Slate Digital VCC Virtual Console Collection 2.0 Plug-in Bundle (download) Reviews

Great tool and easy to download and setup.

I'm kind of new in the Mixing/Mastering field, but I have to say since I started couple years ago to do it I'm so happy I've got these sets of plug-ins, it really changes ur mixes, it gives just the right depth, more space and clarity to the whole thing! Sounds great!

Such a great plugin! I definitely like it better than the NLS plug. Adds a nice glue and it doesn't eat to much power.

Even though it's very subtle you can hear the differences when you pick the different console types. The buss component really just helps the mix sound like it's coming out of the speakers more, and different than just using a stereo widener.

I bought this after I already was getting mixes I liked and have acoustic treatment, good mics and preamps. If you're looking for it to change your mix or sound like an effect you'll be disappointed. I really like the combination of using this with the VTM and VBC, they all work together very nicely which was probably the intent when they were making it.

Have worked with the plug-in for only 5 months, so still in the honeymoon phase but WOW! Blown Away, is no joke. The differences in console choices are very noticeable. Neve, warm. SSL, modern and bright, API...my favorite, just sounds great.
Amazed how simple, subtle this is, yet adds so much at the same time, black magic is all I come up with.
Might not be for everyone (I'm partial to Slate) but for the price, how nice it is on processors (last song had around 50 channels and 15 buss instances and they played quite nicely, allowing plenty of CPU for EQs, Comps, Verbs, Delays) and the end results for ITB, glad I made the purchase!

Everything Slate Digital does is above and beyond anything else out there period. Truly superior. I buy and use all their stuff and it changes my digital sound from the ground up.

Great product. Definitely give it a try before you buy! Awesome sound, really hard to describe exactly what it does, but it adds a little bit of life to your sound!

it makes everything phatter, no for real it's a great plugin. Try it and see for your self.

The reviews on this plug-in were dead on !! It just makes everything you put it on sound awesome !! I saw it called a "Better-izer".....That's a perfect word to describe what it is !! Drop it on every track, and the master for that matter, and you have an incredible starting point for your mixes, and it will get you to the sound you want faster, speeding up your workflow, which is invaluable to busy engineers !! Slate does it again !!!!

Slate Digital products are the best in my opinion, and the way the VCC enhances my mixes is simply unparalleled by any other plugin. I've tried other console emulators, but they can't compete with the quality of this product. I never mix without it!

what i like about the vcc... everything it does to a mix, it is a subtle effect you just can't mix without ,it wont fix a bad mix but it will take your well recorded tracks to new heights, five stars for the price and sound,pair the vcc with Slate's virtual tape for the sound you been searching for ,,literally that was the sound I was looking for. this is my vocal chain miktek C7 mic in to summit audio 2BA-221 mic-pre and I am using Black lion audio white sparrow for conversion and boy did the VCC and VTM polished the sound in a way is hard to describe ,you got to here it for your self get the demo if you don't believe these reviews.

I absolutley love this plug-in. The subtle warmth it adds has given me the feel and sound of old analog desks and pre's. Truly a blessing. I've been looking for a natural sounding desk within my DAW. This is the answer!! AND, it takes up very little resources. If you're looking for an analog sound from your sterile DAW desk.... This is the deal!!! This thing ROCKS!!

I have heard people say that VCC adds a subtle effect. Maybe my monitors and listing room is better than there's because I hear a big difference. I use VCC on every mix and it helps every time. I just hope the local guys I am competing with don't find out about this. If you mix "in the box" you will most likely benefit from VCC.

Although it’s been said before in review, it bears repeating. This really is a game changer! To me, this effect is not subtle at all when placed on all tracks for a mix. It really changes the character of a mix. Try this. Place this on every track of your session. Then do a bypass of the plugin. Not subtle at all. It sounds great on everything. It tames harsh electric guitars, adds warmth to bass, and adds a fantastic sheen on vocals. The different models really do each have their own character. If you’re serious about mixing, you owe it to yourself to give this a try. I was blown away by the sound. There is a big change in my mixes after I started using this. I use it now on every mix I do. I should point out I mainly do pop/rock oriented music. I imagine it sounds great on everything you put through it. This is always the first in my chain, followed by UAD Studer A800. You HAVE to give this a try!

PS-I’ve owned this for nearly a year. I’m lazy, and finally getting around to reviewing products I own, and love. It’s so helpful to me when making purchases. VCC collection is excellent. Now go get this and make some killer mixes! Cheers!
-Brian

I've tried other Virtual Console Emulators but this just gives your mix an openness and character that your clients will keep coming back to you for.
Honestly I've been looking for a sound for years mixing In ThE Box and this plugin coupled with the Virtual Tape Machines and Virtual Bus Compressor nailed it. They don't cut corners at Slate Digital

Stop reading this review and buy it now!

