Slate Virtual Console - any DP experiences?

[Dan Worley]

QUESTION... In order for the Virtual Mix Buss plugin to work properly does it require that the tracks being mixed all have the Virtual Channel inserted on them? It would seem that for the summing to be calculated realistically, that this would be necessary.

So if you put the Virtual Mix Buss on the Master Fader in DP, what happens to any of the tracks that don't have the SD Virtual Channel on them?

It still gets treated by the virtual buss circuitry emulation but it doesn't have the same effect as it would if it came from a track with a virtual channel inserted on it. And remember, many times (if not most) you go from track to buss/aux to master and all three can have VCC inserted. It all interplays (for lack of a better word by me) together. I know they worked on including crosstalk. That seems to have been a missing link to getting it right when they were developing it.

I had a bass guitar part that I didn't want touched by VCC. I took VCC off the master fader and bussed everything but the bass to an aux and applied the virtual buss there, then onto the master. The bass was routed directly to the master.

I've setup some killer hybrid consoles that I've just loved: Drums through one console but the kick through another, vocals through another, guitars through another. You can drive yourself nuts with all the possibilities. It's all kinds of fun.

I'm a huge fan of VCC. I think it's one of the best plugs to come out in a long long time. And for as subtle as people say that it is, as the track count goes up, VCC just opens it up and kicks ass.

c-ya,

Dan Worley

[frankymax]

I've been using Sonimus Satson console emulation which you can buy for $39 and no iLok dongle! I think it sounds great!!

http://dsp.sonimus.com/products/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Dan Worley]

I've been using Sonimus Satson console emulation which you can buy for $39 and no iLok dongle! I think it sounds great!!

http://dsp.sonimus.com/products/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I just heard of that the other day in another thread by Radiogal. I haven't tried it yet. There's plenty of room for them all as far as I'm concerned. More colors on the palette and less money in my wallet.

c-ya,

Dan Worley

[zed]

Okay, I'm going to say it. Just my opinion of course, but I think MPX is overrated. I find I can't use it for a lot of the music I mix here because it colors it in ways that's quite unflattering. On some stuff it works very well and that's what sold me on it, but I find Magnetic much more flexible and easier to dial in the color, tone and texture I want in many more genres.

I really like MPX, and have been using it a lot. As for Magnetic, I totally disliked it when I tried the demo. All it seemed to do was add noise to my mixes--unpleasant coloration--and I couldn't find anything sweet about it. But I have now heard so many people raving about that product that it makes me wonder if something was up with my system when I tried it. I wish I could give it another whirl, now that I have the experience of using MPX in my workflow.

[Dan Worley]

I've been using Sonimus Satson console emulation which you can buy for $39 and no iLok dongle! I think it sounds great!!

http://dsp.sonimus.com/products/

I just heard of that the other day in another thread by Radiogal. I haven't tried it yet. There's plenty of room for them all as far as I'm concerned. More colors on the palette and less money in my wallet.

c-ya,

Dan Worley

Bought it. Used it. Loved it! That young man has a lot of talent.

c-ya,

Dan Worley

[James Steele]

Kind of disappointing to have to buy one since I still have so much room on my original iLok.

Indeed. I think you have to put some of the blame there on the hacker types who compromised the the original system. The original iLok wasn't completely secure. From what I've heard the new iLok and software is an order of magnitude stronger. I think Steven Slate just didn't want to risk having his stuff cracked wide open and watch his sales plummet.

[Dan Worley]

Okay, I'm going to say it. Just my opinion of course, but I think MPX is overrated. I find I can't use it for a lot of the music I mix here because it colors it in ways that's quite unflattering. On some stuff it works very well and that's what sold me on it, but I find Magnetic much more flexible and easier to dial in the color, tone and texture I want in many more genres.

I really like MPX, and have been using it a lot. As for Magnetic, I totally disliked it when I tried the demo. All it seemed to do was add noise to my mixes--unpleasant coloration--and I couldn't find anything sweet about it. But I have now heard so many people raving about that product that it makes me wonder if something was up with my system when I tried it. I wish I could give it another whirl, now that I have the experience of using MPX in my workflow.

We had almost the exact opposite experience, Zed. I think that's cool.

