Saturate
by Newfangled Audio · Clipper · Spectral clipper
vst3s Score 8.7/10 · rated #4 of 10 clippers
A spectral clipper that splits the signal into many frequency bands and clips each one separately. Heavy clipping produces less harshness than it would from a single broadband clipper.
A Shape control moves it from clean clipping toward overdrive, so it doubles as a saturator. Newfangled Audio is part of Eventide.
Best for: Mastering, Mix Bus, Drum Bus, Bass. Genres: all genres.
Keywords: spectral, bass, bus processing, clean, mix bus, overdrive, drums, full mix, visual feedback, aggressive, CPU-light, drum bus, hard clip, harmonic enhancer, heavy, mastering, metering, mixing, oversampling, single-band.
What it does
Saturate is Newfangled Audio's spectral clipper, built to "clip without clipping": it adds loudness and harmonics while keeping the detail that ordinary clippers shave off. It's the same clipper used inside Newfangled's Elevate limiter.
- Spectral clipping: the audio is split into its frequency components and only the dominant ones are clipped, so a big bass note doesn't flatten the quieter mids and highs riding on top of it.
- Drive and Shape: up to 24 dB of drive, and a Shape control that morphs from hard clipping to the smoothest possible curve.
- Detail Preservation: turns the spectral processing on or off, so you can hear what it's doing.
- Symmetry and Ceiling: Symmetry adds even harmonics; Ceiling sets the clipping level.
- Also: an anti-aliasing mode, auto output scaling, a gain reduction meter, a scrolling waveform and 24 presets.
Source: Newfangled Audio product page
When to use it
Saturate is the clipper to pick when ordinary clipping makes things sound tubby or harsh. Because it preserves the quieter frequencies during peaks, you can push it harder than StandardCLIP or bx_clipper before the mix loses clarity.
- Best for: the master and mix bus, drums, bass and aggressive electronic styles; with more Shape and Drive it also works as an overdrive.
- Less suited to: warm, vintage-style saturation; its character is clean and modern.
- Try it first: there's a 14-day trial, and it's frequently on sale.
What producers say
Plugin Boutique buyers rate it 4.8 out of 5 from over 900 ratings.
- Reviewers praise clean loudness, detail and energy with low CPU use, especially on drums, vocals and heavy genres like dubstep.
- Criticism: one reviewer found its clinical precision wrong for tracks that need warm, analog-style saturation.
Where to buy
- Sweetwater: $49
- Newfangled Audio: $49 (14-day trial)
- PluginFox: $49
- AudioDeluxe: $49
- Plugin Boutique: $49
Tutorials and reviews
- Saturate Overview
- Mastering Clipper Eventide Saturate by Newfangled Audio Demo Review
- Newfangled Audio Saturate 2022 Clipping Plug-in
- Saturate Mix Mastering Plug-in (Newfangled Audio/Eventide)
- Newfangled Audio Punctuate & Saturate Tips for Mixing on Drums
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