Tech Tues.: Using Delays as Reverb

The above pic is the setting I used on the Eventide UltraChannel for a mix . In the short ITL video shown below, Dave demonstrates how delays can be used in place of reverb to create a  unique space for guitar tracks. This technique also works great with other sounds including vocals. As Dave states you can use any delay including the stock delays in your DAW to create this effect.

Here's a snapshot of the stock AIR Multi-Delay in Protools:

Here's Dave's ITL:

In the past when mixing with a SSL analog console and outboard gear I would use an Eventide Harmonizer H3000/4500 etc. to create this effect  and even take it a step further by slightly detuning the pitch of the delays within the H3000. 

If you were able to download the Eventide UltraChannel plugin when it was first released as a free plugin you can easily duplicate the effect. If not it is currently on sale till Jan 31st, 2016 for only $49. A fully functional 30 day demo is available.

Next week I will do a follow up post showing some of the many creative ways delays can be used from subtle chorusing to extreme dub effects.

The Daptone House of Soul Studio

One of my favorite reads TapeOp Magazine (free subscription!) posted this video of theDaptone Studios on Facebook and as a big fan of their "sound" I felt inclined to share it on the blog.

Reverb (an online audio community/resource) did a video interview of the famous Daptone House of Soul Studio. Known mainly as the studio for Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings the Daptone House of Soul has contributed to many huge hit records.

From Reverb's website:

"From Sharon Jones to Amy Winehouse, Dap Kings to Bruno Mars, the old-school soul and R&B revival that's taken place over the last 15 years can be largely attributed to one small, no-frills analog recording studio in Brooklyn, NY. Armed with a dynamite house band, genuinely gifted producers, and a choice collection of gear and instruments, the Daptone House of Soul in Bushwick continues to churn out hits at an alarming pace. Reverb caught up with Daptone's Neal Sugarman to talk shop and find out what it is about this room that constantly pumps out gold and platinum records, almost as if that were the easiest possible thing to do.............The records that come out of this studio have a definite energy, and a classic vibe you'd typically have to dust off a 50-year-old record to hear."

In the video Daptone's Neal Sugarman talks shop with Reverb about the all analog studio. He mentions and shows some of the gear/techniques used to capture the "classic" Daptone sound. He says "over 75% of the tracks are recorded by the same band of musicians".

The gear that immediately drew my attention are:

• The Trident console (In the early '90s, I did many recordings on a Trident at Palm Tree Studios, NY),  
• The 16 track Ampex tape machine,  
• The Orban Reverb (haven't seen one in many years),  
• The RCA compressor 
• and of course the vintage microphones.

Here's the video:



TapeOp did a written interview with Gabriel Roth and Bosco Mann of Daptone Records back in 2007. You can read it in Issue #59.

I plan to pay the Daptone House Of Soul a visit soon.

Mix Monday: Alison Hinds "PARADE"

Parade is the latest single by the Soca Queen Alison Hinds. It was written by Jason Bishop, produced by De Red Boyz and mixed by Andrew Denny and myself. Produced by radio personality DJ DLife and Spark Media the video was shot at the Labor Day Parade on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn New York and captures the energy and "vibes" of the annual mega event.

Here's the video:



I often mix FOH for Alison's live shows and wanted to emulate that live natural energy for the mix of Parade so I used various plugins to enhance the tracks. 

On the drums:

 I used a parallel buss and placed the following plugins on the inserts and blended it back in with the main drums.




UAD SPL® Transient Designer Plug-In (1st insert)

MH Channelstrip (2nd insert)

On bass:

Brainworx bx_opto  (1st insert)

UAD Neve 88RS Channel Strip  (2nd insert)

On Synths:

UAD SSL E Series Channel Strip Plug-In

On Guitars:

On Vocals:

All the plugins in this post are currently on sale. Click their names/links for further info.

Freebie Fri.: Blue Cat's Freeware Plug-ins Pack II

I know many audio aficionados are already familiar with Blue Cat Audio's plugins but felt the Blue Cat's Freeware Plug-ins Pack II is such a useful free bundle of top notch plugins, it's still worth posting for Freebie Friday. 

