SoundToys Decapitator Analog Saturation Modeler Plug-In

SoundToys Decapitator Analog Saturation Modeler Plug-In provides subtle to extreme hardware-modelled saturation. Decapitator is THE secret weapon of top mix engineers.

SoundToys Decapitator is not just a simple approximation of the analog sound. SoundToys worked hard to capture the feel of analog gear. Not a static snapshot, but a changing responsive model of all those tubes, wires and transistors. That means you can hear subtle changes as Decapitator reacts to a track and follows the dynamics of an instrument. That's what analog is all about.

The Background and History of Decapitation
Saturation; it's the essence of what makes analog hardware sound so musical and pleasing to the ears. The sound of tubes, transistors, and circuitry being pushed to their limit has long been the magic mojo behind recordings of the analog-era. Saturation has been used to beef things up, thin them out, give them edge, fry them up nicely, add warmth, smooth over, pull elements out of the mix, and create signature sounds. From the very subtle to the extreme, analog saturation is an integral part of great mixes.

This is the reason why SoundToys created Decapitator. This crucial component of recorded sound, essentially the very concept of what we consider musical, can remain largely absent in the world of modern, digital recording. In creating Decapitator SoundToys collected and painstakingly analyzed the classic hardware that audio would be driven through in order to create the special character that we equate with ‘analog'. Consoles, preamps, input channels, EQ's, compressors, and dedicated studio distortion units were all studied in great detail to analyze just how analog circuity alters sounds that pass through it, especially how

those sounds evolve as they begin to saturate the signal path. What SoundToys came up with for Decapitator is not a static convolution-style snapshot of saturation, but rather changing, responsive models in the digital realm faithful to their real-world counterparts.

Decapitator is more than just an approximation of analog sound: it has the analog feel and responds to the dynamics of the audio that is passed through it. It is the sound of real gear, with the flexibility and reliability of software. Decapitator's analog styles and modeled tone control allow you to shape and contour different flavors of saturation.

The added mix control lets you balance the dry and wet signals for parallel processing without the need for routing or submixes. Decapitator puts into one plug-in a wide tonal palate of analog saturation effects true to the roomful of physical hardware they used in creating the plug-in.

Of course, saturation doesn't always need to present itself in such a subtle manner. That's why they added in the ‘Punish' button which kicks in another chuck of gain to push your sounds into all-out chaos and screaming distortion. Decapitator gives you the unique flavor of driving high end studio gear deep into the red, and each analog style screams out in beautiful agony differently when punished.

Decapitator's dynamic and responsive handling of audio makes it useful in literally every part of your signal chain. Since its initial release, Decapitator has been used in studios worldwide to bring the sound of classic analog, those wonderfully musical distortion characteristics, into the modern digital workflow. And now, Decapitator can work its magic for you.

SoundToys Decapitator Plug-In Features

• Infuse your tracks with the natural vibe of analog gear
• Get real, dynamic analog saturation with 5 detailed models of studio hardware
• Push your tracks over the top with the Punish button
• Shape the contour of the saturation with analog-modeled tone control
• Create parallel effects simply with the mix knob
• Equipment modeled for Decapitator:
  • Style A: Ampex 350 tape drive preamp
  • Style E: Chandler Ltd /EMI TG Channel
  • Style N: Neve 1057 input channel (Germanium transistors)
  • Style T: Thermionic Culture Culture Vulture (Triode setting)
  • Style P: Thermionic Culture Culture Vulture (Pentode setting)
• Some other controls:
  • Drive - Gain control; your key to adjusting the level of saturation
  • Punish - Adds an extra 20db of gain to the signal being sent through Decapitator. With Punish engaged things will get loud, things will get brutal, and things will certainly get distorted
  • Thump - The Thump toggle switch will add a few dB of low frequency boost right at the Low Cut frequency. This is similar to the ‘head bump' of analog tape recorders, and is one of the reasons that recording to analog tape can sound so fat.
  • Tone - The Tone control is an easy way to adjust the overall color of your sound, from “Dark”, to “Bright”. The Tone adjuster is a very gentle sloping equalizer, similar to the old tone control on AM radios or a tilt EQ.

What the Professionals Are Saying about SoundToys Decapitator...

“Decapitator is ‘instavibe-in-a-box'.”
– Fabrice “Fab” Dupont – Jennifer Lopez, Marc Ronson, Santigold

“I like it on everything.”
– Tchad Blake – Brazilian Girls, Sheryl Crow, Cibo Matto

“Watch out! This thing will tear your head off!”
– Ryan Hewitt – Red Hot Chili Peppers, We Are Scientists, The Alkaline Trio

SoundToys Decapitator Plug-In Specifications

• All version 5.0.4 Soundtoys products come with 32-bit and 64-bit VST, AU, and AAX Native plug-in formats.
• Here is a list of all of the DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) that are officially supported:
  • Pro Tools
  • Live
  • Cubase / Nuendo
  • Sonar
  • Logic
  • Digital Performer
  • *If your DAW is not on this list, it doesn't necessarily mean that SoundToys plug-ins won't work... It just means that it has not been tested. If something goes wrong with an unsupported DAW, SoundToys welcomes to write into support, but they cannot guarantee a solution.
• Supported sample rates:
  • Minimum: 44.1 kHz, Maximum: 192 kHz
• System requirements:
  • Operating system:
    • Mac OS X 10.8 or later
    • Windows 7 or later
  • An internet connection is required at the time of activation.
• Other requirements:
  • iLok.com account (An iLok USB dongle is not required)