TC Electronic VSS3-TDM User Manual

MANUAL

TDM PLUG-IN

VSS3

STEREO SOURCE REVERB

FROM THE LEGENDARY SYSTEM 6000

TC Support Interactive

The TC Support Interactive website www.tcsupport.tc is designed as an online support
and information center. At the site you can find answers to specific questions regard­ing TC software and hardware. All known issues are stored in a database searchable by
product, category, keywords, or phrases. Under the section "My Stuff" you can login to
check the status of your questions, download materials such as product manuals, soft­ware updates and new presets.
This site has been specifically designed to meet the needs of our users. We constantly
update the database and you will find the site to be a huge resource of information.
Browse through Q&A's and discover new aspects of your TC product.
If you can't find an answer online, you have the option of submitting a question to our
technical support staff who will then reply to you by e-mail. The TC Support Team is
on constant alert to help you in any way they can.

Contact Details

Alternatively, you may contact the TC Electronic distributor in your area, or write to:

TC ELECTRONIC A/S
Customer Support
Sindalsvej 34
Risskov DK-8240
Denmark

USA:
TC Electronic, Inc.
5706 Corsa Avenue, Suite 107
Westlake Village, CA 91362

www.tcelectronic.com

© BY TC ELECTRONIC A/S 2004. ALL PRODUCT AND COMPANY NAMES ARE
TRADEMARKS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. VST IS A TRADEMARK OF STEIN­BERG AG, AUDIO UNITS IS A TRADEMARK OF APPLE COMPUTER, INC. ALL SPEC­IFICATIONS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
TC Electronic is a TC Group company.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contact & Support Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Table Of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

VSS Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Global Plug-In Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

The Plug-In Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Preset Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Converting VSS3 Presets from System 6000 and Reverb 4000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Compare settings with A/B Mem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Locking Parameter values using the Parameter Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

VSS3

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VSS3

VSS3™ Stereo Source Reverb

Congratulations with the purchase of your new Virtual Space Simulation plug-in for
Pro Tools|HD.

With this plug-in, you now have one of the best sounding, most versatile and easy-to­use professional reverbs for music and film/post applications available directly within
your Digital Audio Workstation. Combining ultimate control of directivity in the early
reflections with a transparent and harmonically magnificent diffused field, the art of
reverberation is brought to a new and higher level.

The VSS™3 enables you to add the softest and cleanest ambience to your work that
you have ever heard. With the wide range of presets it will give you the exact post pro­duction reverb you are looking for: The VSS™3 Reverb algorithm incorporates dedicat­ed Early Reflection types for motion picture use, e.g. Car, Bathroom and Conference
Rooms.

The VSS3 plug-in runs on Pro Tools|HD and Pro Tools|HD Accel hardware, including
the Venue console, at sample rates from 44.1 kHz to 96kHz, with Pro Tools software

6.9 or higher.

Enjoy!

VSS3

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VSS Introduction

Constructing a Reverb Preset with the VSS™ algorithm

The following few paragraphs are thoughts about the usage of the VSS™ (Virtual
Space Simulation) algorithm. They should be taken as guidelines rather than fact.

The relationship of Early Reflections and the Reverb tail is very important in this algo­rithm. Adjusting the balance between the Early Lev and the Rev Lev parameters is one
of the easier ways to make a HUGE difference in the sound of your reverb!

When you start building your preset you should try this:
First turn the Rev Lev all the way down and also turn the Dry level a little down (or all
the way down if you are in a send/return configuration). In a send/return configuration,
push up the return level. You should now hear Early Reflections, a little of the Dry sig­nal and no Reverb Tail.
Then begin changing the Early Type and Early Size parameters until you select a room
shape that compliments the program material.
Re-adjust the wet/dry balance until it is pleasing, then bring up the Rev Lev until the
tail of the reverb becomes audible. Add just enough tail to make it work together.
Adjust the Decay time accordingly.

