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Tessla SE kicks ass as a saturator. It has a really good harmonic saturation preset that is the bomb on bass and vocals. It can really add some hair to stuff thats tracked with a really fast and clear mic or preamp chain.
Its not magic but the difference is there.
It works well on drums as well.
Nebula does sound great to my ears but I have other tricks for those results. I use 2 different tape decks (Tascam 38 (8) track and Fostex 2 track mastering deck), all types of transformer coupled preamps (modded Yamaha pm700/1000, modded Dynamix 3000, Voicematics, Sony MX20), transformer coupled compressor (Gates Solid States Man AGC) etc...plugins can do certain things to audio that you might experience with hardware, but its a game of inches vs yards to my ears with plugins vs hardware.
You have to get used to the sound of both and marrying them together is the real fun of it all.
I find that when you are using a really bland plain jane recording chain, that you have to use some really phenomenal plugins to really give you that grit or girth, etc...that you might be seeking and sometimes they fall on their face for that. The Tritone and Nebula plugs seem to be a good starting point but they still are only going to do their thing but so well. Its really about getting it at the source if you can or using something thats quite heavy handed to make up for the lack of that character you're seeking.
Again we all are not equipped the same so I'm not trying to wave anybody's gearlist or available gear in their face. I'd much rather say try different things, break some rules and develop your methods.
You can always try dumping some stuff to cassette on a 3 head deck and recapture it into your computer for some dirt. You just may like the sound of it. Its not the same as 1/4", 1/2", 1" or 2" tape by far, but still for what you're seeking, it may be that extra edge that you want.
Plenty of options to choose from. Sorry if this isn't more helpful, but you kinda gotta stretch those legs a little.
I'd definitely read up on the Daptone stuff, they have some great advice for flavoring audio!
Peace
Illumination
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