Sometimes the simplest tools are the best. Those that allow us to move quickly and efficiently throughout our daily tasks. When we talk about mixing, these types of tools are essential to building a fluid workflow that creates working mixes in no time. Plugins that give instant sound and allow us to quickly shape the tone of our tracks with minimal effort. Console emulation plugins such as Satson, Britson or A-Console are definitely within this category.

We’ve talked about the benefits of using console emulations in previous articles, in this article we’ll explore how these plugins can speed up your workflow. By doing three simple steps, we can create an initial mix using just one single plugin. Let’s find out how!

Gain Staging

Sonimus’ console emulations were designed to quickly help create a correct gain structure throughout your tracks. This provides a higher and more efficient dynamic range when we use our DAW’s faders for mixing.

We have talked many times in our blog posts about the importance of gain staging and how to do it properly using simple tools such as VU metres. By adding your favourite console emulation as your first plugin on every track and using it to set their levels, you will immediately find all the elements of the song begin to sit together better.

Basic EQ

Filtering is an essential task during mixing — it allows us to remove rumble but also allocate the different elements of the mix within the frequency spectrum. Using something as simple as the two knobs from the filtering section of the console emulations, you can create space for every instrument in your song.

These filters in the channels of the console emulations are 6 dB per octave high and low pass filters which let the user not only clean, but also tame the low and high frequencies in a very natural way. This way you can turn each knob and easily find the perfect spot for cleaning and shaping the sound of your tracks. In the case of Satson you can even engage the 12 dB per octave switch in the high-pass filter to do a more ‘surgical cleaning’ of the low end of your tracks.

Try using the filters whilst listening to all the tracks in context, and you will find it much easier to find the right position for each one of them.

Adding Tone

While the channel instance of the console emulations add subtle character and saturation to our tracks (unless we engage the gain compensation features), the Buss module is the icing on the cake. It adds presence, depth and glues everything together. On top of that, you can engage the Grouping capabilities of the plugin and tweak your mix without leaving the console emulation window. Just remember to group your channel instances according to their respective group. You can even add more saturation to your channels by using the “as drive” switch, which will reduce their dynamic range whilst adding presence to the mix.

If you want to keep it simple, just add the Buss module of your console emulation in your master track and let it add its magic. Here is an example of how a mix can sound by using nothing but A-Console.

That’s it! Now with a quick level balance using your DAW’s faders, you can get a great sounding mix to start from with all the mojo of an analog console.

Try it and let us know how it works out in the comments. 👇🏻