It is an emulation of an analogue circuit that introduces either 2nd order valve style or 3rd order transistor style distortion or a blend of the two. At low drive settings the distortion is mild and can add gentle warming to help instruments sit nicely in a mix or to add a little extra edge to help instruments cut through a mix. As drive levels are increased so too is the level of distortion until at high drive levels heavy distortion occurs.
The controls are simple: a Harmonics control selects 2nd or 3rd order distortion or a blend of the two, a Drive control sets the drive level, a Depth control the amplitude of the distortion and a Shape control adjusts whether the distortion has smooth or hard edges. A Headroom button provides an additional 6dB of headroom for creating heavily boosted/distorted signals without digital clipping. A dedicated wet/dry mix control facilitates parallel processing. There are Input and Output Meters and Input and Output Level controls. X-Saturator can be automated via standard DAW Automation data and has A&B Preset 'slots' with an A/B switch for easy comparison of two different combinations of settings.
Key Features
- A stunning range of distortion characteristics
- Emulation of valve or transistor style distortion or blend them
- Great for helping instruments either sit within or cut through a mix
- Superb range of heavy distortion characteristics at high drive levels
- Wet/Dry Mix control for parallel processing
- A&B Preset switch for settings comparison
- Full DAW automation for all controls