The Blue Cat's Freeware Plug-ins Pack II is a free plugin bundle from Blue Cat Audio which consists of 6 plugins:

1. Blue Cat's Chorus

Features:

• Single voice vintage chorus effect.
• Stereo spread control.
• Sine or triangle LFO shapes.
• In or out of phase mix control.

Take a look at Protools Expert's video on the Blue Cat Chorus:

2. Blue Cat's Flanger

Features:

• Vintage flanger effect.
• Stereo spread control.
• Sine or triangle LFO shapes.
• In or out of phase feedforward and feedback paths.

3. Blue Cat's FreqAnalyst

Features:

• Mono and stereo real time spectrum analyzer.
• Total control over the audio to frequencies tranformation.
• Smart interpolation algorithm for extreme display smoothness.
• Zoomable display with multiple sizes.
• Custom absolute and relative thresholds.

4. Blue Cat's Gain Suite

and here's a Protools Expert video on the Gain Suite:



Features:

• Single or dual channels gain plug-ins.
• Stereo or mid-side processing.
• Multiple instances linking capability: link several instances of the same plugin and control several plugins from a single user interface.
• Relative, absolute or reverse link.

5. Blue Cat's Phaser

Features:

• Multi-stage analog-style phaser effect.
• Up to 32 phasing stages.
• Stereo spread control.
• Sine or triangle LFO shapes.
• In or out of phase feedforward and feedback paths.

 6. Blue Cat's Triple EQ

Features:

• True WYSIWYG 3 bands semi-parametric equalizer / shapeable filter.
• Dual Mode: independent left and right or mid and side channels control.
• Multiple channels linking modes.
• +-40 dB range for each band.
• Automatic gain compensation.
• No latency.
• Real time display of the frequency response with precise measurement and zooming capabilities.
• On-graph filter shape control.

Blue Cat's Freeware Plug-ins Pack II plug-ins are available for Mac and PC, in VST, RTAS, AAX, Audio Unit and DirectX plug-in formats, for both 32 and 64-bit architectures.

Go to the Blue Cat's Freeware Plug-ins Pack II page to download.

Have fun!

Envolution - Frequency Dependent Transient Shaper

Sonnox has launched a brand new plugin called Envolution. It is a frequency dependent transient shaper. The above pic shows that Envolution offers much more than the usual transient and sustain controls. 


From the Sonnox website:

"Envolution is a frequency-dependent envelope shaper with separate transient and sustain sections to radically re-shape the envelope of your instruments or audio. Use a broader tilt mode or the more parametric-style focus mode to choose which frequencies are processed. Insert on a track, bus or even master output to add presence/distance to drums, piano, guitar and any other percussive content. Boost sustain to make the ambience around a recording bloom, or cut it for quick and precise gating.
We love the more creative and extreme side of the plug-in too; like using the DIFF button to generate negative ratio compression effects!"

I downloaded the Envolution demo and tried it on live drums that needed a little more definition and punch. I was happy with the overall sound of the kit so I placed it on the drum buss master. By using the DIFF switch I found it fairly easy to dial in the settings needed to emphasize the kick. It also slightly enhanced some of the lower frequencies in the toms and snare which made the entire drum kit have more impact. 

Here's the setting I used:

I used the MIX control to blend the "dry" and processed sound and added a little saturation with the WARMTH knob. The output was reduced to match the level when the plugin is bypassed.

Features:

• Frequency dependent control of Transients & Sustain 
• Tilt/parametric targeting of frequencies to process 
• DIFF button to solo the effect
• Use in parallel without phase cancellation
• Warmth control for: - Harmonic saturation/tone shaping & prevention of excessive output levels.
• Presets

Watch this brief overview of the Sonnox Envolution:

and here's a video review of the Envolution by Dan Cooper of Protools Expert:

The Sonnox Envolution is available on the website as AAX Native, Audio Units and VST for $270/£170.00. The AAX DSP price is $399/£275.00. Your dealer might have it for a lower price.

Download a demo of Envolution here.

