PDConsole

TL;DW: PurestDrive and Console, sittin’ in a tree…

PDConsole

What can I even say? This is pretty much just what you’d think it is. Console5 (PurestConsole version) with a PurestDrive stage in every channel and on the buss. There’s a dedicated control for each PurestDrive, and since it’s implemented as a single plugin it saves you having to go out to the 32-bit floating point buss (not applicable to the 64-bit buss VST, in that case it saves you having to go out to that buss)

Behavior-wise, it’s a Console5 variant. You can swap in the channel or buss and exchange it for any other Console5 plugin of that type and it’ll work as intended. I should mention that I don’t really mean for these to be all mix-and-match, even though I know people will want to do that: in my opinion it’s best to find an optimal combination where the channels match and the buss is your preferred buss (maybe from the same Console variation, maybe not) and then tweaking for channel EQ etc is done using more normal tools. I’m allowing people to do the digital version of recording stuff with all different preamps in the belief that’s best, because I know it pleases some people a lot, but don’t think that you MUST make a big mix-n-match Console rig from all the different variations. It’ll be more cohesive if you use the same ones: the threads of the tapestry will match.

And if you’re using PDConsole as your preferred version, you’re going to have a really soft, lush tapestry. It’s not a big blur-and-ooze offender, but all the same it will pull everything into a smoother, more seamless zone. If you’re craving analog warmth of the recording-console type, this is probably the version of Console5 that most closely resembles an analog console built of hardware electronic parts. Other Consoles seek to deliver holographic imaging or great depth (there’s one coming later which ignores sounding like hardware, and tries to sound like acoustic sounds mixing LOUD in free air, not even a mixing desk at all). But PDConsole blatantly goes for that lush, big-console sound, smoothing and rounding stuff off in a controlled, euphonic way (without getting muddy about it).

I put out these experiments because I know that for some people out there, one will be by far the best. It won’t be the same one for everyone, but I like knowing that there will be some listeners who go ‘Yeah! This one is absolutely the one for me. I’m now all set, and my mixes sound even more like my intentions’.

This work is supported by my Patreon, which is why I’m still here doing this. I’ve got that ‘acoustic air’ Console version in the works, and other great stuff coming like OneCornerClip and Nonlinear Space, and everything that comes out now gets to be LinuxVST and immediately becomes open source. I hope we can all be excited about where this is heading. Me, I’m excited because I’ve played some more with VCV Rack, and though I have not yet been able to compile it, I do think that’s my next target for ‘porting everything’. And when I can port all of Airwindows to Rack, then I’ll be able to do some crazy virtual modular experiments to go along with my crazy real-world modular experiments. The difference being, Rack + Airwindows would be all open source and free. :)