The first song I heard MPX on was one of my songs mixed and mastered by a friend, and it sounded great! I don't usually like my songs once they're mixed and mastered (I like rough mixes better), but I really liked what MPX did for that song (even though my vocal was horrible) so I purchased it. I haven't been able to use it on anything I've mixed here lately so I've been disappointed. It always seems to bring the tone or internal dynamics and relative levels somewhere where I don't want it to go and I'm constantly fighting it. But I'll keep trying until one of us gives in. But right now it hasn't been the right tool for the job, or I'm just not the right person for the tool.

c-ya,

Dan Worley

[James Steele]

Add me to the list of MAGNETIC fans. But really it's all program dependent. I'm doing a lot of hard rock/metal kinda stuff. And there's a whole bunch of presets and adjustments. My favorite "quick and dirty" series of effects to give a little polish to my rough mixes (before I send to a friend who does the real deal) is to go MAGNETIC --> Nomad Blue Tubes Stereo Enhancer --> Slate FG-X. Maybe that's not the best order, but I like the result most of the time. Again, that's for guitar oriented stuff.

[scooter]

Okay, I'm going to say it. Just my opinion of course, but I think MPX is overrated.

I think I did say somewhere that the MPX and VCC are different animals altogether.
But it's interesting when you look at what we're really talking about here.
Creating a real quality analog sound through the digital domain.
Hence the reason I say "Faux" analog. You can never create analog with digital because they are 2 different animals. You can color the digital to kind of sound like analog and that's as good as it gets. So we're talking about who likes what color for what type of music and how much of that coloring they like.

I have been using the MPX for mostly rock mixes and for that I think it sounds great.
I haven't tried Magnetic so I don't know about its versatilty. Like I said the VCC is more subtle and is maybe more appreciated by those who can really make out those subtle tonality differences.

scooter

[Killahurts]

Like I said the VCC is more subtle and is maybe more appreciated by those who can really make out those subtle tonality differences.

Yes, exactly. I think a lot of folks have a false impression of what "going analog" can do for and to their sound, as opposed to ITB. We've got great tools now in the computer realm, and it's not a question of night and day differences anymore. Having said that, with the last album I did ITB, I sent my mastering engineer some mixes with and without the VCC applied (blind A B test). He chose the VCC tracks in every case and said that those were halfway to where he wanted to take it anyway, i.e. his work was halfway done.

I can say this though- now that I have a high-end analog summing/mixing system in the SSL, there is nothing ITB that can compare, including VCC. But if I were forced to mix ITB again, I wouldn't want to be without VCC. Hope that makes any sense!

[Frodo]

I've got tape warmers, but the only buss comp I have is in the Duende SSL bundle. They are like different animals, so there's no swipe here whatsoever at fans of MPX or Magnetic.

Like Killahurts said, analog "this" or analog "that" are only part of the story. I've got UAD, a wagon of stuff from Nomad and others with enough tape warmers to start a fire.

If it matters, VCC would come in handy with MPX and/or Magnetic in the mix (literally). Tape warming is different from buss compression or summing. None of it is bad, but neither are any of them a substitute for the other. Hope that makes sense.

[zed]

I hope that the next boards they are going to emulate are (1) The famous REDD Desk, and (2) an EMI TG12345.

Will that be a free upgrade?

[Frodo]

Will that be a free upgrade?

Excellence + free = generous.

User discount would be nice, though.

[donreynolds]

Well, I am using VCC and I think it really add a new level to the aura of my mixes. Hard to explain but I was not getting it before.

As far as Magnetic and MPX, They both rock in my mixes but I am selective where I use them. I usually try each But I only use either one if I hear any benefit audibly when they are in the track, one or the other will actually sound better a particular instance, and if not, I don't use it. It is really nice to have the option of either, but I now use VCC on every track for sure.
I am still puzzled by not really noticing the effect of the drive control. Maybe it is just my ears?

I really like to put Magnetic on kick, and snare and the MPX on the whole drum mix. I put Magnetic on my individual guitars as needed, or sometimes real subtle on the whole guitar group. Dont usually put it on vocals. I have other things for them. I usually try MPX on my whole mix to see if it adds or not.

FG-X is always put on my main instrument mix and also the main mix and always sweeten drum mix with SSD. I am really liking Slate products.

On a different note, I am really starting to use the Blue cat audio widener a lot to fatten up stuff. Really great too to spread and pull something out in a mix. Great on drums, overhead cymbals or guitar, and very cool when fattening up lead vocals or background vocals


Don

[labman]

If anyone needs a place to but VCC try this. We ordered 2 licenses from them yesterday. (Never have used them as a vendor before.)

Price is $119 w/o ilok as download, and $139 with ilok2.

http://www.jrrshop.com/catalog/slate-di ... 11128.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.jrrshop.com/catalog/slate-di ... 11129.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and if you go here, you can get an extra 10% off by using the 'fourm' discount.

http://www.retailmenot.com/view/jrrshop.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hope it helps someone.