A true replication of the real thing, great purchase! You'll use it on every mix! Only downside is that it sucks up all of your processing power if you don't have a decked out MacPro tower, but you'll make the effort to find ways around that, trust me!

If you can't afford the gear that these plugins models..these are the next best thing. They live up to teh hype and that doesn't happen often.

At first you won't realize what this is doing unless you have very well-developed ears for this sort of thing. Once you compare mixes with and without it, though, you will experience why this is so great. Each console has different effects, and the manual explains this very well. The effect on the drums particularly is remarkable, so wide and full (this is with a certain console I can't recall at the moment). Also, the ability to combine the complex algorithms together on one track makes for some extremely interesting and subtle effects. A must-have for anyone working straight off their DAW's at home, adds a whole new dimension.

No matter what the software from Slate Digital is, be it SSD4 drums, the VCC Virltual Console (which I just purchased), or the VTM Virtual Tape Machine, they are all fantastic. Again, the folks at Sweetwater do an excellent job of giving a perspective buyer sound and valued advice regarding any and all types of gear.

This is true Analog emulated. These plugins are the first plugins that truly
bring out the analog factor in your inbox mixes. The sound is solid well rounded and very easy on the ear.

I would like to thank Steven and Fabrice for the game changing plugins and their availability on forums!

This is TRULY a great product. I've always mixed in the box and have yet to find that tasteful addition to my mixes that gave them the *umph* they needed. I recently Invested in the VCC after reading convincing reviews and hearing numerous audio samples. After throwing this on a few past mixes I've done, I can honestly say that it adds a character that redefines the sonic integrity of the project and helps it realize new a potential and authenticity that I never would have thought imaginable... especially being strictly in the box.

Seriously... Y'all... This thing works great! When I first got it, I loaded up some previous mixes I had done and tried the VCC System out on those. That went really well. Then I did a mix with the VCC System instantiated from the beginning. When I was done... I turned it off. Holy Toledo! Amazing.

Here's the deal: I'm calling it a system because it uses multiple plug-in components that work together. There's a great "Group" Function that lets you set all the instances at once. This is good because there's one on every channel. However... Even when they're grouped you can still adjust them individually by control-clicking the controls. The interface is really well put together.

You really just have to hear it. Get the demo... Do a mix with it and then turn it off and listen to the difference. You'll be hooked.

With an awesome interface that includes the aforementioned group function, the ability to have multiple groups with which to use that function, the freedom to audition multiple consoles on the fly, and the fact that it actually sounds amazing... I'm in love with this thing. What a great tool!

This plugin has changed the way I mix. I am going back and redoing everything that I have done for the past year.

I have never had the opportunity to work in a large studio with an expensive analog board. So I was ignorant. I knew that my mixes didn't have the richness that I was looking for, but I didn't know how to get it - until I bought this plugin.

Harmonic distortion is the answer. I now put this plugin on every track that I mix. VCC is the starting point. It is so much easier to get a full, musical and satisfying mix using this thing. I anxiously await the day when I have made so much money mixing with VCC that I can afford real analog gear.

This was absolutely the best $275 I have spent all year.

It can be hard to justify to any financial decision maker why you should buy this product because anyone who's never mixed or even used a session may not understand the benefits of this plug-in....However, if you mix in the digital world and wish you had an analog console, this is a definite must. It brings life that only mixing outside of the box can. I was working on a mix project and after mixing a few songs, and then trying this on a suggestion, I had to buy it within the next hour. I had to add an instance to every channel in my PT Session and it breathes of life and just has depth that the mix didn't have. Awesome, awesome, awesome!! Performance is super, like I listed...48+ channel mix and an instance of VCC is on each track and each mix buss...the Neve is my favorite with the brit 4k on some of the busses along with the API on some of the others (perc session)

Everything I have used the VCC on has made it better. Putting the VCC on before you mix makes a huge differance. All the consoles have their sonic placement. What I like most is the grouping function and the ability to disable globaly. Probably the best most affective plugin I've purchased besides my UAD. It makes all your plugs function a little different and still works well with your analog gear also. Improves the stereo image and placement of items.

As an amateur producer, I do not have personal experience working with the analog consoles after which these plugins are modeled, but I can say, without a doubt, the character and tone you get from just applying these plugins is wonderful. I am currently in love with the Neve emulation—so warm and fat. It took a bit of tweaking as the effect can be quite dynamic when dialing in the input, but I found a nice sweet spot without having to dial much of the input at all. Being able to group all of the instances together is a real nice option so you can make one adjustment to the entire mix. As with most Slate products, this tool is amazing and I highly recommend it.

