ZeSoundSuite Dot Com

Ron McMaster on Mastering for Vinyl

2011-10-10T13:48:00.000-07:00

The video below is especially interesting to me as I've actually met Ron McMaster and got the chance to tour his studio while attending SAE in Los Angeles.

I was standing in his room thinking about all of the creative musical works his hands had touched, and will touch for that matter. This all of course ran through my head after I had the time to scoop my jaw up off the floor. If you think about it, Ron McMaster has been influencing the sound of some of the greatest records ever released for the past 30 years. That is something that few people can say, Ron represents a dying sonic art, big ups to Capitol for producing and sharing this excellent video.

In this video Ron takes you through his studio following the signal flow and gives us a nice little run down of the equipment and techniques he puts to work when cutting lacquer for it's eventual transformation to a vinyl record. If you don't know what a vinyl record is please never read my blog again... ever. Oh yeah, keep your ears open for the part where Ron talks about the direct to disk recording they used to do... Very cool.

I hope you all enjoy this little bit as much as I do. Make sure you watch the video all the way through, at the end Ron gives you a bit of history behind his custom mastering console.

If you'd like to know more about Ron and his work at Capitol check out his Bio at the Capitol website. As always, thanks for reading and happy geeking!

All the best,

Nick

KRK RP10-3 Demos

2011-09-17T10:34:00.000-07:00

West LA Music in Southern California has just announced that they have a pair of the brand new KRK RP10-3 Studio Monitors available for listening demos in their show room. These monitors aren't even for sale yet and already they've generated a lot of buzz amongst the pro-sumer audio market. It's not doubt West LA is taking full advantage of having the only pair in LA at the moment. The RP10-3's are the latest addition from KRK to their Rokit line of studio monitors. My personal opinion of most KRK Rokit speakers I've heard is that they are all quite bass heavy, especially if they're not on a properly isolated speaker stand. However, this works for some people and no one can argue with the popularity of the brand, they're just not for me. I don't write this blog for myself though, it's for all of you, the people that read it. It would be foolish of me to assume that a great deal of you wouldn't be interested in these.

If you'd like to put these bass beasts through their paces go check them out over at West LA Music this Sat. Sun. & Mon. (9/17-9/19) they're located at 11345 Santa Monica Blvd. in Los Angeles. Consider the following a warning though, chances are you'll likely fall in love with some other piece of gear inside West LA and completely forget about the KRK's. That's ok though, you'll know when you've found the right tools to spend your hard earned money on. The bottom line... If you're looking for the RP10-3's or any piece of gear for that matter, head over to West LA Music, they're not Guitar Center. The selection coupled with the passionate and professional staff will make you quite aware of this fact almost instantaneously. As always, thanks for reading and happy geeking!

Best,

Nick

Ableton Shortcuts Hotkeys and Tips

2011-08-30T16:59:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen a seasoned producer or engineer rip apart a DAW without hardly touching the mouse? If you haven't it's something to be enjoyed before you pass this part of the universe on. However, instead of watching someone else, you could always just teach yourself. With a bit of good old fashioned brain memory fueled by the right study material you too can be a hot key champion. Below is a list of shortcuts pulled from a post over at the Ableton Forums authored by the user autogen. I thought they would be useful to all of you as there is also quite a bit of other tips aside from just the hotkeys. Check them out, I'm willing to bet they will make your workflow quite a bit more efficient once memorized.

Live shortcuts & alternative controls for certain functions:
(PC users substitute: ‘COMMAND’ with ‘ALT’ and ‘ALT’ with ‘CTRL’)

Duplicate = COMMAND+D.

Disable Grid = COMMAND+4 (or hold COMMAND whilst selecting note or note start/end).

Select Looped = COMMAND+SHIFT+L.

Resize/Move Loop braces = cursor keys or COMMAND+cursor keys.

In arrange view loop selected = COMMAND+L.

In arrange view consolidate multiple selected clips = COMMAND+J.

Playback from current position = SHIFT+SPACEBAR.

Trigger selected clip slot = RETURN.

Switch Clip/Track view = SHIFT+TAB.

Move clip from session to arrange & vica versa = Click and hold on clip then press TAB.

Stop focus moving when triggering clips (all clips) = In prefs > Record/Warp/Launch > Select on Launch > select 'off'.

Stop focus moving when triggering clips (selected clips) = CTRL+Click desired clip > select 'Select on Launch (Pref)'.

Preferences = COMMAND+,.

Adjust all track widths = hold ALT while adjusting.

Record Enable Track = F9.

Slower response while changing track levels = Hold COMMAND while moving fader.

Show hide plugin windows = COMMAND+ALT+P.

Stop browser preview = ESC.

In browser alternate navigation/previewing = left & right cursor keys.

Zoom to loop = Click on the word "length".

Zoom to position = Click on the word "position".

Zoom out 100% = Double click the bottom clip overview tab.

Zoom to specific portion = Use start and end of bottom clip overview like loop braces.

Alternate scrolling in MIDI clips = COMMAND+ALT+Drag.

Show/Hide overview in session view = COMMAND+ALT+O.

Show/Hide Info View = SHIFT+/.

Mute/Unmute tracks 1-8 = F1-F8.

Time compress/expand MIDI notes = right-click with all notes selected then select 'stretch notes'.

Insert silence in arrange view/scene in session view = COMMAND+I.

Drag multiple files to individual tracks = Hold COMMAND whilst dragging files in.

Unfold all arrange tracks = ALT+Click a track arrow icon.

Alternative velocity control in MIDI editor = COMMAND+Click note+drag.

Duplicate note in MIDI editor = ALT+Click note+drag.

Render tracks as individual files = In render dialog change "Master" to "All Tracks".

Assign twice as many qwerty keys to live = SHIFT.

Restrict automation point movement to vertical axis = COMMAND+Drag.

Scroll drum racks 1 row at a time = COMMAND+Drag.

View multiple plugin windows = In prefs > Look/Feel > Auto-Hide Plugin Windows > select 'off'.

Edit info text for tracks and devices to make notes = CTRL+Click > select 'Edit Info Text'.

Create note with draw mode off = Double Click.

Remove stop buttons to avoid clips stopping when changing scenes = Select clip slot > COMMAND+E (or enable 'Legato' launch mode).

General Tips:

*Hidden buttons visible when in midi or key assign mode =
scene up/down (in master track).
per track play button - launches selected clip in track.

*Entering bpm in the scene launch buttons title sets bpm when launched.

*Click the headphone icon in midi editor to enable vertical keyboard to preview related sound.

*While MIDI synced to external machine hosting Live ALT+SPACEBAR on the sync slave causes it to sync to the masters current song position. (remedy for sync drifting without stopping and starting).

*Remember to experiment with the default live rack presets especially the DJ/Performance ones.

