Stoke Saturator

Quick start

1. Insert Stoke Saturator on a track or bus. If the chip at the bottom left reads LOCKED, Stoke stays silent until you activate it or start a trial (see Installation and activation).
2. Turn DRIVE up until the track feels thicker, and stop before you hear fuzz on the loudest notes. With AUTO on (the default), the level stays the same, so you hear the character, not just more volume.
3. Use TONE to lean it brighter or darker.
4. To blend the saturated sound with the dry track (parallel saturation), lower MIX.
5. Click POWER to compare with the dry sound.

What's new in 0.2.12

• B now switches POWER and P opens presets, the same as Plinth.
• An offline export starts with the same input calibration as playback.
• With POWER off, the coal goes dark and IN reads the same as OUT.
• A reopened session shows its preset's name.
• The update notice is quieter.
• Security improvements to license file handling.

What's new in 0.2.10

What changed since 0.2.0:

• Your own presets in the starting-point menu and the ... menu.
• Update notice. The license chip tells you when a new version is out (see Updates).
• Sessions always reopen as saved, after every update and under every license state.
• Subscriptions renew by themselves in the plugin.
• Fixes: a crash on macOS 10.15 and 11; Windows user names with accented characters; a license activated in Logic Pro, GarageBand or MainStage that your other DAWs could not see, and the other way round.

The window

Drag the window's corner to resize it, from 600 x 367 up to 1152 x 704 pixels. It keeps its shape, opens at 720 x 440 and remembers its size.

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1. DRIVE. How hard the sound is driven.
2. Starting point. The name, with arrows to step.
3. TONE. Brighter or darker.
4. MIX. Saturated and dry blend.
5. OUTPUT. The final trim.
6. Console. Readouts and peak levels.
7. AUTO. Equal-loudness DRIVE.
8. POWER. Bypass, to compare with the dry sound.
9. License chip. LICENSED, TRIAL or LOCKED.

The three small knobs are TONE, MIX and OUTPUT, in the same order as the readouts in the console below them. Click the DRIVE readout under the big knob, or any console readout, to type a value. The ... button to the right of POWER opens the menu.

The coal. The glow around DRIVE shows how much the saturation is adding: the harder it works, the brighter it glows. It shows the saturation itself, before MIX and POWER, so it still glows with MIX low or POWER off. In silence it goes dark.

The readouts. Click a value to type an exact one; Return applies, Esc cancels. A very small change may not visibly move a knob; the readout always shows the exact value. The small console shows input and output peaks, and AUTO ON, AUTO OFF or POWER OFF.

Input calibration

Stoke listens to how loud your track is and adjusts itself, so DRIVE 40 % gives the same character on a quiet track (around -24 dBFS, well below the digital maximum) as on a loud one (around -6 dBFS). It settles within the first ten seconds or so, slowly enough that you never hear it pump, and holds through silences. It changes the character only, never the level.

Character trim, under INPUT CALIBRATION in the ... menu, shifts that point: plus values are denser at the same knob position, minus values cleaner, with no jump in loudness.

Latency and CPU

• Stoke adds a small, fixed delay (a few samples; 6 at 48 kHz), which it reports to your DAW so everything stays aligned.
• There is no quality switch: Stoke always runs at its one quality setting.
• Reduce visual effects in the menu lowers the display's frame rate on a slow computer; the coal still follows the sound.

Keyboard and mouse

Keys work when the Stoke window has keyboard focus: click an empty part of the window once. While you type in a value field, the field keeps the keys.

In Pro Tools, fine drag is Cmd + drag (Ctrl on Windows) and reset is Option + click (Alt on Windows). TONE and OUTPUT snap lightly to each whole dB, and a little more firmly to 0 dB.

Recipes

These recipes start from Stoke's starting points (its factory presets). With AUTO on, Stoke matches the dry sound's loudness, so compare with POWER and judge only the character. Every source is different, so adjust by ear.

Glue a drum bus

Add weight to an 808

The sub stays clean while the mids thicken, so the 808 reads on small speakers.

Warm a lead vocal

Crush in parallel

Full saturation blended under the clean dry sound.

Leave it on the mix bus

Despite the name, it sets DRIVE to 18 %.

Presets

Stoke calls its twelve factory presets starting points.

Starting points set the four knobs and switch AUTO and POWER back on; Character trim stays where you set it.

Your own presets

1. Click the starting point's name (or open Starting points in the ... menu) and choose Save preset..., then type a name.
2. Your presets appear under User in the same menu.
3. Rename preset and Delete preset manage the list; Show preset folder opens the folder on disk.

A saved preset holds DRIVE, TONE, MIX and OUTPUT. Unlike the starting points, it leaves AUTO, POWER and Character trim as they are. The files are in ~/Library/Application Support/Vitric Audio/Presets/Stoke Saturator on macOS and %APPDATA%\Vitric Audio\Presets\Stoke Saturator on Windows. Saving and loading your own presets needs an active license or trial; the starting points always work.

