viii. conclusion making the rc-‐tube - Slate Digital

Slate Digital RC-‐Tube 

z 

RC-Tube 

User’s Guide 

– Version 1.0 – 

1



Version 1.0 

Advanced Algorithms TM by Fabrice Gabriel 

Slate Digital Thanks: the amazing designers who made these legendary consoles, 

Deborah Lintz, Ross Hogarth, and our “fifth Beatle” Jay Baumgardner. 

© Slate Digital LLC. All rights reserved. 

Fabrice Gabriel: 

Steven Slate: 

Vincent Travaglini: 

Yannick Bonnefoy: 

François Best: 

Anthony Taglianetti: 

Algorithm Design & Tuning, Plugin Design, 

and GUI & Feature Design. 

Plugin Design, Algorithm Design & Testing. 

DSP Coding, Plugin & GUI Development. 

GUI Design, 3D Modeling & Rendering. 

Metering and Panels Development. 

User Manual, Beta Test Management. 

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Table of Contents 

I. Introduction 4 

ANALOG vs. DIGITAL MIXING 4 

II. The Virtual Console Collection 5 

THE CONSOLES 5 

III. RC-‐Tube Channel At A Glance 6 

IV. RC-‐Tube Mixbuss At A Glance 7 

V. Using RC-‐Tube 8 

INTERNAL GROUPING SYSTEM 8 

CUSTOMIZING A CHANNEL WITHIN A GROUP 8 

ENHANCING NON-‐LINEAR RESPONSE 8 

PROCESS/ BYPASS 8 

VI. Common Questions 9 

VII. System Requirements & Installation 10 

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 10 

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS 10 

3RD PARTY ILOK LICENSE TRANSFER FEE 10 

VIII. Conclusion 11 

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I. INTRODUCTION 

Thank you for purchasing the Slate Digital RC-‐Tube plug-‐in. This plug-‐in suite brings the 

sound of a legendary tube console to your digital audio workstation. In order to precisely 

reproduce the dynamic nonlinear characteristics of the analog desks, Slate Digital CTO 

Fabrice Gabriel has developed innovative new analog modeling techniques that combine 

circuit path modeling with actual hardware response testing. The result is a digital plug-‐in 

that recreates the analog properties of the consoles in an extremely realistic fashion. 

ANALOG VS. DIGITAL MIXING 

Despite the digital revolution in the pro audio industry, many of today’s top albums are 

still mixed on analog consoles. When we asked some of the world’s top mixers why they 

still preferred to mix into an analog console rather than have the ease of digital mixing, 

the responses we received were universal. 

“Mixing into an analog desk just sounds better. Everything sits better in the mix, there is 

more weight to the bottom, and the overall sound is more three dimensional,” says 

Grammy award winning producer and mixer Jay Baumgardner. 

After hearing this same answer from so many mixers, our first assumption was that 

there must be something “wrong” with the summing of a digital mixer. So, we built 

several digital mixers so that we could test them. We also ran some tests through analog 

consoles in order to test hardware summing. 

The result was surprising. What we found was that there was absolutely nothing wrong 

with digital summing. In fact, it was fairly straightforward math. The problem was in the 

analog summing. In all cases of analog summing, we noticed that the analog circuits 

imparted nonlinear artifacts to the audio such as harmonic distortion, noise, crosstalk, 

and component saturation. However, we soon realized that these nonlinear artifacts 

produced a sound that was sonically pleasing. 

The Virtual Console Collection plugins recreate these analog nonlinearities, giving your 

DAW the classic “vibe” of the real desks. You may notice that when using the Virtual 

Console Collection, your mixes take on a subtle enhancement in punch, glue, and 

dimension. 

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II. THE VIRTUAL CONSOLE COLLECTION 

The Slate Digital Virtual Console Collection reproduces the sound of classic recording 

consoles using a dual plugin package, consisting of the Virtual Channel and the Virtual 

Mixbuss. Each plugin allows you to choose from five modeled consoles. The RC-‐Tube 

plugins only allow the use of the RC-‐Tube Console Model. 

THE CONSOLES 

RC-‐Tube 

The RC-‐Tube is based on a 50's, all tube broadcast desk. It has a super thick midrange, 

smooth high end, and fat and warm bottom end. 

Brit N Discrete * 

This classic desk has been a staple of the recording industry for over thirty years. 

Known for a rich, fat, and warm sound, it can add some classic vibe to your mixes. 

Brit 4k * 

The most popular mixing console in the industry, this desk has a clean, punchy, wide, 

and slightly aggressive quality that has made it the go-‐to desk for rock, pop, metal, and 

hip hop. Push it hard to get some extra grit to the transients. 

US A Discrete * 

One of the most sought after desks in the industry, this American made discrete console 

is known for a thick and fat tone with lots of vibe and midrange punch. 

