The Saturation Plugins Everyone Is Using This Year (Best Of 2025 Episode 3)
Elevate your mixes with the greatest Color & Character plugins of 2025! In this Best Of video, I’m diving into the world of saturation, harmonic distortion, and analog soul. These are the tools you need to add warmth, grit, and professional polish to your tracks. This is episode three of my Best Mixing & Mastering Plugins of the Year series.
Plugins featured in this episode:
Korneff Audio – Shure Level-Loc @korneffaudio
Aggressive character inspired by a broadcast classic, perfect for smashing drums and adding attitude.
👉 https://korneffaudio.com/
Softube – Drawmer 1976 @SoftubeStudios
A stunning multi band saturator, great for adding harmonic character exactly where you need it.
👉 https://www.softube.com/
Purafied – 5240 @Purafied
A dual-engine saturator designed to give your tracks real analog energy. Unlike standard emulations, it treats lows and highs independently.
👉 https://purafied.com/
Mixland – 280 PRE
A preamp-style saturation plugin inspired by classic American console color, fast to dial in and very musical.
👉 https://mixland.io/
Tone Empire – TapeZoo @toneempireplugins
A versatile tape saturation plugin offering everything from subtle warmth to heavy tape drive and coloration.
👉 https://tone-empire.com/
Relab – Color Drive @RelabDevelopment
A modern harmonic distortion tool focused on precise control and detailed, high-quality saturation.
👉 https://relabdevelopment.com/
Arturia – J-37 Tape @ArturiaOfficial
A tape machine emulation inspired by classic British hardware, ideal for warmth, glue, and vintage character.
👉 https://www.arturia.com/
SPL – Machine Head @PluginAllianceTV
A saturation and distortion processor known for its punchy, aggressive sound and wide range of drive textures.
👉 https://www.plugin-alliance.com
Safari Pedals – Cassette Bunny @safaripedals
A creative cassette-style saturation plugin designed to add lo-fi texture, grit, and nostalgic character.
👉 https://safaripedals.com/
SSL – DigiCrush @solidstatelogic
A digital distortion and bit-crushing plugin delivering bold, modern character and extreme sonic textures.
👉 https://www.solidstatelogic.com/
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction (Color & Character)
0:18 Korneff Shure Level-Loc
0:49 Purafied 5420
1:12 Softube Drawmer 1976
1:40 Mixland 280 Pre
2:12 Tone Empire Tape Zoo
2:41 Relab Color Drive
3:12 Safari Pedals Cassette Bunny
3:46 Arturia Tape J37
4:15 SPL Machinehead
4:40 SSL Digicrush
5:43 Outro
More episodes coming soon, covering mastering tools, creative effects, wildcards, and plugins of the year.
Check out the full playlist for the complete Best-of series.
#MixingPlugins #BestPlugins2025 #Saturation #MusicProduction