Steven Slate is one of the most driven and passionate people I have ever met. For nearly two years he rented space at Spitfire Studios working out of one of the two identical rooms designed by Jay Kaufman. Every morning like clockwork he would arrive at 9am often on his own completely focused on one thing, making the VSX the best it could possibly be.
Before choosing Spitfire Steven toured studios all over Los Angeles searching for the one that sounded right to his ears. Eventually he settled on ours. After a couple of months he asked if he could model my room, specifically the one with my three favourite sets of speakers. What followed was an extraordinary 18 month process filled with countless measurements refinements and listening tests. Each new version brought him closer to the goal and the end result is nothing short of astonishing.
This latest VSX model of my Spitfire control room is without question the most accurate representation I have ever heard. Many have tried to capture the sound of this space before and some have come close however this one truly nails it. There is no need to improve upon it, it is perfect.
For those unfamiliar the VSX system is Steven’s groundbreaking headphone monitoring platform that allows you to mix and master as if you were sitting in world class studios around the globe. Through advanced acoustic modelling and precise headphone calibration it creates an incredibly realistic and consistent reference environment. For me personally it means I can now work anywhere I like with total confidence that what I am hearing translates exactly as it would in my own room. As someone who travels constantly that is an absolute game changer.
What impresses me most is that Steven does all this purely out of love for the craft. His passion, dedication and relentless pursuit of sonic truth are unmatched. He could have stopped long ago when VSX was already great yet he kept pushing to make it extraordinary. That is who he is. And the result speaks for itself, the Spitfire room in VSX is not just a model it is a masterpiece.
If you are a VSX Platinum user you can upgrade for free to the new Spitfire Studios LA room. If you are not yet a VSX user you can visit the VSX Marketplace at www.stevenslateaudio.com/marketplace, add Spitfire Studios LA to your cart, and then head over to www.stevenslateaudio.com to get VSX Essentials for its lowest price ever—just $249 on sale.
