Slate Virtual Microphone System Could Replace Your Mic Locker

Slate Digital, creator of Trigger is known for 2 things: having hot models at their NAMM booth, and creating forward thinking music products for cutting edge producers (or hack morons like myself). Well, I guess the smaller Summer NAMM in Nashville was deemed not worth the expense of hiring girls, but I found some modeling of a different kind going on.

The Virtual Microphone System (VMS) is the next obvious step in a world of modeling. It’s a plugin that models all the classic microphones that you might find in a high-end studio mic locker for a fraction of the price. This is accomplished by two things working in conjunction: some seriously complex algorithms that model the properties of those microphones (as well as preamps), and two pieces of external hardware that capture the sounds you produce transparently, with no coloration. Those are the ML-1 and ML-2 microphones, through the VMS Dual Preamp Converter, which appears to be a pre/A-D converter, to boost the mic signal and convert it to a digital signal that will then be effected by the VMS in your DAW. OK?

The VMS looks like it’s integrated into the forthcoming Virtual Mix Rack (VMR) which, according to Slate employee Paul Hessing in the video I shot below, is a 500 series-style virtual lunchbox for the VMS plugin and Slate’s preamp, compressor, and EQ plugins. It’s unclear whether you’ll need the VMR to run the VMS, but I’m sure that will become clear when they are both released.

So basically, having modeled the entire recording chain, the only thing left to model is the models themselves. Should we look forward to Slate Virtual Model Models at next year’s NAMM? Perfect digital reproductions of physically perfect vapid eye candy? If there’s a man for the job, it’s definitely Steven Slate.