Greetings,
Many people swear at "Kazrog True Iron" as input-transformer. i read the usual
punchlines like "Game Changer" , "bring mixes on a new level", "adds magical 3D Depth" etc..etc
i dont have if it, but just saw that the Fab Filter - Saturn 2 which i own, has beside
"Saturation", "Tape", "Amp" also a "Transformer"-Mode. Its very subtle.
Has anyone tested this against, or does True Iron has some magic, that Saturn 2 can´t deliver?
In what Cases do you use Input-transformer? I saw people put this on every channel...
Kazrog True Iron vs. Fabfilter Saturn 2 Transformer Mode
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Andreya_Autumn Andreya_Autumn https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=553235
- KVRist
- 242 posts since 21 Feb, 2022
Haha, first of all "swear at" would mean literally swearing at it. Like, "this #%&/% thing ain't working!" or whatever.
The phrase you want is "swear by.
Anyway, I haven't made a direct comparison, and could also be interested in hearing it if there is one out there. But you're right that this type of saturation is kinda subtle, and the version in Saturn sounds great. I really doubt you'd need the Kazrog if already have Saturn 2.
The phrase you want is "swear by.
Anyway, I haven't made a direct comparison, and could also be interested in hearing it if there is one out there. But you're right that this type of saturation is kinda subtle, and the version in Saturn sounds great. I really doubt you'd need the Kazrog if already have Saturn 2.
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- KVRAF
- 7407 posts since 20 Jul, 2004 from Clearwater
Saturn sounds digital.
You are currently reading my signature.
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- KVRist
- 331 posts since 15 Mar, 2021
I was doing some comparisons today and to be honest - Saturn2 is hard to replace, I couldnt match its 'warm tube' algorithm by any other plugin I have. Fuse VPRE-2c was close though, but still - its functionality and sound is hard to beat. In my opinion it all sounded very round and defined unlike many other plugins I tested along today. My beloved SDRR and Big AL came out weak and digital in comparison.
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- KVRAF
- 6537 posts since 17 Dec, 2009
it can, but that’s not all it can do
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- KVRAF
- 1952 posts since 8 Jan, 2005
I like to use True Iron as sort of a limiter on drums. It's perfect for that. You can sort of drive it really hard... never tried that with Saturn, to be honest, which I only use as "candy"... if you know what I mean... never even tried to compare both against each other because Saturn offers such mode
MacMini M2 Pro . 32GB . 2TB . . Bitwig Studio 5.2……Renoise……Reason 12……Live 12 Push 2
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- KVRAF
- 1952 posts since 8 Jan, 2005
I also tend to use the "crush" knob a lot.... but that's me. I'm not very technical. I just use things the way I see them...... if a knob is labeled "crush" well then I'll crush
MacMini M2 Pro . 32GB . 2TB . . Bitwig Studio 5.2……Renoise……Reason 12……Live 12 Push 2
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- KVRAF
- 6537 posts since 17 Dec, 2009
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- KVRist
- 114 posts since 22 Jan, 2022
I'm a bit of a saturation junkie and own a bunch them - TrueIron, Saturn, Kelvin, Rift, Spectre, and PA's Vertigo emulation. They are all decent and useful plugins and but there's no magic in any of these tools. For me they all have their specific workflow uses:
Saturn sounds just fine but I almost never reach for it because I don't like the interface at all. I got it in the FabFilter bundle, and certainly wouldn't buy it separately. But if you only had one saturator, it's actually a pretty good choice because it can do so many different things. I just find that it's too complex for a lot of simple cases where a reduced set of options and better interface would make using it faster/easier.
I really like TrueIron, and it always sounds great for emulating broadband hardware saturation. Plus it has just the right amount of options, which makes getting good results very fast. I typically use it for some gentle thickening in mastering ad sometimes on group busses, but rarely on individual tracks.
Kelvin is a awesome and versatile saturator, but due to its complexity and high CPU usage I only use it as a mastering tool.
