Free at launch, yes. If we ever charge for it, the version you grabbed stays yours.

It reports its small oversampling latency (61 samples, about 1.4 ms at 44.1 kHz) to your DAW, which compensates automatically. That honesty is what keeps the Mix knob phase-coherent: parallel blends stay perfectly aligned instead of comb filtering.

Which model should I start with?

Triode on vocals and bus glue, pentode on drums that should bark, tape on the mix bus, transformer on bass. Then break those rules.

What about Intel Macs or Windows?

Intel and Apple Silicon are both covered; the binary is universal. Windows isn't here yet; write to hello@andrestia.com. Demand decides the roadmap.

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Saturation Box

Tube, tape, and transformer saturation

Saturation Box is four analog saturators built on real circuit physics: a 12AX7 triode, an EL84 pentode, tape, and an iron-core transformer. It responds to how you play, not just how loud you are. Warm when you nudge it, feral when you push it.

Download Saturation Box

Free · Available · VST3 / AU · v0.1.0 · macOS (Universal, Apple Silicon & Intel)

Why

Why saturation?

Saturation adds the harmonics that make a track sound glued, forward, and alive. Tape machines and tube circuits did this naturally. Saturation Box models four of those circuits at the physics level, from gentle thickening to outright temper.

How it works

Three steps

01
Pick a model: triode, pentode, tape, or transformer
02
Push Drive until it feels right. Loudness stays put.
03
Pull Mix back until it sits

Details

Features

01Four models from circuit and magnetics physics: Triode (12AX7), Pentode (EL84), Tape, and Transformer
02Program-dependent by design: bias shift, supply sag, and tape compression react to your playing
03Loudness-compensated Drive: turning it up changes character, not volume
04Phase-coherent Mix for parallel saturation, with no comb filtering
05Saturation band: confine the color to a frequency range, stay clean outside it
06Nine factory presets and a VU meter that shows how hard you're driving
074× linear-phase oversampled engine

Getting set up

Install

01Download the .pkg installer below.
02Run it. AU and VST3 land in /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins automatically.
03Restart your DAW, or rescan your plugins.
04Insert Saturation Box where you want color: tracks, busses, or the mix.

You'll need

macOS on Apple Silicon or Intel (universal binary)
A DAW that hosts AU or VST3 (Logic, Live, Cubase, Reaper, and friends)
Notarized by Apple, no Gatekeeper workarounds needed

Questions

FAQ

Is it really free?: Free at launch, yes. If we ever charge for it, the version you grabbed stays yours.
Will it add latency?: It reports its small oversampling latency (61 samples, about 1.4 ms at 44.1 kHz) to your DAW, which compensates automatically. That honesty is what keeps the Mix knob phase-coherent: parallel blends stay perfectly aligned instead of comb filtering.
Which model should I start with?: Triode on vocals and bus glue, pentode on drums that should bark, tape on the mix bus, transformer on bass. Then break those rules.
What about Intel Macs or Windows?: Intel and Apple Silicon are both covered; the binary is universal. Windows isn't here yet; write to hello@andrestia.com. Demand decides the roadmap.

Changelog

Versions

v0.1.0

First public release.
Four saturation models: Triode (12AX7), Pentode (EL84), Tape, and Transformer.
Loudness-compensated Drive, phase-coherent Mix, saturation band, VU meter.
Nine factory presets, exposed to the host program list.
AU and VST3 for macOS, universal binary.

Ready when you are.

Saturation Box is free. The installer places AU and VST3 into /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins.

Download SaturationBox-0.1.0.pkg

AIAPS →Gain Staging →