Saturation ...

[Julien Apruzzese]

Hi,
i will describe you a situation and i would like to know your opinions ...
I have a kick very clean which peaks at -4 dBFS. I create a track on a Protools HD TDM with the fader at 0 dB and playback the kick in loop. This track goes out to the AES/EBU output 1 of an Apogee AD-16x into the AES/EBU input of a Benchmark DAC1. The analog output of the DAC1 goes to a Tannoy Ellipse 10.
Very nice playback system to me ...The sound is pristine.
Now, i raise the fader up to +4 dB in order to have the kick peaked at 0 dBFS. Then, i slowly add again at the fader 2 dB ...the peakmeter of the track in Protools is red and i start to hear a very nice saturation through my Tannoy - ( i am 2 dB over the 0 dBFS. After 3 dB, the sound of the kick start to be not usable ).
My goal is to find a way to record this sound on a track ...
For instance, if i take the same track with the fader set then at +6 dB and i switch the output to a bus, when i create a track with the input set on this bus, i hear an other sound ! Here i saturate the bus TDM, instead of the Benchmark DA on the first instance.
If i record the sound at the analog output of the Benchmark, i don't have the same sound ...
How can i use this lovely saturate sound i hear through my Tannoy when i push hard my fader ? How can i record it ? I just want to use this saturate sound back on my Protools ...
Thanks.