Satin Jackets’ signature sound has made him a mainstay in many worlds. Whether it’s his warm vocal takes, funk bass lines, grooving percussions, or unique live sets, his signature nu-disco sound has something for everyone to fall in love with.
But achieving such a signature nu-disco sound is more accessible said than done, and it can often seem like magic how producers like Satin Jackets do what they do in the studio.
So we decided to lock him down, pick his brain, and discover precisely what plugins he’s using to make amazing Nu-Disco songs.
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STREAM SATIN JACKETS’ LATEST SINGLE ‘FIRST THING’
Satin Jackets’ newest single is the North Star of what Nu-Disco producers should aim for in their productions. It’s funky, clean, warm, and arresting.
So before Satin Jackets breaks down his favorite synths that went into the making of this track, give the single a few listens so that your ears can studio the exact timbres and nuances in the track that these plugins help you achieve.
Fabfilter Saturn 2
This one can work wonders on the beat bus or drums and synths with a clean or tape setting. It brings out nice mids and harmonics while cutting on the highs that can sound sharp.
One must be careful not to destroy the bass or introduce too much distortion. In the end, the beat can feel like it has a better grip and sits more present in the mix.
Elysia Alpha Compressor
Like the original hardware, this one tightens the screws on every mix. Applied carefully, with a low attack, I usually split the mid and side bands rather than left and right channels so I can also tweak the stereo image a bit.
The result sounds fuller and warmer, just like everyone wants. It can be used every time towards the end when most of the mixing is done.
SPL Vitalizer MK2-T
I own the hardware but have moved towards the plugin for convenience and mobility. It adds sparkle and stardust to every mix, but it’s essential not to overdo it.
In most cases, taking the setting one notch back from where it sounded good is the right amount. I usually set the bass left to sub, which adds a nice amount of basement that we all like so much. Also, the stereo expander never hurts as long as it stays below half.
Hitsville EQ Mastering
This one can now be used natively without a UA interface with the new Spark subscription model.
It’s a convenient tool to level out frequency curves by checking if a peak or a dip by one or two steps sounds better than before. Again, less is more here. Thankfully, most changes are subtle but still crisp and noticeable.
Native Instruments Supercharger GT
This is my go-to plugin on the beat bus to make it sound bigger. There’s a “fat” setting, but “warm” sometimes work better depending on the situation. One can apply quite a bit of either setting while going easy on the compression threshold and giving just a tiny bit of saturation.
It’s essential to keep checking the input signal so it is always leveled correctly.
Snag It Here
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
