Density stage

The Density stage adds harmonic saturation to each band, with control over where in the chain it sits — before the EQ filter (so the EQ shapes the harmonics) or after (so the EQ shapes the source, then density adds character).

How it works

Density is an iterated sin() waveshaper preceded by a cubic-skewed pre-highpass. The combination produces saturation that is brighter and more open-sounding than a typical tanh-based shaper — a distinctive, harmonically rich character per band. The pre-highpass lets you bias the saturation toward the higher frequencies of the band, giving it a more "musical" weight.

Controls

Density Tap

Where the saturation sits relative to the band's EQ filter:

• Off — no density processing.
• Pre — saturation happens before the EQ filter. The EQ then shapes the harmonics that the saturator generated. Useful when you want a band's character to come from the saturator and the EQ to clean up afterwards.
• Post — saturation happens after the EQ filter (and after the Pultec stage if engaged). Useful when you want the EQ to shape the source first and the saturator to add character to the EQ'd result.

Amount

0 to 1, internally mapped to 0–4 iterations of the sin() waveshaper (fractional cross-fade). 0 is no saturation; 1 is fully aggressive iterated saturation that adds significant harmonic content.

HP

The cubic-skewed pre-highpass coefficient, 0 to 1. Low values let the saturator chew on the band's whole spectrum; higher values restrict it to the mids and highs of the band, which sounds more selective and less muddy on low-end material.

Density On (master gate)

The card has a master power switch. With it off, every band's Density stays inactive regardless of per-band settings.

Visual feedback

When Density is engaged, the Density Overlay on the EQ display draws translucent vertical columns at the band frequencies — lighter columns for Pre-tap bands, aubergine columns for Post-tap. See EQ display.

Typical use

• Drum bus, Snare band — Set a Peak band around 200 Hz, Density Pre + Amount 0.3 + HP 0.6. The saturator adds harmonic weight that the Peak band then carves into a snare-body shape.
• Mastering bus, Air band — Set a HighShelf at 12 kHz, Density Post + Amount 0.2 + HP 0.4. The shelf shapes the air, the density adds harmonic shimmer on top.
• Synth bus, Mid band — Set a wide Peak around 1.5 kHz, Density Pre + Amount 0.6 + HP 0.8. The synth gets a midrange snarl that sits in the mix more aggressively.

Tips

• Pre-tap vs Post-tap is the key creative decision. Switch between them on a soloed band to hear how dramatically the order changes the result.
• High Amount values change the band gain noticeably (saturation adds energy). Pull the band's gain back a few dB if you push Density past 0.5.
• Density is per-band, so you can stack different saturations across the spectrum — a low-band tanh-warm Density + a high-band shimmer Density in the same instance, no oversampling tax beyond what's already built in.

See also

• Hardware character (Op-Amp & Tape) for tape and op-amp saturation.
• Global stages (master bus) for bus-wide character (Coils, PowerSag, PurestAir).
• Band controls