The SoundToys Decapitator is an analog saturation/overdrive plug-in. I wasn't involved with the process of installing the plug-in, as I used this on a system that was not my own. The interface of the software is generally pretty easy to use and is straight forward. As far as parameters go, you've got knobs for mix, low cut, tone, high cut, and drive. It also has a button for 'punish' and five buttons to choose between different preset styles. A manual isn't necessary in my opinion, even though I haven't seen it so I can't say anything about its make up.

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

I have run SoundToys Decapitator on a Pro Tools HD system, so the performance I'm getting from it will be undoubtedly different from someone running it on a Pro Tools LE system or something comparable. However, this isn't the type of plug-in that will generally speaking take up too much processing power, so as long as you have a system where you're currently able to run plug-ins without a problem, I'd say that you probably shouldn't have any issues running this one.

OVERALL OPINION

These days there are a lot of plug-ins out there that aim and claim to add 'analog' warmth to your sound without actually inflicting any sort of analog component on the signal. For me, this is really an impossibility and I haven't found anything that will stand up to true analog gear and I don't think that I ever will. This being said, the SoundToys Decapitator sound pretty darn good for an 'analog' saturation plug-in. It isn't the end all be all by any long shot, but for adding some warmth here and there to your mixes, it will certainly be an asset. It won't cost too much money, making it the perfect addition to the plug-in suite for the home studio owner looking to compromise on a plug-in when a piece of analog gear might not be available.