Slate's Virtual Tape Machines (VTM)

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Dan Worley
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Re: Slate's Virtual Tape Machines (VTM)

Post by Dan Worley »

corbo-billy wrote:
Dan Worley wrote:I think Slate does have a demo and it might be interesting to compare.
I compared quickly last night with the Studer A800 Universal Audio and these products are not comparable.
Universal Audio simulation is much more raw and aggressive, whereas with the VTM, at first I did not notice any difference in sound.
The one sees when has the lack of VTM in bypass mode, it's incredible. Need to return to the small red button Settings like to make an adjustment of the Low frequencies.
As with the V.C.C. very subtle but very present. Sorry for the translate language . :oops:
I had the same experience when hitting bypass -- WOW, REALLY!!! It's a mind blower. I've never had a plug-in that lifts the tracks off the speakers like this. I can't even describe it except that it's what my ears have been craving in my mixes for a long, long time. I'm very happy.

Yeah, that Bass Alignment settings is a powerful thing.
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corbo-billy
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Re: Slate's Virtual Tape Machines (VTM)

Post by corbo-billy »

It would be necessary because they lighten the CPU after a dozen V.T.M. mounted, it becomes sensitive even if it's still good.
The updates are available to correct these problems. :wink:
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Re: Slate's Virtual Tape Machines (VTM)

Post by David Polich »

Dan Worley wrote:
corbo-billy wrote:
Dan Worley wrote:I think Slate does have a demo and it might be interesting to compare.
I compared quickly last night with the Studer A800 Universal Audio and these products are not comparable.
Universal Audio simulation is much more raw and aggressive, whereas with the VTM, at first I did not notice any difference in sound.
The one sees when has the lack of VTM in bypass mode, it's incredible. Need to return to the small red button Settings like to make an adjustment of the Low frequencies.
As with the V.C.C. very subtle but very present. Sorry for the translate language . :oops:
I had the same experience when hitting bypass -- WOW, REALLY!!! It's a mind blower. I've never had a plug-in that lifts the tracks off the speakers like this. I can't even describe it except that it's what my ears have been craving in my mixes for a long, long time. I'm very happy.

Yeah, that Bass Alignment settings is a powerful thing.

I disagree that UA's tape machines are "raw and aggressive". The presets might be a little exaggerated, and yes you can make things really crunchy with both the UAD Studer and the Ampex if you want, but you can also dial in creamy smooth settings if you just take the time to work with all the
controls (and there are a LOT of controls).

I worked a lot with tape machines, including Studers, MCI, and Ampex, back in the 80's. It's a sound I remember well and honestly, the UAD emulations
nail it. To the point where I really don't need another tape machine plug-in. I have no doubt whatsoever that Slate's VTM is great, and I'd get
it if I didn't have UAD. But a great plug-in is like a great girl - once you
find the one that satisfies all your needs, why bother to continue looking?
2019 Mac Pro 8-core, 32GB RAM, Mac OS Ventura, MIDI Express 128, Apogee Duet 3, DP 11.2x, Waves, Slate , Izotope, UAD, Amplitube 5, Tonex, Spectrasonics, Native Instruments, Pianoteq, Soniccouture, Arturia, Amplesound, Acustica, Reason Objekt, Plasmonic, Vital, Cherry Audio, Toontrack, BFD, Yamaha Motif XF6, Yamaha Montage M6, Korg Kronos X61, Alesis Ion,Sequential Prophet 6, Sequential OB-6, Hammond XK5, Yamaha Disklavier MK 3 piano.
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corbo-billy
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Re: Slate's Virtual Tape Machines (VTM)

Post by corbo-billy »

The most beautiful girl can just give what she does . :)
But I acknowledge being a bit harsh in my qualifier around the Studer A800 Universal Audio.
Imac M1 24" under Monterey 12.7 & Kontakt 7.6. _ Fireface800 X 2 _ FilterBank2 Sherman & Gibson Explorer Pro _ MIDI Express XT _ Virus C Desktop _ Adrenalinn III & Voyager Moog _ SpeakerPhone 2 _ PolyEvolver Keyboard _ Tempest _ D.P. 11.22 _
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kgdrum
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Slate's Virtual Tape Machines (VTM)

