saturating stuff statically in multiband is boring, you'll likely endup with stupid bs like worrying about things to be in key or not, like it even matters. 100% in key stuff can still feel wrong if not done correctly. I think Sage Audio is responsible for inspiring invention of crap like the Plugin Boutique Scaler EQ that sounds like a good idea but... hmm.

multiband saturation like Saturn are meant for something more than that. Using it dynamically for a specific task is way more fun than just saturating them per band and being worried about whether it's in key or not. Here's one I stole from Luca Pretolesi (he's using AA DDS) and create a Saturn version of it that's suits my way of using it.

 

Saturation is great, it makes everything sound bigger, louder, the bass fuller, the kick thumpier, the hats zingier... really brings out the meat to synth sounds...

And I end up with a mix that's completely full, so think it oozes out of the speakers and clogs my ear canals... it's so fantastic, especially when you drown everything in long reverb... simply beautiful!

But really, just like think reverbs, saturation is a good tool, but it's so easy to overdo it. So if everything is mega-fat you end up with a unlistenable audio porridge.

 

The author of the video starts from a few demonstrably wrong assumptions and so it seems to him something is wrong where nothing is. A regrettable mistake that is now widely public.

I'm trying to be charitable and not even bring up that the vid author seems to think that only "in scale" harmonics are good to include in the instrument mix, and everything else for sure must be shunned, in this they're unconsciously turning into a full 12-TET nazi for no good reason at all. That's the tuning equivallent of "I must always delete resonant peaks from every instrument with notch EQ, then it'll be good" philosophy, or quantizing all drum performances uniformly to the grid -wouldn't want any wrong, deviant harmonics or tempi in there either.

 

Last edited: Feb 20, 2024

saturation is probably one of my favorite effects

 

Someone please explain to me what saturation is and why must I use it?

 

When you drive analog devices with higher volume levels than optimal, they start getting an overloaded (saturated) sound. This overloaded sound is considered to be pretty awesome, so there are a myriad plugins to simulate it.

 

Thank you I'll try it

 

Thank you!

 

Bring all instruments to the same level then saturate, reverb etc. If there's definition and cohesion at the same level imagine how more better it will sound with levels done, EQ and compression

 

AI ? Well if it's being done by AI what do we need with the "lifetime discount of 70% off was offered to join the membership for mixing/mastering courses" exactly? This sounds like SNAKE OIL (or snake-grease for the bull-shittier parts).

Never use "AI" for such things if you're going to use them. USE YOUR FRIGGIN' EARS.

 

Last edited: Feb 21, 2024

Nah you were fine. Every so often as human beings we come across something that requires saying something, because it goes against what we know or believe. The fact you feel something for saying it, attests to your integrity and that's a great thing.

 

help to thicken up individual elements in a mix by introducing harmonics to the signal. Take a bass for example. If just a sine wave 808 type , its lacking "body" , thump etc. Saturating it adds harmonics which help it push through in the mix.

 

Overtones.

Do not have to.

 

Amen.

Not a mix expert, but even when composing, "staying in scale" will usually lead to boring results. That's why all those scale lock tools that I see implemented everywhere these days give me headache (ok, I'll let it be if that nonsense is turned off by default).

But let's just use one sound. Each time you strike say a C key on a piano (same for other instruments), you're not only hearing that singular note but numerous other (over)tones. You'll immediately hit something that is "out of scale", like Bb and F#. Should one filter out everything that is not in the key of C (if writing in C) in the first place?

WTF?! I must be missing something.

 

Last edited: Feb 21, 2024

That's a hard one. Explaining it is easy but there're very few plugins that implement it...

Just 16749 at this moment and counting

 

To quote Robert Fripp:

 

Before or after toning down the saturation&verb...?

But yeah, you're right, and saturation is just one tool in the toolbox, and not a very significant one compared to the one's you mentioned.

It's just a personal rule of thumb based on personal habits for me: always lower the reverb sends, always, because they sound good first but easily overcook the mix. Same with saturation (or excessive "effect" compression).