FabFilter has released Saturn 2, bringing a major update to its multiband distortion and saturation plug-in.
Saturn 2 sees a top-to-bottom redesign of the earlier Saturn interface, for greater ease of use and visualisation, as well as the addition of features and improvements, including 12 new distortion styles, an overhauled and expanded modulation system, enhanced envelopes, linear phase processing, and a ‘Superb’ High Quality mode.
Saturn 2’s darker colour scheme is designed to make the plug-in easier to look at for extended sessions, and is accompanied by four interface size options and a full-screen mode Modulation is now comprehensively visualised at both source and target, with colour-coded collars and tracks on knobs and sliders animating in response to modulation input, the source flow area giving an overview of all mod signals, and indicators on controls and bands showing which parameters are being modulated at a glance.
Saturn 2 almost doubles the number of distortion styles onboard, from 16 to 28. ‘Subtle’ versions of the Tape, Tube, and Saturation styles provide low-intensity warming, while four new British (Rock, Pop) and American (Tweed, Plexi) amp styles perfectly model well-known guitar amplifiers, three Transformer styles (Subtle, Gentle, Warm) open up abrasive new possibilities, and the Foldback and Breakdown FX styles reshape and mutate sounds beyond recognition, the latter combining down-pitching with heavy distortion.
With virtually no limit placed on the combination of 16-step XLFOs, Envelope Generators, Envelope Followers, XY Controllers, and Midi sources that can be used in a preset, one of Saturn’s strengths is creative modulation; Saturn 2 takes the whole system further with the ability to manage the Envelope Generator’s Attack, Decay, and Release stages for smoother or more aggressive response, and a new Transient detection mode for the Envelope Follower to tightly track drums and percussion, and route discrete band inputs to both Envelope sources as triggering signals. The XY Controller’s new Slider mode, meanwhile, slims it down to vertical-only operation, and the XLFO benefits from legato Midi triggering and targeting of the Frequency Offset and Balance parameters for modulation. Custom naming of individual mod sources is also now possible.
The band crossovers now offer a choice of 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48 dB/octave roll-off slopes, while the new ‘Superb’ High Quality mode switches the plug-in to 32x oversampling for almost total elimination of aliasing, and the Linear Phase option ensures maximum coherence for the crossovers and High Quality modes.
More: www.fabfilter.com/shop