Post by kgdrum »

David Polich wrote:
Dan Worley wrote:
corbo-billy wrote: I compared quickly last night with the Studer A800 Universal Audio and these products are not comparable.
Universal Audio simulation is much more raw and aggressive, whereas with the VTM, at first I did not notice any difference in sound.
The one sees when has the lack of VTM in bypass mode, it's incredible. Need to return to the small red button Settings like to make an adjustment of the Low frequencies.
As with the V.C.C. very subtle but very present. Sorry for the translate language . :oops:
I had the same experience when hitting bypass -- WOW, REALLY!!! It's a mind blower. I've never had a plug-in that lifts the tracks off the speakers like this. I can't even describe it except that it's what my ears have been craving in my mixes for a long, long time. I'm very happy.

Yeah, that Bass Alignment settings is a powerful thing.

I disagree that UA's tape machines are "raw and aggressive". The presets might be a little exaggerated, and yes you can make things really crunchy with both the UAD Studer and the Ampex if you want, but you can also dial in creamy smooth settings if you just take the time to work with all the
controls (and there are a LOT of controls).

I worked a lot with tape machines, including Studers, MCI, and Ampex, back in the 80's. It's a sound I remember well and honestly, the UAD emulations
nail it. To the point where I really don't need another tape machine plug-in. I have no doubt whatsoever that Slate's VTM is great, and I'd get
it if I didn't have UAD. But a great plug-in is like a great girl - once you
find the one that satisfies all your needs, why bother to continue looking?
I have to agree with David,I have the UA plugs and they're great !
I really feel like I'm using tape with these.
I'll probably get VTM down the road once they get it to run without such a drain on CPU like Slate has done with VCC & FG-X.

I'm sure it's great but if you already have Studer & Ampex the need for VTM before it gets optimized to be more efficient is debatable.
2012 Mac Pro 3.46GHz 12 core 96 gig,Mojave, DP11.01,Logic 10.51, RME UCX,Great River ME-1NV,a few microphones,UAD2, Komplete 12U,U-he,Omni & way too many VI's,Synths & FX galore!, Mimic Pro w/ SD3,Focal Twin 6 monitors, Shunyata...........
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Dan Worley
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Re: Slate's Virtual Tape Machines (VTM)

Post by Dan Worley »

Believe me, if I had UAD tape plugs and I was happy with them, I'd find it hard to spend another $199 on another tape plug, though I probably would. :lol:

Yeah, the CPU hit is a big drag. What I'm doing now for the individual tracks is duplicating the take, merging the track (if needed), and, since VTM is usually the first plug-in in the chain, I print it via Audio > Audio Plug-ins. That works out pretty good and it's a fairly fast process. I do that for as many tracks as I can once I figure out what settings I want to use.
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Re: Slate's Virtual Tape Machines (VTM)

Post by buzzsmith »

OK...

Couldn't resist. :(

I can hear the difference when just inserting the 2 track sim on the Master. Subtle but pleasing.

I do take a CPU hit of about 15% with just the one instance on the Master.

But, has anyone else noticed that when the VTM is the front-most window, that it appears to disable the default DP space bar stop and play?

I've experimented a bit, and if I click on the default upper right bypass button, then the functionality of the space bar reappears.

Or if you click anywhere outside of the VTM on another DP window, normalcy is restored.

Just wonderin'...

Buzzy
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kgdrum
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Slate's Virtual Tape Machines (VTM)

Post by kgdrum »

Dan Worley wrote:

Yeah, the CPU hit is a big drag. What I'm doing now for the individual tracks is duplicating the take, merging the track (if needed), and, since VTM is usually the first plug-in in the chain, I print it via Audio > Audio Plug-ins. That works out pretty good and it's a fairly fast process. I do that for as many tracks as I can once I figure out what settings I want to use.


