Recording - February 2016 - 24

PLUG-IN OUTLET

affair, but under the hood it is a kitchen
sink plug-in of circuit modeling, giving
you a "best of" collection of tubes, tape,
transformer, and more. The Thickness
knob gives just that, along with analog
heft, saturation and weight, while
Shimmer adds air, sparkle and sheen.
This is a simple yet addictive plug-in; its
main danger is that it can make everything sound bigger and more alive, so
it's easy to overdo, as soloed
tracks rarely sound bad.
Custom Series EQ: This is
another Gabriel/Slate original
that does not exist in reality,
although I might buy one if it
did... and Slate does need a
hardware EQ to complement
the Fox preamp and Dragon
compressor! I mention those as
this EQ makes use of the same
eclecticism found in those units.
Essentially it combines multiple
EQ topologies into one module.
The simple high boost is inspired
by a blend of a tube and a mastering EQ, the upper mids by a
discrete-style circuit, the low mids
by a combination of a tube and
an API-style solid-state mid band, and the
lows are inspired by a solid state mastering EQ with proportional Q ranges.
Also note that all cuts and boosts on
the unit vary. A band's Q range and
shape when boosting may be completely
different when cutting! All of this
answers my question about building one
in the real world... none of us would be
able to afford it! Luckily we have this
über-analog model to play with, and I
have been reaching for it more and
more in my own work.
Custom Series Lift: Released in conjunction with the CS-EQ, Lift does just
24

RECORDING February 2016

what its name implies. Lift is a parallel
EQ which adds its high and low frequencies alongside the original signal in
a blend, rather than effecting said frequencies. This allows for, as per the controls, Presence, Silk, Bigness and/or
Punch, all without being overbaked. The
result sounds quite natural rather than
EQed.
FG-Bomber: The last module to look at
is the newest member of the family, a
unique take on a transient shaper.
Rather than simply add sustain or highlight the attack of a source, FG-Bomber
incorporates what Steven Slate considers
some of his and Fabrice's most complex
blends of circuit modeling yet. This simple 4-control box can add sustain or
punch, but it does it in a way that when
blended correctly is a touch more natural, less obviously effect-heavy, and yet
still vibey and beneficial. Part of its
magic is that it is mixed with the source
rather than just processing it like most
transient shapers.
Steven does warn that it's very easy to
overdo the Bomber and that you will
want to pull it back when that happens.
I would guess that's why the mix knob is
called Intensity. Also, unlike most
boxes of this nature, the Bomber
utilizes a unique left-right 2-stage
meter that shows sustain on one
side and punch on the other,
which Slate mentions helps zero
in on the sweet spot. I am enjoying this plug-in a lot for getting
drums and precision to pop out
of a mix more easily without
added EQ or compression.
Wrap up
Beyond its unique modules
and models, the one area where
VMR excels above all is in workflow. Since receiving VMR, I
have used it somewhere on
every mix I have done. Usually I
add it to every track just after the Virtual
Tape Machines. It's very fast to audition
the modules and swap them in, out, and
around. Because of the low CPU overhead, it's also easy and beneficial to
chain EQs, using one for thickness and
vibe pre-compression, and another for
sparkle and control post-compression,
and so on.
This is a great system and I can't wait
to see what modules are next. If I could
make a request, I would love to see a
Pye Compressor and perhaps a Trident
EQ to complement the Trident channel in
the VCC. But I can wait...

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - February 2016