In praise of Studio One's Console Shaper

[kevvvvv]

I love this thing.

It glues my mixes organically together like never before.

Previously I was relying on tape sat, reverb, compression, and such, to do this for me.

Now with the crosstalk feature in Console Shaper, which is embedded at a deep level in S1, the whole sound seems to come together really well.

Getting a glued mix has always been a problem for me as the sound elements I use all come from different sources that have no physical world of things connection with each other, yet I have to make them sound like they were all recorded on the same day in the same place

Hence my delight with Console Shaper

[jinotsuh]

I quite like the console shaper myself. I use it every time, makes amp sims so much better, even though it may be subtle I still much prefer with it on than without it (makes everything better actually). Took a while to get my head around it, and it seems improved since first release (maybe just how i use it now) I own Mixbus 3, and apart from the fact that Studio One is far more stable and far more compatible with your vst's/vsti's etc, not to mention able to give you the whole DAW experience far better than Mixbus, and not just mixing stems etc, I prefer the sound I can get from Studio One thanks to the Console Shaper/Mix Engine FX than what I can get from Mixbus.

CTC1 Pro Console Shaper is a step up again, love it.

[macmuse]

How subtle are you going with this, and if you could be so kind, what are some of the settings that work for you? Are you working this like a Satson or VCC? I would really like this to work for me but I just don't think I've gotten the hang of it yet [due to my unskilled use of the settings], so I always end up removing it in the end since the track sounds better without them.

(One of the only things that I've ever left on was VTM, so that gives you an idea what I'm talking about.)

Also, what are some of the CTC Pro differences you've noticed vs the regular one? Thanks.

[kevvvvv]

macmuse

I found just slapping console shaper on each local bus and master bus - without touching a single knob - gave me a denser sound that seemed to take the clinical edge of my already saturated stuff.

At first I was experimenting with CS - after all it's free - then I started finding I liked it.

So I hung around on youtube for a bit, watching/listening to demos going into crosstalk and showing good examples so I could appreciate the subtleties more.

Thought about buying the fully paid up model, as its localises the crosstalk to adjacent channels more like a real desk mix.

But then found that I can create local crosstalk by grouping channels into carefully thought-out busses, so I tend to add more busses now than less, to get lots of local crosstalk. And having lots of busses helps mixing in lots of other ways.

I'll spring for a paid up version maybe when the next version of console shaper comes out, as I'm sure we haven't heard the last of this deep-engine effects processing method. There's surely more to come.

Meanwhile, now knowing more about the sound I'm looking for - as apart from the sound I'm told I'm supposed to be looking for - it makes exploring console shaper more interesting.

I finally overdid it a bit with my last mix which was a pseudo rock trio, but it still sounded great, and better than previously, when it would have lacked all the lively inner movement & energy that console shaper brings.

Not ever being a user of real desks, I can't imagine if what I'm doing with CS really parallels a famous desk or not. But I'm chuffed to hear my tunes sounding better.

I can't see me going back, not in the short term at least.

[kevvvvv]

Anyone heard any rumours about console shaper devlopment?

[LawrenceF]

Anyone heard any rumours about console shaper devlopment?

I think the CTC-1 is "Console Shaper Pro", the last C in CTC, the third emu there.