*GIGA libraries can be exported to Sampler then deleted (if required), as all samples are copied to the library.

*Mac users check out a free app called Soundsource. It adds an audio prefs selector to the menu-bar.

*OSX Function keys = ALT+F1/F2 opens Display Prefs, ALT+F3/F4/F5 opens Sound Prefs, ALT+F8/F9/F10 opens Keyboard & Mouse Prefs.

*When a new version of Live is released. Open Info Window (SHIFT+/) and hover any new parameters, fields or preferences.

*Multiple tracks can be selected and frozen simultaneously.

*Drag and drop tracks directly from iTunes for DJing.

*Dragging a sample onto a plugin instrument will replace the instrument with an instance of Simpler containing that sample.

Hopefully you all learned at least a few new things to speed up your work within Live. Until next time... Thanks for reading & happy geeking!

All the best,

Nick

Elysia's Niveau Free Filter

2011-08-26T15:33:00.000-07:00

The German audio processing powerhouse Elysia has released a free filter plug-in for the world to go wild on. The Niveau Filter from Elysia comes from Elysia's Mpressor's EQ/filter section. Niveau is essentially dumb proof; providing two knobs for frequency selection, and tweaking to taste.

It works like this... First you select the frequency you'd like as your center point for the filters. For frequencies over 2,200Hz use the "Freq x10" button to multiple the frequency selection knob's corresponding frequencies by a factor of 10. Next, turn the EQ gain pot clockwise to increase low frequencies whilst simultaneously boosting the high end. If you turn the EQ gain knob counter-clockwise the effect will be just the opposite.

As you can see from the above curves, Niveau's boosts and cuts are smooth and equal throughout the spectrum. Just choose the center frequency and adjust the EQ gain knob for you preferred balance of low end and treble. It really is that simple. Elysia describes it as working like a balance scale, I find this to be a great way of putting what it does into the simplest of terms. I can't really think of any easier way to say it as a matter of fact. If you're still confused as to how it does what it does just download Niveau and put it to work! When a traditional high and low pass aren't enough and a parametric EQ is too much just reach for the Niveau, you'll be surprised what this little thing can do. Oh yeah... IT'S FREE!!!

Niveau can be downloaded for free from Elysia's website. Thanks for reading and happy geeking!

All the best,

Nick

DMG Audio Updates EQuality

2011-08-24T15:15:00.000-07:00

DMG Audio has released a new updated version of their now well revered EQuality digital EQ plug-in. The first version was fantastic, a bit of a cpu hog depending on settings but none the less a fantastically transparent and well balanced EQ. When working with dance music which usually has every last bit of sonic life squeezed out of it an EQ that can make clear and precise gain adjustments is more than welcomed. I use EQuality on nearly every track I master and have no plans of getting rid of it anytime soon. DMG has also updated their compressor plug-in by the name of Compassion. I haven't put Compassion through its paces yet but if it's anything like EQuality I'm sure to be in for a treat. Below you'll find a rundown of the changes made to version 1.15 of EQuality and version 1.04 of Compassion. As always, thanks for reading and happy geeking!

Changes made to Ver. 1.15 of DMG Audio's EQuality:
-CPU Usage Improvements.
-Added ProTools metering support.
-Fix M/S / bypass latency for non-8k IR length.
-Added analyzer outlined/filled/both pref.

Changes made to ver. 1.04 of DMG Audio's Compassion:
-Fixed OSX 10.4 support.
-Fixed crash in wavelab.
-Fix AU resize.
-Fix bug whereby LP-split settings were not recalled correctly.
-Enable RTAS Automation.
-Dezipper control changes.
-Added menu to allow tabbing between advanced pages (click page-name).
-Fixed Opto-mod HPF frequency.
-Added ProTools metering support.

If you're not familiar with DMG or their plug-ins check them out at their website.

All the best,

Nick

The TapeLake

2011-08-10T07:13:00.000-07:00

This is way too cool to not share with all of you. I won't give anything away by writing about it. Just watch it, words won't do it justice any how. You can think about how badly you want it afterwards.

The comment below got me thinking and I decided I should add another video of the Uokahd (TapeLake) in action with all of its strange sonic glory on display for you to hear, and see.

More about the man behind Uokahd can be found at www.danperrone.com

All the best,

Nick

Audio Recording Time Calculator

2011-08-09T10:20:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered how much space a given amount of digital audio will take up on your system? Worry no more. Sound Devices, an audio field production manufacturer has taken care of all the arithmetic for you. Sound Devices is probably more well known for their USBPre than their Audio Recording Time Calculator however, each can be just as important to a user given the gig. I stumbled across the Audio Recording Time Calculator (ARTC from here on) while doing some research on Sound Devices' USBPre as I'm about to purchase a used one from a colleague. As soon as I found the ARTC I knew I had to share it with all of you.

The ARTC from Sound Devices allows you to know precisely how much storage space is required for given amounts of digital audio. For example, lets assume you're recording a live gig for a band but don't know how much HD space the recording will take up. All you have to know is how long the performance is and what type of files you'll be writing the audio to and the ARTC does the rest of the work for you. It even works in the reverse, if you only have 500mb of space left, the ARTC will tell you how much audio 500MB is equivalent to in running time. Just, put in the file type, number of tracks, sample rate & bit depth and you're ready to go. This can prove to be an invaluable tool when HD space is at a premium and calculations must be done in advanced of the gig. Not knowing these things could prove to be disastrous when your hard drive fills up during the middle of a live recording.

More information on Sound Devices can be found at their website and here's a link to the Audio Recording Time Calculator.

All the best,

Nick

High-Fidelity Ear Plugs from Ear Peace

2011-08-02T15:48:00.000-07:00

Your ears are ringing like crazy from a night spent underneath some line arrays and you wonder... "Why do I keep doing this to myself?" There has to be a way for you to enjoy a live performance and your hearing afterwards. Right? Up until now, there really hasn't been. You had two options if you wanted to rock out to live music and still maintain healthy hearing afterwards. Your first and most common option is to buy a set of cheap ear plugs from your local drug store. Problem with those is that they make the show sound like the band is playing inside of a padded room. The second option, and more professional route was to purchase musicians earplugs. These ear plugs are specially molded to your ear canal and provide hearing protection while keeping the attenuation linear across the frequency spectrum. These are what most performers and engineers use during gigs as they allow the person wearing them to hear the music as it sounds naturally minus a few dB's. However, these earplugs are expensive and require a trip to the doctor to obtain. So, the cheap ear plugs make concerts lifeless and the good ear plugs cost an arm and a leg. What to do???

