Saturation
Choose saturation by what it does to the recording
Saturation changes a signal nonlinearly. A circuit name suggests a design family, not a guaranteed harmonic balance or musical result. Keep a phrase fixed, compensate output and choose the smallest useful change in the full arrangement.
Hear and inspect the tools in this guide
Loop the same phrase, change one control at a time and compare at similar playback loudness. The linked walkthroughs are product demonstrations, not measurement results for this guide.
Pictured: Capital Punishment (Saturation) — Five saturation circuits behind Style, Drive, Tone and Mix.
Watch the Capital Punishment video walkthrough →
Choose a musical job
Bass presence, drum density and obvious synth destruction are different goals. Name the change before choosing a mode or raising drive.
A circuit label is not a universal harmonic measurement. Source level and frequency content can change the result. Use the controls actually documented by the current product.
Remove loudness bias
Trim output after changing drive. Peaks alone do not describe loudness because spectrum and envelope may also change. Compare in the arrangement as well as against the individual source.
Inspect the next compressor or limiter. A denser envelope may change its reduction even when playback loudness is similar. Judge the complete path.
Avoid cumulative colour
A subtle change repeated across many tracks can create a large balance problem. Bypass groups and inspect the low mids, attack and vocal intelligibility.
Use Mix or comparison aids only where the actual processor offers them. Do not assume all saturators have the same controls, zero latency or a common oversampling setting.
- Fix a phrase.
- Adjust drive and output separately.
- Check the full mix.
Side-by-side comparison of related plug-ins
Compare the Fat Berry DSP plug-ins referenced in this guide by price, category, formats, and primary studio role. Every licence is a perpetual single-user licence (3 machine activations, 14-day full refund policy).
| Plug-in | Category | Regular Price | Formats | Primary Studio Job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Punishment | Saturation | $39.99 USD | VST3, AU | Five saturation circuits behind Style, Drive, Tone and Mix. |
| Inflated Ego | Saturation | $39.99 USD | VST3, AU | Two-stage saturation, a waveshaper and a harmonic stage, for presence before level. |
| Valence | Saturation | $49.99 USD | VST3, AU | Valve saturation with Pentode and Triode stages, three topologies and supply Sag. |
References and comparison method
An explanatory guide based on the linked product specifications and host documentation. Suggested listening steps are a method for your session, not a report of a controlled experiment. Behaviour depends on the release, source and settings.
Use the actual product controls, compare at similar playback loudness and check the result in the arrangement. Settings and behaviour vary by recording and software release.
Sources and further reading
Questions, answered
Is this a tested performance report?
No. This guide explains a session method and links its technical references.
Where are current product features?
Use each linked product page for controls, formats and available installers.