Slate Digital's Virtual Console Collection is available in all major native formats, and is worthy of special attention for a number of reasons, one being that its development was led by Fabrice Gabriel, the man behind Slate's remarkable FG‑X mastering processor and Eiosis's superb E2 De‑esser and Transienter. Sumthing SpecialĪll of which brings us to the product under review here, and the latest candidate for supplying 'glue' to DAW‑based mixes. And, like many modern plug‑ins, it's too demanding of system resources to use on every track in a large mix in any case. I don't find it makes mixes come together more easily, nor does it particularly help to 'glue' them together once mixed. It sounds great on bass and electric guitars, and occasionally I'll put it over the mix bus, but to me, its usefulness lies in the effect it has on individual sources. Take Universal Audio's Studer A800 tape emulation, for example. I've tried quite a few, but to my ears, even the best of them are often closer to special effects than to something I'd want to use on every track in every mix. Tape and tube emulations, mix bus compressors, non‑specific analogue warmth generators. All too often, such plug‑ins simply compromise rather than complement the good qualities of a digital mix, such as clarity, separation and accurate representation of transients. And on the sonic side of things, I've rarely been convinced by plug‑ins designed to reproduce the mysterious 'glue' that many people claim is missing from digital mixing environments. The precision of drawing in automation with the mouse wins every time over the limited amounts of real‑time control that you get from eight cheap faders and a few knobs. On the ergonomic front, for instance, I've never enjoyed using small assignable fader surfaces. The latter has been expanded here to show the grouping controls.Īs a home‑studio owner who works digitally and 'in the box', I've always been a little bit sceptical about products that are supposed to make mixing on a computer more like mixing in the analogue domain. The Virtual Console Collection comprises two plug‑ins: Virtual Channel (left) and Virtual Mix Buss (right).
#Slate vcc neve software
If you're still getting a handle on mixing, you'd be better off investing in bread-and-butter plug-ins first, such as quality EQ, compression and reverb.įor more experienced engineers looking to take their mixes to the next level, though, VCC could be revelatory, and we have to praise Slate Digital for bringing a new level of nuance and flexibility to the 'console in the box' concept.Can the failings of mixing in software really be solved by buying more software? That's the claim Slate Digital are making for their Virtual Console Collection. We should point out, though, that VCC isn't a magic bullet that'll make mediocre mixes sound majestic. In use, we found VCC very rewarding and with a valve desk model in development, there's clearly more to come. However, the treble sounds excellent in the 8x oversampling mode. Note that the MixBuss plug-in is more CPU-intensive and that oversampling will increase the CPU load further. On our four-core Intel Xeon 3GHz-equipped Mac, running 64 Virtual Channels brought the CPU meter up to the halfway mark. On the downside, CPU usage can be considerable. The Neve also noticeably enhances the bass. Sonically, the Trident offers the least hi-fi sound (and most hiss), with the API crisp and upfront, while the Neve handles extreme signal levels with the most ease. As you drive levels, the differences become more obvious, with the SSL and Trident being the most coloured.
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This is to be expected considering that real consoles are typically designed to be as clean and transparent as their analogue circuitry allows.
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Still, at regular levels, we found that using the SSL channel on a drum kit with a Neve-treated string section was practically indistinguishable from a fully SSL setup. One of VCC's biggest novelties is the ability to mix and match channels from different desk types. Like an analogue desk, you have to push levels hard before saturation is audible. However, the accumulated effect from sticking it on all of them is of subtle enhancement and gentle dynamic control, making it easier to achieve a smooth mix where everything sits in its place. If you drop VCC on just one channel, you almost certainly won't hear any difference.