Get some Ear Peace! Ear Peace hearing protection has been designed with your active nightlife in mind, they're tough and re-usable, plus they're nearly invisible! All hearing protection attenuates sounds but, it's how that attenuation occurs that makes these ear plugs special. These ear plugs work by providing a consistent attenuation of dB's throughout the frequency range. The high end won't be missing when you pop these in, Ear Peace plugs have been designed to keep the music enjoyable regardless of how loud it might be in the venue. Ear Peace hearing protection allows you to enjoy the full frequency spectrum as it sounds without protection just at a lower dB level. The number of people around the world suffering from hearing loss is on the rise, there's no reason why you should become another statistic just because you love live music. That ringing you hear in your ears after a concert is just one way of your body telling you that you're doing damage to it. One night can cause permanent hearing damage, remember this next time you decide to not wear ear plugs. The show can still be enjoyed with Ear Peace protection and they don't cost $150 for a pair. In fact, they only cost $12.95. A pack of musically unfriendly ear plugs costs half that, might as well go for the gold and get some Ear Peace.

Ear Peace hearing protection comes in three different colors to best match your skin tone and they've been designed to be nearly unnoticeable. They won't cramp your style at the trendy night clubs, I promise. Plus, if you're blaming your lack of social interaction on ear plugs you probably have some other issues to deal with. More information of Ear Peace Hearing Protection can be found at their website. As always, thanks for reading and happy geeking.

Best,

Nick

Waves and Abbey Road Partnership

2011-07-30T06:48:00.000-07:00

The iconic plug-in designers have joined forces with the legendary recording studio to offer the public a piece of the sound known round the world. Waves Audio and Abbey Road Studios have just announced a long-term strategic partnership that will surely benefit every audio engineer on the hunt for that classic sound on a budget. There's no details yet, but one can assume that the series will likely bear the name and model the gear (R.E.D.D. desk strips, TG desk strips, etc.) of the recording studio where they were originally developed as analog processes by EMI.

The partnership comes as a result of the companies first collaboration, The King's Microphones. The plug-in was crafted to emulate the microphones used by the royal family in the 1920's, the microphones were also put back to work for the recent movie The Kings Speech. Since The King's Microphones series managed to make such a mark in the niche pro audio world it's no doubt the two have decided to extend their partnership to something much more long term. Below you'll find a bit of chatter from the respective company representatives regarding the partnership. Hopefully as the partnership becomes more of a reality more information will become available from both sides. As always, thanks for reading and happy geeking!

Gilad Keren, Waves CEO: “Abbey Road Studios is without a doubt the most famous recording complex in the world. We are thrilled to be able to continue our collaboration with them on what is sure to be an outstanding series of audio plugins.”

Jonathan Smith, SVP at Abbey Road Studios: “Since the early 1990s, Waves has been developing ground-breaking plugins for the audio industry. We are very proud to be working closely with Waves in the creation of exciting new products based on Abbey Road Studios’ legendary equipment and expertise.”

All the best,

Nick

Free Ableton Live Clinic

2011-07-22T15:52:00.000-07:00

If you live in the Los Angeles area you might want to think about heading over to West LA Music for their FREE Ableton Live Clinic next week. This specific class is for advanced Ableton users looking to further expand their knowledge of the revolutinary software. The class will be taught by certified Ableton Live trainer Taylor Martyr and will cover subjects including but not limited to; producing, live perfomance, controllerism, Ableton tips & tricks plus Max for Live. The class takes place on Tuesday July 26th (next week) from 5PM to 7PM. The clinic can be registered for online by following this link to West LA Music's Website. Thanks for reading & happy geeking!

All the best,

Nick

Kenton MIDI USB Host

2011-07-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

Kenton a manufacturer of MIDI equipment from the UK has recently introduced a device which will change the way musicians interface their MIDI equipment with the rest of their gear. The MIDI USB Host from Kenton allows for the interfacing of standard 5-pin DIN MIDI connection devices with USB MIDI devices. For example; one could directly connect their USB MIDI keyboard to another 5-pin MIDI Device like an old Mackie Control or anything else that doesn't use MIDI thru USB. The MIDI USB Host features a USB Port and both MIDI In & MIDI Out sockets. The MIDI data that's received at the MIDI In port would be sent to the USB port for transfer to your DAW while the MIDI data that's received at the USB port will be sent to the MIDI Out socket. Kenton's MIDI USB Host also has the capabillity to send USB buss power through to your USB MIDI Devices that are connected to the unit. For more information on Kenton and the USB MIDI Host visit Kenton's Website. Thanks for reading & happy geeking!

All the best,

Nick

API Awards Finalists Announced

2011-07-21T13:21:00.000-07:00

The votes are finally in and 85 of the top products, people & innovations in the audio induststry will battle it out to see who or what had the biggest impact in the audio world over the past year. Submissions for the nominations came from all over the audio industry guaranteeing that each sector of the final field has an equal shot at winning the new and soon to be coveted Grand Prix award, which is the highest accolade available at the awards. While the panel of judges comes from all walks of life within the audio field the Grand Prix Award winner will be picked exclusively by the Audio Pro International staff. Audio Pro International and NAMM collectively are responsible for the awards, the winners will be announced at the PLASA Show 2011 in London. You'll find the list nominees just below after the "Read More" link.

API Nominees:

LIVE AND INSTALLED:

Live Sound Event:

The Pope’s visit to Glasgow - SSE Audio
Hard Rock Calling - Britannia Row
Glastonbury Festival Pyramid Stage – RG Jones
Take That Progress Live Tour – Capital Sound
Solfest 2010 Dance Tent – Ward Steedsy and Associates

New Live Sound Product – Consoles:

DiGiCo SD10
PreSonus StudioLive 16.0.2
Allen & Heath iLive-R72
Midas Venice F
Soundcraft Si Compact
Roland M-480

New Live Sound Product – Amps:

Hoellstern Delta 8.4-DSP
MC2 E100
Bose PowerMatch
Crown Audio XTi2 Series
QSC GX-7

New Live Sound Product – PAs:

Funktion-One PSM12
OHM HD-MX monitors
QSC KLA Series
dBTechnologies DVA T12
Tannoy VX Series

Live Sound Engineer:

Matt Kettle
Dave Swallow
Chris Madden
Brandon Knights
Marc Carolan

New Installation Product:

D&B Audiotechnik - White Range
Riedel Mediornet Compact
Powersoft Ottocanali1204 amplifier
SurgeX SEQ
Work Pro CA series

Installation Innovation:

Doctor Who Experience - Sarner
Space, Ibiza – Funktion-One
Eurovision Song Contest – Riedel Communications
Pulse London – Void Acoustics
Schauburg Kino and Theatre, Karlsruhe, Germany – Alcons Audio

After Sales Support:

DiGiCo
SSE Sales
Shure Distrbution UK
Audio-Technica
Sennheiser UK

STUDIO & BROADCAST:

New Studio Product – Microphone:

