You may be wondering what the difference is between Dynamic Tube and Overdrive in Ableton, which one works best? What is each for?

Let’s look at the differences to see why these two similar effects are packaged so differently.

The Dynamic Tube effect is a model of tube saturation. This is a very particular sound that was used in old-school amplifiers. Tubes give a really warm effect on the signal. They also respond to dynamics in a smooth way.

In the effect, an “integrated envelope follower” generates dynamic tonal variations related to the level of the input signal.

It offers three modes, A, B, and C, with each modelling a specific type of tube amplification. The Ableton reference manual describes these modes as follows:

Tube A does not produce distortions if Bias is set low, but will kick in whenever the input signal exceeds a certain threshold, creating bright harmonics. Tube C is a very poor tube amp that produces distortions all the time. The qualities of Tube B lie somewhere between these two extremes.

Overdrive, on the other hand, is a model of classic overdrive guitar pedals. It is designed to be driven hard without losing dynamics and so is a great effect for driving percussive or transient sounds such as drums or punchy bass.

It offers less smoothness compared to Dynamic Tube, instead offering more grit and bite to the sound. It also works as an always-on effect with Ableton saying: “Note that 0% [on the drive control] does not mean zero distortion!”

A key feature is the dynamics control, which Ableton describes:

The Dynamics slider allows you to adjust how much compression is applied as the distortion is increased. At low settings, higher distortion amounts result in an increase in internal compression and make-up gain. At higher settings, less compression is applied.

So, which one to use? In my experience, the Dynamic Tube offers a great way to lightly saturate low frequencies and add some warmth. It works really well on the sub-bass and also in low amounts, can glue together a mix.

I have found Dynamic Tube excels best if you don’t push it too hard, in fact, barely audible tweaks are especially useful with this effect. It is a subtlety that Overdrive does not offer.

SEE ALSO: What’s the difference between Compressor and Glue Compressor

To distort heavy synths, my go-to would be Overdrive. This is because it allows much more range and grit, and can be pushed harder.

Having said that, I’m not overly keen on using Overdrive for guitars, it works fine, but it does not match up to dedicated guitar effects. If I am using a guitar track, I will always default to the sounds in Native Instruments Guitar Rig.

But for synths and sound effects, Overdrive works great.

The post Ableton: What is the difference between Dynamic Tube and Overdrive? appeared first on Audio Ordeal.

Glitch 1 - by ILLFORMED

Perhaps the most well-known, and most loved Glitch plugin, this is the older version of a paid product – Glitch 2. Offering many of the features in the full-priced version, Glitch 1 is a great tool to add variety to your mix. 

Whether you want to chop and disassemble the sounds you’ve recorded or add a computery layer of electronic glitch to a beat, this plugin has plenty of scope. A great  trick with Glitch is to have it on random and record several playthroughs. This means you can pick the best sounding parts, or even resample them through Glitch for a second time. 

I have even ran vocals through it and turned them into effected percussion loops, just from choosing the right glitch effects within. It makes for an awesome effect in a song where over the course of several bars the listener realises you are morphing vocals into a beat.

Free Download link here

Fracture - by GlitchMachines

A glitch effect that can really spice up your sounds by adding glitchy articulations and abstract textures. It works really great on drums and comes packed with some amazing presets which will come as a relief, since the interface sacrifices making immediate sense for looking so damn cool.

You will find however, that after playing with each control in turn, it isn’t actually as hard as it looks. Be wary though, it has such a broad range of sound, it can be quite hard to replicate previous ideas so make sure you save your own presets too!

Free Download link here

 

Krush - by Tritik

Tritik have made an outstanding free Bitcrusher effect which provides way more than it’s competitors do. It has seen numerous uses since I’ve downloaded it and I highly recommend it to everyone. 

Perhaps one of the best uses of bitcrushers is brightness. Sometimes you can actually add a lot of bright sparkle to a sound by very cautiously applying some gentle bitcrushing. In the same way you wouldn’t default to cranking a distortion or saturation effect, try adding a shimmer to your audio with small touches of bitcrushed signal mixed in with the dry signal. To read more about the best creative uses of a bitcrusher, check out our guide.

Free Download link here

Full review here

Hysteresis - by GLITCHMACHINES

By the same people that brought us Fracture, here is another gem. Hysteresis is a tool that will really mess up your sound – in a good way. Much like with Fracture, you are getting a great selection of presets with it. Unlike Fracture, this is much easier to use and understand. The controls are laid out and labelled making it clear what each section does. 

Free Download link here

Therapy - by DE LA MANCHA

You don’t so much control this plugin, its more like providing it with a seed for it to go its own way. Instead of the traditional controls, it invites you to type words in which control the plugin’s internal calculations. The creativity is taken right out of your hands and replaced with artistic maths that you cannot predict. Because of this, it’s hard to even describe the sound this makes, because there’s a low chance that people will end up with the same outcome.

You can type in whatever you fancy, and be sure to take note of what works because not everything does. Kudos if you can make a killer preset from all the rude words.

Free Download link here

The post Best FREE glitch VSTs to spice up your productions appeared first on Audio Ordeal.