Kraftur
by Soundtheory · Saturation · Multiband power-shaping saturator
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Kraftur is a three-band saturation plugin that Soundtheory calls "differential power-shaping", meant to add power and density while keeping the original dynamics intact.
It has zero latency and low aliasing, and the $99 download also includes Kraftur Focus, an edition with phase realignment for use on a send.
Best for: Mix Bus, Drum Bus, Drums, Bass, Mastering. Genres: all genres.
Keywords: low latency, multi-band, bus processing, zero-latency, bass, drum bus, drums, mix bus, parallel processing, full mix, soft clip, pads, mastering, built-in mix knob, mixing, oversampling, perpetual licence, punchy.
What it does
Kraftur is a three-band saturator and soft clipper from Soundtheory, the developer of Gullfoss. It aims to add power and density to a mix while keeping its dynamics intact, using Soundtheory's own oversampling to keep aliasing and intermodulation distortion low.
- Three bands: soft clipping and saturation in low, mid and high bands split by IIR crossovers, each with its own distortion curve and a solo button for setup.
- Triangular blend: a pad that mixes between the dry signal, full-band saturation and multiband saturation, in place of a plain wet/dry knob.
- Curve shaping: Drive sets the amount, Offset and Knee shape the transfer curve, and Shift sliders (linkable) position the curve for each band.
- Output clipper: a final soft-clipping stage catches peaks, with adjustable headroom.
- MATCH mode: compensates loudness in real time so you can compare processed and unprocessed sound fairly.
- Display: input and output loudness histograms, drawn with Soundtheory's VisionTone colour rendering, with several colour schemes.
- Kraftur Focus: a second edition with 40-50 ms latency that realigns the phase after saturation, so it can be used for parallel processing on a send. The standard edition runs at zero latency.
The current version is 1.2.6. MusicTech notes the licence runs for 25 years rather than being perpetual. There are no presets, by design.
Source: Soundtheory product page
When to use it
Kraftur is the pick for adding weight and loudness on buses and masters without audible distortion or smeared transients. Compared with Decapitator or Saturation Knob, it adds far less obvious colour and is built to stay clean, with three bands to keep intermodulation down. FabFilter Saturn 2 has many more distortion styles and modulation; Kraftur has one curve type per band and is aimed at transparency rather than variety. Unlike the Black Box HG-2, it has no tube character to dial in, and its standard edition is zero latency. It is less useful as a creative effect than any of these.
- Best for: mix bus and drum bus density, bass weight, peak control before a limiter, and parallel saturation via Kraftur Focus.
- Genres: any style; most useful where mixes need power and loudness, such as EDM, hip-hop, pop and rock.
- Look elsewhere if: you want obvious grit, tape or tube colour, or creative distortion; Saturn 2 or Decapitator covers that.
- Tip: Sound On Sound suggests subtle settings on whole mixes, with little processing on the mids and more on the lows and highs; drum buses and loops take heavier settings.
What producers say
Reviewers praise the sound quality and the easy controls, but note it is narrower than full-featured saturators.
- Sound On Sound found it "really easy to operate", liked the triangular blend pad and colour displays, and said the multiband approach gives more "natural" results on mixes, drums and bass.
- MusicTech rated it 8 out of 10, praising its sound and zero latency and saying it can "tame transients while retaining dynamic punch".
- Criticisms: MusicTech missed gain-reduction metering for the clipper, found the histograms hard to read, and noted fixed oversampling, phase issues in parallel use (before Focus) and the 25-year licence; Sound On Sound noted there are no presets and Drive needs care.
Where to buy
- Soundtheory: $99
Tutorials and reviews
- KRAFTUR by Soundtheory: As Groundbreaking as GULLFOSS?
- I wish I had this plugin years ago - Soundtheory Kraftur Demo and Review
- Soundtheory KRAFTUR - Everything You Wanted
- Soundtheory Kraftur Focus - Features And Sound
- Multiband Clipping with the New Kraftur Plugin from Soundtheory
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