I get a bit confused with the signal chain, I understand Slate recommends VCC should be 1st in the chain and thats how I do it.
Instinctually I'd put VTM or Studer last in the chain which approach is correct for tape,1st or last?
And yes I expect I'll buy VTM after it gets optimized after a few updates & becomes less resource demanding.
2012 Mac Pro 3.46GHz 12 core 96 gig,Mojave, DP11.01,Logic 10.51, RME UCX,Great River ME-1NV,a few microphones,UAD2, Komplete 12U,U-he,Omni & way too many VI's,Synths & FX galore!, Mimic Pro w/ SD3,Focal Twin 6 monitors, Shunyata...........
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Dan Worley
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Re: Slate's Virtual Tape Machines (VTM)

Post by Dan Worley »

buzzsmith wrote:OK...

Couldn't resist. :(

I can hear the difference when just inserting the 2 track sim on the Master. Subtle but pleasing.

I do take a CPU hit of about 15% with just the one instance on the Master.

But, has anyone else noticed that when the VTM is the front-most window, that it appears to disable the default DP space bar stop and play?

I've experimented a bit, and if I click on the default upper right bypass button, then the functionality of the space bar reappears.

Or if you click anywhere outside of the VTM on another DP window, normalcy is restored.

Just wonderin'...

Buzzy
Slate and a few other newer plug-ins steal the keyboard focus. I've contacted all of them; they all say it's a DP problem. I honestly wouldn't know if that's true or not, but if they're all saying it. :surrender: Hopefully DP8 will get rid of this problem.
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Dan Worley
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Re: Slate's Virtual Tape Machines (VTM)

Post by Dan Worley »

kgdrum wrote:
Dan Worley wrote:

Yeah, the CPU hit is a big drag. What I'm doing now for the individual tracks is duplicating the take, merging the track (if needed), and, since VTM is usually the first plug-in in the chain, I print it via Audio > Audio Plug-ins. That works out pretty good and it's a fairly fast process. I do that for as many tracks as I can once I figure out what settings I want to use.


I get a bit confused with the signal chain, I understand Slate recommends VCC should be 1st in the chain and thats how I do it.
Instinctually I'd put VTM or Studer last in the chain which approach is correct for tape,1st or last?
And yes I expect I'll buy VTM after it gets optimized after a few updates & becomes less resource demanding.
On the individual tracks, it's recommended VTM be the first device in the chain (think of it as from the tape machine) and then VCC. Personally, I put it after a Trim plug, because I use two instances of the Trim plug on almost all tracks. I use the first instance of Trim to adjust levels into the inserts, and then another instance lower down in the chain for panning and adjusting stereo levels.

It's recommended that the 2-buss instance of VTM be put right before the final limiter (think of it as going to tape).

Of course, as with anything, you can mess around with it and change it as you like. Slate has some exceptions in the manual (link to the manual provided by Slate).
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Re: Slate's Virtual Tape Machines (VTM)

Post by Radiogal »

Bought it some minutes ago with the 50 USD voucher.. 199 USD.. untested..
The Dare Devil is back :twisted:
Looking forward using it on all the mixes.. Ha Le Lu Ja! :D
MAC PRO 6 Core 3.33 GHz, 16 GB RAM, OSX 10.8.5, DP 9 MAC and WIN (64bit/Jbridge) AMPGUI Mellow, Logic 10, Wavelab 8 MOTU 24I/O (x2), MOTU 2408 MK3 (2x), WAVES Mercury 9, SSL, UAD2Quad, McDSP, Sound Toys, Sonnox, Sonalksis, NomadFactory, T-Racks, P&M, LexPCM, AbbeyRoad, DSM, VCC, VTM, FGX, Melda, EWQL SymphOrch/Piano Gold. Mixingdesk: AMEK Big 44, TK BC-1MK2, SSLcomp clones, GAPPre73, PCM91, TC, FMR. Monitors: Genelec 1031, ADAM A7, >40 mics http://www.ragdollproduction.com
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Slate's Virtual Tape Machines (VTM)

Post by kgdrum »