On some presets you may choose to have very little Early Reflections or none at all.
Certain "ambience" style presets might have little or no "tail". That is up to you.
The VSS3 was designed to have the smoothest Reverb tail ever developed but it is the
Early Reflections that define the "personality" of the room, so try to experiment with
this relationship! By using these parameters correctly you can create a BIG sound
without having a mix swimming in reverb wash.

Note: When using small room sizes and short Decay times on percussive signals, the
Reverb level and Early level must have an approx. level difference of 4dB in order to
prevent a slap effect.

Getting the most out of the Early Reflection Patterns

Early Reflections define the actual feel of the room, where the Reverb tail is the less
defined "bowl" of reflections that follows. The major part of the Early Reflection pat­terns of the VSS3 are simulations of existing rooms and are based on a large number
of reflections (40-100), which have been processed through an advanced algorithm.

There are a number of different types and sizes covering a lot of different acoustic
spaces that you need for music and post production. As the patterns are simulations
of real rooms, the delay times of the first reflections are sonic and spatially "connect­ed" to the direct signal. Using Pre Delay together with Early Reflections should there­fore be considered very carefully, as the acoustic space created by the pattern tends to
"collapse" if too much Pre Delay is added. If you want the well known slap back reverb
effect, you should use Rev Delay on the Reverb tail instead and reduce the level of
the Early Reflections.

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VSS3

Finding the right Early Type & Size for your track :

• Select Early Type and Early Size on the Early page.

• Turn the Rev Level to -100dB.

• Turn the EarlyLevel to 0dB.

• Select an appropriate size. (Note that some sizes of the different types may overlap,
e.g. Church Small is bigger than Conc Hall medium etc.)

Switch between the different types until it matches the signal and the illusion that
you wish to create.

Generally it is advisable to use small room sizes for drums and perc; medium sizes for
piano, guitar & horns and large sizes for vocals & strings. Large Church and Venue
simulate very big rooms and can therefore be used to create an "echo like" effect if
turned up loud. Many of the patterns can be used as a "Doubling" effect if the Reverb
tail is not added.

Using the Hi Color and Lo Cut parameter on the Early Reflection-page

Once you have selected the desired type and size you can use the Hi Color and the Lo
Cut controls to filter the Early Reflections. The Hi Color parameter is an advanced Hi
Cut function. Please note that in most real rooms the reflections are generally much
softer than the direct signal.

Often it can be advisable to use the Hi Color parameter in the range between -4 to -9
to make the Early Reflections blend properly with the direct signal rather than com­peting with it. The Lo Cut filter is very useful if you want to reduce the Early
Reflections in the area between 125-400Hz. Try this if the Early Reflections seem to
make the sound too full.

We hope that you will enjoy working with the VSS3 !

VSS3

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Global Plug-In Controls

Keyboard Commands

In most host applications, the VSS3 Stereo Source Reverb supports keyboard com­mands for certain functions. The following key commands are available for all plug-in
parameters:

Key Commands in Mac OS X:

Fine Adjust = Apple key + mouse movement
Reset To Default = Option + mouse click

Key Commands in Windows:

Fine Adjust = Ctrl + mouse movement
Reset To Default = Alt + Control + mouse click

Automation

Please be aware that automation of certain parameters, like Reverb Type or
the modulation parameters can cause audible artifacts.
In case you need to automate these parameters, you should take care that
changes only take place in parts where no audio is sent to the plug-in.
This is especially valid for the following parameters: Early Type, Early
Size, Reverb Type, Reverb Width and all parameters on the Modulation page.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

• Mac OS X (10.4 or higher) / Windows XP

• Pro Tools TDM 7.2.1 software (or higher)

• Pro Tools HD or HD Accel hardware

• iLok USB key

• iLok.com account and internet access required for product authorization

• System must meet Digidesign’s system requirements for Pro Tools TDM systems!