DPA MMC2011
Audio-Technica BP 4001
Blue Microphones Reactor
MXL Genesis II
Beesneez Jade

New Studio Product – Outboard:

Lynx Hilo
Generic Audio Compactor
AMS Neve 1073LB
Dave Hill Designs EUROPA I
Crane Song STC-8

New Studio Product – Monitor:

Pioneer S-DJ08
Genelec 1238CF
Neumann KH120
Se Electronics/Andy Munro – The Egg
Focal CMS50
Recording Studio Engineer:

Toby Alington
Wes Maebe
Dan Parry
Marcella Araica
Dave Sardy

Broadcast Sound:

The BAFTA Film Awards
Strictly Come Dancing Blackpool Special
Kylie Minogue: Aphrodite - Les Folies Tour 2011
Later...with Jools Holland
Wimbledon 2011

Studio of the Year:

Goldcrest Post
Metropolis Group
British Grove
Hackenbacker Post
RAK

Studio Initiative:

Metropolis - Live to vinyl recordings
APRS - MYAPRS site
Graphic Nature – Loyalty card programme
Abbey Road - Anthem competition
Revolution Mastering – Track mixing programme

After Sales Support:

Source Distribution
Audio-Technica UK
Sound Network
KMR Audio
Studiospares

Thanks for reading & happy geeking!

All the best,

Nick

Madeon Mashup with Novation Launchpad

2011-07-20T13:17:00.000-07:00

I first heard of Madeon after one of my partners at the EasyLove Music Blog featured some of his work in a post, I was Immediately taken back by what I can only call extremely enjoyable house music. Madeon must take cues from fellow Frenchmen Daft Punk because their styles are remarkably similar. That is, Daft Punk & Madeon both seem to invoke similar emotions, for me at least. Madeon has managed to add his own flair however and it is no doubt the key ingredient that has helped launch him into the spotlight. He's currently the undisputed champion of young guns in the dance music world and the video that you're about to see below will only add to his credibility within this ever changing scene. Madeon's Pop Culture mashup video already has over a million views on youtube and it's steadily climbing the hit ladder towards two million. The video is a single shot of Madeon jamming out to 39 separate samples using his Novation Launchpad and Zero MkII to control and organize the madness. The end result is a spectacular dance music mashup that must be seen and heard to be believed. Enjoy! Thanks for reading & happy geeking!

All the best,

Nick

Harmonic Distortion Tutorial Video from Samplecraze

2011-07-18T16:17:00.000-07:00

So... You've got the music skills. Do you have the sound skills? If you don't quite yet worry not my friend, we've got harmonic distortion to help fill the sonic gaps in your productions. Have you ever wondered why there is so much talk about tubes & tape machines in audio? Well, aside from the fact that they're just plain cool they also impart certain sonic characteristics on source material known as harmonic distortion. This distortion occurs as overtones of the original sound wave's frequencies and you're about to learn a whole lot more about it!

These non-linear overtones can add quite a pleasant aspect to your music but, they must be understood in order to truly take your productions to the next level. While this whole idea of harmonic distortion may seem a bit unfamiliar to you don't be intimidated. There are plenty of resources available to you that can help you to grasp the concept. For this post I'll be focusing on one of those resources in particular.

Samplecraze publishes tutorial videos on various aspects of the audio industry designed to give independent professionals and amateurs the knowledge they need to succeed in this ever evolving world of pro audio. Their latest release is on harmonic distortion as I'm sure you guessed using cues from the first paragraph. Below you'll find some words from Samplecraze on the video as well as a clip from the tutorial.

From Samplecraze.com: "Today, more and more producers are turning to the wonderful world of tape saturation and valve driving to attain warmth and a full bodied texture for their production and sound design projects. However, one needs to understand the subject of harmonic distortion to get the best out of any active gain staging equipment, be it for tape saturation or over-driving valves/tubes. To do this it is crucial to understand the theory and application behind harmonic distortion, so this comprehensive video tutorial covers all the following topics:

-What is harmonic distortion? How does it occur in tape and valve based systems?
-What are active gain stages?
-What are odd and even harmonics and how do they affect the sound?
-How to create odd and even harmonics and blend them to create new textures.
-What is hysteresis?
-What is bias?
-What are triodes and pentodes and how do they affect harmonics?
-What is tape saturation and how do you process it?
-What are the characteristics of tape?
-What is saturation compression?
-What is magnetic threshold?
-What are grids?
-What are valves and how do they work?
-How to use tape saturation and valves plugins (ferox/ psp vintage warmer/ psp tape sat2/ voxengo tube amp/ nomad tape warmer/christortion)"

As you can see this is much more than just the basics and while it won't make you a pro overnight it will help give you and your music a leg up in the game. The tutorial video only costs $5.99 and it will no doubt prove to be a valuable resource both now and in the future when you need a bit of refreshing. For more information on Samplecraze visit their website. As always, thanks for reading & happy geeking!

All the best,

Nick

Reason 6 Release Date Announced by Propellerhead

2011-07-13T23:26:00.000-07:00

I'm not really a Reason guy but the software carries a lot of weight with some producers and it seems to be the first step for many people entering the DAW world. Taking this into account it seems a post here is especially necessary. Propellerhead has made some additions to the Reason platform that should help it to regain some footing in the production DAW market. A market which is rapidly being consumed by Propellerhead's formidable competitor known as Ableton.

From Propellerhead (7/12/11) "With version 6 Reason reclaims the spotlight. Combining all the features from Record, version 6 adds audio recording and editing into Reason, along with Propellerhead's acclaimed mixing console with masterfully modeled EQ and dynamics on every channel, multiple parallel racks, all the effects you know and love plus new ones to fall in love with, and much more of what you've always wanted in Reason."

After watching that it's hard to imagine the guys at Ableton not being just a bit worried. All Propellerhead had to add was recording and it would've been big news. They took it a step further though, and I must admit that it's likely a step in the right direction. Value seems to be in the sample/remix world right now and there's no doubt Propellerhead is attempting to capitalize on it with the addition of their new efx and on board recording capabilities. Below you'll find some screenshots of the new efx and other goodies you get to look forward to in Reason 6.

Reason 6 Alligator

Reason 6 The Echo

Reason 6 Pulveriser


Reason 6 Mixer

Reason 6 Neptune

Propellerhead will also be releasing Reason Essentials which will be the successor to Record. Reason Essentials still features most of the same instruments and recording/mixer function as it's bigger brother it's just lacking some of the effects and other functions of Reason 6. Reason 6 will retail for $450.00 and Reason Essentials will sell for $300.00. Upgrades from previous version of Reason will run you $170.00. Propellerhead will release Reason 6 on September the 30th, 2011. For more information visit Propellerhead's website. Thanks for reading!