The WesAudio_dione

I saw this on the 500 Love Facebook group and thought I should share it. Like the Bettermaker C502v the WesAudio_dione is a Stereo Bus Compressor with software recall via plugins in your DAW.
I think moving forward we're going to see more and more hardware incorporating digital control. For those who prefer a "hybrid" workflow this is a good thing if the sonics and build quality is not compromised for the sake of convenience. Kudos to the manufacturers for approaching this growing trend with the same TLC and attention to detail as they did with the "vintage" analog gear we revere. The WesAudio_dione has some great features.
The ones that stood out to me are:
a. The threshold, mix and makeup knobs are touch sensitive and can be automated. 
b. The side chain can be used directly from the plugin, no patch cables necessary. 
c. The GR meter is displayed in the plugin itself.
d. It has 2 modes of Harmonic distortion.
e. Tons of headroom.
f. Hardware A/B settings switch 


Here's the introductory video of the WesAudio_dione:

List of Features:

•  famous bus compressor design with usage of best analogue components,
•  compatible with GCon – innovative High-speed USB/Ethernet protocol,
•  digitally controlled and isolated analog circuit
•  direct USB connection to control analogue device with usage of VST2/VST3/AAX plugins.
•  hardware A/B settings switch,
•  digital sidechain – side chain signal can be sent from the plugin itself (DAW) to the compressor,
•  3 touch sensitive encoders allow record automation of particular parameters (Threshold, Mix, Make Up) in DAW,
•  true bypass
•  accurate analogue GR meter and its precise simulation implemented in the plug-in itself,
•  THD – harmonic distortion with two modes (Medium & High),
•  Mix knob which allows parallel compression,
•  free software and firmware upgrades,
•  +24dBu of headroom

Specifications:

• Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz (0.1dB)
• THD+N (WET): 0.008% (1kHz,0dBu)
• THD+N (DRY): 0.004% (1kHz,0dBu)
• Input impedance: 10kohm
• Output impedance: <100ohm
• Max gain: 21dB
• Crosstalk:
• < -90dB
• Attack: 0.1,0.3,1,3,10,30 (ms)
• Release: 0.1,0.3,0.6,0.9,1.2,Auto (s)
• Ratio: 1.5,2.4.10
• SC Filter: 60,90,150,T1,T2
• THD (MID switch): 1%
• THD (HIGH switch): 4%

The WesAudio_dione will be available in January 2016 for $1199.

Freebie Fri.: My favorite panner and it's FREE!

Pancake2 from CableGuys (they make the award winning soft synth Curve2) is one of the most versatile panning plugins I've ever used. You can create and automate your own panning curves with ease. Even use multiple curves for different parts of a song.

Here's a short video with Luke over at GuitarIQ.com showing the flexibility of the Pancake2 panner being used on a guitar riff. He also shares with us a great tip on using the panner on a send with delays:



Download and have fun with Pancake2 at cableguys.com. It's available for Mac and Windows. 

Feel free to share your creative curves and/or panning tips in the comments. 

Thanks.

I've been hearing good things about this karacter.

Elysia is a company that needs no introduction in the audio world. They make great hardware and software and is now shipping their latest creation, the karacter 500. it is a dual slot 500 series mastering grade saturation module also known as "The Coloring Box". The karacter 500 is a very flexible unit which can go from subtle saturation to "nuke mode" and sounds great on a variety of sources including your stereo buss. Mixing/Mastering engineers take note it even has a M/S Mode.

FEATURES:

• Discrete Class-A Topology
• Mastering-Grade Saturation
• Tube-Inspired Distortion
• Glorious Destruction via Turbo Boost switch
• Color Filter
• Integrated M/S Matrix
• Dual Mono/Stereo Link
• Stepped Controllers
• Ground Layer Shield

Take a look at Elysia's video of the character 500 and hear  some of its "colors":



The Elysia karacter 500 is available from various dealers including Little Fish Audio for $975.

Pultec EQP-500A/S_500 Series Program Equalizers

Pulse Techniques is a company known for their exceptional Pultec equalizers that are manufactured to the exact specifications of the originals. The owner Steve Jackson says he was encouraged by engineer Eric Sarafin (the infamous Mixerman) to recreate the Pultecs.

Now they're releasing their EQP-1A3-SS rackmount equalizers in a 500 series format.

In the early 1970s, after condensing the classic 3U model EQP-1A into the 2U form-factor model EQP-1A3 (with the exact same components and specs), Pulse Techniques introduced a solid-state line amp version of the EQP-1A3. This version, based on the venerable API 2520 op-amp, is preferred by some engineers for certain applications, such as kick and bass. Pulse Techniques has taken this proven design to the next stage by packing them into the 500 Series form factor. These EQs deliver all of the punch and mojo of their full-sized counterparts.

