Abbey Road Saturator

Name: Abbey Road Saturator
Price: 29.99 USD
Author: Waves

by Waves · Saturation · Tube & transistor

Not rated yet

Tube and transistor saturation from Abbey Road Studios, driven from subtle to extreme and shaped by a model of the rare EMI TG12321 unit.

It works across drums, vocals, bass and bus processing.

Best for: Drums, Vocals, Bass, Mix Bus. Genres: Rock & Indie, Pop.

Keywords: drums, tube, bus processing, transistor, vocals, bass, 60s, mid/side, subtle, extreme, airy, British console, classic, crunchy, hardware emulation, built-in mix knob, mixing, warm, 50s, enhancement, full mix, mix bus, multi-band, solid-state, vintage.

What it does

Abbey Road Saturator recreates Abbey Road Studios' saturation chains: classic tubes and transistors, driven from subtle to extreme, plus the rare EMI TG12321. The signal runs through a pre EQ, a compander, a saturator and a post EQ.

Compander: based on the TG12321, a 1962 EMI noise-reduction unit whose encode stage Abbey Road engineers used for its top-end "air and excitement". It has ratio, high- and low-pass crossover choices, and a Blend control.
Saturator: choose REDD for the '50s–'60s EMI valve console (edgy and crunchy) or TG for the 1969 solid-state TG12345 console (rounder and warmer), with Gain and Mix controls.
Pre and post EQ: a low shelf, bell and high shelf on each side of the saturation.
Mid/side: separate mid and side input levels, so you can drive the centre and sides differently.
Output: a level control with a built-in limiter.

Source: Waves product page

When to use it

This is a full saturation chain rather than a one-knob saturator. The combination of EQ, compander and two console flavours lets you shape which frequencies get the colour, from subtle harmonic enhancement to heavy distortion.

Best for: drums, vocals, bass and bus processing.
Drum-bus trick: use mid/side to drive the centred kick and snare while leaving the overheads and cymbals clean (Production Expert).
REDD or TG: REDD for bite and crunch, TG for rounder warmth. Raise the compander blend for top-end air.
Genres: tutorials cover analog-style mixing and vocal chains, but there's little evidence tying it to specific genres.

What producers say

Waves customers rate it 4.85 out of 5 from nearly 500 reviews. Independent written reviews are scarce.

Warren Huart (Produce Like A Pro) is enthusiastic about the Abbey Road character but recommends very small amounts on individual elements.
A Sweetwater reviewer praised the clarity, presence and "shimmer" it adds, and suggested pulling back the pre-EQ.
Common tricks: mid/side drive on drum buses, compander blend for air, and the Mix knob for parallel saturation.

Where to buy

Sweetwater: $29.99 (regular $39.99)
Plugin Boutique: $29.99 (regular $149)
AudioDeluxe: $29.99 (regular $149)
Best Service: $32.93
PluginFox: $39.99
Waves: see store (Price changes with Waves' weekly sales)

Tutorials and reviews

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