Soundtoys Decapitator
It’s an absolute staple in my production. Nothing would sound as cohesive without it. Decapitator glues everything together in a way that’s hard to replicate with other tools.
For example, I use it to distort my midbass and sub together. This makes the low end sound fatter and more unified – like one powerful sound, rather than two layered elements. I also apply it subtly on my tops group (hats, percussion, etc.). It adds grit and fullness, and again, helps everything sit together more naturally. On vocals, a slight touch makes the mids pop without having to endlessly tweak EQs. Push it hard and it creates a raw, gritty, punk-esque tone – almost like someone’s yelling straight into the mic.
I’ve had Decapitator for years, but originally just saw it as a distortion plugin – something to slam a bass with when I wanted something aggressive. That changed in late 2024 when I started experimenting with using it more subtly. I realised that, when applied carefully, it can bring out warmth, presence, and cohesion across all kinds of elements. It’s now a huge time-saver compared to manually tweaking EQs, compressors, limiters, and so on.You can hear it on everything I’ve released this year! It’s all over my mixes.
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