Metric Halo’s 2012 Holiday Sale

If you've been thinking of purchasing any Metric Halo gear or software now is a great time to do so as their having a Holiday Sale till Dec. 25, 2012.  I use their Production Bundle and MIO 2882 daily. If you use Protools 10 don't forget to try out their new FREE Thump plugin.

Here is the email I received recently with details on the sale:

Announcing Metric Halo’s 2012 Holiday Sale

Happy Holidays! We know that you have been very, very good and it's time to reward yourself with the gift of better sound and a great workflow!

We want to help, so for a very limited time, we are making the TEC Award winning LIO-8 and ULN-8, along with all of our other award winning products, (including the new Production Bundle - now shipping on AU [Mac] and AAX [Mac/Win]) available at an amazing price!



Also, if you haven’t already downloaded Thump for AAX, take advantage of our FREE download and get yourself some super-low-end for the New Year! You can download the plugin from the Thump download page(registration required).

You can take advantage of these special offers until 12/25/2012!

Orders received after 12/20/2012 will ship on or after 1/2/2013.

Hardware Products	Regular Price	Special Price
ULN-8	$5995	$4496
LIO-8	$3995	$2996
2882	$1895	$1610
ULN-2	$1695	$1440
ULN-2 + 1 Jensen	$2145	$1823
ULN-2 + 2 Jensen	$2495	$2121
Hardware Upgrades	Regular Price	Special Price
2d Card Upgrade for 2882	$400	$300
2d Card Upgrade for ULN-2	$550	$412
LIO-8 Channel 1-4 Mic Pre Upgrade Kit	$700	$525
LIO-8 Channel 5-8 Mic Pre Upgrade Kit**	$625	$469
Software Products	Regular Price	Special Price
+DSP License*	$699	$524
MH Production Bundle for Pro Tools AU/AAX (Mac + Win)	$699	$524
MH Individual AU/AAX (Mac + Win) Plugins: ChannelStrip 3, Character, HaloVerb, Multiband Dynamics, Precision DeEsser, Transient Control or Multiband Expander	$199/ea	$149/ea
SpectraFoo Complete	$800	$600
SpectraFoo	$400	$300

This is a great opportunity to get your first unit, an additional unit, an upgrade for your existing unit, or add some sexy signal processing to your system and bring your projects to the next level!
This special pricing is available through your local Metric Halo dealer or distributor, as well as directly from Metric Halo via the Online Store. This pricing cannot be combined with any other Metric Halo discounts or offers including educational accounts.
Enjoy!
Metric Halo
Phone: 1-727-725-9555
Fax: 1-603-250-2451
www.mhlabs.com

Notes:
^* +DSP License requires a 2d Card to be installed (all Expanded and LIO-8 units include 2d Cards from the factory).

^** LIO-8 Channel 5-8 Mic Pre Upgrade Kit requires Channel 1-4 Mic Pre Upgrade Kit to be installed.

Studio One 2.5 released

Presonus has released Studio One 2.5 with over 100 enhancements/features and many bug fixes.

They have also included Softube's Saturation Knob Plugin with no authorization required.

The update is free to all current owners and applies to all versions of Studio One.

Here are some of the new features:

• Comping Improvements. Single-swipe comping with automatic beaming into parts makes comping much faster and more powerful.
• Folder Track Editing. Edit directly on the Folder Track, with a waveform preview for all tracks in the folder. This simplifies workflow with large track counts.
• Track Transform Improvements. Multitrack transform for virtual instruments. Now you can instantly turn complex multi-output virtual instruments into audio tracks and back.
• Ampire XT has been completely overhauled. All-new cabinet impulse responses, matched with reworked amp models, results in a significant improvement in sound quality.
• Automation Enhancements. Easier and faster editing of automation envelopes.
• Audio Export Enhancements. Rendering multiple outputs at once results in much faster exports—a huge timesaver.
• Re-recording from buses. This is a completely new feature that enables you to use the output of virtual instrument or bus channels as the input to an audio track. In this way, you can print from buses or instruments to new audio tracks in real time.
• Drag-and-drop Event Effects. Drag-and-drop workflow is even faster with a new modifier key that lets you do things like drag-and-drop effects directly onto events in the arrangement.
• Wet/Dry Mix and Mix Lock for Effects. Built-in parallel processing on PreSonus Native Effects. For example, you can drop a compressor on a drum bus, crank the ratio, and drop the threshold to squash the drums mercilessly, and then only mix that squashed sound 20% with the original, unprocessed sound.
• Legato and Overlap Correction (MIDI). Instantly apply or remove legato from MIDI tracks quickly and simply—a huge time-saver.

