Wave's Metaflanger

@THEHEATMAKERZ @WavesAudioLtd @SweetwaterSound @audioMIDIdotcom

This is the MetaFlanger setting for Rsonist's @THEHEATMAKERZ  "Tell Me What You Want ". I used it on a aux send to help match Rsonist's vocals to the track. The Wave's MetaFlanger ($100) has been around for many years and remains a staple in my arsenal of mix tools. It is capable of doing flanging, phasing, chorusing and everything in between. The interface of the Meta Flanger consist of a Mix control which allows one to adjust the dry/wet balance of the effect (crucial for flanging). This can be adjusted by double clicking the value box and writing the value directly or clicking and dragging the mouse up or down to change the value (All the buttons behave in the same manner). The phase button next to the mix inverts the phase of the wet signal only. This changes the texture of the effect by increasing the cancellations of some frequencies. Feedback controls how much of the wet signal is recycled into the input. Higher values increases the effect. The phase button inverts the feedback signal which can give the effect a more aggressive sound. Type/Freq controls the filter type (low/high shelf) and the corner frequency for the filter. In the next section we have the Delay control which has a range of 0 to 20 ms. Shorter delay times (0.1 to 3ms) works best for phasing and flanging and longer times (3 to 20ms) for chorus effects. The Tape button gives you "true tape flanging". Rate sets the speed of the modulation (LFO frequency) and you can link it to the Depth to keep the

 relationship between these parameters the same no matter how much you change the rate. Depth controls how wide (or deep) the wet signal swings time wise which causes small pitch changes. Sync can be set to A (Automatic) which follows the session tempo or M (Manual). There are two types of waveforms available for the LFO: Sine and Triangle. The sine wave gives a much smoother modulation while the triangle waveform has a more drastic swing between two delay times. The Modulation display shows the movement of the waveform and it can be stopped by clicking the Stop button (which can be automated for very precise sweeps). The Stereo control is not for controlling the "stereo image" in the traditional sense but more as a way to change the phase relationship between the Left and Right modulation. This can make the effect more or less

dramatic depending on the settings of the other parameters. This is definitely a plugin to experiment with to find different settings that work well for you. There is a long list of presets to get you started and I recommend saving your parameter changes frequently as your own presets. More info can be found on Waves @WavesAudioLtd website at http://www.waves.com/Content.aspx?id=281

and it can be purchased as part of the Waves Gold Bundle at Sweetwater Sound @SweetwaterSound http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GoldNat/ or at AudioMidi @audioMIDIdotcom http://www.audiomidi.com/Gold-Native-Bundle--P12890.aspx Here's a link to "Tell Me What You Want" http://www.limelinx.com/files/edf0aa86a9d88c5bc88ec41a2e61e81c

Waves S1 Imager

@EstelleDarlings @KardinalO @WavesAudioLtd @BHPhotoVideo

I used the Waves S1 Imager($150) on Estelle's song "Star" produced by Kardinal Offishall @KardinalO and is featured in a Crystal Light commercial. The S1 is a spatial enhancer that can be used to correct or improve the stereo image of a mix or group of sounds such as background vocals, synths, strings etc. The S1 has several controls. The gain slider adjusts the overall level of the S1. Width controls how much the sound stage is widened or narrowed. A width of 1= no change, less than 1 = narrower sound stage and more than 1= wider sound stage. Shuffle controls the width of the the bass frequencies. This helps to make sounds appear wider than they really are because if the way our hearing works (we tend to hear bass frequencies as having a more narrow sound stage than mids and highs). A shuffle setting of 1 means no change and 3 is maximum width. Freq chooses the frequency below which the Shuffle will affect the signal. Bass Trim adjusts the level of the bass after the Shuffle has been applied. 0 is neutral. NOTE: Always monitor in mono after making changes with the S1 to check for mono compatibility and phase issues. Asymmetry is useful for altering the far left and right of the sound stage without affecting the center image. Rotation allows you to change the centering  of the sound stage without affecting the relative levels of the sounds. (Click and drag in between both faders to move them both at the same time) The input mode buttons allow you to flip the phase of the input channels independently of each other (great for fixing out-of-phase stereo sounds) and also to process M-S (Mid/Side) material. The L out R output button sets the S1 output to L/R (Stereo) or M-S(Mid/Side). For an explanation of M-S see http://emusician.com/mag/emusic_front_center/ For more info on the the Waves S1 Stereo Imager visit http://www.waves.com/Content.aspx?id=275

To purchase the S1 Imager as part of a Waves bundle visit B&H Photo, Video and Pro Audio @BHPhotoVideo at http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/213413-REG/Waves_GNB_Gold_Native_Bundle.html

Into the Lair #1

Salaam Remi on 'Thief's Theme' vs 'Hip Hop Is Dead' (Interview)

Pensado's Place: #1 - Nicki Minaj, Linkin Park, and guest Ariel Chobaz

AVALON VT-737SP Channel Strip

@Nas @SaLaAMReMi @BHPhotoVideo @SweetwaterSound @iTunesMusic

I used the 737SP to record the hook for "War" on Nas @Nas "Street Disciples" album produced by Salaam Remi @SaLaAMReMi . The AVALON VT-737SP($2500) is a very popular channel strip that has become a standard in the recording world. It has excellent build quality and is a Class A/tube hybrid unit  used mainly for vocal recording & includes a mic-pre, compressor & equalizer section. It's a very flexible unit that also provides a line input and a instrument input that sounds great on acoustic guitar and bass. All the connection except for the instrument(DI) input is on the rear of the unit. The EQ section can be placed pre or post compression which makes it very easy to control any problem frequencies. The 737 is not usually my first choice for vocal recording. I much prefer it on instruments. especially bass. When used to record or process bass during a mix, this unit really shines as It gives the bass presence with a full but tight low end. When using it for recording vocals start with the input at zero to give the cleanest signal then set the compressor threshold to approximately -15dB and the ratio between 2:1 - 4:1 depending on the vocalist and their mic technique. The compressor is slow (opto based) so the attack can be set to its fastest setting then adjusted for a slower attack if needed. For the release set between 9 and 12 o'clock again dependent on the source. Then set the high pass filter between 60 to 80Hz as needed. As for the output start at zero then adjust up or down as needed for optimum level. Never use the high gain setting unless you intentionally want a lot of color aka distortion on the signal. This actually works great on electric guitars. Last but not least remember to turn on the unit at least half an hour before the session to give the tubes time to warm up. (I ask the assistant to turn it on an hour before just to make sure it reached optimum operating temperature). The tubes are rated for 5000 hours after which they should be replaced. For more info visit the website at  http://www.avalondesign.com/vt737sp.html . To purchase the 737sp go to B&H Photo, Video and Audio @BHPhotoVideo http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/181553-REG/Avalon_Design_VT737SP_VT_737SP_Channel_Strip.html or Sweetwater Sound @SweetwaterSound http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/VT737SP/?gclid=CO2nqLr4wqcCFYdg2god11u8Dw

Here's the iTunes @iTunesMusic link for "Street's Disciple" http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/streets-disciple-explicit/id193130732