Antares Audio Technologies, the software DSP innovator that brought the world the Auto-Tune, has come forth with their latest digital mojo-in-a-box called the Microphone Modeler ($249). Perhaps you've heard of this new plug-in that claims to be able to take recorded input from even the most pedestrian of work-horse microphones and give them the characteristics of some of the most sought after (and usually expensive), mics in the world. The retail packaging even claims, 'Now the microphones you own can sound like the microphones you wished you owned.' To the burgeoning number of DAW home recordists, such a product can't help but get noticed.

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Antares AMM-1 Microphone Modeler I was rather skeptical when I first read about the software version of Antares' Mic Modeler. I own a couple dozen vintage tube microphones - all with unique sonic characteristics - and I just could not conceive of their reasonable facsimiles being created in software. Now featuring Antares' seriously evolved Evo Mic mod efx crack mac. 0 (0 Reviews) Mic Mod EFX VST, Free Download by Antares Audio Technologies.

The idea of still being able to use a relatively inexpensive dynamic mic for lead vocals then using software to make it emulate a very pricey large-diaphragm condenser is just too tempting to pass up. But just how convincing is it? You can answer that question for yourself by downloading a time-locked demo version and testing it for a few days. The software has quite a selection of pre-defined modeling algorithms for both the source and output microphones. All the names you know and love are there: Neumann, AKG, Beyer, Sennheiser and some real exotics most of us have never experienced first- hand.

Antares Mic Mod Efx

The way the MM works is by taking the known characteristics of the input source mic and then re-shaping the result to match pre-defined output characteristics. According to the MM documentation, the most accurate results are obtained when you use a mic that is in the existing table of source microphone models. I recorded short vocal samples with two different mics: the venerable Shure SM58 and a Royer 121 ribbon. I then took each source recording and then modeled them to emulate an AKG C414- B ULS and a CAD Equitek E350, both large diaphragm condenser mics. Then for further comparison, I modeled the two source mics after each other; so each source mic had three different emulations.

Then I recorded more vocal samples using a real AKG C414-B ULS and CAD Equitek E350, the original mics on which the MM emulations are based. I then performed side-by-side comparisons of each of the original sources to the emulations to see what transpired. To my ears, the effect was very subtle. It was interesting to note that of the two source mics used to create the emulations, the SM58 displayed the most discernable variances in output characteristics.

The Royer still sounded like the Royer, no matter what it was modeled to emulate - including the SM58. Then when I compared the emulated samples to the real mics, I could not say they were convincing facsimiles. On the plus side, the Mic Modeler does give one the opportunity to create 'customized' microphone models comprised of highly varying attributes. Want to try to combine the transient response of an Earthworks TC40K condenser with the 'softness' of a Coles ribbon? You can play around with all sorts of possibilities such as these and save your personal favorites.

There's also a very nice tube 'warmth' slider control that can give each mic model some further enhancement. But don't just take my word for it - download the demo and give it a whirl.

A virtual microphone closet for the masses.Do you dream of your own personal cabinet full of rare and expensive vintage microphones? Unfortunately, economic circumstances prevent many of us from realizing this dream. Indeed, most personal studio owners don't have even $1,000 budgeted for their main mic, much less $5,000 (or more) for one esoteric model. You'll excuse me for being skeptical when a manufacturer claims its plug-in can turn an inexpensive dynamic mic into a high-end condenser mic for far less than a grand. On the other hand, digital audio workstations have fulfilled the music-making fantasies of millions of musicians for a fraction of what comparable analog recording systems used to cost. And the science of plug-ins is rapidly progressing and producing amazing results. Perhaps a virtual microphone cabinet isn't such a wild idea after all.The Microphone Modeler plug-in from Antares offers an impressive selection of microphone models, including classic tube condenser mics, industry-standard dynamics, and popular mainstream FETs.

According to Antares, the company meticulously crafted each model from an original microphone - right down to the pickup patterns and stock windscreens - using its patented Spectral Shaping Tool technology. Microphone Modeler supports the main plug-in platforms: TDM, RTAS, VST, MAS, and DirectX. Antares deserves a round of applause for getting its software to work with all these systems. On the other hand, only the DirectX version of Microphone Modeler works on the PC; I'd like to see a VST version for Windows. I used the TDM version on a Mac running Digidesign's Pro Tools/24 Mixplus system.INSTALLATION JIGThe Microphone Modeler CD-ROM includes an installer for the plug-in format you purchased, as well as demo versions of other Antares plug-ins. Although beginning the installation process is as easy as double-clicking on the installer, the next step - authorization - isn't easy at all.The program employs a challenge-and-response copy-protection scheme.

Microphone Modeler issues the challenge when you boot the unauthorized plug-in and click on the Authorize button. Microphone Modeler will run on your system for ten days, during which time you need to send Antares an image of the serial number (which is affixed to the product-registration card) by snail mail, e-mail, or fax. Antares, in turn, sends you a response to your software's challenge. Once you have entered the response, you can breathe a sigh of relief and move on. This is more complex than most challenge-and-response schemes, and it's frankly a drag. The newer mics include the Alesis AT61; Audio-Technica AT4033 and AT4055; beyerdynamic M 500 LE Classic; B&K 4007; Earthworks Z30X; Lawson L47MP; Manley Reference Gold; Neumann KM 184 and TLM 103; Oktava MC 219; Rode NT1, NT2, and NTV; Royer R-121; and Shure Beta series.

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The full list of models is on the Antares Web site.Antares regularly adds new models and makes them available as downloads. If the program is missing a mic that you feel should be included, the folks at Antares say they're open to suggestions.Downloading the microphone models is straightforward, but locating the right folder to put them in threw me for a loop. I expected to dump the files into the Digidesign DAE folder's Plug-Ins folder. But to my surprise, they go into the Antares Models folder in the System Preferences folder.Two folders are inside the Antares Models folder: one for the source mics (the mics with which your tracks were recorded) and one for the modeled mics (the mics you want the source mics to sound like). Source and modeled mics always come together in a new download.ON THE SURFACEMicrophone Modeler doesn't have a lot of parameters, so the interface is clean and easy to comprehend. Only a few controls defy immediate understanding and force you to consult the manual, which is informative and well written.

The interface is divided into halves (see Fig. The controls on the left-hand side adjust the source-mic input; the right-hand controls tweak the modeled-mic output. An input-gain fader is on the left, and an output-level fader is on the right.

Menus for selecting mic models, pickup patterns, and low-cut filter values are on both sides of the interface.Each side also has a knob for controlling proximity. On the source-mic side, this parameter value is the exact distance between the original mic and the sound source. On the modeled-mic side, proximity controls the sonic picture painted by the virtual mic model (for example, frequency response, proximity effect, and so on.).At the bottom of the interface is Tube Saturation, which simulates the high-quality preamp of a triode tube circuit. Its effect ranges from a barely perceptible warming to a wonderful, thick tube coloration. Overall, Tube Saturation convincingly adds realism to the modeled mics.

A small replica of a tube element is to the immediate right of the fader and becomes increasingly orange as you increase the Drive setting.Above the Drive fader lie a pair of buttons labeled Preserve Source. These buttons let you retain the bass or treble frequencies of the original source microphone.

For example, if you like the high end of the modeled microphone but the low end of the source mic, you enable the Bass button. According to Antares, the crossover between high and low frequencies varies from mic to mic.