So with all these different models, it really can be a one-stop-shop for saturation and distortion. The difference between T and P is that T produces even harmonics and P produces odd harmonics. P - Pentode (also from the Thermionic Culture Vulture hardware unit) T - Triode (from the Thermionic Culture Vulture hardware unit) N - Neve 1057 input channel (very thick low frequency content)
With the Decapitator, here are what the letters represent according to the manual Ī - Ampex 350 tape drive preamp (think Johnny Cash, Elvis, Sun/Stax/Chess records)Į - EMI TG console (think The Beatles, Pink Floyd) Much like other plugins who are 'influenced' by real analogue hardware and consoles, they sometimes don't directly disclose what brand they have modelled because it hasn't been officially licensed, although in the Decapitator manual it does describe in some detail the gear that influenced the saturation types. Each letter stands for a different saturation type that is based on real analogue consoles and hardware, so you can dial in settings for the other controls then switch between the letters and the effect will change slightly. Some users may want to put 1 on every channel to get a subtle saturation effect for mixing into which i would recommend if you're CPU can handle it (bear in mind you would likely be using more plugins on top of the decapitators) otherwise try 1 on every sub mix or bus to get a taste of what it can do. The performance is very good and is fairly light on CPU usage, although in any given project i can't recall using any more than 3 or 4 instances of the plugin but with no noticeable CPU spikes none the less.
It is very stable in my experience, no random crashes or anything like that.
I have been using the Decapitator for almost a year now and can confirm it works perfectly with Logic Pro 9 on a Mac computer with 4GB of RAM on OSX 10.6.8.
The Decapitator has an intuitive GUI and clearly labelled controls apart from the letters along the bottom but we'll get to that part later. The manual is always there for plugins of this nature but for this Soundtoys product i would recommend you just dive straight in and start playing around with the features. Beginning with the installation, which is quite straight forward as most Soundtoys plugins are, no compatibility issues with Logic Pro 9 at all and when loaded up it is a very clear and engaging interface. There has never been such a suitably named plugin as the Soundtoys Decapitator, it really will take your head off with some of the sounds it can give to your tracks.