Yeah, I'm going to send some donations his way. He deserves them.

 

Awesome. There are so many things I love about Airwindows. I'm thrilled that more people are going to discover Chris' plugs now that he's venturing into VST and WINDOWS land.

I've never had an issue with an Airwindows plug working. The plugs I bought in 2010 when I ran Logic 9 in 10.6.8 still work now that I'm running Logic X in 10.11.6. They always just work.

Because they have no GUIs and no manuals you are forced to learn what and how they do with your ears, which is a blessing in the long run. That and their lean coding also keep them extremely CPU friendly.

He updates his plugs regularly and never charges for an update even when a plug is radically reimagined and recoded. Also, an update is always a new version of the plug that can coexist alongside the former version. I still use the Console2 system despite having Console1 through Console4, because I personally dig the Console2 sound. With other plugin devs I'd have to upgrade to Console4 and lose Console2 in the process, or stick with Console2 only until it quickly became incompatible with OS and DAW updates. Not so with Airwindows.

But my favorite thing about Airwindows is that Chris seems to approach plugin dev with a truly open mind, unfettered by the rules and logic of how plugs have been conceived and coded beforehand, enthusiastic to try new things and approach old things in new ways. He's a mad scientist, an ardent individual . . . uninterested in fame or money. He's a weirdo of the first order and I'm happy to support him and spread the word!

 

How would you rate Console 4, in comparison to its older versions/other console emulations like VCC, NLS, Sonimus, AnalogStage? I've only just begun experimenting with it. Actually I like that there is no GUI, seeing as how they are very simple and don't require the extra overhead.

 

presswerx/Tubetech cl1b/H Comp/softube cl series/ glue /TDR/izotope range
Quite like hornet multicomp on a drum buss

 

I misspoke when I said that I prefer Console2 to Console4 - truth is I haven't tried Console4 yet. It's brand new and I'm out of town at the moment, but I hope to give it a whirl in the coming weeks. When Console3 came out there was something about the gain-staging it required that was different to Console2 and that I wasn't ready (at that point) to implement in my mixing habits. I wish I could remember more specifically why I stuck with Console2 so I could tell you!

As for how Console compares to VCC, Sonimus, NLS etc., it's really apples and oranges. The Console system doesn't do what those other plugs do (they introduce per track EQ and sat non-linearities, etc.), and those plugs don't do what Console does. So what does Console do? Well it's a system of lightly applying calibrated saturation on each track/buss before they're summed and then cancelling that calibrated saturation with calibrated negative-saturation after they're summed. So where your tracks sum in-phase they retain the saturation that was applied which is then cancelled by the application of the negative-saturation, but where your tracks are summing naturally out-of-phase they are already naturally cancelling out each other's saturation because they're out-of-phase, so when the negative-saturation is applied it's not cancelling positive saturation, it's literally just negative-saturation being applied to the out-of-phase elements of the summed tracks/busses . . . Does that make any sense?!? Ha, ha, ha, ha!

I think maybe it's best to leave this explanation to Chris himself:
http://www.airwindows.com/console2/

It takes awhile to wrap one's head around how to stage Console with other plugins. I find it's best to think of it like bookends. There's what comes before the bookends, what is between the bookends (inside), and what comes after the bookends. In simplest terms you want ConsoleChannel to be the last plug on a track or buss, and ConsoleBuss to be the first plug on your stereo buss. In this configuration there is nothing between (inside) the bookends, the sounds goes through ConsoleChannel on its way out of the track or buss and the next thing it hits is ConsoleBuss as all the tracks and busses are being summed on the Stereo Buss. In this simplest example all tracks and busses are getting ConsoleChannel before being summed together, and getting ConsoleBuss immediately after being summed together. If you consider ConsoleChannel and ConsoleBuss as bookends there is nothing "inside" the bookends in this example. But some effects can sound great "inside" the Console system. Try taking an EQ or saturation plugin that you have on a track or buss before your instance of ConsoleChannel and instead place it after ConsoleChannel - effectively now placing that effect "inside" the ConsoleChannel/ConsoleBuss bookends. Generally I find that doing this can enhance the affect of certain effects . . . sometimes for the better, and sometimes not.

I do find that placing a subtle "analog console"-type effect (like NLS) inside the ConsoleChannel/ConsoleBuss routing can have a very nice effect.

 

Last edited: Aug 13, 2016

Hello guys.. This is Off Topic..
I actually don't have favorite, I wish I could have one.
As a beginner what Compressor should I learn first before any other?
Thanks so much.. Peace.

 

If you can get ahold of a copy of Mixing With Your Mind by Michael Stavrou there's an excellent chapter on using compression in that book. Otherwise lookup some tuts online and use the compressor bundled with your DAW for the time being.

 

Unfortunately, the real answer is there are no hard and fast rules. Sorry. However, there's typical use that corresponds to why such compressor was developed in the first place or how it sounds and has found a place in everyone's heart, 19" rack, lunchbox, or plugin list (depending on pocket depth).

That being said, it's more useful to think in terms of learning what compression does as a concept rather than focusing on types of compressors. Anyhow, here's what typical use says:

FET compressors (1176) are used to mangle sound. To give it "thump and pump." Characterful.

OPTO compressors (LA2A) add subtle compression, just to enhance the sound that's already there. Easy to use, hard to mess up.

VARI MU compressors (Fairchild) add vibe. They are not typically used to crank up a sound. Just a few decibels of compression. They are tube based. If you understand the difference between a solid-state guitar amp and a tube amp, you know what this type of compressor will do.

VCA compressors (SSL) oppose Vari-Mus. They are solid-state and have a sophisticated sound. They are typically used for gluing mixes in small amounts of compression, too.

I know I'm oversimplifying, and the experienced folks will have lots to say about it, but this is the foot on the door for a beginner. There's no way a newbie can make sense out of compressors otherwise.

 

Last edited: Aug 13, 2016

I am currently in LOVE with TAN

 

Oh yeah, what's not to like? It sounds as good as The Glue or Slate's VCA from the VBC, with a different flavor, though, and it has this SHMOD that changes its vibe, and most of all it's free.

 

I only wish there was a way to use it as a SC compressor in Ableton Live. Or at least a HP filter knob so it can be used on the 2 buss without overaffecting the low end. Live is stupid in that its routing to plugins is less than flexible.

Thanks Returnal for the explanation! I had watched Chris' intro video on Console 4 and couldn't make heads or tails of what he was trying to say. You helped a lot

 

Yeah, before you delve into the huge variety of compressors, you want to have a solid understanding of the basics. What attack and release exactly do, how threshold and ratio affect the sound, and most importantly train your ear to the subtle aspects of the sound. Cause compression can at times be very subtle and you might be tempted to think it makes no difference. Once you have a grasp of this, move on to experimenting with various makes and models.

There is a really good tutorial on compressors by Dance Music Production. It's not free but worth it. Or it can be had for free if you can find it.

 

Thank you.. I am learning the basics now on ytbe.. I wish I coulld find that compressor tutorial for Dance Music.. I will ask Mr. G for it :D
Godbless Sir.

 

Ehm... rutracker... ehemm
Sorry, whatever this dank stuff is, it's really hard on the throat.

 

I know this guy. I would try and find another option for my information.

 

He might be a "looney-tunes" but his chapter on compression, Cracking Compressors, provides an excellent methodology for a novice mixer to start learning (with their ears) how compressors and their various settings affect audio.