Specifications

• Controls: DRIVE 0 to 100 %, TONE ±6 dB, MIX 0 to 100 %, OUTPUT ±12 dB, AUTO, POWER, Character trim (Input Cal) -6 to +6 dB from the menu, -12 to +12 dB by automation.
• Latency: 6 samples at 48 kHz, fixed and reported to your DAW.
• Window: 600 x 367 to 1152 x 704, fixed shape.
• Formats: VST3 and AAX on macOS and Windows; AU on macOS; an optional standalone app on Windows.
• Systems: macOS 10.15 or later on Intel, macOS 11 or later on Apple Silicon; Windows 10 or later, 64-bit.

Not included

• There is no quality switch, mid/side mode or sidechain.
• Stoke works on mono and stereo tracks. It does not support surround or Atmos formats.

Installation and activation

Install

1. Download the installer from vitricaudio.com/downloads or your account at vitricaudio.com/account.
2. Save your work and quit your DAW.
3. Run the .pkg (Mac) or .exe (Windows).
4. Open your DAW. If Stoke Saturator is not listed, rescan plugins.

Use AU in Logic Pro, AAX in Pro Tools and VST3 in other DAWs. The Mac installer puts the plugins in the standard folders:

• AU: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components
• VST3: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3
• AAX: /Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins

On Windows:

• VST3: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3
• AAX: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins
• Standalone app (optional in the installer): C:\Program Files\Vitric Audio\Stoke Saturator

Activate your license

Until you activate a license or start a trial, Stoke passes no sound, the chip reads LOCKED and a large LOCKED mark sits over the window. The license card opens by itself once each time you open the window.

1. Click the license chip to open the license card.
2. Paste the VT-... key from your purchase email or account page. Lost it? vitricaudio.com/license can resend your keys.
3. Click Apply license. The chip changes to LICENSED.

A full license works offline after activation and runs on up to three computers at a time.

Activate a computer that is offline

1. On the offline computer, open the license card and click Copy code to copy its machine code (it starts with VTM1-).
2. On any computer that is online, open vitricaudio.com/license, enter your key and the machine code, and download the license file.
3. Copy the file to the offline computer, open the license card and click Load file.

Try it free for 72 hours

1. Open the license card and click Start free trial. The trial page opens with the product and machine code filled in.
2. Sign in with the emailed link and click Start my 72-hour trial.
3. Click Copy trial key, paste it into the license card and click Apply license. Or click Download license file and use Load file. A backup copy is emailed to you.

The trial has every feature, runs 72 hours from issue and needs an internet connection while you use it. There is one trial per product, person and computer, and no payment details are needed. When it ends, Stoke goes silent but keeps every setting in your projects.

Updates

Stoke asks vitricaudio.com once a day, while its window is open, whether a newer version exists, and sends only the product, your version and your platform. When one is out, the license chip reads UPDATE and the new version number.

1. Click the chip. The license card shows UPDATE AVAILABLE with the new version and yours.
2. Click Download (the button shows the new version number) to open the product page and get the installer. Or click Later: the chip goes back to its license text until the next version, and the card keeps the notice.
3. Quit your DAW and run the new installer over the old one. Your sessions reopen as saved.

Turn off Check for updates in the menu to stop the checks.

Troubleshooting

Stoke does not appear in my DAW

Rescan plugins and restart the DAW. In Logic Pro, use Logic Pro > Settings > Plug-in Manager and Reset & Rescan Selection. On Windows, make sure your DAW scans C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3.

It went silent, or Stoke does nothing

• The license chip reads LOCKED: Stoke has not been activated, the trial ended, or the license needs attention. Click it. A trial needs an internet connection while you use it.
• POWER is off: the console reads POWER OFF. Click POWER or press P.
• MIX is at 0 %: you hear only the dry signal, so Stoke seems to do nothing.

It sounds harsh or fuzzy

Lower DRIVE, turn TONE left, or lower MIX to blend in more of the dry sound. On the mix bus, start from Mix Bus 10 Percent.

Turning DRIVE up does not get louder

That is AUTO doing its job: DRIVE changes the character, not the level. Turn AUTO off for the raw level change.

It got louder when I turned AUTO off

That is expected: without AUTO, more DRIVE means more level. Lower OUTPUT to match, or turn AUTO back on.

The coal still glows with POWER off

That is expected. The coal shows what the saturation is making before POWER and MIX; with POWER off you hear your input untouched.

The first seconds of an export sound different

Input calibration starts again from its neutral point when your DAW restarts the plugin's audio, which some DAWs do at the start of an export. On a very quiet or very loud track, start the export a few seconds before the part you need.

The knob did not move, but the sound changed

A very fine change can be too small to move the knob's pointer. The readout under the knob shows the exact value.

Shortcuts do nothing

Click an empty part of the Stoke window once so it has keyboard focus. Some DAWs keep certain keys for themselves; use the mouse for those.

The starting-point menu says "User (unlock to use)"

Your own presets need an active license or trial. Activate Stoke, and the menu items come back.

I lost my license key

Enter your email at vitricaudio.com/license to have your keys sent again, or find them in your account at vitricaudio.com/account.

Support

Write to support@vitricaudio.com with your Stoke version, operating system, DAW and version, plugin format and the exact error if there is one.

Every purchase comes with a 14-day refund, no questions asked.