Youtube videos showing some of the enhancements:

                               Studio One 2.5: Comping

                            Studio One 2.5: Folder Tracks

                            Studio One 2.5: Track Transform

If you're not a current Studio One user you can download the demo here.

Waves/AbbeyRoad Studios REDD

London's Abbey Road Studios were at the epicenter of a seismic shift that rocked the world of music during the 1960s, and changed the course of popular culture forever. The Beatles, The Hollies, Pink Floyd and countless other luminaries made musical history at Abbey Road Studios, trailblazing a revolution that resonates to this day. And at the heart of it all: The REDD consoles, custom-designed, built by and named for Abbey Road Studios' in-house Record Engineering Development Department. Renowned for their silky smooth EQ curves, extraordinary warmth and lush stereo imagery, there's something magical about the REDDs that sound like no other console. Waves meticulously recreated the color, character and tonal complexity of the original desks: The REDD.17 which still belongs to Abbey Road Studios, and the REDD.37 console now owned by Lenny Kravitz. The result is an impressive pair of plugins that deliver the dimension, depth and richness of these console classics. REDD.17 and REDD.37-.51 are Native and SoundGrid compatible. REDD is available separately as well as in Waves Mercury, SoundGrid® Pro and SoundGrid® SD7 Pro bundles. REDD is a trademark of EMI (IP) Limited, used under license. Visit Abbey Road Studios website.

FEATURES:

Based on the legendary REDD.17, REDD.37 and REDD.51 consoles

Delivers the classic British sound of the 1960s

Continuous EQ controls

Developed in association with Abbey Road Studios

Read more:http://www.waves.com/content.aspx?id=12064#ixzz2DuTEWfNr

Cyber Monday Deals

Today is Cyber Monday, the online equivalent to Black Friday. There are plenty of sales and deals available for the tech/gear/musically inclined.

Here are links to a few of them:

You'll also lock in this great price for as long as you're part of the Gobbler family. Half off for life! Head over to our Plans Page to grab this deal before it ends on Dec 2nd!  Happy Holidays, The Gobbler Team

You can sign up for a free 5gb account to test drive Gobbler here.

Holiday campaign - Save on Top Sellers!

December 2012

Holiday campaign! Hurray! From today, throughout Black Friday, Cyber-Mondays, and just ol' plain boring Wednesdays, until January 10, here's the Softube Holiday campaign with up to $100 discount on our most popular products. Here's the details:

- TSAR-1 reverb
- Mix Bundle (Including FET Compressor, Passive Equalizer, Active Equalizer, Focusing Equalizer and TSAR-1R reverb)
- Summit Audio Grand Channel
- Tube-Tech Classic Channel

The reduced prices are available through Softube dealers as well as the Softube web store.

DealersWeb Store

Presonus Black Friday Deals for U.S. Customers

Native Instruments 50% off ends today

Fill up this Thanksgiving with three incredible offers. Whether you’re into TRAKTOR, KOMPLETE or MASCHINE, there is a special half-price deal just for you. But deals this good don’t last long. If you’ve been waiting to build or expand your setup, the next five days is the time to do it – this Thanksgiving special ends Monday, November 26. Share: As part of our Thanksgiving special, single KOMPLETE Instruments and Effects and select bundles are on sale for 50% off. Expand your production suite at half the price with over 50 KOMPLETE Instruments and Effects – on sale for the next five days only. See KOMPLETE offers For the next five days, get our flagship TRAKTOR PRO 2 software featuring four decks and a stunning range of creative features – maximum freedom for an unbeatable $44.50 / 39,50 €. See TRAKTOR offer Add extra fuel to your MASCHINE or MASCHINE MIKRO with MASCHINE Expansions – sonically-specialized packages created by renowned sound designers and artists – all for 50% of their regular price. The ideal groove sketchpad for iPhone / iPod touch and iPad is also on offer: iMASCHINE is only $0.99 / 0,89 € for the next five days only. See MASCHINE Expansions About iMASCHINE NI Twitter NI Youtube Channel KOMPLETE Facebook This special offer is valid from 11:00 (CET) on November 22, 2012 to 24:00 (CET) on November 26, 2012. The special offer is only valid on full software versions of products – upgrades are not a part of the special. The special offer is not valid on iMASCHINE Expansions, accessories, bags, or NI Wear, KOMPLETE AUDIO 6, GUITAR RIG 5 KONTROL, RIG KONTROL, MASCHINE, MASCHINE MIKRO, KOMPLETE 8, KOMPLETE 8 ULTIMATE, KOMPLETE ELEMENTS, SESSION HORNS, ACTION STRINGS. Not valid on TRAKTOR products except for TRAKTOR PRO 2. iMASCHINE is available from the Apple App Store. All other offers apply to the NI Online Shop only. Note that according to our terms and conditions, e-vouchers cannot be used in conjunction with special offers. Apple, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and iTunes are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. iPhone is not included with iMASCHINE. Boxed products only while stocks last.   NATIVE INSTRUMENTS GmbH, Schlesische Strasse 29-30, D-10997 Berlin, Germany Registergericht: Amtsgericht Charlottenburg | HRB 72458 | UST.-ID.-Nr. DE 20374 7747 Management Board: Daniel Haver / Mate Galic Phone number: +49 (0)30/61 10 35-1600 Fax: +49 (0)30/61 10 35-2600 Contact NI

