PlanetZ forums - scopeusers.com

Seems console emulators in vst is slowly catching on with Saturn, VCC, Satson, Nebula.. and there seems to be more in the works. Basically they claim to have the Neve sound or API or whatever.. Whether they're realistic only god will know. (probably not) But anyway, the concept is what's interesting.

You put in "channel" versions of the plugin for every track, at the top of the chain. (before any fx) And you put in the "bus" version on the sends and master. You "trim" the levels for each channel within the plugin, and from there you just mix like usual. It does some neat things, like automatically saturating and introducing crosstalk.

Reminds me of when I was wishing for a mixer with a saturator built into each track:
http://forums.planetz.com/viewtopic.php ... 13#p134213
Boy was that a long time ago..
And I remember someone actually built one. 4 mono channels, each with saturation built in. I never even dreamed of crosstalk though.. it sounds like something to avoid, but in practice, it makes stuff sound pretty sweet.

I really like the concept of turning the mixer into something that has nonlinear behavior. I hope it catches on in a big way.

This is the newest 'hype' in the German logicuser forum:

http://www.harrisonconsoles.com/joomla/ ... &Itemid=42

Some guys use their sequencer for editing and mixbus only for summing.
But I never tested it, yet

http://www.logicuser.de/forum/viewtopic ... lit=mixbus

crap, mac and linux only?

The never ending unsatisfying sound of perfect digital audio is a great business to get into IMHO.
Some glowing tubes and scientific talk of 1's and 0's and a pretty picture is worth a bundles as more and more people start using DAW's.

I should have learned how to create GUI's and add pictures of real consoles years ago.
I could have made a bundle. And then after that project, a large picture of a Studer, Otari or MMC Machine, then some pictures of various Reels, of course they still could never reverse like the real machines, but the picture on the LCD makes up for that....

Thank God for real Orchestral performers that still need to be recorded in certain acoustically designed rooms. Otherwise we would be devoid of the real methods and gear we lust after with our 50 dollar plugs...

Here's a great way to get the API 1608 sound..
You get a cool angle shot of the console then add some cool blinking lights, and voila.
Your mixes will suddenly come to life.....

I don't see it as replacing consoles tho.. I think the term "console emulation" doesn't reflect why I'm passionate about this trend. Console emulating is good for learning why the classic consoles sound good, and also learn what exactly is happening to the signal. They're not just state of the art components, the whole thing comes together as a very complex system to shape the sound, and I think it's a good thing that people are starting to become interested in how the system works as a whole, as opposed to simulating individual components.

Through console emulations, we can find specific things that can help DAW mixers sound better. So for me, the end result for console emulations isn't to build replicas, but to collect technology and knowhow to apply to future DAWs. Sort of like with Mixbus, imagine if standard DAWs started incorporating these technologies.

A good example is the Voxengo Marquicomp.. It's supposed to have started as an emulation of the SSL bus comp (or something like that) but from there it grew into its own entity. I don't think it says anywhere on the product that it's an emulation of anything. Actually I liked it even before reading that it started as an emulation.

Of course, nothing a Neve logo can't fix. Go to staples / office max and buy some sticker sheets, print the Neve logo and stick it on all your gear. You can stick it on an open wound and it'll heal quicker.

I think it's great if you can learn what the big consoles did and try and emulate that through plug ins you already have.
I have actually made my own SSL Buss Compression by using AUX w/ 4 x inserts.
I get to go over to this facility every few weeks and watch him run stems through a Studer A 2" Deck and charge 400 bucks a pop for a couple of minutes, and a burn..
Sadly the famous clients come a few times a year now so he does what any managing owner would do,,,hustle...
But I learned tons from him about the SSL Buss Compression and the dual sloped Manley SLAM and can get my tracks to have the same effect, but they won;t ever sound exactly like that, but you are right, learning what made these beast so popular is very important.

funny thing, he has a sound that the old has beens love but he bypassed the SSLs' EQ and used Neve, and API Preamps.....
Sure is nice to be wealthy...