All the best,

Nick

Portico II Stereo Buss Processor

2011-07-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

Get excited! Rupert's legendary touch is again returning to the stereo bus. Since, I'm sure most of you are already salivating I'll cut to the chase. The Portico II Stereo Buss Processor is the second and newest addition to the Rupert Neve Design's Portico II line, and as of right now it is still un-available for sale to the public. With the unit arriving at dealers at the end of August the industry is already a buzz. I figured I'd share the news with those who may not know about it yet while also catering to my new friends who have stumbled across my site in their quest for more info on the latest bit of stereo buss glory from Rupert Neve.

Some might call the Portico II Stereo Buss Processor the long lost big brother of the Portico II Channel. No one will argue that they're cut from the same cloth. It's clear after even a quick overview of the Stereo Buss Processor that it and the Portico II Channel have quite a few things in common. Assuming they're the same would be foolish and each obviously maintains their own unique uses and versatile characteristics perfected for musicality in the classic Neve way. There are however traces of the Portico II channel and other hints of RND's products worked into the signal's journey through the Stereo Buss Processor. Take for example the "Silk Circuit" and the Stereo Field Editor to name just a couple. With a pedigree like that I have a feeling this box will be magic to even the most seasoned of ears.

If you read ZeSoundSuite often you know I don't keep the posts short and sweet, but for this, I'm going to make an exception. Simply because the video that follows will satisfy every question you might happen to have regarding the basics behind this beast. Plus, since it is still unreleased most of the industry chatter is fairly unfounded as most people haven't even yet had the chance to use the box. Till that time comes this video and the audio clips from Rupert Neve Design's SoundCloud will have to do. They've got a few high quality samples available for prospective buyers and the rest of us audio nerds. Check out the audio clips from RND's Portico II Stereo Buss Processor here, and be sure to enjoy the video below from Rupert Neve Design's engineer William Hutchison. While you're at it, you might as well add Rupert Neve Design's on facebook to stay up to speed on their latest products. Thanks for reading and happy geeking. :)

All the best,

Nick

Spectral Layers Audio Software by Divide.Frame

2011-07-03T10:48:00.000-07:00

Allow me to paint a picture for you... Imagine being able to locate, isolate, and extract nearly any track from any song that you have in digital format without the use of time consuming and tired tactics. Divide.Frame's latest software; Spectral Layers does precisely that. With a degree of accuracy that's currently unavailable to the world of audio to boot. As of right now the glory that is Spectral Layers and the company behind it known as Divide.Frame is relatively unknown. The software is still in the alpha testing phase and not available to the public. Yet...

Spectral Layers is the brainchild of Robin Lobel, the main mind behind the company that is Divide.Frame. Divide.Frame is a French company specializing in the development of software tools for the broadcast industry designed to optimize workflow while making life easier for audio and video professionals alike. Divide.Frame started 2 years ago and after the release of a successful video plug-in designed to accelerate hi-def video decoding by utilizing the power of a PC's GPU. Robin set out to work on Spectral Layers keeping a tight lid on the development of the software until just a few days ago when Robin released the first glimpses of the program to the public. Robin has been involved with research and design in multiple aspects related to the audio and video industry for some time now and Spectral Layers is only his latest creation. With a career that spans post production, video production, the R&D engineering world and graphic design game the resume is obviously massive enough for it's own webpage. Being that it's likely you've never heard of Divide.Frame I figured some info on the founder and company would be helpful to all of you searching for more information about Spectral Layers and the people behind it.

Now that you're a little more familiar with the mind and machine behind Spectral Layers lets dive into the software and the reasons behind its inception.

Spectral Layers is a cross platform (Windows/Mac) program so there is no need to worry about not being able to put this beast to work on your computer. It employs high quality 32 bit floating point processing designed to give the user the accuracy and detail they need to precisely edit audio without degradation even after down sampling. Spectral Layers includes support for surround projects and allows for real time file transformation as well as a 3D display of the sonic elements within the audio file you're working on. While you'll obviously have to use your ears when working with Spectral Layers the program was designed to be more visual than typical waveform analysis. The software accurately lays out the audio file across the spectrum allowing you to create non-destructive layers while giving you access to specialized tools designed to analyze and extract specific sources of audio and their harmonics from recordings. Got a trumpet you'd like to isolate from a guitar in a stereo audio file. No Problem. Watch and learn below.

Spectral Layers - Tutorial 2 : Frequency/Harmonic Tools from DIVIDE FRAME on Vimeo.
Spectral Layers was originally the result of Robin's quest to create something that could extract clean dialogue tracks from street recordings quickly and efficiently. Needless to say, Robin quickly noticed that his creation could be much more than just a post location recording tool. Imaging a "Photoshop-like"audio editor that could achieve virtually any kind of audio transformation fathomable. According to Robin the idea was to get away from "magical filters" whilst providing the user full control over the audio spectrum with a proprietary tool set and a non-destructive layers system. Similar to Photoshop, only for audio.

After a friend turned me onto Spectral Layers a few days ago and I was immediately floored. Never had I witnessed such precision control over a digital audio file in my life and my mind began buzzing with ideas of how I could put Spectral Layers to work in my freelance audio business. After I calmed down a bit from having my fix of videos and info on the software satisfied by the Divide.Frame website, I emailed Robin hoping for more on the company and program. This post is a result of that email correspondence and I'd like to thank Robin again for taking the time to chat with me so I could pass the info onto all of you.

As you've seen and read, it's clear that Spectral Layers allows you to isolate and manipulate virtually any voice, noise, sound or instrument within an audio file with a level of efficiency that has never before been seen in the audio industry. Get this, word is from Robin there are still more features to be added as development continues on Spectral Layers at this very moment. To think, we haven't even seen all of it yet! There's no doubt in my mind this software will be a massive success within the industry and I can't wait for more details from Divide.Frame regarding the program, its features and the concrete release date. Despite the fact we are just hearing about Spectral Layers, Robin hopes to roll the software out around the end of Quarter 4, 2011 if everything goes to plan. Get ready ladies and gentlemen, Spectral Layers is going to change the already lawless game of audio!

There are a few more videos on Spectral Layers available at Divide.Frame's Vimeo page including a clip that gives you a run down of the user interface. If you'd like to learn more about Divide.Frame be sure to check out their webpage.

:::Update::: (7/10/11) I spoke with Robin again and he let me know that the release date for Spectral Layers should be around the end of October 2011.

All the best,

Nick

Slate Pro Audio's Fox Dual Circuit Microphone Preamplifier

2011-04-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

Why have I been showing Slate Pro Audio a lot of love lately? It's obvious to me so I guess you'll just have to trust me. You should know better than to trust someone on the internet though so read on and learn why I'm so amped on Slate Pro Audio.

