Tags: posts polarity-music Bitwig Bitwig-5.2.4 Replace VST Tutorial Preset

Plasma by iZotope in Bitwig

Tutorial | Oct 02, 2024

In this video, I demonstrate how to replicate the functionality of the Plasma plug-in by iZotope within Bitwig Studio. By using techniques like loud split, EQ adjustments, and saturation, I create a flexible method to achieve similar frequency-specific saturation effects without the high CPU usage. I also provide a free preset for download, encouraging viewers to like, subscribe, and share their thoughts in the comments.

You can watch the Video on Youtube

Summary

Maybe you don't watch the video, here are some important takeaways:

Hey folks, welcome back to another video. Today, I'm diving into a plugin called Plasma by iZotope. Some viewers were curious about how to replicate or fake it inside Bitwig Studio. At its core, Plasma is essentially a saturator, but its specialty lies in its ability to saturate specific parts of the frequency spectrum. For example, it can focus on just the low end, mid frequencies, or the top end, depending on the preset you choose. You have controls for threshold, flux (saturation amount), attack, release, and overdrive, which likely functions as an input gain.

For me, Plasma isn't that interesting because it uses a lot of CPU power to separate frequency bins and perform FFT processing, only to deliver a very subtle effect. I prefer using full-band saturation in parallel, which can achieve similar results without the heavy CPU usage. However, I understand that some people might find Plasma crucial for their toolkit.

To replicate Plasma in Bitwig Studio, I came up with a method which may not be perfect. Feel free to correct me in the comments if you find any flaws. My approach involves using a "Loud Split" device, where you can isolate the louder parts of the signal. I also use an EQ in front to push certain frequencies above the threshold, thus letting them pass.

Here's a detailed rundown of how I set it up:

  1. Start with a Loud Split device, isolating only the loud parts by disabling the mid and quiet sections.
  2. Use an EQ5 device to push specific frequencies above the Loud Split threshold.
  3. Add a Filter Plus device in the loud part, disable the filter but keep the transfer curve activated to apply saturation.
  4. Use another Chain device, as I find it handy for managing sweat gain.
  5. Configure the Filter Plus to apply soft clipping in a bipolar mode.
  6. Add a Tool device to flip the polarity, effectively isolating only the saturation overtones by canceling out the dry signal.
  7. Flip the polarity back using another Tool device since we want to mix in the original dry signal later.
  8. Use the Chain device's Wet Gain Learn feature to balance the loudness between the dry and the processed signal.

To further emulate Plasma, I mapped certain controls:

I also experimented with the transfer curves to replicate different saturation effects, like only affecting the low end or mid frequencies. Adjusting the EQ allowed me to selectively push these frequencies above the threshold, achieving the desired effect.

I made a personalized preset in Bitwig named "Plasma," which you can download from the link in the description. There's no need to subscribe to anything, but if you like the content, consider leaving a like and subscribing to my channel.

That's my take on replicating the Plasma plugin inside Bitwig Studio. Let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks for watching, and see you in the next video. Bye!

Transcription

This is what im talking about in this video. The text is transcribed by AI, so it might not be perfect. If you find any mistakes, please let me know.
You can also click on the timestamps to jump to the right part of the video, which should be helpful.