Ψ * 

Another classic British console, this desk is known for being the ultimate rock desk, with 

a wide soundstage, smooth highs, and fat low end. Push it hard for some extra fatness. 

* Only Available with the Virtual Console Collection plug-‐ins. For more information, please visit 

www.slatedigital.com. 

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III. RC-TUBE CHANNEL AT A GLANCE 

Slate Digital Logo 

Click here for RC-‐Tube’s Version and Build information. 

VU Meter & Clip LED 

RC-‐Tube’s VU Meter is Calibrated to -‐18dBFS. The Clip 

LED will illuminate when the signal exceeds 0dBFS. 

Console Model Selection 

Only the RC-‐Tube Console Model can be selected. 

Please visit www.slatedigital.com for more information. 

Input/ Drive Group Isolate 

Click “Group On” to the right of the Input/ Drive knobs 

to isolate these parameters from RC-‐Tube’s internal 

grouping system. 

Input 

Boosts or Attenuates the Input Signal. Boosting the 

input will drive the RC-‐Tube Channel harder, raising the 

output level and increasing nonlinear characteristics. 

Attenuating the input will have the opposite effect. 

Drive 

Increases or Decreases the Non-‐Linear response of the 

RC-‐Tube Console Model, without changing the output 

level. Drive can be used to add more analogue 

response, without altering balances. 

Process/ Bypass 

Bypasses Plug-‐in processing across all RC-‐Tube Channel 

and RC-‐Tube Mixbus instances. This is great way to 

hear the global effect RC-‐Tube has on your mix! 

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IV. RC-TUBE MIXBUSS AT A GLANCE 

Slate Digital Logo 

Click here for RC-‐Tube’s Version and Build information. 

Console Model Selection 

Only the RC-‐Tube Console Model can be selected. 

Please visit www.slatedigital.com for more information. 

Input/ Drive Group Isolate 

Click “Group On” to the right of the 

Input/ Drive knobs to isolate these 

parameters from RC-‐Tube’s internal 

grouping system. 

Drive 

Increases or Decreases the Non-‐ 

Linear response of the RC-‐Tube 

Console Model, without changing 

the output level. Drive can be used 

to add more analogue response, 

without altering balances. 

7 

VU Meter & Clip LED 

RC-‐Tube’s VU Meter is Calibrated to -‐ 

18dBFS. The Clip LED will illuminate 

when the signal exceeds 0dBFS. 

Process/ Bypass 

Bypasses Plug-‐in processing across 

all RC-‐Tube Channel and RC-‐Tube 

Mixbus instances. This is great way 

to hear the global effect RC-‐Tube has 

on your mix!


V. USING RC-TUBE 

INTERNAL GROUPING SYSTEM 

The RC-‐Tube Plug-‐Ins utilizes a single internal group which all instances are a slaved. 

Adjusting Input and Drive parameters for one instance, will change them for all other 

RC-‐Tube instances. 

NOTE: The RC-‐Tube Channel INPUT does not affect the RC-‐Tube Mixbuss, since the 

Mixbuss does not have an INPUT control. 

CUSTOMIZING A CHANNEL WITHIN A GROUP 

Occasionally, you may want to customize the Input or Drive parameter of a particular 

track within RC-‐Tube’s Internal Group. By clicking the “Group On” text, to the right of 

the Input or Drive knob, you can isolate this parameter from the group. This allows you 

to boost/ attenuate the input, or adjust the amount of color (Drive) of a single track. 

ENHANCING NON-‐LINEAR RESPONSE 

This RC-‐Tube Channel Plug-‐in has it’s Input isolated from the 

group, so the user can customize the Input level without 

affecting the other grouped tracks. 

Clicking “Group Off” will reset the Channels Input to the 

grouped value. 

By increasing the DRIVE on a RC-‐Tube Channel or Mixbuss, the 

non-‐linear characteristics of the console will increase, without 

increasing the output level. 

This type of effect is not truly representative of a real console, 

but it can be useful when you want to add more of the console’s 

“vibe” without altering the channel’s levels. 

PROCESS/ BYPASS 

By clicking “Process/ Bypass,” you can disable processing across all RC-‐Tube instances. 

Use this switch to A/B your mix, with and without the RC-‐Tube Plug-‐ins. 

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VI. COMMON QUESTIONS 

What is the proper amount of level to send through the channel and mixbuss? 

There is no right answer. Any signal that travels through the plugins will gain the 

nonlinear response of the particular channel. 

On some desks, you can experiment by sending all your channels to a few stereo busses, 

and then using those busses to send to the mixbuss. This way, you can hear the effect 

of driving more level into the virtual mixbuss. 

You may or may not like the sound of the modeled mix amps as they reach their 

threshold and start to saturate... Use your ears to judge. 

Can I put the channel plugin on the last insert to simulate going through 

outboard gear before the console? 