XITE-1/4LIVE wrote:I think it's great if you can learn what the big consoles did and try and emulate that through plug ins you already have.
I have actually made my own SSL Buss Compression by using AUX w/ 4 x inserts.

Now even Kontakt jumped into this SSL 4000 G hype, they have a EQ and Master Buss emu in their new version 5 release.
I worked on a real SSL 4000 G+, the EQ its aggressive, it's fine but it is always an EQ only, thats my thought about emulations.

This emulations are going on for a long time now, I remember the URS channel strip and I liked it, because it not covers only one type of gear, you can choose from different amps, eqs and comps and combine them how you like. With all emulations I had the feel that somebody gives you a picture your favorite car, looks cool but you can't climb in and drive away.

Its always restricted and ends in the sound enviroment you are working in.

I like the car example.........

That SSL is just huge, like 20 feet long and if you ask me,
once you learn on the hardware, the virtual devices become
more fun and easier to use.
Here's the black faced Bro's with the XITE-1 and A16U from
2009.
Now I show up with Solaris.

kensuguro wrote:crap, mac and linux only?

yeah, mac sounds better

I'm skeptical about these things sounding like the real thing.

I'm skeptical about having such a huge ssl desk in such a small untreated room!! Geez if you can pay for the desk - pay for a bigger room:)
Wish it was me!

What's really sad is that my Bassist uses that crappy Behringer Tube Amp below the XITE-1, A16U, and MIDI Solutions F8.
In the above recording he went through his SVT and had 3 x different mic positions in the spiral staricase room ( wierd spirally looking treatments as tall as a tree they move around. ) and then 1 direct w/o the Behringer and one with the Behringer.
I always laugh at the Tube lovers like ART MPA, Behringer Ultra Gain, etc.
But the best sounding track was his 76' PBass > Behringer POS Tube > SSL Desk.
Go figure....

Here's the CD in case anyone likes Killer Drums and Bass.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=w ... BqWuhyhE6w

The drummer has kicked ass for 50 years and was really the very first power drummer in the 60's.
The only reason he even gets record deals and tours with everyone still is because he has several greedy X Wives...no shit.
We should send our enemies our women, they have no clue what Hell they can unleash.

http://www.filmmusicmag.com/?p=8496

Here's a good review, even though it's another example of guys sitting in front of 200k consoles talking about cheap plug ins...

In addition to the ones mentioned there's Sonimus Satson, sknote StripBus, various Airwindows plugins (OSX only afaik), Acustica Audio Nebula, Slate Digital console emulations, PT's Heat, Metric Halo's Character, Waves emulations...the list goes on.

The various plugins from Airwindows (for OSX users), Satson and StripBus are cheap enough that there's no reason not to at least try one or two, and while I'm not sure I'd commit every mix to them in entirety I think there are uses in electronic compositions that haven't ever touched anything but a 0 or 1. I like using console emulations on mix busses to 'glue' things together. When I mix drums, I like all the separate elements that I bring together to sound like a single thing in the end, rather than a series of individual hits, chopped piece of prerecorded drum loops (breaks) and snippets of stuff thrown in to cover up the fact that I lack any skill in buying percussion and recording it from scratch. I have done similar things in Scope for years now, since it tends to leave a sonic fingerprint of its own (actually Scope is kind of inverse glue, things sound crisp, tight and well separated)

In fact mixing in busses isn't anything new, and using the plugins you mix with to 'glue' things together or leave a certain sonic fingerprint (maybe inverse glue or separation even) is a worthwhile production method that I'm sure we all use. What is new is the emulations that aren't purely impulse response based, and agai the ones that are dirt cheap are not necessarily cheap in results. Committing to Waves Mercury may only be something a torrent kiddie, commercial studio or established earning artist can do but there's no reason not to try a few options that are easier on the pocketbook imo.