Saturation is an amazing effect that helps to give your ultra-clean digital recordings the warmth and character of classic analog recordings. It can do everything from subtly fattening up bass lines to adding gritty distortion on a guitar lead, so having a go-to saturation plugin is essential for most producers and engineers.
However, there are thousands of plugins out there that provide some sort of distortion/saturation, so how do you decide which is best for you? In this guide, I will go over the 5 best saturation plugins to help you narrow down which plugins will be most helpful to you and your mixing workflow.
What Are the Best Saturation Plugins?
While there are many great plugins out there that could have potentially made this list, I've narrowed down the top saturation plugins to these 5:
Saturn 2 (FabFilter) - $129
Tape (Softube) - $99
Decapitator (Soundtoys) - $49
Saturation Knob (Softube) - Free
All of these plugins offer their own unique approach to saturation and are some of the highest quality options currently on the market. With all that said, let's learn more about each of these options and dive into our list of the best saturation plugins.
Cost: $129
Free Trial: 7-day free trial
Saturn 2 from FabFilter is one of the most versatile saturation plugins available and can easily act as a one-stop-shop for all your distortion needs. With tons of customization options and presets, Saturn 2 is capable of producing pretty much any distortion sound you can imagine.
28 different distortion types are packed into this plugin, giving you countless variations of specific sounds you can produce. Another super helpful feature is the multi-band processing, giving you much more control over exactly which frequency ranges are affected by the effect and to what degree. Saturn 2 also gives you tons of control over modulation with envelope generators, 16-step XLFOs, and more to give you basically unlimited modulation possibilities.
While this plugin is extremely powerful, one potential downside is that it may be overly complicated for those who are looking for a simpler interface and don't need all the nitty-gritty customization options. That said, if you take the time to learn and master this plugin, you'll never need another saturation plugin again.
Here's a helpful video which shows the plugin in use:
Click the button below to learn more about Saturn 2 and to download your free trial!
Cost: $99
Free Trial: No free trial
While other saturation plugins on this list pride themselves on providing a wide range of distortion options ranging from refined to extreme, Tape from Softube prides itself on its subtlety.
Tape is a tape emulation plugin that faithfully models 3 distinct tape machine types which they refer to as Type A (precision and linearity), Type B (colorful and adds extra weight), and Type C (distinct vintage vibe). This plugin is great to add to your master channel to give your whole mix a bit more warmth and cohesion and also great on individual tracks, especially to add some thickness/fatness to your bass and/or kick drum.
You're also able to adjust the tape speed which can affect the tone produced from the plugin - slower tape speeds typically add more low end while faster tape speeds add more high end.
Here's a helpful video which shows the plugin in use:
Click the button below to learn more about Tape and other features it has to offer!
Cost: $49
Free Trial: No free trial
Decapitator from Soundtoys provides a plethora of customization options and high-quality presets, making it among the most versatile saturation plugins alongside Saturn 2. This plugin can add a touch of analog warmth to your mix, add extreme screaming distortion, and everything in between.
Along with all the knobs that offer basic controls such as Drive, Tone, EQ, etc., Soundtoys went the extra mile to include 5 different "styles" of distortion which are all based on specific hardware emulations that each offer their own unique flavor and character. The plugin also offers tons of presets to help get your creative juices flowing on all the different possible sounds you can create.
And if you're looking to push this plugin to the limit, you can turn Punish mode on. This button pushes the distortion to the edge and provides a piercing and extreme distortion effect. This might not be everyone's cup of tea but it's nice to know you have the option to use it!
Here's a helpful video which shows the plugin in use:
Click the button below to learn more about Decapitator and other features it has to offer!
Cost: $100
Free Trial: 7-day free trial
While all the other plugins on this list focus solely on saturation, RC-20 from XLN Audio offers much more creative "lo-fi" style effects on top of their fantastic distortion/saturation module.
Distort is one of the 6 modules on the plugin (Noise, Wobble, Digital, Space, and Magnetic are the other 5), but it doesn't get lost in the crowd. It allows you to select from many different distortion types such as Tube, Crunch, Heavy, and more. It also provides a Focus slider which allows you to control the frequency spectrum your distortion is applied to and a Mix knob which lets you adjust the overall amount of the effect.
While minimalistic in its features, the Distort module in combination with the other 5 effects are sure to give your track a warmer and more vintage sound and is a valuable and versatile tool to have in your mixing arsenal.
Here's a helpful video which shows the plugin in use:
Click the button below to learn more about RC-20 and to download your free trial!
Cost: Free
Free Trial: N/A
Softube (the manufacturer of the Tape plugin earlier on this list) delivers a fantastic free saturation plugin with their Saturation Knob. Don't let the simple design fool you - this plugin offers extremely high quality saturation/distortion that would rival some of the paid options out there.
The main knob controls the overall amount of saturation applied and the 3-way switcher at the bottom allows you to toggle between different saturation types. The Neutral type applies the saturation evenly across the entire frequency spectrum while the Keep High type keeps some of the higher frequencies clean while distorting the low end more and vice versa for the the Keep Low type.
Although simple, this plugin can be a valuable addition to your plugin library to help to fatten up bass lines, squash drum loops, add subtle harmonics, and much more.
Here's a helpful video which shows the plugin in use:
Click the button below to learn more about and download Saturation Knob!
I hope this guide helps you learn about some of the top saturation plugins available on the market! Enjoyed this guide? Make sure to check out our Bedroom Producer Essentials Guide or some of our other reviews/buyer's guides.
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