PurestConsole3
TL;DW: PurestConsole3 is an alternate algorithm for minimalist Console.
Instead of immediately doing EveryConsole, how about the final Console version it’ll contain?
This serves two purposes. First, it’s an extension of the work I was doing in ConsoleZero: this is a custom sin()/asin() implementation along Airwindows lines, making it a little unusual. It uses a simple sin() approximation, but instead of being mathematically correct it applies all the multiplications and divides only in factors of two: bit shifts, in other words.
This is what ConsoleZero did, but more simply. This extends that to improve the sin()/asin() calculation, but then it’s not doing that correctly, it’s another approximation to make every calculation preserve the mantissas of the numbers as much as possible, every step of the way. Doesn’t matter if it seems like a ridiculous thing to do, that’s the experiment, and you already have this in mathematically perfect sin()/asin() form anyway: the original PurestConsole is just that.
The thing is, there are other gains. These new algorithms do so much with bit shifts that they’re blazingly fast. Both this and ConsoleZero run fifteen tracks of mix on my M1 MacBook Pro at about 5% CPU, with a couple bonus plugins in there.
And that means if you’re running something like current Reaper, as I am… with chain and individual FX oversampling… you can do that. And so I’ve made a video where I’m demonstrating a 96k project mixed in PurestConsole3, with ALL the Console plugins oversampled to 768k. (unless, because it’s starting at 96k, the 16x oversampling is actually giving me 1.536 megahertz oversampling?)
And it went from 5% CPU, with presumably 16x oversampling on all Console tracks and the buss, at base 96k sampling rate, to 30% CPU. I could’ve doubled the project and it would still have run. (probably the original PurestConsole would not be able to do this)
And it sounds… different! You’ll hear it. You surely can do it. It’s got its own sound. Not an Airwindows sound, I think. Sort of smoothed off and glossy. In the video I demonstrate this output, versus non-oversampled PurestConsole3, versus ConsoleZero. And, having heard all the original sounds off my instruments and modular, I think ConsoleZero is rawer and more accurate (that’s sort of the idea). But now, if you have a great love for oversampled nonlinear plugins, PurestConsole3 is my little gift, an Airwindows Console version that’s designed to work with, not against, what you like.
Have fun, and I’ll keep new stuff coming as well as I can!
download 64 Bit Windows VSTs.zip
download Signed M1/Intel Mac AUs.dmg
download Signed M1/Intel Mac VSTs.dmg
download LinuxVSTs.zip
download LinuxARMVSTs.zip for the Pi
download Retro 32 Bit Windows VSTs.zip
download Retro PPC/32/64 Mac AUs.zip
download Retro PPC/32/64 Mac VSTs.zip
Mediafire Backup of all downloads
All this is free and open source under the MIT license, brought to you by my Patreon.
VCV Rack module
One can hear Console Zero has the clarity of being more true to the Hi Fi realm, although pureset Console 3 would be usefull in mixing a heavy drum and bass rythmn section. Its amazing, truly a work for the inspired.
@Wil Howard
You’re using both at 96k, right? Console Zero filters out a lot of the Hi Fi stuff at 48k.
I’ve just trialled this as a direct replacement in a mix for Console 7, and also instances of Waves Non Linear Summer (which doesn’t even do summing – but the SSL and EMI console models are pretty good for dirt).
This is great to mix through! No need for the Waves plugins as well as previous Console versions – this is just better. How? It’s pulling things together and slightly gelling spikier transients, at least that’s how it sounds to me. But… if the mix is already balanced fairly carefully and you want it punchy, it stays punchy, just sounds unified and I like that.
Lots of glue going on, sounded closer to ‘a better mix’ as soon as active. ‘Smoothing’ of highs seems audible as in the video demo, but in the best way possible – there is no other console emulations I’ve tried that come close to this one. It’d probably work just as well on any genre, if you mix through it, as you would on a real desk – tweak your mix to suit and it pays off quickly.
It is a fun and easy plugin to use – you can use your DAW faders as normal, which I prefer.
I’m really impressed!
Chris, you are doing terrific work.
@Fotis
If you listen from the time stamp 8.15 when the switch from oversampling in reaper to Console zero. sonic information that was removed becomes evident again. I like that.