# Brainworx bx console: A New Level of Analog Realism In The Box



## germancomponist (Oct 27, 2015)

This seems to be amazing!



https://plugin-alliance.com/en/products/bx_console.html


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## Marius Masalar (Oct 27, 2015)

Looks neat, but I'm a bit bothered by their claim that theirs is the only console emulation that models channel-to-channel variance. Waves NLS does the same, and I'm fairly certain Slate VCC does too...

In any event, the sound is definitely there and considering this is the exact console that used to be at Skywalker Ranch, it seems to be of particular interest to us.


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## germancomponist (Oct 27, 2015)

Yes, Waves NLS and Steven's VCC are also very good. I am a big friend of good Sound, and for this reason I shared this.


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## Marius Masalar (Oct 27, 2015)

Oh yeah, I'm very intrigued, was just trying to piece together what they meant by the claim.

As it turns out (having discussed it with Steven and checked with the Waves manual), NLS _did_ model about 100 channels and the plugin _does_ automatically vary the character between instances (unless you duplicate an instance).

Slate VCC, on the other hand, does _not_ do this, and it's deliberate. Quoth Steven:

_"...We did consider offering this in VCC, but in every desk the variances were so minimal (unless the channel was messed up) and we didn't feel it was a useful feature. We could always add it in an update, an "auto variance" which would reflect different channels. But I think people would be underwhelmed. You see, if one channel is really off... then that's a problem channel that should be fixed! A well maintained Neve or SSL or API should have consistent channels. I'm looking at my old API channel files that we ran signal with back from 2010... they all sound the same. I think this variance is a cute feature for marketing, but for sound, it's all about replicating those mixbuss amps and making sure the channel emulation has a true dynamic nonlinear representation of the hardware. Having said all that, I bet Dirk and his team did a great job."
_​So there you have it. bx_console may not be the first plugin to model channel variance, but it _is_ the first to do so for the entire set of strip components. Waves NLS doesn't have the EQ or dynamics sections as it's just the desk, so they can't be directly compared.

I was wrong, all is well.


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## Hannes_F (Oct 27, 2015)

I like the layout. But what about the sound? Did anybody else actually test it? (I did but don't want to go first)


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## rayinstirling (Oct 28, 2015)

Go on Hannes, let's hear what you have to say about it.

On the variance thing, is each variance numbered so as a desk layout can be kept and therefore allow the ability to have favourite channels for certain instruments?
I'm wearing my anorak this morning


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## EastWest Lurker (Oct 28, 2015)

Personally, I don't relate to plug-ins trying to add behavior that engineers actively worked to overcome in the analog world.


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## Marius Masalar (Oct 28, 2015)

EastWest Lurker said:


> Personally, I don't relate to plug-ins trying to add behavior that engineers actively worked to overcome in the analog world.


On the other hand, channel-to-channel variations and other technical instabilities (however subtle a good engineer can make them) are inevitable in analogue equipment and seem to contribute a lot to what people enjoyed about the sound of those units. Otherwise we'd have fewer 1176/SSL/Pulteq clones and more proudly digital compressors and EQs.

Personally I like my clean digital plugins, but I also like ones that introduce a little character to the overall sound. And I do mean "character", not distortion or excessive noise or other such weirdness. I don't care at all about how accurate an emulation is to the original hardware (which I have no experience with and therefore no rosy-coloured memories of), I only care that it imparts a pleasing character to the things I put it on.

I look forward to demoing this plugin but I feel like my channel strip needs are well covered by Slate VCC and Softube's Grand Channel.


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## EastWest Lurker (Oct 28, 2015)

And I am fine with my UAD plug-ins for that.


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## germancomponist (Oct 28, 2015)

Hannes, come on!


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## Marius Masalar (Oct 28, 2015)

A further note from Steven on the distinction between how bx_console and VMR/VCC works:

_"To clarify, the BX Console plugin is not modeling any nonlinearities such as the VCC. It has no harmonics or saturation, but Dirk (the CEO) says this was intentional because the desk is clean and sounds bad when it saturates. Regarding the 'randomness', what it does here is slightly deviate the settings of the EQ automatically, so if you set two of them to 8k, one might be 7800khz and the other might be 8100khz. So you can easily replicate this with VMR, just copy your VMR channel to another channel, and ever so slightly deviate the parameters. Done!"_​


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## germancomponist (Oct 28, 2015)

Marius Masalar said:


> A further note from Steven on the distinction between how bx_console and VMR/VCC works:
> 
> _"To clarify, the BX Console plugin is not modeling any nonlinearities such as the VCC. It has no harmonics or saturation, but Dirk (the CEO) says this was intentional because the desk is clean and sounds bad when it saturates. Regarding the 'randomness', what it does here is slightly deviate the settings of the EQ automatically, so if you set two of them to 8k, one might be 7800khz and the other might be 8100khz. So you can easily replicate this with VMR, just copy your VMR channel to another channel, and ever so slightly deviate the parameters. Done!"_​


Hm, maybe we ask Dirk to chime in here and ask him to talk to us? I like both, Steve and Dirk. They both do a good Job in what they are doing.


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## Marius Masalar (Oct 28, 2015)

That would be terrific—I don't know Dirk but I have tremendous respect for the bx plugins in general so having him here to field questions would be great.


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## germancomponist (Oct 28, 2015)

I know him and have invited him one minute ago ... .


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## blougui (Oct 29, 2015)

I salute the effort and philosophy behind it but I must admit i couldn't here any discernable differences on the exemples posted - granted it's uploaded on the not-so-great Soundcloud plateform. Ok, I own a pair of Focal CMS 40 so not in the big league here.
Sure, it's more than shifting slightly the EQ settings considering how many channel's pieces were claimed to be modeled but in the end doesn't it relate to this ? A bit of change in phase ? settings moving gently on a micro scale channel per channel ?
Putting saturation aside, some claim you can reproduce any curve you want with the right tool (like FabFilter Q) so it would rather be a question of workflow or ease of use that separate one EQ plugin from another - compressors are a whole different beast.


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## chimuelo (Oct 29, 2015)

I tried it out and while using BX Digital in any mix since 2004 love his work.
Maybe I just don't get this whole desk emulation thing.
Love to hear somebody explain why I should use this.
Already like my sound. Same old DSP buss comp and master limiting.


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## KEnK (Oct 30, 2015)

Just noticed that Micheal White has just uploaded a vid about the bx console.
He does some of the best tuts I've seen- great for explaining nuances of plugs or mix technique.

1st 20 min is the history of the board and how the plug relates to it .
Audio examples (basic pop tune) starts at 20min going through Bass,Drms, Gtr etc
Then at 30 min he starts demoing the "Channel Variance" some of you are skeptical about. 
He said it's a game changer.


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## KEnK (Oct 30, 2015)

chimuelo said:


> Maybe I just don't get this whole desk emulation thing.
> Love to hear somebody explain why I should use this.


Not about this plug, but in general.
Most of the studios I worked at in the 80's & 90's had SSL boards.
Got really used to the sound.
Fast forward to this century and the home computer set up-
Always got a good sound, no matter what I was looking for.
Amazed at what I could do at home.
Then I got the Waves SSL-
Turned one knob- There was _that_ sound again!
After all those years I heard it and recognized it, and now it's also in my home set up.
Do you need it? Nope.
But these emulation plugs are soooo close to the real thing...
why not make use of them?

k


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