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Satellite

Satellite Manual

A practical guide to Satellite's dual-stage saturation, range controls, gain staging, presets, activation, and demo behavior.

Version 1 Updated June 2026

Quickstart

Satellite is a dual-stage color and saturation plugin. The fastest way to get a useful result is:

  1. Choose a model for Stage 1 and Stage 2.
  2. Use each stage’s Saturation knob to decide how hard that stage is driven.
  3. Set each Freq Range so the stages focus on useful parts of the signal.
  4. Use each stage’s DRY slider to move between the focused range sound and the normal full stage sound.
  5. Use Blend to balance Stage 1 and Stage 2.
  6. Use Dry/Wet as the final whole-plugin mix.

Good first setting:

  • Stage 1: Lush, focused from low mids into the body of the source.
  • Stage 2: Punch, focused higher for presence and attack.
  • Stage saturation: start around the middle, then push by ear.
  • Stage DRY: high for natural broad color, lower when you want the selected range to speak more clearly.
  • Blend: centered.
  • Dry/Wet: high, then pull back if the effect is too obvious.

Satellite is best at tone shaping, bus coloration, mix-bus glue, split-band saturation, and subtle harmonic density. It is not only a distortion amount knob. Treat it as a voicing tool.

Core Idea

Satellite has two processing stages. Each stage has its own saturation model, drive amount, and frequency focus.

The important distinctions:

  • Blend balances Stage 1 against Stage 2.
  • Stage DRY blends each stage’s focused range contribution against that stage’s normal full output.
  • Master Dry/Wet blends the whole processed sound against the original input.

That means you can build two different colors inside Satellite, decide how focused each stage should be with Freq Range and DRY, balance the stages with Blend, then decide how much of the whole result to use with master Dry/Wet.

Signal Flow

The practical signal flow is:

Input -> In Gain -> Stage 1 / Stage 2 -> Harmonics -> Auto Gain / Out Gain -> Dry/Wet

In Gain happens before the model stages, so it changes how hard the plugin is driven. Out Gain is final level trim. Dry/Wet is the last musical blend against the dry input.

Stages

Each stage has:

  • a model bank and model selection
  • a Saturation control
  • a Freq Range selector
  • a Slope control
  • a DRY control for blending from focused range sound back toward the normal full stage sound

Use the two stages for complementary jobs. For example, one stage can add low-mid weight while the other adds upper-mid bite.

Saturation

Saturation is the main character amount for each stage.

  • Low settings add tone, density, and light harmonic movement.
  • Medium settings make the model character obvious.
  • High settings push the model into heavier saturation or degradation.

Models do not all respond identically at the same knob position. The goal is that the models are comparable, not mathematically identical.

Frequency Range

Freq Range decides which part of the spectrum a stage works on.

  • Drag the low handle to set the lower edge.
  • Drag the high handle to set the upper edge.
  • Drag the center area to move the selected range.
  • Use scroll while hovering the range control for quick adjustment.

If the full range is selected, that stage is effectively full-band.

The range control is one of Satellite’s most important parts. Narrow ranges are useful for targeted color. Wide ranges are useful for bus tone and general saturation.

Slope

Slope controls how sharply the range is isolated.

  • Gentler slopes sound more blended and natural.
  • Steeper slopes isolate the selected area more strongly.

Use steeper slopes when you want to drive a narrow problem or character band. Use gentler slopes when the filter edges start feeling too obvious.

Stage Dry

DRY is the per-stage reference amount inside the frequency range section.

  • 0/100 means the stage is only the selected filtered/saturated contribution.
  • 100/100 means the stage returns to its normal full output.

Lower DRY settings make the selected frequency range more exposed and characterful. Higher DRY settings keep the stage more natural and integrated.

If you select the full frequency range and lower DRY, you can hear more of the model’s direct saturated tone. This is especially useful for judging character before blending it back into the full plugin sound.

Preserve Transients

Preserve Transients protects a stage’s attack and punch while it saturates.

  • At 0, the stage drives fully and transients soften along with everything else.
  • Raising it toward 100 lets sharp transients pass through cleaner while the body of the band stays colored.

This is most useful on drums and other percussive material, where heavy drive would otherwise round off the hits. On sustained or already-soft sources you can usually leave it low.

It is a per-stage control, so you can preserve attack on one stage while letting the other saturate freely.

Model Banks

Satellite groups models into three banks.

Classic

  • Solid: tight, controlled, console-like saturation.
  • Lush: softer, richer, broader glue.
  • Punch: assertive impact and upper-mid energy.
  • Grit: rougher vintage mixer-style edge.

Source

  • Tape: rounder weight, softened edges, and tape-style density.
  • Tube: harmonic warmth and rounded drive.
  • Iron: transformer-like density and low-mid heft.
  • Opamp: fast, tighter solid-state color.

Effect

  • Thick: broad density and fullness.
  • Crush: heavier saturation and nonlinear weight.
  • Bit: digital degradation and lo-fi texture.
  • Roar: aggressive clipped edge and harder effect color.

The bank buttons browse model families. The sound only changes when you select an actual model softkey.

Blend

Blend balances the two stages.

  • Left favors Stage 1.
  • Right favors Stage 2.
  • Center gives both stages equal contribution.

Conceptually, center is 100/100: both stages are fully present. Moving to either side turns the opposite stage down.