[00:00:00] Hey folks, welcome back to another video. Today it's about this plug-in here called Plasma by
[00:00:05] iZotope and some people wanted to know how to replicate this or kind of fake it inside of
[00:00:10] Bitwig Studio and at its core this is just a normal saturator. The special thing about this
[00:00:17] plug-in is that it only saturates certain parts of the frequency spectrum. So you have here on the
[00:00:24] left side some kind of preset. So here it's master balanced and with this you get some kind of curvy
[00:00:31] threshold and then you pull down the threshold or you increase here the flux saturate button and then
[00:00:39] it only saturates for instance only the low end or only some parts of the mid frequencies here or the
[00:00:45] top end and so on. So that's the special thing about it right and then you have your attack release and
[00:00:51] overdrive which is probably just input gain. And for me this is not very interesting here because
[00:00:58] you waste a lot of CPU power for separating you know frequency bins and FFT processing and so on
[00:01:06] to only then saturate certain parts and it's very very subtle and for this very subtle effect you
[00:01:13] waste a lot of CPU power. So it's not really for me. I'm kind of happy with the full band single band
[00:01:19] saturation or saturators and if you you know use it in parallel get kind of similar effect. So it's not
[00:01:28] really for me but I understand that some people really want to have this in their tool belt and
[00:01:34] want to see how you can replicate it in Bitwig Studio. So I thought of a method maybe it's not the
[00:01:41] perfect method but you can correct me in the comments of course if you want. So for one I want to use a loud split.
[00:01:50] You probably already guessed it. And with the loud split here you can
[00:01:55] hear the full band here.
[00:01:59] Maybe put the master. Maybe increase loudness a bit.
[00:02:08] So now with the loud split we can say we only want to single out here at the loudest parts. We disable here the mid and the quiet parts.
[00:02:18] So with this threshold here we can decide which kind of loud signals go above this region here.
[00:02:37] And we can influence this even a bit better by using an EQ in front. And I also use here
[00:02:45] chain device. We put this into a chain device because we want to have one single preset.
[00:02:50] So you see an EQ, EQ 5, something like this.
[00:02:57] So now we can bring this threshold at this point here.
[00:03:01] And now we can say we only want to push the low end above this threshold or the top end.
[00:03:11] Okay, does it make sense? So we use the EQ to push certain frequencies above this threshold here to let it pass.
[00:03:27] So that's the idea.
[00:03:30] What we can do then is we can, let's say, go in here and choose in the loud part filter plus.
[00:03:40] Filter plus and filter plus in the loud part here as the filter disabled.
[00:03:47] I don't need the filter.
[00:03:48] I only want to have to transfer a curve here.
[00:03:50] And I use the filter plus device because I don't want to use an FX grid.
[00:03:54] You can also use an FX grid.
[00:03:56] But for me here, this is more straightforward.
[00:03:58] You have this full transfer interface inside of the chain.
[00:04:04] So here we can say we want to load up some kind of curve.
[00:04:08] We can use here, let's say, a soft clip.
[00:04:11] We use bipolar.
[00:04:12] And then we saturate only stuff that goes into this loud portion here.
[00:04:27] Doesn't make sense.
[00:04:28] Doesn't make sense.
[00:04:29] Then we use again a chain device here.
[00:04:32] And I really like to use the chain device because of the sweat gain learn.
[00:04:36] So we put the filter plus device into this here.
[00:04:40] And then we match the loudness.
[00:04:41] Now that we match the loudness, we can bring this to 50%.
[00:04:55] So we mix the dry signal, everything that's above the threshold here, the dry signal of that, and the saturated signal of that.
[00:05:10] So we mix these, blend these two together.
[00:05:13] And then we do here, let's say, a tool device and flip the polarity of this.
[00:05:20] So we cancel out everything from the dry signal with the saturated wet signal, which kind of leaves us, I think, with only with the saturated parts.
[00:05:32] So with the overtones and it cancels out the, yeah, the original parts.
[00:05:38] I hope this makes sense.
[00:05:39] So you only have basically everything that's, that makes the signal saturated or the overtones.
[00:05:47] That's what you get here after this chain device.
[00:05:50] Okay.
[00:06:02] So within inverting here, the polarity, we have only the overtones and the fundamentals are disabled or canceled out.
[00:06:11] But then we close this down and we use a tool device again here and flip it again.
[00:06:17] So we don't cancel actually, um, this saturation signal here with the, yeah, with the dry signal, because we want to mix it here.
[00:06:29] Uh, then later on.
[00:06:31] So I flip it here again.
[00:06:33] So that's what I do.
[00:06:35] And then we can mix here in the original dry signal.
[00:06:42] Okay.
[00:06:56] Okay.
[00:06:57] And now we can already use here, let's say, um, uh, it's page.
[00:07:06] And we can say, this is flux knob.
