View Single Post
Old 04-27-2012, 01:19 AM   #44
Stu
Human being with feelings
 
Stu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Sheffield, UK
Posts: 1,007
Default

There a few different ways you can use Satson (and no doubt the others too) but I use it as the first effect on every track and buss. I set the gain as though I was using the trim control on a console, aiming for around 0Vu on steady-state material like guitars, vocals, aiming for less on transient rich material. I might push it with a touch more drive to certain channels if I want things more saturated (kick drum, bass guitar, sometimes the drum buss) and then I place all other effects after Satson in the chain. I rarely go back and adjust levels in Satson as I've usually got a pretty good idea of how hard I want to push it before I start mixing.

Edit: to clarify the reasons I use it this way, if Satson is placed at the end of the effect chain of each track, then every change of dynamics or Eq will affect its behaviour. Whilst this is more akin to mixing on a real console, placing it at the start of each chain makes things more predictable and controllable. Having to push the faders up on the drum channels on real desks just to get a particular sound is something I and plenty of other engineers I'm sure, consider a limitation of that technology in many ways.

Last edited by Stu; 04-27-2012 at 01:28 AM.
Stu is offline   Reply With Quote