SLATE DIGITAL VIRTUAL TUBE COLLECTION
A set of three individualistic tube saturation modules for Virtual Mix Rack, with sights set on your instrument channels, groups and mix bus…
The latest addition to Slate Digital’s insanely comprehensive subscription-only Everything Bundle (although you can also buy it outright, of course) is a trio of classic tube circuit emulations, each featuring separate algorithms for track and mix bus deployment, and all loading in the free Virtual Mix Rack ‘container’ plugin (VST/AU/AAX).
The exact hardware they model isn’t named, but Virtual Tube Collection’s three modules are called London, New York and Hollywood, loosely describing the origins of the gear and saturation styles they serve up. London is “inspired by some vintage tube circuits originating in Europe”, and designed to deliver low/low-mid weight, top-end smoothness and general fatness across the board. The analogue valve of the New York
COMPUTER MUSIC
module is hybridised with the integration of “some New York solid-state discrete circuits”, the upshot being greater midrange push and aggression, and overall punch. Finally, Hollywood is touted as the most colourful in the set, adding “air, depth, excitement and some really big bottom”.
Three of a kind
Each module has its own bespoke fascia, but all of them share the same straightforward set of controls.
At the top, the VU meter is calibrated – as it is in all VMR modules – to -18dBFS by default, adjustable to anywhere between -6 and -24dBFS by turning the screw head underneath. Below that, the Clipping Bulb glows to indicate the amount of saturation happening.
The switches on either side of the Bulb effectively determine the style and intensity of the saturation circuit. The Mode switch flips between the aforementioned Preamp and Console algorithms, Preamp being the more
“Each module has its own fascia, but all of them share the same straightforward set of controls”