quickly. And the realtime visualization in the GUI helps. The bands, represented by a series of four vertical sliders, simply read Bass, Mid, Treble, and Presence when hovered over with your mouse.
And on we go to bass…
I love a good blown-out bass tone, and since I’m already confident in Saturn2’s ability to provide me with anything on the distortion spectrum that slightly provokes words like “vibe” and “mojo”, I was looking to straight-up mangle in this instance. So I started with the “Broken Tube” setting.
It was at this point I realized it’s actually difficult to get this plugin to sound bad.
I’ve made bass mixes in all kinds of ways. From just a clean DI signal as a source, to a single mic, post-pedalboard on a distorted cabinet—you name it. Whatever your source bass signal is, there is something onboard Saturn2 to make it work. When pushing the Broken Tube setting to its max, I was still able to sneak this completely punishing signal underneath a duplicate of its cleaner self to achieve a Muse Absolution-era type growl while still retaining the full-frequency fidelity of the source signal.
And did I mention that Saturn2 has onboard amplifier emulations? The available flavors in terms of presets include multiple offerings of both British and American build styles, along with settings for Smooth, Crunchy, Lead, Screaming, and Power amplifiers. Tones that run the gamut from squeaky clean pop to punishing metal were easily conjured, and though Saturn2 might not be my first choice for amp emulation, if it were my only tool, I’m confident it can produce very usable results.
Vocal saturation can be a tricky thing. I find it finicky, and while I might think a treatment sounds great on one particular section, it may not work for another. I generally prefer my vocal saturation to have a natural breakup, so when the vocalist projects more, we hear more grit. Of course there are instances of all-out fuzz, but on the whole, I tend to like a very dynamic and light-handed vocal saturation treatment.
The onboard “Saturation” presets on Saturn2 have three flavors: Subtle, Gentle, and Heavy. Using this as a starting point for vocals, it was again nearly effortless to pull up a vocal sound that I felt was very usable. Depending on your application, any of these presets would be a good starting point, though the “Saturation” category is one of a few I found to produce fantastic results for vocals in particular.
Saturn2 is stacked with presets that not only save you critical time but also get you 90% of the way there, in most cases. There is not much fiddling around to be done here. That pinpoint-accurate point of vocal breakup is easy to find, and it seems nearly impossible to fail in getting Saturn2 to produce something that not only sits right in your mix, but sounds pretty much objectively awesome.
Putting various synths and guitars through Saturn also injected some of that unquantifiable vibe that only analog gear can produce. The added controls for Feedback and Frequency only expand the versatility of what would otherwise be a just-as-useful one-trick pony saturation plugin. Hell, if Saturn2 had just one Drive knob, I bet it would still make it onto nine out of ten of my mixes.
And on the subject of versatility, Saturn2 can even get you to almost bit crusher-type territory when starting anywhere within the “FX” section of its presets. There really isn’t much in the way of mangling sounds that this plugin is not capable of, regardless of your style or aim.
And finally, over the mix bus, I found Saturn2 to be a crucial tool, fitting in with the likes of some of my favorite offerings from PSP and again, Soundtoys. Beginning at “Gentle Saturation” preset, Saturn2 did just what I am always looking for when I pull up an actual dedicated tape emulator. The transients of the entire mix received the perfect amount of “baked tape” effect, and everything seemed to glue together in that special way that is only apparent when a mix is finished.
To Be Critical
There’s really not much to critique on Saturn2. The updated GUI is welcome. The presets are expertly crafted, and unlike many plugins, there’s not an overwhelming amount of them. No deep menu diving here. Push your signal to where you want it, and move on.
The onboard amplifier emulations sure don’t hurt, however, again I would likely reach for a dedicated amp simulator before I would think to turn to Saturn2 for this task. That said, the tones were very usable, and this small point is hardly a critique.
Summing it Up
Saturn2 by FabFilter is an absolutely killer distortion tool. It can handle whatever you throw at it with ease—a difficult task for any saturator. Lots of the distortion tools on the market tend to work in some but not all applications. This is not the case for Saturn2. Whether you’re looking for subtle harmonic enhancement, or blistering, broken, off-the-rails gnar, you can get it out of this plugin.
Saturn2 costs $154 when purchased alone, or it can also be bundled with other great FabFilter products for savings. It is available for a free 30-day trail here; I highly suggest you try it out.
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