Virtual Microphones: Why You May Be Interested
As time goes by, our lives depend more and more on devices that connect us to the Internet. This means that our social interactions are becoming more and more virtual. Since the onset of the Covid19 pandemic and the social isolation it entailed, we have increasingly found the need to interact virtually, and this has driven the development of platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. But the development of these technologies is all-encompassing, and not only better software systems are needed, but also better hardware. Better cameras, better lighting, and better microphones are needed every day.
This is just one of the hundreds of reasons why virtual microphones will be a technology trend.
Just think of a system capable of capturing and recording the best sound using only a couple of devices and your computer. The Virtual Microphone System can do it. It is a modern device that emulates the tone of various classic microphones and preamplifiers, allowing you to record all kinds of vocals and musical instruments without acquiring fancy equipment. This incredible versatility is made possible by the VMS’s hybrid technology, which combines a transparent condenser microphone, a sound-neutral preamplifier, and a state-of-the-art digital processing suite. To enjoy this innovative musical invention, your computer must meet basic technical requirements, such as an up-to-date operating system, a six-core processor (minimum), and 18 MB of cache, up to 4.60 GHz. A RAM memory of no less than four gigabytes is also required.
So, in our days of laptops, tablets, and smartphones, virtual microphones could mean a significant improvement in our communication, not to mention the growing production of videos and podcasts on streaming platforms. Remote work or meetings between several locations around the world require an effective conferencing system, and, thanks to this technology, all persons present at a meeting can be heard clearly. The striking feature of virtual microphones is related to the very mechanics of it. It artificially mimics the sound pickup qualities and frequency response of another microphone using digital signal processing.
Thanks to the application of Artificial Intelligence in the audio conference bar, it ensures full-duplex audio transmission, while canceling acoustic echo or automatically controlling audio gain. In addition, at all times, this device performs a continuous self-calibration of the system to ensure good communication during the conference. So, it is simply a hybrid system that uses an extremely transparent condenser microphone, a neutral pre-amplifier, and a plug-in that recreates the tone of classic microphones and pre-amplifiers, but it works in a quite clean and effective way.
A good example is ML 1. This is a condenser microphone with a big diaphragm and excellent linear definition. It offers a highly precise transparent reproduction, a flat frequency response, and a very broad bandwidth, making it the perfect blank canvas for imbuing the colorful atmosphere of vintage tube condenser microphones. The capsule faithfully reproduces the traditional proximity effect of classic large-diaphragm cardioid microphones.
For this purpose, a VMS-ONE preamp is used here. It is intended to guarantee that the microphone doesn’t pick up any distortion when recording to the workstation. In the last signal flow stage, this extremely linear and clean amplifier ensures that the cleanest signal is produced. In addition, a VMS plug-in module is required. This module transforms the hardware’s ultra-clean signal into recreations of well-known vintage microphones and microphone preamplifiers. This is accomplished using incredibly complicated algorithms that are the product of a novel physical modeling technique that is eventually calibrated by the ear. The methods in this system add zero latency, allowing for real-time recording in a powerful new native system via emulations.
In this video, you can see the launch of an interesting virtual microphone package from SlateDigitalTV. The launch took place in 2015, but this technology is still tremendously insightful:
Now, to use a virtual microphone you must follow the steps below. First, you must connect your microphone to the interface. This is a simple process. However, it is important that you are very careful so that you can get a perfect emulation. To do this, connect the ML-1 condenser microphone to the preamplifier. Then connect the VMS ONE to any low-latency interface. Now you can choose one of the microphone and preamp emulations. Finally, you can set up the sound compressor and start recording.
One of the main advantages of VMS is that it gives you the possibility to change the microphone and preamplifier model at any time, even after the recording has been made. In addition, you can also use the microphone and preamp without any emulation for ultra-clean sound. If you wish, you can play with the emulations when the recording is ready to see which of the models best suits the sound you want to achieve.
The virtual microphone system is an impressive piece of audio equipment that will allow you to record any type of sound with the quality of classic high-end microphones. If you need additional advice about this equipment, do not hesitate to contact Enhanced Media.