Slate Pro Audio has been building a brand focused on creating high quality, versatile audio tools for both the analog and digital domains. It's tough for a new company to make a splash in a crowded and extremely discerning professional audio industry but, Slate has done more than make a splash, they've emptied the pool. When you're seamlessly blending the line between the "prosumer" & professional markets you know you're doing something right. Slate's digital & analog products have done precisely that, this company is one to watch and I've put together some information for all of you regarding their latest creation; the Fox Dual Circuit Microphone Preamplifier.

Before we get started with the Fox it's best to understand their first analog design from Tim Caswell; the Dragon. Slate Pro Audio's Dragon is a stereo compressor/limiter which boasts multiple character settings, high-end components & hand-built attention to detail. It's clear where the Fox's roots lie and considering the Dragon has been put to work in some of the world's premier studios one can assume the Fox will follow suit with the same quality and sound that got Dragon noticed by professionals. Slate Pro Audio's analog gear has been designed by respected veterans of the audio industry and is assembled by hand in Los Angeles. If you're looking for more resume bullet points for Slate Pro Audio's hardware check out their website, this post is for the Fox.

The Fox was unveiled at AES 129 this year in San Francisco and word is it's being shipped out to dealers this week! Slate's Fox is a stereo microphone preamplifier with two independent circuits thus presenting the user with a diverse palate of sonic characters at the forefront of their signal chain from a single unit. One of the circuits features a classic fat and burly sound modeled after the venerable Neve 1073 and designed with custom made American transistors in the circuit. The second circuit boasts a more modern and precise sound featuring the instant bite, accuracy and hi-fi clarity of a dual-servo circuit design. In one rack unit they've managed to design and create two separate circuits giving you the operator one of the most versatile preamps available.

It doesn't stop with the dual circuits though, they've added another feature which allows you to take the best of each circuit and combine them. The Fox's "combo" mode integrates the input and output of each circuit together. For example if you were working with the "vintage" circuit you could switch on combo mode and have the output stage of the preamp in the more modern sounding dual-servo circuit while keeping the input stage classic and smooth. The process can also be reversed (modern in, vintage out) by selecting either circuit design when using combo mode. I'm no math whiz but I'm pretty sure all that adds up to four different analogue flavours for this hand built beast. You could buy 2 separate stereo pres or you can by one, the choice seems pretty simple to me. As Fox ships out to dealers and the demos hit the studios I'm sure we will have a much better idea of it's performance but it's pretty safe to say that this microphone preamp will be the choice for bedroom audio addicts and professional studios alike.

As of right now Slate Pro Audio is busy getting all the orders for the stereo versions of Fox but there will be a mono version available soon, and this mono unit will be upgradable to stereo through an upgrade kit that requires no soldering. For more information on Slate Pro Audio's Fox be sure to visit Slate Pro Audio's website!

All the best,

Nick

Craig Williams Production Tutorial Videos

2011-04-27T10:31:00.000-07:00

Art from Craig Williams Latest Release

So you're a producer? You've got lot's of great ideas in your head and your ability to play and create music has become a passion but these DAW things and this idea of mixing, sampling and synthesis on a computer are going way over your head. Worry not, there is a solution... Learn by doing, and you can work along with a seasoned producer and audio engineer by the name of Craig Williams. Craig has recently released a set of free you tube video tutorials that cover the various parts of one of his bootleg remixes featuring The Prodigy's Voodoo People.
Craig has broken down the massive and daunting production process into a series of videos featuring everything from sampling and arrangement to synthesis and FX plus a whole lot more. In my opinion I find this style of learning to be the quickest and most effective way for most people attempting to tackle the learning curve of DAW music production. You have the opportunity to see and hear a professional production in its entirety and then break it down piece by piece with the creator as he guides you through the process of its creation. Below you'll find Craig's first video of the series in which you get a chance to hear the remix featured in the videos and a rundown of everything that will be covered throughout.

Craig is a highly accomplished producer with numerous beatport releases, his approach to production is a honed skill that he's developed after years of training. The free tutorials he's released give you an inside and in depth look at what it takes to create a song worthy of a label's release. I won't do much more explaining on the subject, Craig does a better job anyways. Have a look at the video below and then head over to Craig's site @ CraigWilliamsMusic.com to check out the other 6 videos in the series under the "Production Tips" tab. These really are incredible learning tools and perfect for both the experienced producer searching for a few tips all the way down to the novice just entering the world of computer based music production. Beyond the videos his site is chalked full of his productions both remixes and originals, he recently released an amazingly soothing remix of Lady Gaga's Born This Way. Check it out, there's a free download of it if you like his facebook page too. Enjoy learning my friends and thanks as always for reading!

All the best,

Nick

SoundToys Devil-Loc Free Saturation Plug-in

2011-03-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

The word "free" is undoubtedly one of the most effective marketing words ever concocted so it's no wonder SoundToys caught everyone's attention by putting the word free next to the word plug-in. Now that we've gotten over that bit of marketing 101 we can move onto to the audio which is likely why you're all here anyways. SoundToys is currently offering a free release of their latest plug-in darkly dubbed the Devil-loc. SoundToys has given it the catchy pseudonym; "Audio Level Destroyer" while it is catchy, it's definitely not a gambit. Devil-loc is every bit of an Audio Level Destroyer and while I must admit I'm a fan of subtle coloration, this sonically aggressive freebie has won me over. Devil-loc was inspired by Shure's late 60's Level-Loc mic limiter which has since been made famous the world over by countless audio engineers looking for that extra bit of in your face grit for their mixes.

Devil-loc really couldn't be any simpler to use as there are only 2 controls; "Crush" & "Crunch" "Crush" controls the amount of input signal into the unit. The harder you drive the "Crush" control, the more your signal will be compressed by the modeled gain reduction circuit. The original unit was known for it's heavy pumping action and the plug-in is no different. If you really crank Devil-loc's "Crush" control the resulting saturation will leave your signal with more than enough of the dance music driving pumping action certain types of compression create.

Devil-loc's "Crunch" control refers to the unit's makeup gain. "Crunch" is essentially driving the modeled output amplifier stage and this is where you can add those famously filthy artifacts of distortion and grit to your signal. To sum up the plug-in's controls for the CliffsNotes; Crush= Compression & Crunch= Distortion.

Devil-loc is absolutely insane on drum groups and that's putting it lightly. I auditioned it with a few snippets of drum recordings and I was more than impressed especially considering Devil-loc is currently being offered for free. As I said earlier I'm a subtle coloration type of guy, Devil-loc might not be the most subtle but it does have quite a bit of character. I don't know about you but... In a new world full of "Music Producers" a little bit of distorted character might be exactly what your sound needs to set it apart from the rest!

Devil-loc is only available for free until March 31st so get your hands on it while you can by following this link: https://www.soundtoys.com/sxswpromo/&rc=265-8840-745 For more info on the rest of the SoundToy's line of plug-ins be sure to visit their website or check them out on Facebook.

