In Summary

In the digital age, the idea of saturation across the entire mix might sound weird, but used carefully it can serve up some of the same sweetening usually left to other processes. With any flavour just a click away, we talk about how saturation can help.

Going Deeper

Many engineers mix through processing, and the idea of compressing the mix bus is certainly nothing new. With the advent of mix-friendly compressors being built into the heart of many classic studio consoles, the cohesive squeeze of whole-mix treatments is for many one of the things that makes it ‘sound like a record’.

In days gone by, this treatment was complimented by the other elements including amplifiers, transformers, and tape. Although designers had been working hard to reach pristine transfer into the listeners’ ears, its true to say that lots of thin layers of influence make for a quality that many engineers strive for. The bus comp may have survived the move into the box, but many of these subtle flavourings have been lost.

Up until recently, saturating the mix for effect might have been viewed as a bit reckless. That said, a number of big names have now brought treatments that aim to re-introduce that certain-something across the main output. When used with care, not only can these excite the mix in their own way, but also can actually do similar things to their Bus Compressor comrades.

Are we overlooking saturation to bring mixes together? We need cohesion but if we're already compressing tracks and buses, do we really need a third coat of comp when saturation can do similar things? We take a further look and listen…

How Do You Glue

Lots of engineers talk about mix ‘glue’, but what is it? Although we’re definitely into the realm of subjectivity here, two ingredients some might agree on are compression and sometimes harmonic enhancement from a saturated medium such as tape or analogue circuitry.

On the compression side of things, the cushioning effect of compression across the entire mix can do anything from rounding off the highest peaks, to giving a more musical bounce using sympathetic release times. A third flavour would be getting a subtle homogenised sound using much lower ratios and thresholds.

Saturation happens when a medium runs out of its own currency, such as electrons or flux. This injects (and I’m try to avoid using the word “Warmth” - OK I just did…) the quality that some engineers love. Apart from the slightly cooked hues that generate extra harmonic content, saturation can also inherently compress the signal to some degree.

Mix Sweetening: Compression Versus Saturation

Compression and saturation are of course different things, but by reducing the program’s dynamic range, saturation can in some ways do some of the things that can be achieved using a regular mix bus compressor. Using more obvious treatments, it could even serve as an alternative to compression as its effects really start to dig in. However it’s deployed, it could be a useful with compression or even on its own as an alternative to a mix bus compressor. Below you can hear the effect of a conventional mix bus compressor treatment alongside a saturated alternative on a mix in progress.

Unprocessed Mix

Here’s the mix with no compression or saturation used:

Bus Compressed Mix

Here I’ve dialled settings of 4:1 ratio, 30 ms attack, and 100 ms release into my compressor to provide some classic cushioning for the mix. Here I’ve aimed for an average of around 4dB of gain reduction:

Saturated Mix

I’ve chosen the saturator used in this example specifically because of its tape-like qualities. When driven quite hard, I can get some compressor-like traits such as peak rounding and increased low level density that many use to glue the mix, noticeable here in the slightly higher vocal reverb. There is no compressor used in this example.

My saturator also adds a combination of mainly odd harmonics with some even order components as well. This means that I can introduce some classic harmonic interest to the mix, with some nice tape-like cushioning right near the top of the master.

Glue Version Two?

Using a combo of both saturation and compression can work, however the right saturator on its own could tickle everyone’s bus-sweetening requirements in one place. With some pleasing qualities to be had, saturation shouldn’t be overlooked as a different tool to help with the Final Finish. At the start we asked if we really need a third coat of comp on the end if we're already compressing tracks and buses. Perhaps not, and for a more exotic twist, a good saturator could impart some of the mojo that many miss from the pre-DAW era. There are now a number of processors, both real and virtual that not only give engineers bus compression and/or tape like goodness, but also other sweeteners like stereo image manipulation as well all in the same box or window. What’s not to like there?

Back to glue. With many engineers favouring their own flavour of hallowed mix magic, compression is one way to achieve that. In the digital age, turning to other hues of glue is always on table, and using saturation doesn’t have to mean scorching that hard-won mix to a cinder. I’ve cooked the examples here a bit more than I would usually, but I’d describe any suitable amount as being appreciated by the client but virtually unnoticed by the listener.

Used judiciously alongside your favourite processor, or even on its own, I’d argue that the virtual saturation alternative could be your master’s new (old) best friend.

A Word About This Article

As the Experts team considered how we could better help the community we thought that some of you are time poor and don’t have the time to read a long article or a watch a long video. We are going to be trying out articles that have the fast takeaway right at the start and then an opportunity to go deeper if you wish. Let us know if you like this idea in the comments.