Explainer
Heat vs FabFilter Saturn 2: Saturation Plugins Compared (2026)
Updated 2 min read
FabFilter Saturn 2 is a deep multiband distortion plugin: up to six bands, 28 saturation styles and a modulation system, for $149. Heat is a single-band saturator with five modes (Tape, Tube, Transistor, Fuzz, Rectify), a built-in soft clipper and level-matched drive, for €29. Pick Saturn 2 for sound design and surgical, per-band distortion; pick Heat for fast warmth, grit and louder drums and 808s.
Heat vs Saturn 2 at a glance
What it is
- Heat
- Saturation + soft clipper
- FabFilter Saturn 2
- Multiband distortion and saturation
Price (list)
- Heat
- €29 once
- FabFilter Saturn 2
- $149 / €129 ex VAT
Formats
- Heat
- VST3, AU, AAX
- FabFilter Saturn 2
- VST, VST3, AU, CLAP, AAX, AudioSuite
Bands
- Heat
- One
- FabFilter Saturn 2
- Up to 6, optional linear phase
Saturation styles
- Heat
- 5 modes plus a Harmonic XY pad
- FabFilter Saturn 2
- 28 styles
Soft clipper stage
- Heat
- Yes, with ceiling and knee
- FabFilter Saturn 2
- Distortion styles per band
Modulation
- Heat
- No
- FabFilter Saturn 2
- 50-slot modulation matrix
Mid/side
- Heat
- No
- FabFilter Saturn 2
- Yes
Level-matched drive
- Heat
- Automatic
- FabFilter Saturn 2
- Output level controls
Oversampling
- Heat
- Yes
- FabFilter Saturn 2
- Up to 32x
What Saturn 2 does well
Saturn 2 splits your signal into as many as six bands and gives each one its own distortion style and drive, with mid/side processing on top. Its 50-slot modulation matrix lets LFOs and envelope followers move the parameters, so it doubles as a creative sound-design tool. With 28 styles from subtle tape and tube to heavy amp and fuzz, and up to 32x oversampling, it covers almost any saturation job, and FabFilter's interface shows the bands and modulation clearly.
What Heat does well
Heat does the everyday saturation jobs in one panel. Tape and Tube warm vocals and buses, Transistor and Fuzz bite, and Rectify adds an octave-up edge. Tone tilts the result darker or brighter and Bias makes it thicker and more uneven. Switch on the Harmonic XY pad to drag between even and odd, soft and hard harmonics. Drive is level-matched, so you hear tone instead of loudness, and the soft clipper after it shaves peaks so drums and 808s hit harder at the same level. 43 presets include Crunchy 808, Drum Clipper and Master Clipper.
Where Saturn 2 is stronger
- Multiband control: distort the mids of a bass and keep the sub clean, or add air to the highs only. Heat processes the whole signal.
- More styles: 28 against Heat's 5 modes.
- Modulation for moving, evolving distortion and sound design.
- More formats, including CLAP and AudioSuite, plus mid/side per band.
Where Heat is stronger
- A dedicated soft clipper after the saturation, with ceiling and knee controls, so saturation and peak control happen in one plugin.
- Speed: one mode, a few knobs, done. Good for beginners and fast sessions.
- Price: €29 once, and every preset plays in the browser on drums, bass, guitar or your own file.
Which should you choose?
- Sound design, multiband saturation, modulated distortion: Saturn 2.
- Warmth on vocals and buses, louder drums and 808s, quick decisions: Heat.
- Both: Heat for clipping drums and 808s, Saturn 2 for detailed bass and synth work.
More options, free and paid, are in our best saturation plugins roundup, and what is tape saturation explains the sound itself.
Try Heat in your browser
FAQ
What is FabFilter Saturn 2?
A multiband distortion and saturation plugin. It splits the sound into up to six bands, each with its own saturation style (28 in total), and adds a modulation system, mid/side processing and up to 32x oversampling.
How much is FabFilter Saturn 2?
As of November 2026, FabFilter lists Saturn 2 at $149, or €129 before VAT. It's also part of FabFilter's bundles.
Do I need multiband saturation?
Only when you want to drive one frequency range and leave the rest clean, such as growling the mids of a bass while the sub stays solid. For warming a vocal, a drum bus or an 808, single-band saturation does the job.
What is a soft clipper?
A processor that rounds off peaks instead of cutting them flat, so you gain loudness with less audible distortion than hard clipping. It's often used on drums, 808s or just before the limiter on a master. Heat has one built in after its saturation stage.