There is no rule that says you must put the channel plugin on the first insert. The last 

insert will work fine. We do recommend putting the mixbuss plugin as the first insert on 

the master fader for most authentic replication of the hardware. 

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VII. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS & INSTALLATION 

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 

PC Requirements 

• Hardware: any Intel or AMD processor with SSE2 support, 1 GB RAM, iLok2. 

• Operating System: Windows® XP, Windows Vista® (32/64 Bit), Windows 7® 

(32/64 Bit) 

Mac Requirements 

• Hardware: Mac with Intel processor, 1 GB of RAM, iLok2. 

• Operating System: Mac OS® X 10.5 or later 

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS 

iLok License Downloading 

• Before downloading the iLok license for VCC make sure you have installed the 

latest iLok drivers for your system. You can download the latest installers here: 

o iLok drivers for Mac OS: http://sw.ilok.com/macextsx.dmg 

o iLok drivers for Windows: http://sw.ilok.com/DriverSetup.exe 

In order to download your iLok license to your iLok 2 dongle, please visit the link that 

was given to you in your email receipt and enter the required info including the issued 

pass code. This will unlock your iLok redemption code. Use this code via your iLok 

account's "Redeem License Code". Enter the iLok code, and then download the license 

on your iLok 2 dongle. 

Installing the RC-‐Tube Plugin 

Click on the INSTALL icon. Choose your designated VST, AU, or RTAS folder (usually the 

default location that the installer insists will be best). 

If you are installing the 64bit VST version of RC-‐Tube on Windows, you MUST specify 

your designated VST folder. Otherwise, the installer will overwrite the 32bit version with 

the 64bit version. 

3RD PARTY ILOK LICENSE TRANSFER FEE 

When reselling any Slate software product, there will be a $30 License Transfer Fee in 

order for us to process the new customer into our USER system. It is the responsibility of 

the seller to inform the buyer of this fee at the time of sale. 

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VIII. CONCLUSION 

MAKING THE RC-‐TUBE 

By Steven Slate 

The VCC RC-‐Tube is an emulation modeled after a classic RCA Broadcast Tube Console i , 

the BC-‐6B. The BC-‐6B was a stereo console with 9 faders and 22 inputs. 

It was very challenging to model this console, because first we had to find one that 

worked. While I scoured the country trying to find someone with a working model, 

Fabrice started to build some algorithms based on the schematic. But in order to truly 

recreate the sound of this classic tube console, we'd need to run our specialized test 

files through it to thoroughly analyze it. 

After a long search that lasted a month, suddenly within one week, I found two people 

who owned a BC-‐6B, and one person who had a BC-‐3 which was a similar design with 

less inputs and 8 faders. So that was the good news. We were able to have some test 

files run through the units. All seemed good. But, then we got the results. As we 

somewhat expected, all three consoles had very different responses. This could have 

been due to many factors. These consoles are 50 years old, and over time had been 

recapped, retubed, and probably modded in some way or another. Therefore, they 

didn't share the exact frequency response or harmonic structures. However, we were 

able to build an algorithm that was based on all three units. 

From the very first algorithm that I was sent, I knew this would be a special model. First 

and foremost, it is by far the most obvious and least subtle desk. Its thick, rich, fat, and 

warm, with a smooth and silky top end. Kind of what you'd think a classic tube circuit 

would sound like. What was also interesting, is that the tube mixbuss wouldn't hard clip 

like a solid state console. In order to hard clip the mixbuss, you'd have to add an extra 

24db of gain! So this thing had tons of headroom before it got nasty sounding. 

After doing some mixes with the tube model, I was extremely pleased. Although the 

desk model was fairly colored, I could still add the emulations to an already mixed song, 

and it would somehow just make it better sounding. Even on mixes that already had 

another VCC model sounded cool when adding the RC-‐Tube. 

Then a week or so later, I was mastering a friend's band that was recorded and mixed 

digitally. It lacked a bit of vibe and sounded a tad sterile. Tossing it through some analog 

outboard compressors helped, but it still needed some extra character. I tossed the 

beta version of the VCC RC-‐Tube mixbuss plugin on the master and gave it a bit of drive. 

Suddenly the song got deeper, fatter, and had this amazing analog vibe. 

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So it turns out the VCC RC-‐Tube is a fantastic two buss processor for mastering. I gave a 

copy to legendary mastering engineer Howie Weinberg, whose studio is across from 

mine, and he agreed that this was a great plugin for giving extra vibe to sterile sounding 

mixes. 

I think you'll really love what the VCC RC-‐Tube console emulation will do 

to your digital mixing, and hope you make great music with it! 

Cheers, 

Steven Slate 

i Slate Digital LLC is not affiliated with or endorsed by the RCA Corporation. All references to RCA and the 

RCA BC-‐6B are used solely to describe the hardware used in the algorithm creation process. All Algorithms 

are created and owned by Slate Digital LLC. 

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viii. conclusion making the rc-‐tube - Slate Digital

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