Sweetwater Sound 8 Days of Black Friday Sale

VintageKing's 10 Day Black Friday Sale

The SSL Nucleus – Was it worth the price?

Today's post includes a review from my good friend and fellow engineer/producer Giandre Diaz who recently purchased an SSL Nucleus for his studio based in Trinidad. The Nucleus is a DAW Controller equipped with 2 preamps identical to the ones used in their flagship Duality console.

"The SSL Nucleus is a compact, portable desktop unit that creates a comfortable, efficient, hands on operating environment for DAW based Music and Film/TV Post production. It provides everything you need to record and monitor audio and to control your DAW quickly and efficiently without resorting to your mouse. Nucleus streamlines your workflow and helps you focus on your sound, not your screen."

I spent a few hours using the Nucleus with Giandre's mobile setup here in Miami when he first acquired it and found it fairly simple to use. All the functions worked as expected and being able to access plugins directly from the Nucleus was a definite plus. I asked him to give me a review of the unit once he got it fully integrated into his studio.

Here is Giandre's review of the SSL Nucleus:

I’ve had the Nucleus for almost three weeks now and my enthusiasm still has not subsided. I’m anxious to start new projects just to use this ‘Hybrid Controller’. SSL has this listed as a Console and technically it is, albeit a 2 channel console. For my needs it’s perfect, I usually just record vocals and the odd Guitar or bass, but very seldom do I ever need more than 2 inputs at any time in my day to day business. My studio's main focus is audio mixing and Jingle and advert production. 

The Nucleus first impressions

I was instantly wowed by the build quality, it’s very solid and robust, and the v pots, buttons and faders are all very tactile and durable. The meters are accurate and well positioned, the cut, solo and select buttons feel good and are well placed. It’s size seemed well thought out and the position of everything was very ergonomic for me. Setup and registration was easy and there is no lag between the DAW and the functions of the Console, I did some initial soft key programming and the Nucleus Remote software made it is very easy, 

In Use with Pro Tools 10 (My main DAW)

First thing I had to try was the Preamps, having spent at least 4 years on an SSL 4000 G series Console, I remember patching the mic directly into the mic pre on the channel and the sound was impressive, external pres were more for colors specifically needed for the Sound source or song. The wow factor continued with the sonics of the Nucleus, I have since used these pres extensively with Male/female vocals, and acoustic guitar and I must say when recorded I find I have less to do after recording, it's full sounding and clean, the headroom available is also astonishing as my gain pot hardly sees movement past 10’ o Clock on the markings.

The analogue monitor section is sufficient for my needs as I previously owned an SSL X-desk… smart routing has made it possible for me switch between my main and alt speakers, and keep the Volume control in front of me, which is an added convenience. headphone outs are clean with no audible noise/distortion.

Audio Card 

I did use the SSL audio interface and it sounds good, dynamic and clean with full frequency range reproduction and no noticeable added hype to any part of the audio spectrum.  However that was just curiosity because I also work with an UA Apollo.  The Nucleus Sound Control Panel software though simple looking is workable and easy to manipulate.

The Fader Bank Section

The banks of 8 are very nice, the faders are spaced beautifully with great touch response. Both touch and onscreen response has no visual lag and I have been able to adjust faders with great accuracy. When scrolling through tracks in Protools fader response and displays are updated immediately, very impressive. 

Automation

Accessing automation features are probably the quickest and best feature on this console, it has now made automating anything for me less cumbersome and more satisfying. The faders are quiet and the flip function makes automating anything a smooth and uncomplicated experience.

Things I would have liked

I would have liked a dedicated scribble strip below the faders that always displayed track names within the DAW, especially when using the user 1 or user 2 layers which displays its’ functions on the right hand side scribble strip of the console.

