Slate Digital FG-X, VCC, VTM and VBC Bundle - Electronic Delivery

Imagine mastering your mixes without causing the lifeless, squashed, and over compressed sound that has become so common in modern music. We have all been at the mercy of the "loudness wars" for over ten years now. Masters have become louder and louder, at the expense of the music becoming harsh and lacking punch and dynamics. One of the main causes of this epidemic is the use of the Peak Limiter to achieve increased levels in the mastering stage. Peak limiters attenuate transients and often reduce punch, stereo imaging, can greatly alter mix balances, and cause a fatiguing result to the ears.

Some of the top mastering engineers have found ways to combat this sonic degradation by using techniques other then Peak Limiting. One of the more popular techniques is the use of saturation in both the analog and digital domain. Another popular method is clipping the front end of expensive A/D converters.

However, both of these methods, while better then peak limiting, have their downfalls. Static saturation curves are not universal in their ability to sound good on all transients. Clipping greatly reduces low end punch and is very poor at retaining sub bass. Both static saturation and clipping have a small window of gain maximizing before audible distortion. Enter Slate Digital.

Slate Digital FG-X Mastering Processor
Two years ago Steven Slate and expert algorithm engineer Fabrice Gabriel started working out the concept for a digital audio process that could increase the level of a mix without altering the punch and dynamic feel, or make the mix sound squashed and lifeless. They started by researching saturation curves and their effect on various types of transient material. After several months of study and hundreds of listening tests, they made some fascinating discoveries. What they found, was that in order to transparently add level to a mix, a dynamic and intelligent transient saturation system would have to be developed.

• World-class mastering compressor with transparent and articulate sound
• Revolutionary ITP process to make your mixes louder without degradation
• Controls for low and high punch
• Ultra precise mastering quality metering
• Mac/Windows VST, RTAS, AU

New Advanced Algorithms were created to execute the extremely complex communication system that would be needed to properly perform the new dynamic operations. A new algorithm was formed, and the process was named "Intelligent Transient Preservation", or ITP.

ITP
The ITP process uses a complex lookahead detection algorithm to analyze oncoming transients and groups of transients. It then optimizes a specialized set of saturation curves for that specific transient. For example, if the ITP algorithm’s lookahead identifies a kick drum transient, it will optimize the algorithm so that it preserves low frequency energy. For a snare drum transient, it will optimize the algorithm to preserve upper mid range punch. The result is the most transparent means of level maximization the industry has ever heard, with extreme transparency, and no degrading artifacts common to peak limiters.

Control
The FG LEVEL maximization plugin offers the user complete control of their mix, before and after the level maximization process.

The TRANSIENT function contains two controls to fine tune mix transients. Lo Punch allows you to transparently increase the level of the low energy in a mix, increasing the punch and dynamics without altering other elements of the mix. DETAIL adds more clarity and focus to the transients, perfect for buried snares or kicks.

After the ITP powered GAIN maximizer, there is a function called Dynamic Perception. This amazing new process can make the final master sound more dynamic, open, and punchy, even though the master has much more limited dynamic range then the mix.

ITP Global Control
At the right of the Dynamic Perception control lies the ITP character slider. This control sets the global character of saturation curves that the ITP process will produce. The higher the slider, the more the transients in the mix will sound harder. The lower the slider, the more the transients will sound smoother. This great feature allows you to further customize your master with extreme precision.

True Mastering Quality Compression
Some mastering compressor plugins try to emulate vintage analog units and add color, harmonics, and different filters that change the way your mix sounds. In truth, most top mastering engineers use very little or no compression. When they do use compression, they use only the most transparent compressors that will not alter the tone or balance of the mix.

The FG Dynamics plugin is a true mastering quality compressor meant to control the dynamics of your mix in the most transparent way possible, not to color it with digitally modeled harmonics or distortions. The FG Dynamics compressor assumes that you have used your favorite color or tone compressor to achieve the sound on your final mix. It is the job of the FG Dynamics compressor to maintain that quality, not alter it. The advanced dynamics algorithm is so transparent, you'll wonder if its on!

Quality Tested
In order to fine tune the FG-X Virtual Mastering Console, Slate Digital has had some of the top mastering engineers in the world help us test out the algorithms to ensure that they work in the finest and most accurate way possible. We are proud to say that the FG-X is the ultimate digital mastering solution, and will help you take your masters to new heights. Digital recording is now the standard for professional music production. But many engineers and musicians long for the days of analog recording, and for good reason.

