Decapitator: Analog Saturation Plugin by Soundtoys

Decapitator offers five analog saturation models, each based on a different type of studio hardware. Soundtoys says it collected and analyzed vintage and modern gear before building the models, choosing units it considered to have distinctive character at both subtle and extreme settings.

The modeled tone control shapes the contour of the saturation, so you can adjust the tonal balance of the distorted signal rather than only its amount. The mix knob blends the processed signal with the dry input, which lets you run Decapitator as a parallel effect without setting up routing or sub-mixes.

The Punish button adds an extra chunk of gain for driving the circuit harder. Soundtoys describes the result as closer to driving high-end studio gear than to the fizzy distortion of a stomp box.

Because the saturation ranges from very subtle to extreme, Decapitator can be used across many kinds of material. Soundtoys suggests trying it on vocals, drums, guitars and synths, especially sources that sound a little too polite.

For a gentle color, keep the drive low and use the mix knob to keep some of the original signal. For more aggressive character, engage the Punish button and adjust the tone control to set how the saturation sits in the frequency range.

Decapitator is available in VST3, VST2, AU and AAX Native formats for Windows and macOS.