I would have also liked an easier way to identify where the faders are in the DAW it has a highlight around the selected but at a glance I would have liked to know what number fader I’m at immediately. Probably a brighter highlight, I’m a bit color blind so this probably just affects me.

A small touch pad area next to the jog wheel would have made this the ultimate control, and would definitely keep you away from the mouse more. (if the jog wheel was smaller a touch pad section would fit there perfectly)

Integration of the SSL Duende plugins could have been nicer with pro tools, although I understand there are some challenges without the Eucon protocol.

My Synopsis

It’s been some time since I’ve been on a console, and having the Nucleus has made me regain some lost connection with the music when mixing, the rhythm felt when doing automated cuts, the feeling of that ‘sweet spot’ when moving faders and the general ability to listen more than look. I have now been able to sleep my monitor and mix, a feeling that is indescribable. That is something most younger engineers never experienced but for me it was nostalgic and heavenly. My workflow has improved and the speed I work at now is much faster, sonically the addition of this console has made a huge impact and my investment was a good one. It’s also nice to say there’s an SSL to a client.

I hope anyone considering a DAW controller will find this review helpful.

SSL Nucleus Features:

• Ethernet connected DAW Controller re-defines the professional project studio
• Compatible with ProTools, Logic, Cubase/Nuendo and all major DAW applications
• Switch between 3 connected DAW’s with a single button press
• Two banks of 8 channel controls plus centre section controls
• Touch sensitive 100mm motorised faders
• Digital Scribble Strips with assignable V-Pots and soft keys
• Completely user customisable DAW & Key Command mapping
• Remote Logictivity Browser for effortless configuration
• SD card for non volatile project storage
• Large heavy duty transport buttons and high quality jog/shuttle wheel
• Excellent visual feedback via self illuminating buttons, LED’s and DAW Level Metering
• A unique audio nerve centre for your project studio
• Benchmark SuperAnalogue™ quality output to separate +4dBu & -10dBV connections
• High quality USB audio interface (44.1kHz - 192kHz, 24 Bit)
• Two Combi XLR mic/line/instrument level inputs to audio interface and monitor outputs
• Digital S/PDIF I/O to the AD/DA of the audio interface
• Zero latency Rec monitoring with wet/dry control to balance input and DAW playback
• SSL SuperAnalogue™ Mic Pre’s’, identical to those used on SSL Duality and AWS consoles
• Mic inputs have 80Hz High Pass Filters, Phase Reverse and Phantom Power
• Insert send/return connections switched between inputs and DAW playback for mixdown
• Additional ‘external’ SuperAnalogue™ input monitor path for another audio interface
• Two headphone outputs and one iJack monitor input
• Standard 1/4” Jack footswitch connection
• Four USB sockets for use as a 4 port USB hub

$5149 at Sweetwater Sound

Metric Halo's FREE AAX Plug-In - Thump and Production Bundle Giveaway

Avid and Metric Halo is currently giving away MH's Thump Percussive Subharmonic Plugin (PT AAX only) which can be used "....to enhance or transform your drum tracks. Add low end to percussive tracks, or re-create classic drum synth sounds...".  To get Thump just fill out the form on this page. 

Russ Hughes (Pro-Tools-Expert.com) made the following video showing some of the ways Thump can be used in a session.

Pro-Tools-Expert.com is also giving away a copy of the Metric Halo Production Bundle (which I use and highly recommend). The Production Bundle is available in AAX and AU.

You can download a 30 day trial here.

Wavesfactory's TrackSpacer Plugin

     TrackSpacer | VST, RTAS and AU for Mac and Windows

TrackSpacer is a new plugin from WavesFactory that helps the user create space in the mix when two sounds are fighting for the same sonic space by using multiband dynamic eq instead of compression (such as the kick and bass occupying the same frequencies.) I did a quick demo with some drum loops where there was some buildup in the lower mids and bass. With some quick tweaking I was able to fix the issue. The actual settings I used are in the pic above.

"TrackSpacer....creates space in the mix for an instrument, voice, or other audio by performing automatic, multiband equalization on a channel. In real-time it analyzes the audio frequency content in a track/bus via sidechain, and applies an intelligent 32-band EQ to subtract those frequencies from the channel/bus where TrackSpacer is inserted. In other words, it gives room or space to a certain track by reducing its frequencies on another track in real time."