 Sound On Sound Magazine spoke to Pulse Techniques about their new equalizers at AES 2015:



The 500 series EQP-500A and 500S should be shipping between late December and early January 2016. Listed at Vintage King Audio for $1295.

Tech Tues.: A Review Of UA Apollo 8 & 8P plus Storewide Sale.

Universal Audio is currently have a Storewide Holiday Sale (up to 60% off) on all their plugins until December 31st. You can also buy an Apollo Rack and get a UAD Satellite for FREE.

With that in mind I thought I should do a post showing how to get great sounding tracks with the UA Apollos and UAD Plugins.

Here's a video by our friends over at Protools Expert with James, Luis and Ben recording with the UA Apollo and UAD-2 Plugins in a real session. All the tracks are recorded with just the Apollos and plugins using the UA Software Console routed into Protools. I like how easy it is to combine multiple UA interfaces and that the headphone outputs are active on both units.:

Freebie Fri.: TDR Nova

The TDR Nova is another great free plugin from Tokyo Dawn Records. It is a multi-band dynamic equalizer that can be used as a de-esser; on  drums, guitars, vocals etc. or even on the master buss to enhance your mix (Warning! you can easily destroy your mix if you're not careful).

It is a more enhanced version of the Nova-67P. You can view a comparison of both plugins on vladgsound's blog. Make sure to check out the "Sticky" mode (Press Alt/Option then Threshold on the selected band to activate it). The selected band will no longer be affected by the plugin's wideband compression.

TDR Nova Features:

• Parametric equalization
• Dynamic equalization
• Frequency selective compression/expansion
• Multi-band compression/expansion
• Wideband compression

Download it here.

The 11 in 1 Vari Tube Compressor with Total Recall.

Tegeler Audio Manufaktur is a Berlin based audio manufacturer founded by developer Michael Krusch. They're known for making well built, hand constructed gear with impeccable sound.

Now they've announced their latest masterpiece "The Schwerkraftmaschine". It's a Vari-Mu style compressor with some unique features. 

The Schwerkraftmaschine provides 11 different compression modes and servo controlled pots. It also has a unique side chain filter feature where it can be used as a standard high-pass/low-cut filter at 20, 40, 60, 120 and 300 Hz or as a tilt eq to enhance the highs or lows.

This video by Tegeler Audio Manufaktur demonstrates the effect of the SC Filter:




But the feature that will probably grab the most attention is the servo controlled pots. They can be controlled by a DAW plugin or even by remote over a network! When changes are made from the unit itself the plugins will reflect the change. When you reopen your saved session the settings will be recalled on the Schwerkraftmaschine.




The inclusion of a Mix control pot is a nice addition to what already seems like a stellar unit. I like being able to vary the balance between the processed and un-processed sound when necessary.

FEATURES:

• Input and Output Level Controls
• Variable Attack and Release
• Stereo unit with Dry/Wet Mix Knob
• 3 Transformers and 3 Triodes per channel.
• 11 Compression modes
• Fully analog path with digital side-chain
• Side-Chain with flexible HPF/Tilt Eq

You can request a 14 day trial of The Schwerkraftmaschine.

Available Jan 2016. MSRP 3,499 €/3,778 USD

The T-RackS Mic Room

IK Multimedia has released their new Mic Room Mic Modeling software for their T-Racks plugin suite. Its an extensive take on what some might deem an "old idea" that provides so many colors and textures for your tracks. This will come in very handy on some of the projects I'm mixing. Don't be deterred by the fact that you don't own any of the suggested source microphones. There are countless combinations that work well dependent on the sound of the original recording. (You can also purchase the reasonably priced iRig Mic Studio as a source microphone for those "on the go" recordings with your phone/tablet/laptop etc. It's compatible with Mac/Win, Android and iOS).

"Mic Room is a microphone-modeling tool for T-RackS that puts a world-class collection of over 20 classic and contemporary microphones at your fingertips. It gives you the power to process and "re-mike" your physical microphones to sound and perform like some of the most coveted mic models of all time."