All the best,

Nick

Slate Digital VCC The Virtual Console Collection

2011-03-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

It would be an understatement to say that I'm excited for this release, in fact to be more true to my feelings I should say that I'm ecstatic. I am a very satisfied owner of Slate Digital's FG-X and can honestly say that there isn't a compressor/limiter plug-in I've used that can even hold a candle to FG-X on the mix bus. The ability it has to maintain dynamics and clarity under even the most punishing of digital signals is truly remarkable. Needless to say, I'm pretty excited about Slate's Virtual Console Collection, keep reading to find out why.

No plug-in will ever be able to offer the smooth, non-linear musical nature of analog processing but some are getting very close and that's good news for all of us that don't have thousands of dollars to spend on analog consoles. Slate's Virtual Console Collection is one of those plug-ins breaking new ground within the digital audio industry. I don't own VCC yet, so I haven't heard it but if it's anything like FG-X there won't be much need to hear VCC before I buy it. Slate modeled high quality analog mastering gear with impressive results and there's no doubt in my mind that Slate's VCC plug-in will re-write the standards upon which all other digitally modeled analog saturation plug-ins will be judged.

Slate Digital's VCC is modeled after 4 legendary analog consoles and when I say model I'm referring to the analog saturation, character & depth that consoles induce upon source material both in the channel section and on the mix bus. The 4 console models you have are not directly named by Slate Digital but one can make assumptions based off experience and assume: Brit 4k= SSL, US A= API, Brit N= Neve and the Psi= Trident.

VCC comes with 2 plug-ins; Virtual Channel and Virtual Mixbus. Having two separate plug-ins allows the user to mix and match modeled console channel strips and models of some very celebrated analog mix buses together. Throw Virtual Channel on your individual tracks and place Virtual Mixbus over the master channel/bus and you've got yourself a nicely modeled analog console under control of your mouse. To be fair I should mention that it's not only the sound I love about analog, it's the feel and feedback you get from actually touching something. However, for those of you who actually do prefer the digital realm this might be your ticket to giving your productions some real depth and feel. Digital sound is quite brittle and lacking any real sense of space, anything you can do to combat this downfall within your work is worth it. I don't have an iLok2 for the demo so I can't make any opinions as to how it actually sounds but, judging from the internet audio geek chatter so far it will certainly have a powerful presence on the music of those people who purchase it.

VCC retails for $249.99 and it does require an iLok2 more info on Slate Digital's VCC can be found at Slate Digital's Website or you can give this little bit of forum conversation from GearSlutz a look for some unbiased opinions from users who've actually used VCC. Also give the video below on the evolution of VCC from the perspective of designers Fabrice Gabriel & Steven Slate to learn even more about VCC.

Ear Training Software Plugin

2011-02-25T23:01:00.000-08:00

The elusive art of audio frequency recognition is something every audiophile in training knows they must master regardless of how daunting this task may seem. You'd think that there would be an easy & efficient way to train your ears. The fact is, until now, there hasn't been. Golden Ears was more than an annoyance with the CD's & workbook, it just doesn't fit with the technological times we find ourselves in today. Gone are the days of listening to countless tones on audio CD while back checking your results in an answer book. Say hello to the new digital reality of ear training, Tune is a free VST ear training plug-in for use with PC's. Sorry to my Apple friends, it seems Tune isn't available for all of us. However, that's no reason to not let all of our PC friends enjoy the greatness that is this training tool.

Tune is a fully interactive EQ based ear training software plug-in complete with instant feedback to help you understand the mistakes you're making whilst simultaneously teaching you to correct them. Let's assume you're working in Tune and you make a mistake. Not only will Tune let you know you've made the mistake, it will work with you till you get it right. Another massive advantage to Tune is that you can use it with whatever source material you'd like. That means you can train your ears with the songs or sounds you love and listen to on a daily basis. Tune will automatically boost various frequency bands and ask you to choose which band were boosted. As I stated before, if you select the wrong frequency Tune will notify you of this error and then work with you on that specific band till you've got it down. Scope the video on Tune below to see how it works. Oh yeah... IT'S FREE!!!

Tune can be downloaded for free from the earPlugins website. Big ups to Flemming over at earPlugins for designing this fantastic training tool. Check it out, your music & ears will thank you later. If you're looking for an ear training tool for use with your Mac give Auricula a look.

RMS755 Super Stereo Compressor from Roll Music Systems

2010-11-29T09:47:00.000-08:00

Looking for your first piece of analog gear? Tired of the brittle sound digital mix bus compressors provide over your mix downs? An affordable & high quality stereo mix-bus compressor might be your ticket to turning your lifeless digital mixes into something quite fantastic.

When you're entering the professional analog audio market it's important that you focus on a few key properties of gear. First and foremost is quality. If you buy cheap/budget analog audio equipment you'll find yourself with worse results sonically than the digital domain can achieve with a few solid plug-ins. There's no sense in throwing money away and buying budget/cheaper gear is throwing your money away. You used to be able to get away with sending crumby sounding demos off to labels & agencies, but this however is no longer the case. The music you send off to; blogs, labels, agencies & nightclubs essentially now needs to be top notch and distribution ready. Why not spend a little cheddar on a piece of analog gear that can help to make your music stand out from the rest. The RMS755 Super Stereo Compressor can be that piece of gear without breaking the bank.

The first thing you'll notice is the no frills design approach behind the RMS755. There's no gates or side-chain triggers on this specimen. This stereo compressor isn't designed for those types of tricks, it's for mix-bus compression and while it can be used on other things like a vocals or guitar, it has been designed to work on the program heavy mix-bus and it's been designed to do this job with the utmost clarity & versatility. From what I've read and researched everyone that owns one of these reveres it for it's well roundness. In fact many owners say it's hands down the most versatile stereo mix compressor they've ever used. Of course these are all opinions but, they're opinions professional people have voiced which lends them some extra merit. Certain tools are great for specific things but, when you're on a budget and looking to sound great it's important to invest in quality analog tools that can work magic on a wide range of source material.

The RMS755's Controls

There's no newfangled knobs or features on this stereo mix analog compressor. The RMS755 is down right simple, however it does have it's own little traits that I'll highlight during the remainder of this post. These next few paragraphs will read informatively for those of you new to the audio world & compression, it will also certainly appeal to those of you with a little more experience looking into purchasing the RMS755. First is the threshold control on the RMS755. There's nothing tricky about this knob, set it and that will be the dB level that compression sets in. On the RMS755 the exact threshold level will vary a tad based on the settings of the other compression settings, specifically the ratio. (more on this below) After the threshold knob you've got a high-pass filter factory set at 150hz that's engaged by a push-button switch. This feature can help to alleviate "pumping" when working on exaggerated low end material as it rolls frequencies below 150hz out of your mixes, heavy pumping & breathing can be rather destructive to certain styles of music.