I just took a very good mix, one I was happy with, and revised it including the VCC. I placed drums, bass and piano into one group, with a small amount of drive selected on each virtual console channel. Guitar went into its own group, with more drive. The electronic "breathing orchestra" in a third group, lots of drive in each channel. A-B listening with the earlier mix, the one I was happy with, and the new VCC version is bigger. The electronic instrument space just became so luscious with this thing. My good mix now sounds expensive. Alas now I want to go back and remix all of my music with this.

Apple Pie is great! Ice Cream is great! Put them together, and it might just be the best thing since you spilled butter on your sliced bread. However, sometimes you just want some pie - sans the ice cream.

If I had 1000 words to describe VCC, I would simply say "Magic sauce... that is, most of the time." VCC is a great tool, that will almost always improve the vibe of your mixes in nearly every way. Not only does it add a very tasty, creamy vibe to things, but it can do wonders in the stereo field of your mixes. Since I purchased it, I haven't ventured into a single mix without it instantiated on nearly every channel; and while it tends toward quite subtle, the end result can be drastic. Sometimes I even use it as form EQ on my tracks, or for some gorgeous saturation (drums anyone?). On the rare occasion, I have found that it wasn't particularly working for me (a bit too heavy on the "sweets") - but RARE is the keyword there. Throw VCC on your mixes today, and they'll still thank you tomorrow!

Great product. Does exactly what it said it would do. It gives that analog sound to each of your tracks. The 5 different console bring each of your tracks to life with a wider dynamic. If you are looking for that next step to making your beats sound better. Then this is it. Only draw back is if you don't run at lease 16 GB of ram and a quad core processor it has trouble the more tracks you have. The program is very processor intensive.

Very happy with this. I really expected it to be more subtle, but it really does make a meaningful difference, and the various models definitely have their own sonic fingerprints.

By putting this on FIRST I'm finding that I do get the warmth and sweetness out of a mix quicker and easier, with less plugins. And during mixing it is interesting to change console models to see how it impacts the mix.

While this is great on its own, for a truly fantastic ITB experience try it along with the Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machine and Virtual Buss Compressors... you won't regret it

I don't know what is going on, but my mixes have a cohesion and warmth that was missing before. It's subtle, but when you already have great front end, plugin and outboard effects, it's the little edge this product gives that just makes stuff feel good.

I love this plugin. This solves all my basic harmonic distortion and preamp coloration needs. VCC really does give you the mixing feel and sound of the classic consoles. No joke. This goes on almost every channel.

Subtle but yet not overbearing coloration of the sound. Nice to have these consoles handy via this plug in. Helps the mixes I do on my outboard mixer.

This plugin is one that when you switch it in you will not immediately notice it working like for example a reverb. You may notice it once you have been listening for a while and then turn it off. It is so subtle. My simple explanation of VCC is that it adds some harmonic distortion and some mild equalization that are associated with old classic consoles and the result is tracks seem to blend together better. It is a pleasing "effect" and adds a vintage flavor I like.

Slate's virtual console is one of those plugins that actually doesn't make a big difference to your tracks and final mixes - until you take it off and realize what you're missing. To say that what it does is subtle is understating things. It's almost inaudible in many cases until you do an A/B comparison. It seems to give the track or mix a character that is difficult to describe but one that is rather enjoyable. At least when you use a compressor or limiter you usually know what you're trying to achieve. With the VCC, it's more like "let's throw this on and see what happens" because honestly, I can't tell you what it does from a technical point of view. I just know I like it. Set up isn't really that intuitive at first but it begins to make sense the more you use it. It can introduce distortion so be careful with the drive and output knobs. Put this on every track and then the virtual Mix bus on your master fader. You will enjoy the results if you tweak properly. If you can tell me what is does and why you like it, you're a better man than I.

Overall this is an amazing plugin; the sound is great, and the way it works over a mix can do wonders for adding depth. It also has a very handy group section with a group bypass; if you have all your tracks set to a group, you can bypass the whole group and hear how it affects the sound over the whole mix rather than just the individual track. My only problem with the plugin is that Slate Digital decided to update the plugin to only work inside their Mix Rack. The mix rack is a cumbersome piece of bloatware that tries to encourage you to buy the rest of their plugins. The VCC used to be it's own stand alone plugin, and they do not offer that option anymore. As a result, I have been using it less or only using the mixbuss plugin. I haven't really been missing it, and my mixes sound better than they ever have. It makes me question whether a plugin like VCC is really necessary, and since it is attached to Slate's annoying Mix Rack, I am learning to live without it more. I just wish Slate would give up on his Mix Rack so I could enjoy his plugins again. Without the Mix Rack, this would be a 5 star plugin and a no brainer to me.