Slate Digital VTM - Virtual Tape Machines
Big, fat, warm, deep, rich, and exciting are just some of the terms used to describe what recording onto a piece of magnetic tape sounds like. Most of all, tape is more musical.

To capture the sound of tape is to capture a living, breathing sound that dynamically reacts to the music going on to it. Slate Digital Chief Technology Officer Fabrice Gabriel utilized his electrical engineering degree as a foundation for his comprehensive study of the physical processes that occur when recording to analog tape through a tape machine. What began with science led to Fabrice’s discovery of the seemingly magical properties of tape and inspired him to create his most advanced, dynamic algorithms yet. Two industry-standard machines were precisely modeled. What followed was a year of critical listening and algorithm tweaking, with some help from the expert ears of Slate Digital CEO, Steven Slate.

The result is the Slate Digital VTM Virtual Tape Machines plugin. With models of both a 2 inch 16 track from NRG Recording, and a ½ inch 2 track machine from Howie Weinberg Mastering, the VTM will give your mixes an absolutely authentic analog vibe that will take your mixes to the next level. With added dimension, fatness, depth, and warmth, you’ll wonder how you ever mixed without it!

Features:

• Two tape machine types:
  • 2" 16 track
  • 1/2" mastering deck
• Two tape formulations
• Two speeds: 15 ips and 30 ips
• Noise reduction control and auto mute
• Wow & Flutter control
• Bass alignment control
• Normal, Low & High Bias settings
• Level Calibration
• VU ballistics
• Grouping control
• Settings global or per channel
• Tape reels start and stop in sync with DAW transport

Mac Minimum Requirements

• Dual Core Intel Processor, 1 GB of RAM, iLok2
• Mac OS® X 10.5 or later
• AU, RTAS, VST

PC Minimum Requirements

• Dual Core Intel or AMD Processor with SSE2 Support, 1 GB RAM, iLok2
• Windows® XP, Windows 7® (32/64 Bit)
• RTAS, VST

Slate Digital VCC - Virtual Console Collection
Despite the digital revolution in the audio industry, many of today's top commercial albums are still mixed on analog consoles. Audio engineers rely on analog mixing to provide the nonlinear musical qualities that digital mixing does not produce.

The Slate Digital Virtual Console Collection brings the sound of five of the world's top analog consoles into your DAW workstation. The consoles were studied inside and out and their entire circuit paths were meticulously modeled.  The plugins will recreate every subtle nuance that makes the audio desks the legends that they are.

The Virtual Console Collection consists of two plugins, Virtual Channel and Virtual Mixbuss. Each plugin allows the user to choose from one of four modeled consoles. Virtual Channel is applied on individual mixing channels. Virtual Mixbuss is applied to the first insert of the master fader. When using the Virtual Console Collection, your DAW will instantly take on the personality of a real analog mixing desk. The imaging and depth will improve, instruments will sit better in the frequency spectrum, and mixing will become easier and more musical. You can even push the DAW faders up to find each mixer's "sweet spot"!

"When you mix through an analog desk you get this life and body to the sound that just doesn’t happen when you mix inside the workstation.  The separation and imaging from the analog summing is very apparent, especially when your track count gets high."
- Jay Baumgardner (Grammy award winning mixing engineer)

Slate Digital VBC - Virtual Buss Compressors
Virtual Buss Compressors comprises three unique, 100% analog-modeled dynamic processors that are ideal for program material including full mixes, mastering, drums, group mixes, and more.

Every nuance of real analog compression has been modeled; including the exact nonlinear characteristics of transformers, tubes, VCAs, amplifiers, phase distortions, harmonic distortions, and timing.

Virtual Buss Compressors contains three models of some of the industry's most sought-after analog gear. The FG-GREY is a replication of the classic British console compressor, with some fat sounding transformers added in to beef up the low end. The GREY will give your mix that classic glue and punch that you've heard on so many hits! The FG-RED is a replication of the classic RED mixbuss compressor that has been used for decades by some of the world's top mixers. It sounds tight, punchy, and has rich harmonics from the output transformers. The FG-MU is a hybrid of several tube compressor designs that is lush, warm, fat, and open sounding. The MU will give your mix tons of depth and analog vibe! Each compressor also includes a hi pass filter and parallel mix wet/dry knob for ultimate flexibility! Finally, some of the most common professional presets have been added to each compressor to get you started quickly!

Each purchase of the VBC gets you two activations of the VBC RACK, as well as individual compressor plugins. This way, you can use the VBC on two of your machines with iLoks. The VBC is 64-bit for VST and AU, and 32-bit for PT10 AAX. AAX 64-bit for PT11 coming soon.