FabFilter, creators of some of the world’s favourite plugins have released an update to their excellent multiband distortion and saturation plug-in Saturn. With loads of improvements and new features including 12 new distortion styles, a radically overhauled and expanded modulation system, enhanced envelopes, linear phase processing, and a new ‘Superb’ High-Quality mode.

The new distortion styles, nearly twice as many, include ‘Subtle’ versions of the Tape, Tube, and Saturation styles for warmth and four new guitar amplifiers, three Transformer styles, and Foldback and Breakdown FX styles to really torture sounds, the latter combining down-pitching with heavy distortion.

New Interface

The interface has been updated with a darker colour scheme, four interface size options and a full-screen mode. The modulation is easier to comprehend, with colour-coded controls animating in response to modulation input, the source flow area giving an eye-catching overview of all mod signals, and indicators on controls and bands showing which parameters are being modulated at a glance.

Improved Modulation

Speaking of modulation, this is the area that has seen the greatest changes. 16-step XLFOs, Envelope Generators, Envelope Followers, XY Controllers, and MIDI sources can be combined almost without restriction. Saturn 2 takes the whole system to the next level.

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. And with custom naming of individual mod sources now possible, users can customise their Saturn 2 presets for effortless navigation.

Curve the Envelope Generator’s Attack, Decay, and Release stages for a smoother or more aggressive response, activate the Envelope Follower’s new Transient detection mode to tightly track drums and percussion, and route discrete band inputs to both Envelope sources as triggering signals — pulverise hi-hats to the rhythm of the kick drum, for example.

Features

• 28 diverse distortion styles, from warming tube and tape saturation to screaming American and British guitar amps, Transformers, bit crushing, smearing, rectification, and more

• Up to six separate processing bands, with variable crossover slopes: 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48 dB/octave

• Independent Drive, Mix, Feedback, Dynamics, Tone, and Level controls for every band

• Two High-Quality modes for 8x and 32x oversampling

• Regular stereo and mid/side processing

• Intuitive interactive multiband display

• Powerful, flexible modulation system: drag and drop as many 16-step XLFOs, XY Controllers, Envelope Generators, Envelope Followers, Sliders, and MIDI Sources as required

• Full visual feedback of modulation via parameter animation and ‘source flow’

• Linear phase mode for mastering applications

• Four interface size options and full-screen mode

• Carefully curated factory preset library for amp modelling, colouration, lo-fi degradation, and FX

• All the usual FabFilter features users have come to expect: fine-tuned knobs and controllers, interactive MIDI Learn, undo/redo and A/B switch, Smart Parameter Interpolation for smooth parameter transitions, an extensive help file with interactive help hints, sample-accurate automation, SSE optimisation, and more

Where Can I Get Saturn 2?

Head over to the Fabfilter Site to buy or to get a 30-day trial.