{"id":371,"date":"2014-07-08T10:28:52","date_gmt":"2014-07-08T14:28:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.splice.com\/?p=371"},"modified":"2024-10-07T11:17:57","modified_gmt":"2024-10-07T15:17:57","slug":"dada-life-sausage-fattener-plugin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/dada-life-sausage-fattener-plugin\/","title":{"rendered":"Taking a Closer Look at Sausage Fattener from Dada Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dada Life Sausage Fattener<\/strong><\/a> might look deceivingly simple at first glance, but once acquainted with its functionality it has the ability to put your tracks in to high gear. It\u2019s used by countless top notch producers such as Ti\u00ebsto<\/a>, Zedd<\/a>, and Diplo<\/a>, and for good reason \u2013\u00a0 it packs a serious punch that can add impact and power to your tracks. It is also currently the 5th most-used plugin by producers on Splice<\/a>! Here we\u2019ll explore what the Sausage Fattener is all about and some of the ways you can use it in your own productions.<\/p>\n

The GUI is fairly straightforward; you\u2019re presented with three knobs: FATNESS<\/strong>, COLOR<\/strong>, and GAIN<\/strong>. As you start to adjust these knobs, several things begin to happen simultaneously. The FATNESS<\/strong> knob boosts the initial signal by as much as 30dB while at the same time adding complex saturation, which is subtle distortion caused by introducing upper harmonics to the fundamental tone. The COLOR<\/strong> knob adjusts the harmonic relationships within the saturation algorithm. By adjusting the COLOR<\/strong> knob and increasing its value, you begin to increase the amplitude or volume of the uppermost harmonics, which causes the timbre to become brighter. A high degree of saturation can quickly cause the original signal to become rather unwieldy, so thankfully the Dada Life Sausage Fattener provides you with a GAIN<\/strong> knob to adjust the overall volume of the signal as well as a CLIPPING INDICATOR<\/strong> to further keep the levels in check.<\/p>\n

To illustrate this process, we\u2019ll take a simple sine wave at 261Hz, which corresponds to middle C on the piano keyboard, and slowly increase the value of the FATNESS<\/strong> knob until it has reached its maximum. At maximum value we have reached full saturation. As seen below, there are a multitude of upper harmonic overtones that are added to the fundamental tone within the harmonic spectrum that add character to the original timbre.<\/p>\n

\"SFSineMiddleC\"<\/a>

A simple sine wave at 261Hz with no saturation.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"SFHarmonics\"<\/a>

The same sine wave at full saturation; notice the upper harmonics that are introduced.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Now that we\u2019ve explored some of the inner workings of this plugin, let\u2019s dive right in and take a look at some specific examples that you can apply to your own projects.<\/p>\n

Saturation in the context of a track can be useful in several ways. The obvious use is to make the primary voice of your track as big as possible so that it truly stands out and has the most impact and presence for the listener. This applies most readily to bass lines and lead lines. In the example below, we have an electro bass line that is a bit dull and unsatisfying. By introducing the Sausage Fattener at the drop as an insert effect, with a FATNESS<\/strong> value of 55% and a COLOR<\/strong> value of 20%, we can immediately hear that the bass timbre becomes richer and more exciting. It\u2019s apparently louder in the mix, despite the fact that more mix elements have entered and that it\u2019s actually metering at 5dB below<\/em> the dry signal before the drop. It\u2019s important to level match the volume of the dry and wet signal while making comparisons so that you get an accurate aural picture of the differences \u2013 it\u2019s human nature that louder signals will sound better at first listen, but that\u2019s not always the case.\u00a0 Use the GAIN<\/strong> knob while auditioning your settings to level match and get a clearer sense of the harmonic differences. A little FATNESS<\/strong> can go a long way!<\/p>\n

\"SFExample1\"<\/p>\n

     <\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span>SFExample1<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/span>