Focusrite VRM Headphone processor
The Focusrite VRM (it stands for Virtual Referencing Monitor) box is a signal processor (actually, it isn't really but bear with me) that is designed to model various listening environment and speaker parings with a nifty trick of making headphones sound like, well, not-headphones. OK ?!? It's been pretty thoroughly reviewed in magazines and on the web, and I fairly quickly decided that it wasn't for me! That'll be a short review then?
Well, it nearly was.
What was it that put me off the VRM? Firstly, it seems to me to be a clunky implementation because the box itself doesn't actually process anything, it's got a knob and some sockets and all the real work is done on your computer to which it connects via USB. Not too bad so far, except that it's actually an ASIO audio interface with its own drivers which is a right royal PITA unless you want to mess about with multiple or aggregated drivers which I don't. So that was that then, file under "not interested thanks" and I'll take a listen when Focusrite gets it right and RELEASES IT AS A PLUGIN!!! Except that a little while later I was mastering a track that had a kick that I just wasn't confident about; I'd balance the bottom end then come back and scratch at at it again until it bled. After too long spent walking around with a CD and second guessing the track I decided in desperation to try a VRM (despite my moaning it is cheap enough to take a punt on).
How does it sound? Surprisingly good, the monitor emulations that are based on speakers I know sound close enough to not cause panic, and far more importantly the different models actually do give a properly useful variation in sound. What it clearly can not do is make allowance for the headphones you use so its effectiveness will always be limited by their colouration. Now here's the bit that really surprised me - I had the British Studio model (based on the Quested S8R) selected and turned-up the level for a moment to check a mid range when I realised that I could hear my monitors as well as the 'phones. Except that my monitor controller was muted. The function that is intended to make headphones sound like external speakers is realistic enough that it's had me reaching for the studio monitor controller several times.
In the end, despite my still strong feeling that this SHOULD BE A PLUGIN!!! I have decided that the VRM is too useful to get rid-of, and I've used it every day since for reviewing work. I don't use VRM as part of my primary monitor path to actually mix or master into and there are certainly times when I prefer my Senns vanilla, but I'm more than happy to use it as a tool to check balance on some different sounding systems without having to leave my comfortable chair.
I gott fed-up with the ASIIO driver thing so I connected it via S/PDIF to my RME interface (USB still needed), then I got fed-up with having to re-plug my headphones into a small lightweight (but quite nice) box so I looped the headphone out from the VRM back to the RME and set-up the matrix in TotalMix. Doing this does add a little latency but certainly not enough to be a problem for mixing/mastering/checking duties. My only remaining frustration is that I can't control it through the Cubase Control Room which I could if it was a PLUGIN!
Were I to award scores I'd give this one a 7 out of 10 because it really is good at what it does at its price, it just needs a simpler implementation. Wait a moment - they could do that by RELEASING IT AS A PLUGIN!
Well, it nearly was.
What was it that put me off the VRM? Firstly, it seems to me to be a clunky implementation because the box itself doesn't actually process anything, it's got a knob and some sockets and all the real work is done on your computer to which it connects via USB. Not too bad so far, except that it's actually an ASIO audio interface with its own drivers which is a right royal PITA unless you want to mess about with multiple or aggregated drivers which I don't. So that was that then, file under "not interested thanks" and I'll take a listen when Focusrite gets it right and RELEASES IT AS A PLUGIN!!! Except that a little while later I was mastering a track that had a kick that I just wasn't confident about; I'd balance the bottom end then come back and scratch at at it again until it bled. After too long spent walking around with a CD and second guessing the track I decided in desperation to try a VRM (despite my moaning it is cheap enough to take a punt on).
How does it sound? Surprisingly good, the monitor emulations that are based on speakers I know sound close enough to not cause panic, and far more importantly the different models actually do give a properly useful variation in sound. What it clearly can not do is make allowance for the headphones you use so its effectiveness will always be limited by their colouration. Now here's the bit that really surprised me - I had the British Studio model (based on the Quested S8R) selected and turned-up the level for a moment to check a mid range when I realised that I could hear my monitors as well as the 'phones. Except that my monitor controller was muted. The function that is intended to make headphones sound like external speakers is realistic enough that it's had me reaching for the studio monitor controller several times.
In the end, despite my still strong feeling that this SHOULD BE A PLUGIN!!! I have decided that the VRM is too useful to get rid-of, and I've used it every day since for reviewing work. I don't use VRM as part of my primary monitor path to actually mix or master into and there are certainly times when I prefer my Senns vanilla, but I'm more than happy to use it as a tool to check balance on some different sounding systems without having to leave my comfortable chair.
I gott fed-up with the ASIIO driver thing so I connected it via S/PDIF to my RME interface (USB still needed), then I got fed-up with having to re-plug my headphones into a small lightweight (but quite nice) box so I looped the headphone out from the VRM back to the RME and set-up the matrix in TotalMix. Doing this does add a little latency but certainly not enough to be a problem for mixing/mastering/checking duties. My only remaining frustration is that I can't control it through the Cubase Control Room which I could if it was a PLUGIN!
Were I to award scores I'd give this one a 7 out of 10 because it really is good at what it does at its price, it just needs a simpler implementation. Wait a moment - they could do that by RELEASING IT AS A PLUGIN!
The emulations are
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ADAM S2.5A
US Passive Nearfield Auratone 5C British 80’s Hi-Fi Computer Desktop Genelec 1031A Budget Micro System British 90’s Hi-Fi KRK RP6 G2 KRK VXT8 Flat-Screen Television British Studio Rogers LS3/5a Stirling LS3/5a Japanese White Classic |
ADAM S2.5A
Alesis Monitor One Auratone 5C B&W DM12 Creative S8S35 Genelec 1031A Goodmans MS188 KEF Q55.2 KRK RP6 G2 KRK VXT8 Phocus LCD 26 TV Quested S8R Rogers LS3/5a Stirling LS3/5a Yamaha NS-10M Pro |
