

However, you will find paid plugins will give a better sound quality.įor instance, the Soundtoys Range, will give you a far better sound, and as a result you’ll likely get better mix results. Softube Saturation Knob, and Ableton’s stock saturation plugin work just fine for adding presence, distortion and warmth to sounds, and we always use them on Snares, Synths & more. We’ve personally used free saturation plugins on all our productions, and haven’t ever bought a plugin dedicated to saturation. We wouldn’t recommend purchasing a saturation plugin unless you’re a serious mix/mastering engineer.

Paid saturation plugins will offer a better sound quality, & more features, but you can get by with a free one.

It sounds great on Snares, Claps, Kicks, Synth lines, Guitar and more. Saturation can be used for a wide variety of things. It’s a very similar effect to soft-clipping, and is often used to add presence, character and warmth to tracks. When this was done, the old hardware would apply a warm, analog clipping to the sound, which is now what we call Saturation. The effect of saturation was originally found in old hardware units when hot signals were run through them, and overloaded the meter. Saturation is used as a creative effect to add warmth and character to recordings. Saturation is a subtle form of distortion that adds harmonics to your audio signal, and soft-knee compression. Whatever your saturation needs, there’ll be a plugin for you on this list. We’ve made sure to include a range of options, from free saturation plugins that are great for warming your audio and adding subtle harmonics, to plugins that will completely decimate your tracks. That’s why in this article we’re going to cover the best free saturation plugins available in 2022. However, they can get pretty expensive if you go for paid options. Whatever you do in the audio world, saturation should be a part of your music production toolkit. It’s amazing for getting low-end subs audible through lower end speakers like phones, laptops etc. A great use we love it for is, Sub Bass mixing. Saturation is great in a mixing scenario, and works fantastically to bring out harmonics that make your audio richer. You can use saturation on anything from Snares to make them pop more, to Bass lines that need a little extra oomph. It’s one of the most useful audio effects you can use to add character and warmth to your sounds. Saturation is an essential music production tool.