The next control to the right on the RMS755 is the ratio of compression. On the RMS755 you have the option of engaging 4 factory set ratios; 1.5:1, 2:1, 4:1 & 10:1. When you make an adjustment to the ratio setting the threshold level of the RMS755 will also adjust to even out the amount of gain reduction. This allows you to hear the sonic difference between each ratio without compromising gain which is considered by some to be a much more efficient way of applying compression.

The attack time control is a 10 position rotary switch measured in milliseconds. A quicker attack time will often reduce transients while a longer attack time will make it possible for more transients to pass through the compressor after gain reduction. Remember this as it will be a key thing to know whenever you're working with compression. If you have a quick attack the compressor can't react to transients whilst accurately compress them. If the attack time is slower the compressor will be able to handle & process these transients thereby bringing them more in line with the rest of your source material.

The release time rotary switch is also a 10 position stepped control. These controls are measured in milliseconds as well and have 10 factory set release times. However, you'll notice just right of the release time pot a switch labeled PDR. This switch engages a uniquely sounding & intelligent dual release characteristic based on the material you're processing with the RMS755. Roll Music's PDR or Program Dependent Release feature is a dual release that is essentially aware of the material you're processing with the RMS755. Essentially this provides a slower release for those times when you're material is blasting above the threshold level for long periods of time, if you're only dealing with quick transients that rise above the threshold level momentarily the release time will be shorter.

As you should know when you compress something you're effectively reducing the overall gain of the material being compressed. Because of this mostly all compressors (with the exception of opto-compressors) have a make-up gain control. The range of make-up gain on the RMS755 is -14dB to +20dB. Remember that make-up gain controls are independent of the gain-reduction/compression circuitry so it is possible to clip the output by cranking the make-up gain. The bypass switch on the RMS755 is a push button true hard-wire bypass. This means that once the bypass circuitry is engaged there is no active circuitry in the

Hopefully this little run down of the RMS755 was not only helpful in learning more about Roll Music's Super Stereo Compressor but also a helpful little blurb those looking to learn a little more about compression controls. If you're interested in learning more about Roll Music Systems & the other products they offer be sure to give their website a visit & add them on Facebook!

PS: Expect a post & review on Roll Music's Fulcrum Summing Mixer in the future as I will likely be purchasing one for my project studio.

Best,

Nick

Production Tip: Using Two Delays With One Send

2010-11-19T07:07:00.000-08:00

I've decided to start a series on production & mix-down tips for producers. Each post will be a brief yet informative explanation & real world example of a mix-down or production technique. I'm hoping these can be efficient little tips you can all quickly glance at, learn, & then creatively use in your own productions. I'll start this series off with an old school delay trick. (modified for DAW's) If you use this trick tastefully it can really help to add a nice spacial touch to just about anything you're working on. Even though this trick has been used on countless records you can still make it your own especially considering we have the gift of simple automation in modern DAW's.

Before I show you how to do it I'll explain how an auxiliary send & auxiliary return work. Then, when I give you a real world scenario in which you might use this trick you'll understand it's roots thereby allowing you to manipulate this technique into any of your own number of creative tricks.

When you're using time-based effects like; delays, reverbs, choruses, echos, etc. it's best to use them with an auxiliary send & return loop. This provides the best result sonically because you have much more control over the wet & dry signal as opposed to using the effect on an insert point. An insert breaks the channel path & doesn't allow you to blend the original dry signal with the effected wet signal. Effected/wet signals from sends are normally returned to a mix by routing them back through a stereo auxiliary return or input. That way we can blend the levels between the dry original signal and the now wet or effected signal. For this trick though we will return our signal with two mono channels. (more on this later in the post) If this doesn't make sense don't worry, I'm going to explain it right now. The main & most important thing I want you to take from this is that time-based efx should be used with aux's (sends) in a send & return loop. Not inserts. (that's important, don't forget it)

Let's say we've got a few vocal samples we're using in a production remix that we're working on. The samples came from stems and are already heavily processed and in stereo but they're still missing something to really make your production pop and more importantly your own. Simply follow the steps below and you'll be on your way to doing just that..

Step 1:

First, create a send from the dry vocal track you'd like to process. Make sure the send is "post-fader", we use "pre-fader" sends for things like headphone mixes while tracking. We want the send to be post-fader so that any level rides we make on the dry vocal track on the mix bus will also be made to the send. If the send is pre-fader it will send the same amount of signal regardless of the level of the dry vocal track in the mix. Always remember this for auxiliary sends: When tracking with an artist use pre-fader sends for headphone mixes, when mixing down with time-based efx use post-fader sends.

Step 2:

Once we've created the send from our vocal track we need to create return channels to process the vocals & return the wet signal to our mix bus. Normally this is where a stereo auxiliary return would come into play as it's normally common practice to return time-based effects using a stereo return. I just prefer using mono tracks for this trick because it allows you to isolate each of the delays from one another more effectively. (You could certainly use two stereo returns for this trick if you'd prefer though.) Once you've created your two mono return tracks, soucre the input of each from one of the stereo send channels. If your send is sending signal out Bus 1-2, then make the input of the first mono return track bus 1, and make bus 2 the input for the second mono return track. Also, be sure the output of your mono return tracks is routed to your master mix bus.

Step 3:

Throw a delay on each one of the mono return tracks. You can use the same delay or two different plug-ins if you'd like, it's really up to you. I personally like using different tape delay emulation plug-ins. Set one of the delays with a shorter delay time and set the other delay on the second mono return with a longer delay time. You'll have to play around with these delay times but once you find a nice combination there's no doubt you'll be pleased with the result.

Step 4:

Adjust your send to the desired level and then you can work with level & panning of your two mono return tracks. Again, this is where you get to be creative, you can set the level and panning of each return however you'd like. Using automation is a great way to place and move the delays in and around different parts of the stereo image. If you modulate the delay parameters as well you can get some pretty crazy results too. Just do what you think sounds good, keep it tasteful yet original and this technique can serve you quite well. Ohh yeah, there's one final thing you don't want to forget. This technique can be applied to pretty much any time-based effect, also feel free to try it out with both mono & stereo returns till you get a result you're happy with.

That's really all there is to it, you can use this however you'd like on any dull sound or instrument to liven them up a bit. Hopefully this post will spark some creativity and get you onto sculpting your own version of this idea original to your productions & mix-downs.

Best,

Nick

Pictures From AES 129

2010-11-15T17:58:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Here's a little album of all the pictures I took while I was in San Francisco at AES 129. Hope you enjoy & thanks again for the continued support of ZeSoundSuite!

Best,

Nick