Schwerkraftmaschine vs. VTC: VTC Mode Explained
- 20.01.2017
- Michael Krusch
- Story
- Schwerkraftmaschine
Part 5 of our review of the different compression modes in the Schwerkraftmaschine
What Is There to Emulate About the VTC?
You may ask: what exactly needs emulating?
I mean, the Schwerkraftmaschine is based on the Vari Tube compressor!
And that's true. The analog signal path for both devices is almost identical.
But ultimately it's a compressor's side-chain (alongside the control element, here Vari-mu tubes) that shapes the character of the compression.
The components in use, the rectifier circuit, how the timing element is set up — it all has an impact. And must be gauged precisely and emulated.
That's how the Schwerkraftmaschine can sound just like a VTC. A real help for people switching over from other equipment but who need to re-compress an older track.
Ready to make the jump from your VTC? Contact us for an offer.
Same Analog Path, Different Brain: How the Two Units Differ
The Vari Tube Compressor is our Vari-Mu mastering and bus compressor with a purely analog side chain: rectifier, timing network and control voltage are all hardware, with the character those exact components bring. The Schwerkraftmaschine has the same tube and transformer path – three transformers and four triode tubes per channel – but generates its control signal digitally. That's why it offers eleven compression modes and the VTC offers one: in the Schwerkraftmaschine the control character is software, in the VTC it's circuitry.
To make VTC mode behave not just roughly but truly like the original, we measured the behavior of the analog side chain and rebuilt it as a control rule: the rectifier's curve, the timing of attack and release, the way the control voltage recovers. On top of that comes what applies to every mode: the Schwerkraftmaschine analyzes its own tubes and factors their characteristic curve into the control signal. That way the unit compresses the way the mode dictates, independent of the tolerances of the tubes inside.
When to Choose VTC Mode
The obvious case is described above: you mixed or mastered tracks with the VTC and want to keep working on a project without changing its sound. The second case is simply taste – the soft, slowly swelling Vari-Mu control of the VTC is a classic on mix buses and mastering material, and with VTC mode you get it inside the Schwerkraftmaschine along with everything else the unit offers: remote control and recall via the plug-in, a side-chain filter with low-cut and tilt EQ, and a mix knob for parallel compression.
The Video: Schwerkraftmaschine in VTC Mode
Interested in testing the Schwerkraftmaschine for 14 days in your studio?
Simply register here
The Series: All 11 Compression Modes of the Schwerkraftmaschine
Part 1: Multi-Band Complex · Part 2: Diode Pressor · Part 3: Breakthrough · Part 4: Stereo Transformer (MS Processing) · Part 5: Schwerkraftmaschine vs. Vari Tube Compressor · Part 6: Vocal Leveler · Part 7: Optical Compressor · Part 8: Drum Smasher · Part 9: Classical VariMu · Part 10: Chart Analysis · Part 11: Deesser
Related: Schwerkraftmaschine Classical VariMu Explained · Schwerkraftmaschine Chart Analysis (VCA) Explained · Adrian Tucker Interview: Producing with the VTC