Spectre I mostly use as a 'boosting EQ' on individual tracks. Similar to TrueIron I love its simplicity, but unlike TrueIron which is broadband, Spectre excels at frequency-specific saturation.
Rift to me is more of distortion box and sound mangler. It doesn't really do subtle very well IMO unless you really dial down the wet/dry.
The Vertigo is a recent addition to my arsenal. IMO it excels at Mid-Side saturation in mastering. It's great and can be addicting, but in mastering you have to be careful not to push it too hard.
One other good saturator is the MJUC compressor. Even with very light or no compression, the saturation on it is great. I only use this one on individual tracks or group busses, never a 2 buss or master where I find it a little too heavy handed.
In digital mastering, I often use TrueIron, Vertigo, and Kelvin together. TrueIron serves as the chain's input transformer, the Vertigo handles M/S saturation (focusing on the lows in the mid, and the highs in the sides), and the Kelvin does some frequency-specific stereo saturation toward the end of the chain. I rarely have those units sitting back-to-back, but rather with various clean EQs and compressors sitting in between the saturators. So the saturators act as the tube/transformer stages that you would find in hardware units. Obviously with 3 saturators in a single chain, a light touch with each unit is the key, just enough that you can barely hear each one as you bypass them in and out of the chain.
Bottom line, I wouldn't see TrueIron and Saturn as an either/or. If you only had one, Saturn would probably be best due to its extreme versatility, but for times where I'd want to just reach for a saturator and get a good sound in less than 30 seconds, TrueIron would be the choice for that.
Saturn sounds just fine but I almost never reach for it because I don't like the interface at all. I got it in the FabFilter bundle, and certainly wouldn't buy it separately. But if you only had one saturator, it's actually a pretty good choice because it can do so many different things. I just find that it's too complex for a lot of simple cases where a reduced set of options and better interface would make using it faster/easier.
I really like TrueIron, and it always sounds great for emulating broadband hardware saturation. Plus it has just the right amount of options, which makes getting good results very fast. I typically use it for some gentle thickening in mastering ad sometimes on group busses, but rarely on individual tracks.
Kelvin is a awesome and versatile saturator, but due to its complexity and high CPU usage I only use it as a mastering tool.
Spectre I mostly use as a 'boosting EQ' on individual tracks. Similar to TrueIron I love its simplicity, but unlike TrueIron which is broadband, Spectre excels at frequency-specific saturation.
Rift to me is more of distortion box and sound mangler. It doesn't really do subtle very well IMO unless you really dial down the wet/dry.
The Vertigo is a recent addition to my arsenal. IMO it excels at Mid-Side saturation in mastering. It's great and can be addicting, but in mastering you have to be careful not to push it too hard.
One other good saturator is the MJUC compressor. Even with very light or no compression, the saturation on it is great. I only use this one on individual tracks or group busses, never a 2 buss or master where I find it a little too heavy handed.
In digital mastering, I often use TrueIron, Vertigo, and Kelvin together. TrueIron serves as the chain's input transformer, the Vertigo handles M/S saturation (focusing on the lows in the mid, and the highs in the sides), and the Kelvin does some frequency-specific stereo saturation toward the end of the chain. I rarely have those units sitting back-to-back, but rather with various clean EQs and compressors sitting in between the saturators. So the saturators act as the tube/transformer stages that you would find in hardware units. Obviously with 3 saturators in a single chain, a light touch with each unit is the key, just enough that you can barely hear each one as you bypass them in and out of the chain.
Bottom line, I wouldn't see TrueIron and Saturn as an either/or. If you only had one, Saturn would probably be best due to its extreme versatility, but for times where I'd want to just reach for a saturator and get a good sound in less than 30 seconds, TrueIron would be the choice for that.
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- KVRAF
- 6537 posts since 17 Dec, 2009
Saturation junkie and no Voxengo Powershaper? You’re missing out.
Also cant say i found an issue with kelvin and CPU, it’s all over my tracks usually at least a few instances per project