Radiogal wrote:Bought it some minutes ago with the 50 USD voucher.. 199 USD.. untested..
The Dare Devil is back :twisted:
Looking forward using it on all the mixes.. Ha Le Lu Ja! :D

I've held off for now as I already have both the UA Studer & Ampex (which I love) & I also have the Waves MPX & Nomads Magnetic, these I hardly ever use.
I'm sure the Slate will be good but having so many tape plugs already and Slates previous history of releasing a newer plug before its optimized for efficiency,has me unusually hesitant.
I'll wait a bit to see them update it a few times before submitting to the continuation of my personal Slate-fest.
I love their plugs but I find they're usually to resource demanding on initial release.

RG - do you have the UAD tape plugs?
I love them and I'd be curious to see how you think they compare to Slates VTM.......

Best regards,
KG

;-)
2012 Mac Pro 3.46GHz 12 core 96 gig,Mojave, DP11.01,Logic 10.51, RME UCX,Great River ME-1NV,a few microphones,UAD2, Komplete 12U,U-he,Omni & way too many VI's,Synths & FX galore!, Mimic Pro w/ SD3,Focal Twin 6 monitors, Shunyata...........
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Re: Slate's Virtual Tape Machines (VTM)

Post by Radiogal »

kgdrum wrote:
Radiogal wrote:Bought it some minutes ago with the 50 USD voucher.. 199 USD.. untested..
The Dare Devil is back :twisted:
Looking forward using it on all the mixes.. Ha Le Lu Ja! :D

I've held off for now as I already have both the UA Studer & Ampex (which I love) & I also have the Waves MPX & Nomads Magnetic, these I hardly ever use.
I'm sure the Slate will be good but having so many tape plugs already and Slates previous history of releasing a newer plug before its optimized for efficiency,has me unusually hesitant.
I'll wait a bit to see them update it a few times before submitting to the continuation of my personal Slate-fest.
I love their plugs but I find they're usually to resource demanding on initial release.

RG - do you have the UAD tape plugs?
I love them and I'd be curious to see how you think they compare to Slates VTM.......

Best regards,
KG

;-)
I do not have the UAD tape plugs. I tested the Ampex in a recent mix but didn´t get hooked.
With the VTM I got 50 USD off the price and I read all these reviews about this one is nailing the tape sound. 2 diferrent tapes in one plug in. Checked out a bunch of YouTube videos about it that impressed me and I think I can have use for it.. Next month I have a 14 song acoustic / orchestral retro rock/pop CD to mix.. (CD will be about 70 minutes long) so I hope it will give me a thrill with that good old tape sound that I believe will fit this CD extremely well :)
MAC PRO 6 Core 3.33 GHz, 16 GB RAM, OSX 10.8.5, DP 9 MAC and WIN (64bit/Jbridge) AMPGUI Mellow, Logic 10, Wavelab 8 MOTU 24I/O (x2), MOTU 2408 MK3 (2x), WAVES Mercury 9, SSL, UAD2Quad, McDSP, Sound Toys, Sonnox, Sonalksis, NomadFactory, T-Racks, P&M, LexPCM, AbbeyRoad, DSM, VCC, VTM, FGX, Melda, EWQL SymphOrch/Piano Gold. Mixingdesk: AMEK Big 44, TK BC-1MK2, SSLcomp clones, GAPPre73, PCM91, TC, FMR. Monitors: Genelec 1031, ADAM A7, >40 mics http://www.ragdollproduction.com
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Re: Slate's Virtual Tape Machines (VTM)

Post by robttwo222 »

Airwindows. Say no more.
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kgdrum
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Slate's Virtual Tape Machines (VTM)

Post by kgdrum »

OMG!
I found a void in your arsenal?
I'm stunned ;-)
I love UAD-Studer/Ampex they are my favorites!
I'm sure I'll grab VTM at some point but I'm really not keen on buying any Slate products on initial release,while they usually sound great they always seem to be too resource dependant for my rig and comfort factor until 2 or 3 updates down the road.
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