Console emulation plugins for electronic music

[The_G]

Curious if you guys use any of these, which ones, and what you get out of it.

I ask because I was really impressed by a mix that a friend of mine made using the Slate Digital bundle. But I'm not into subscription models or iLok dongles, so I thought I'd look at what he used and then take a look at alternative plugins. In this case, Satson and Britson, as well as the Waves SSL.

(For your information, I make techno and synthwave. I do vocals sometimes, but my music is like 75% electronic and instrumental. Also, I have Soundtoys 5, so I can do console coloration and saturation via Decapitator, but not replicate the console workflow.)

Curious if you guys think these are worth looking into, for me.

[shroom81]

Get Saton and later Briton if you like Satson which you most likely will, very very nice pieces of software.

[sfxsound3]

Also, I have Soundtoys 5, so I can do console coloration and saturation via Decapitator, but not replicate the console workflow.

Are you able to distinguish console 'sound' from sound made with other 'analog' tools in a blind test - talking about a whole mix. Workflow is irrelevant if you can't.

[The_G]

Also, I have Soundtoys 5, so I can do console coloration and saturation via Decapitator, but not replicate the console workflow.

Are you able to distinguish console 'sound' from sound made with other 'analog' tools in a blind test - talking about a whole mix. Workflow is irrelevant if you can't.

I mean, I've never tried to do that, but I'm pretty sure I could. I realize the sound is often subtle, though.

Out of curiosity, why do you recommend Satson before Britson? And how do you think it compares with, say, Waves NLS?

[christian f.]

I have Satson which is pretty cool , but Slate is the one to get for electronic music.
The option to switch quickly from console to console to see what sounds fits best for the song is great and the nice sound makes the kind of annoying workflow and ilok dongle all worth it.

Besides that, the whole Slate subscription bundle is an amazing deal.

[shroom81]

Out of curiosity, why do you recommend Satson before Britson? And how do you think it compares with, say, Waves NLS?

Satson is more subtle, it's on every channel in every project here I just hate mixing without it.

I've never tried Waves NLS so I can't say.

[nineofkings]

Also, I have Soundtoys 5, so I can do console coloration and saturation via Decapitator, but not replicate the console workflow.

Are you able to distinguish console 'sound' from sound made with other 'analog' tools in a blind test - talking about a whole mix. Workflow is irrelevant if you can't.

When is workflow ever irrelevant? If it helps you shave off peaks and color things in ways you wouldn't otherwise, it's useful regardless of whether or not you can tell in a blind test.

[The_G]

I have Satson which is pretty cool , but Slate is the one to get for electronic music.
The option to switch quickly from console to console to see what sounds fits best for the song is great and the nice sound makes the kind of annoying workflow and ilok dongle all worth it.

Besides that, the whole Slate subscription bundle is an amazing deal.

Thanks for adding your thoughts! If you don't mind me asking, is it just a workflow thing that makes the Slate VMR better for electronic music, or is it also how it colors tracks?

[SteveWZ]

Curious if you guys use any of these, which ones, and what you get out of it.

I ask because I was really impressed by a mix that a friend of mine made using the Slate Digital bundle. But I'm not into subscription models or iLok dongles, so I thought I'd look at what he used and then take a look at alternative plugins. In this case, Satson and Britson, as well as the Waves SSL.

(For your information, I make techno and synthwave. I do vocals sometimes, but my music is like 75% electronic and instrumental. Also, I have Soundtoys 5, so I can do console coloration and saturation via Decapitator, but not replicate the console workflow.)

Curious if you guys think these are worth looking into, for me.

All those mentioned offer something useful.
One of my favorites is the Brainworx bx_console.
Each has a different quality and tend to blend well together.

[christian f.]

Thanks for adding your thoughts! If you don't mind me asking, is it just a workflow thing that makes the Slate VMR better for electronic music, or is it also how it colors tracks?

It's the way it colors the sound. I produce mostly techno too and for me this is the sound I need. You really want to be able to switch consoles easily as this can drastically change your mix. For example : too much or too muddy low end ... use the ssl.
Not enough or thin low end ... use the Neve.

Sometimes you want a more open "commercial" drumcode sound .. SSL.

Or a dark Berlin ... Neve.

With satson or brainworx it's hit or miss and if it's miss you have to spend time "fixing.

Add to that all the other very useful tools in the package that improve your techno sound .... slate bundle is a no brainer imho.

[nineofkings]

An easy way to get acquainted with tone coloring differences without the intricacies of console emulations (extreme sensitivity to gain staging etc) is the free Airwindows Channel4 plugin. It's got 3 models, from darkest to brightest, Neve, API, SSL. It's great for general tone shaping if you don't need to commit to using a full-blown console emulation on every track.

[The_G]

An easy way to get acquainted with tone coloring differences without the intricacies of console emulations (extreme sensitivity to gain staging etc) is the free Airwindows Channel4 plugin. It's got 3 models, from darkest to brightest, Neve, API, SSL. It's great for general tone shaping if you don't need to commit to using a full-blown console emulation on every track.

Thanks! Those look really interesting. I'm going to download a few Airwindows plugins right now.

I'm already familiar with the differences among Neve, API and SSL consoles, but am more thinking about something that adds coloration and also workflow advantages. I've always liked using the SSL-style mixer in Reason, though it doesn't add SSL-coloration. And I use Soundtoys Decapitator a lot, which models the sound and saturation of various consoles. But now I'm looking at stuff that does both.

[The_G]

Thanks for adding your thoughts! If you don't mind me asking, is it just a workflow thing that makes the Slate VMR better for electronic music, or is it also how it colors tracks?

It's the way it colors the sound. I produce mostly techno too and for me this is the sound I need. You really want to be able to switch consoles easily as this can drastically change your mix. For example : too much or too muddy low end ... use the ssl.
Not enough or thin low end ... use the Neve.

Sometimes you want a more open "commercial" drumcode sound .. SSL.

Or a dark Berlin ... Neve.

With satson or brainworx it's hit or miss and if it's miss you have to spend time "fixing.

Add to that all the other very useful tools in the package that improve your techno sound .... slate bundle is a no brainer imho.

Much appreciated for your insights. I also make techno (as well as synthwave and retro soundtrack music).

[vitocorleone123]

Saturation can be added at any stage by any number of plugins - it doesn't have to be done with a console strip.

One of the most popular channel strips with pros, from what i've seen and read (I'm no pro!) is Metric Halo Channelstrip - it doesn't add much of anything to the sound, it's more about workflow. Another highly-praised channel strip, and one that does have more of an audible character than Metric Halo's, is the CS-3301 by TBProAudio. Slate's solution CAN make it easier, since it's even more of a plug-and-play bundle as opposed to gathering the appropriate plugins on your own to add more saturation, compression, etc. etc. - plus, you know they're going to be a really good collection (even if whether they're "the best" is debatable, they're still good).

For what it's worth, the "ultimate" console strip is Harrison Mixbus 32c V4... a full-fledged DAW. Ultimate doesn't necessarily mean best, but pretty much they built a DAW around the analog-style mixer. I like it quite a bit, but think it needs more work on the CPU consumption as adding 3rd party plugins can really hit it hard.

[simon.a.billington]

I like the Brainworx bx_console, IK White Channel, or Focusrite's Midnight for a modern sound. For a more classic vibe, I like the Waves SSL and V-Series for the job

I also like to mix and match, depending on the concept. Like the V-Series for old school electronic drum sound, but maybe mix it with it with some White Channel on the synths. That's one example.