Take a look at the Youtube clip below to see the TrackSpacer in use:

CONTROLS

• Ratio: With this knob you can control the amount of EQ applied from 0% to 100%
• Filters: Maybe you only want TrackSpacer to duck a certain range of frequencies and leave the other as they are, you can control that with these hi pass and low pass filters.
• Freeze: This button makes the EQ settings permament.
• Screen Display: You can see the original frequencies of the sidechain (white curve) and the EQ curve applied by TrackSpacer (green curve) in real time.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

• Mac (OSX 10.4 and later)
• Windows (XP, Vista, 7)
• VST, AudioUnit, 32bits and 64 bits, RTAS (protools 10.7 and later)
• DAW with sidechain functionality.

Cost: €39 Euros (approx. 49.60 USD)

Download the demo and purchase the TrackSpacer at http://plugins.wavesfactory.com

I want to audition the PSI A21-M Studio Monitors

I've been hearing a lot of good things about the A21-M Studio Monitors from Swiss company PSI Audio. I hope to get a demo pair from their US dealer SimpliFi Audio so I can audition them for a week or two. I've been warned that once I hear the A21-Ms I'll probably want to keep them. They're not cheap ($2895 each) but are said to be worth every penny.

Here's an excerpt from Hugh Robjohns review in Sound On Sound:
"....these speakers provide real detail and superb resolution across the bandwidth, and do so without any sense of fatigue even after hours of critical listening. The top end is gloriously smooth and natural, yet wonderfully revealing and precise. The mid range enjoys negligible levels of the harmonic distortion that so often masks the mid‑range clarity in inferior designs. Indeed, the mids come across as totally uncoloured, and both monitors passed my very critical spoken‑voice tests with ease, delivering complete naturalness and accurate spectral balances without any hint of boominess, boxiness or sibilance. Moving down to the bottom end, the bass control — the ability to stop and start bass notes and separate bass guitars from kick drums — was remarkable, delivering a performance more associated with sealed‑cabinet designs rather than ported construction. Bass extension was also impressive...."

Here's some more info on the A21-M taken from PSI Audio's website:

"The A21-M high power near / mid-field precision monitor covers a broad frequency spectrum, allowing the user to be in full control of their audio production. Its unique and highly optimised assets make it perfect for near, mid-field and surround sound applications where ultimate precision is required.The powerful bi-amplified output stages features the unique “AOI” output stages and has a protection circuit, which can be monitored via the red LED on the front panel.
The active crossover, with integrated “CPR”, gives the A21-M unprecedented impulse behavior – with excellent stereo imaging. The crossover is also optimized for maximum phase coherence, projecting a wide horizontal and vertical ideal listening area."

The A21-M features and specs are listed below:

FEATURES:

• Very high SPL in a compact cabinet.
• Flat frequency response.
• Optimised directivity by phase coherency.
• Compatible with industry standard mouting systems.
• Amplifier unit acoustically uncoupled from speaker cabinet.
• Protection circuits with overload indicator.
• Real balanced input.
• Designed for stereo and multichannel monitoring.
• Magnetically shielded for use close to video monitors.
• AOI Technology.
• ALG Technology.
• CPR Technology.
• PSC Technology.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Power RMS: 

120 + 50W

Program Power: 

170W

Input Impedance: 

Sym, 10k Ohms

Sensivity for 100 dB @ 1m: 

0.775 V

Signal to Noise Ratio: 

-96 dBA

Continuous Max SPL@1m: 

108 dB (single)

Input Overload: 

24 Vpp

Program Max SPL@1m: 

119 dB (pair)

Response at -6dB: 

38 - 23000 Hz

Tolerances: 

±2 dB (44Hz - 20kHz)

Distortion THD: 

< 1.4% (90Hz-12kHz)

Phase tolerances: 

±45° (190Hz - 20kHz)

Dispersion (P.N. 4 - 16 kHz) at -6 dB: 

90° x 90° (H x V)

System: 

2 Way(s)

Crossover frequency: 

2.4 kHz

Woofer's dim. Ext. / Diaphragm: 

Ø217 mm / Ø170 mm

Tweeter's dim. Ext. / Diaphragm: 

Ø100 mm / Ø25 mm

Connectors: 

1 x XLR F / 3P

Signal input: 

1=GND, 2=(+), 3=(-)

Material: 

MDF

Dimensions W x H x D mm: 

250 x 400 x 300

Gross / Net Weight: 

14.8 / 13.4 kg

Voltage: 

115/230V (50-60Hz)

Consumption Standby-Quiescent-Max: 

1.2 - 5 - 150 W

Mean / Max Humidity: 

< 75% / < 90%

External Temperature: 

5 - 40°C