Dry/Wet

Dry/Wet is the final mix between the original input and Satellite’s processed output.

  • 0/100: dry only.
  • 100/0: fully processed.

Use lower wet amounts when you push saturation hard for character but want it tucked into the original source.

Do not confuse master Dry/Wet with stage DRY: stage DRY changes how focused each stage is before the two stages are blended, while master Dry/Wet controls the final whole-plugin blend against the original input.

Input and Output Gain

In Gain is pre-drive. Raising it pushes the stages harder. Lowering it cleans up the processing.

Out Gain is final level trim. It does not change how hard the stages are driven.

This is the main gain-staging idea:

  • Use In Gain for tone and drive.
  • Use Out Gain for final level.
  • Use Auto Gain when you want easier loudness comparison while exploring.

Satellite uses internal headroom, so the plugin can process signals above digital 0 dBFS internally. The meters are there to show you what is happening, not to hard-clip the processing path.

Auto Gain

Auto Gain helps keep the output level usable while changing input drive, saturation, blend, and model choices.

It is designed to avoid acting like a compressor. It should help level-match the plugin’s processing, not flatten the musical dynamics of the source.

Turn it off when you want fully manual level control.

Harmonics

The Harmonics section adds post-stage harmonic shaping.

Use it to add specific harmonic emphasis after the main two-stage processing. It is optional. For many mix and bus uses, Satellite works best with harmonics untouched or used lightly.

Presets

Satellite includes factory presets and user presets.

Factory presets are starting points. User presets can be saved, organized into folders, renamed, and deleted from the preset browser.

If a preset name shows an asterisk, the current settings have changed since the preset was loaded.

Settings

The settings screen includes:

  • visualization on/off
  • meter mode
  • double-click behavior
  • oversampling (off, 2x, 4x)
  • activation and license management
  • update/download information in the full build

Double-click behavior can be set to either direct type entry or reset.

Oversampling

Oversampling runs the saturation stages at a higher internal sample rate, then returns to the host rate.

  • Off: lowest CPU and latency. Fine for light to moderate drive.
  • 2x / 4x: process at two or four times the rate to suppress aliasing from hard drive and brighter, more aggressive models.

Higher settings cost more CPU and add a small amount of latency, which the plugin reports to the host for compensation. When oversampling is active, an indicator chip appears on the main screen.

Use Off for general work and reach for 2x or 4x when you are pushing a stage hard, using an Effect voice, or hearing harsh high-frequency artifacts.

Activation

The full Satellite build requires account activation.

Activation is performed from inside the plugin. Once activated, the full build stores local activation state and can run offline. Deactivation should also be done from inside the plugin when you still have access to the computer, because that frees the activation slot.

If a computer is permanently lost or broken, use the account dashboard to mark that device as lost.

Demo Build

The demo build is separate from the full build.

The demo requires a Rakus account and periodic online validation during the trial period. The full paid build does not use the demo validation system.

The demo build does not use the full-build update checker. Install the full build from your account dashboard after purchase.

Use the demo to evaluate the plugin. Use the full build after purchase for normal offline work.

Control Shortcuts

Most controls share the same editing behavior:

  • Alt + Click: reset to default.
  • Alt + Shift + Click: return to the current preset value where available.
  • Double Click: type a value directly, unless double-click behavior is set to reset.
  • Cmd/Ctrl + Drag: fine adjustment.
  • Shift + Drag: stepped adjustment.
  • Scroll while hovering: adjust the control.

Workflow Suggestions

Mix Bus

  • Use lower saturation amounts.
  • Split low-mid glue from upper-band openness.
  • Keep Dry/Wet high if the voicing already feels natural.
  • Use Auto Gain while comparing settings.

Drums

  • Try Solid, Punch, Iron, or Crush.
  • Use range controls to focus transient bite or low-mid knock.
  • Lower stage DRY temporarily to hear the exact part of the kit being driven, then raise it again if the result needs to sit more naturally.

Bass

  • Try Iron, Tube, or Tape.
  • Focus one stage on low-mid weight.
  • Avoid overdriving the extreme sub range unless that is intentional.

Vocals and Synths

  • Try Lush, Tube, Thick, or Tape.
  • Use narrower ranges to add presence without overprocessing lows.
  • Pull back Dry/Wet if the effect becomes too forward.

Troubleshooting

The plugin sounds too extreme

  • Lower In Gain.
  • Lower stage Saturation.
  • Narrow the active Freq Range.
  • Try a gentler model such as Lush or Solid.

The sound gets too dark

  • Check whether Tape is active.
  • Widen or move the active range.
  • Reduce saturation.
  • Blend in the other stage or lower Dry/Wet.

The output level feels misleading

  • Toggle Auto Gain and compare.
  • Use Out Gain for final level.
  • Remember that In Gain changes drive, not just volume.

I cannot hear what the range control is doing

  • Lower that stage’s DRY control.
  • Move the range while monitoring the result.
  • Raise DRY again if you want more of the full-range reference blended back into the stage.

Summary

The fastest way to get strong results from Satellite is:

  • choose two models with different jobs
  • give each stage useful frequency territory
  • use stage DRY to control how focused or full-range each stage feels
  • balance the stages with Blend
  • set final effect amount with Dry/Wet
  • use In Gain for drive and Out Gain for final level

Satellite is strongest when used as a material and voicing tool, not just as a distortion effect.