[00:07:11] Right.
[00:07:12] So we can have a completely untouched signal.
[00:07:15] Okay.
[00:07:24] Like this.
[00:07:25] And then we have here attack release.
[00:07:27] So we can use rise.
[00:07:28] Nice.
[00:07:29] Fall time.
[00:07:30] So the rise and fall time decides how long these bins stay when they touch this threshold.
[00:07:43] So we get a smoother signal.
[00:07:46] And then we have here, um, the output gain off the EQ five.
[00:07:59] So we can call this drive.
[00:08:01] This would be this year overdrive.
[00:08:05] That's it probably does something different on this plugin as different balance, but it's more
[00:08:13] or less about getting the same idea or the same effect.
[00:08:17] It's, it's not like you can replicate this to 100%.
[00:08:20] I have no idea what they did internally here, but this is my idea how this kind of works.
[00:08:26] And, um, it's, it's maybe just an interesting effect you can use.
[00:08:34] Um, okay.
[00:08:36] We have something else.
[00:08:38] Yeah.
[00:08:39] Basically this curve here, this, uh, preset, um, is what you change in here.
[00:08:44] Right.
[00:08:45] So you can say, I only want to saturate the low end.
[00:08:49] Right.
[00:08:50] And I want to get the high end out of the saturator.
[00:08:53] So this would be this curve, right?
[00:08:56] Or you only want to saturate the mid band here.
[00:08:59] Right.
[00:09:00] So you push up this and then all these frequencies go above this line here and then go into this
[00:09:07] processing.
[00:09:08] And then you only saturate basically everything in the mid part.
[00:09:11] Right.
[00:09:12] And then you mix it in with the flux knob here and, um, make it happen.
[00:09:22] Um, maybe we can also, instead of flux using a mix, we could use maybe the amount knob.
[00:09:28] Could work too.
[00:09:29] Right.
[00:09:30] This is a mix and this amount knob here and call this, the amount knob changes the gain of this,
[00:09:46] right.
[00:09:47] It slowly fades this in and it slowly moves or yeah, pushes the frequencies above the threshold.
[00:09:55] Then you get more and more saturation.
[00:09:57] And then you can use the wet gain learn here to learn loudness of the dry signal and the signal coming out here of the process.
[00:10:12] I don't know if it makes sense.
[00:10:13] I don't know if it makes sense.
[00:10:13] I'll push the loudness here a bit.
[00:10:13] So you can balance out the dry signal versus the saturated.
[00:10:14] overtones.
[00:10:15] Overtones.
[00:10:16] I'll push the loudness here a bit.
[00:10:17] So you can balance out the dry signal versus the saturated overtones that will be added.
[00:10:18] Um, much more easily with this.
[00:10:19] Um, much more easily with this.
[00:10:20] So.
[00:10:21] that's how I would do it.
[00:10:22] In my opinion.
[00:10:22] So you can balance out the dry signal versus the saturated overtones that will be added.
[00:10:23] Um, much more easily with this.
[00:10:24] So that's how I would do it.
[00:10:25] In my opinion.
[00:10:26] Maybe we call this here.
[00:10:27] What's the name?
[00:10:28] Plasma.
[00:10:29] Um.
[00:10:30] Um, and that's how I would do it.
[00:10:31] In my opinion.
[00:10:32] Maybe we call this here.
[00:10:33] What's the name?
[00:10:34] Plasma.
[00:10:35] Um, and that's how I would do this.
[00:10:36] I don't know if it makes sense.
[00:10:37] I don't know if it makes sense.
[00:10:38] And push the loudness here a bit.
[00:10:39] So you can balance out the dry signal versus the saturated overtones that will be added.
[00:10:44] Um, much more easily with this.
[00:10:47] So that's how I would do it.
[00:10:50] In my opinion.
[00:10:51] Maybe we call this here.
[00:10:52] What's the name?
[00:10:53] Plasma.
[00:10:54] Um.
[00:10:55] Put this here.
[00:10:56] 25% here.
[00:10:57] Um, we can leave this curve.
[00:10:58] Is that 500 Hertz?
[00:10:59] Let's go for this.
[00:11:00] The max here.
[00:11:01] Of course, the max is not important because we have this amount up here.
[00:11:02] So this is then 0dB and this is then 24dB.
[00:11:03] Um.
[00:11:04] The max here.
[00:11:05] Of course, the max is not important because we have this amount up here.
[00:11:06] So this is then 0dB and this is then 24dB.
[00:11:08] Um.
[00:11:09] The max here.
[00:11:10] Of course, the max is not important because we have this amount up here.
[00:11:11] So this is then 0dB and this is then 24dB.
[00:11:13] Um.
[00:11:14] The max here.
[00:11:15] The max is not important because we have this amount up here.
[00:11:16] So this is then 0dB and this is then 24dB.
[00:11:17] Um.
[00:11:18] Yeah, I think that's how I would do it.
[00:11:28] Maybe you need to change then here the saturation curve if you want to have something different
[00:11:33] here or more effective.
[00:11:34] That's something you can exchange.
[00:11:37] But I think, um, this should fairly do kind of the same thing as, um, plasma.
[00:11:45] And I put this preset here in the description below completely for free.
[00:11:48] You don't need to subscribe to anything.
[00:11:50] Uh, right.
[00:11:51] Only leave a like, subscribe to the channel.
[00:11:54] Thanks for watching.
[00:11:55] And yeah, let me know what you think in the comments down below.
[00:11:58] Okay.
[00:11:59] See you in the next video.
[00:12:00] Bye.
[00:12:01] Thank you.