![]() Brainworx bx_console offers two SSL emulations plus a model of a rare Neve VXS console. VCC – which is two plugins, Virtual Channel and Virtual Mixbuss – now has six desk options, including SSL, Neve, API and Trident models. Satson is the simplest, offering one desk option (essentially an SSL 4000 Series). Not all of these plugins actually name the mixing desks they model, but most do allude to them, so you can be reasonably certain of what you’re using, and that it will sound great. Although this is not an exhaustive list, some great examples include Slate Digital’s Virtual Console Collection (VCC and part of Virtual Mix Rack), Waves’ NLS Non-Linear Summer or Scheps Omni Channel, Sonimus Satson, the Brainworx bx_console series. And that’s before you get into the various operating modes and specific signal paths of each individual desk.ĭesk plugins tend to offer separate channel and buss versions, the idea being that you insert these on the first insert point of each channel or buss respectively. Analysing and emulating the channels and output section individually is one thing, but creating a full-on model of how it all combines, blending those channels depending on signal levels and frequencies, couldn’t be harder. In some respects, though, the whys and wherefores of a desk’s behaviour are hard to quantify. If you’re happy with the process of emulating classic tape machines, the thought of emulating analogue mixing desks shouldn’t be at all intimidating. This increases saturation and reduces the high-frequency output, which is most noticeable on the hi-hats and snare. For our final trick, we go in and try overbiasing the tape. This adds a little crunch and some ‘glue’ to the sound. Step 8: To step things up, we drive the tape harder by increasing the Input level. Click here to download the audio files for this tutorial Tape emulation We can also adjust the tape type and line-up individually. Unlike in the analogue world, we can adjust our drum tracks individually, deciding how much tape effect is applied to each. In this walkthrough, we’ll put the emulated tape/drum combination to the test. Thankfully, the plugin emulations we’re using in this tutorial focus on the positives, so although you might be able to dial in some tape noise if you want it, you can thankfully switch it out or turn it down if it’s becoming a problem. ![]() The last of these can become quite significant if you EQ high frequencies heavily after recording. Typically, you’ll be listening on the sync head when tracking and making recording decisions.īroadly speaking, analogue tape affects an audio signal in a beneficial way, but there are some changes that may arise which are less desirable, including crosstalk, print-through, edge tracks, softening of transients and tape hiss. The first can record and play back, with heads physically lined up to enable overdubs to be carried out perfectly in time the second offers a higher-quality ‘playback-only’ solution for when you get to the mixing stage. And to make matters even more complicated, a tape machine has two heads – sync and repro – which sound slightly different to each other. The factors involved include the level captured to tape, the tape type, tape speed (and the inherent head bump or bass boost associated with it), the choice of EQ curve and, of course, the type of machine used. ![]() However, the degree to which this occurs is dependent on many small factors, and it can be pretty baffling knowing how to use it to your advantage. Tape typically applies a level of mid- to high-frequency smoothness, overall glue and subtle compression to the sound. If you’ve ever recorded drums on a high-quality professional multitrack tape machine, the experience of playing them back and hearing the sound change can be both exciting and unnerving. It’s often said that drums and tape make the perfect pairing, but why? And is this still a meaningful suggestion in the digital age? Don’t forget to check out the accompanying audio examples. We’ll apply our plugins on an ‘as needed’ basis, using tape, transformer and/or valve processing on individual sounds or groups of tracks where they’re best suited. In these walkthroughs we’ll put some of these tools to the test by taking some pristine digital sounds and analogue-ising them. Beyond this, desk bussing also influences sound, and when you punctuate the signal chain with transformer and amplification circuits, some of which may be valve-based, there are clearly many sources of analogue colouration being brought to bear. ![]()
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