Gainlab Wizard

Stereo tube saturator

In recent years, audio production has shifted from large commercial studios to more compact, home-studio-oriented setups. These smaller studios are often built around digital audio workstations (DAWs) and use fewer outboard units, partly because of space constraints. However, demand for classic analogue sounds and character remains strong in the industry.

This demand has led to the development of saturators offering a distinctive sound and many adjustment options, letting users instantly add analogue warmth to any source, whether individual tracks, buses or mastering, all in a compact format.
Many Gainlab Audio users reported that the most frequently used feature on their units was the Tube Boost. This led to the creation of a dedicated unit offering fully adjustable tube saturation, so the sound can be tailored to a wide range of production scenarios.
That unit is the GLA-TS1 Wizard Stereo Tube Saturator. The input and output controls let users easily adjust the amount of saturation to suit the character of the source signal and their personal taste, with further adjustment possible via the Feed function. Using the clean signal taken from the input, it can remove clean signal content from the output, providing extra control over the desired amount of saturation.

As a tube unit, the Wizard includes a Bias control. It lets you shape the tonal character of the saturation, offering not only a high-pass filter but also a three-band equaliser with presets. This unique solution lets the character of the sound vary over extremely wide frequency ranges. The unit provides visual feedback on output levels and the amount of saturation. Users can also shape the dynamic aspects of the saturation with the Pressure control, which works on the principle of vari-mu compressors and also has its own indicator.

Features

• Stereo tube saturator
• Built-in equaliser
• Built-in dynamics control
• Feed control
• Bias control
• Accurate output VU meters
• Saturation indicator
• Dynamics indicator

Applications

• Individual tracks
• Mix bus
• Mastering bus
• Recording