DAW music production question

[John 793]

So I like to use a plugin called "Sausage Fattener" by "Dada Life" to fatten up my bases in mixes.  The only problem is that I've been told that I should understand what the plugin does, and how I could recreate the effect of the plugin using only the default tools in Ableton Live 8.  So I understand what the "fat" sound is, and why (for certain types of music) it is essential to have a fat, full-spectrum base.  The only problem is that I cannot effectively recreate the "sausage fattener" effect by myself.  My best guess is that it distorts the sound a bit to bring out more unnoticeable frequencies and then it compresses the waveform to create a flat, full-spectrum sound which appears loud due to the fact that it can utilize all areas of the frequency spectrum.  I guess that too much of this technique would remove distinguishable formants in the base which can give it its own character though.

 

If anyone knows how to do this weird compression-distortion technique, please let me know.  Any other tips and tricks, even ones not related to sausage fattener would be greatly appreciated.

 

Hopefully there are people on right now >.<

 

Edited June 11, 2014 by John

[Sudo Krenton 243]

Hey John,

 

Sausage Fattener has confused several people as to what exactly it does. From my personal use and from what I have read, all I can say that it is a brickwall limiter, or in I guess simpler terms "helps control clipping" (futureproducers.com). Although this may be true, I'd rather say that it is an overdrive/distortion and saturation unit, with the overdrive being the "fatness" being the overdrive/distortion, and the "color" being the saturation. Others say it's a limiter, compressor, and saturation unit combined.

 

I could have my terms messed up, so I'm sorry if I'm saying the wrongs things. 

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/product-alerts-older-than-2-months/614357-dada-life-sausage-fattener-au-vst-2.html

 

With the right eqing and adding on of transient shaping, compression and overdrive/distortion units, you could achieve similar or the same effects.

 

Hope this helps.

[John 793]

Thanks.  I would be interested in learning how to get the same effect without using the plugin though.  Please let me know if anyone knows how to do this.