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Saturation

Abbey Road Saturator

Waves

Abbey Road Saturator is a saturation plugin that combines classic EMI console modeling with a unique compander effect for analog warmth and distortion. It emulates the signal flow of two iconic Abbey Road mixing desks—the valve-based EMI REDD 17 and the solid-state EMI TG12345—to deliver saturation ranging from subtle harmonic enhancement to aggressive crunch, with the rare TG12321 compander providing frequency-dependent excitement.

Key Features

01Two console types: EMI REDD 17 (valve, edgy) and EMI TG12345 (solid-state, warm)
02TG12321 compander with phase reversal and adjustable ratio (1.0–4.0)
03Pre EQ and Post EQ three-band sections with low shelf, bell, and high shelf filters
04Compander bandpass filtering: high-pass (80 Hz, 160 Hz, 380 Hz) and low-pass (750 Hz, 1.5 kHz, 3 kHz)
05Saturator gain control (0–100) with harmonic distortion at low settings, clipping and crunch at high settings
06Stereo, Mid, and Side processing modes
07Compander blend and saturator mix controls for parallel processing

Things to Try

  • 01Use Pre EQ to strip low frequencies you want to protect, then match with Post EQ at opposite gain to exclude those frequencies from distortion while processing the rest
  • 02Switch off Pre EQ, set compander blend to zero, and set saturator mix to 100% wet to hear the saturator effect in isolation
  • 03Engage Phase reversal on the compander to shift character from 'pulling' to 'pushing' for different tonal results
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Abbey Road Saturator by Waves | Plugin Library