FabFilter Saturn 2 plug-in released

FabFilter have announced FabFilter Saturn 2, their award-winning multiband distortion and saturation plug-in.

FabFilter Saturn 2 is a top-to-bottom redesign of the Saturn interface which sees improved visualization and ease of use.

The host of new features and improvements include 12 new distortion styles, a radically overhauled and expanded modulation system, enhanced envelopes, linear phase processing, and a new ‘Superb’ High Quality mode.

New interface with modulation visualisation

Saturn 2’s new darker colour scheme makes the plug-in easier to look at for extended sessions, and four interface size options and a stunning full-screen mode enable adaptation to any workspace.

Modulation is now comprehensively visualized at both source and target, too, with colour-coded collars and tracks on knobs and sliders 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.

More distortion types

Fabfilter Saturn 2 almost doubles the number of distortion styles on board from 16 to 28.

‘Subtle’ versions of the Tape, Tube, and Saturation styles provide low-intensity warming, while four new British (Rock, Pop) and American (Tweed, Plexi) Amp styles perfectly model well-known guitar amplifiers, three Transformer styles (Subtle, Gentle, Warm) open up abrasive new possibilities, and the Foldback and Breakdown FX styles reshape and mutate sounds beyond recognition, the latter combining down-pitching with heavy distortion.

Big modulation changes

With virtually no limit placed on the combination of 16-step XLFOs, Envelope Generators, Envelope Followers, XY Controllers, and MIDI sources that can be used in a preset, Saturn 2 takes the whole system to the next level.

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 — pulverize hi-hats to the rhythm of the kick drum, for example.

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 customize their Saturn 2 presets for effortless navigation.

Key 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 modeling, coloration, lo-fi degradation, and FX
All the usual FabFilter features users have come to expect: perfectly 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 optimization, and more