Watch IK's video of the Mic Room and then download the demo to try it for yourself:



At a cost of only $69 IK's Mic Room is sure to be added to the Xmas lists of many audio enthusiasts.

Tech Tues.: Using The 1176

Bobby Owsinski who is a well known Producer/Engineer and author/blogger has a 101 Mixing Tricks  coaching program where he shares tons of studio tips and tricks. In this post I'm featuring the 1176. I've used the hardware on many mixes in the past and now use the plugin often.

Here are two videos by Mr. Owsinski featuring the UAD 1176 Plug-in. The first is called the Dr. Pepper Trick and the second shows some of the favorite settings from legendary producer and engineer Bones Howe.

(Try the settings with all 3 versions of the 1176 plugin and let me know which you prefer).

My new favorite Limiter.

I recently obtained a copy of IK Multimedia's Stealth Limiter from their rep Derrick Floyd. It has now become one of my favorites. I like it because it's very transparent and easy to use. I especially like the unity gain monitor which allows you to hear what the limiters processing is doing to the audio without a big jump in audio level. We often interpret louder as better but sometimes that is not the case. The four modes (tight, balanced, harmonics 1, harmonics 2) and "inter-sample peak limiting algorithm" plus available 16 and 24bit dither makes it easy to get a great sounding master. The Stealth Limiter is part of IK Multimedia's T-Racks Custom Shop Mixing and Mastering Collection. It runs on both Mac and PC as an AU, VST and AAX/RTAS plugin. 

Features:

• Ultra-transparent mastering peak limiter 
• Advanced inter-sample peak limiting algorithm
• 4 operating modes that offer different tonal shades that vary from super clean to warmly analog
• Easy-to-use interface
• Unity gain monitoring function
• Infrasonic filter

Check out this video Protools Expert just posted showing the Stealth Limiter in action:

Price $124.99. Download the demo at IK Multimedia's website and hear for yourself on your own material what the Stealth Limiter is capable of.

Freebie Fri.: Voxengo OldSkoolVerb

Voxengo's OldSkoolVerb is a freeware reverb that runs as an AU or VST plugin on both Mac and Windows. It's described as ....a “classic” stereo reverb algorithm which is technically simple yet optimal. It also produces a very clear spatial image that blends well with the mix.

OldSkoolVerb offers Plate, Room and Hall settings with the ability to tweak the parameters to your liking. The above pic is an actual setting that I used on the background vocals for a  Hip-Hop/R&B song I mixed.

Features:

• Plate, room and hall reverbs
• Stereo processing
• A/B comparisons
• Zero processing latency 
• 5 reverb modes
• Preset manager
• Contextual hint messages
• Reverb mode editor
• Undo/redo history
• All sample rates support

Download OldSkoolVerb at Voxengo.com

What do you think of the new EXHALE software by OUTPUT?

OUTPUT the makers of REV and SIGNAL announced their latest software instrument called EXHALE which is described as a "Modern Vocal Engine". It requires Kontakt (full version or free player) to operate. 

Ask.Audio did a great review on EXHALE. 

Here's an excerpt:

"What Output has done here is very decidedly not try to give you a soul diva vocal for your DAW. Instead, a combination of sampling, synthesis and effects are used to create a completely new kind of instrument. “Vocal Engine” is an accurate description, with real sampled voices providing the building blocks of sound, and a huge amount of other tools transforming the samples into new and often unrecognizable end products. It’s hyper-modern, experimental and is more about using voices as instruments than anything else. It is quite possible to strip patches back to a more natural choral or vocal sound, but that’s not the real focus of what’s going on here. It was born of feedback from musicians who complained that there was no way to get the kinds of vocal sounds and effects required by modern scores, EDM and sound design, in software form."

Watch the walkthrough video of EXHALE:

Features:

• 500 Unique Presets
• 3 Modes: Notes, Loops & Slices
• 10 GB raw material
• Custom FX Presets
• Custom Macros Per Preset
• Snapshots for Maschine
• Macro Editing
• Main and Engine Pages
• Automatable Insert and Mod FX

I think many producers and composers/sound designers will find EXHALE a useful addition to their creative arsenal. What do you think?

Price: $199 with a 14 day money back guarantee.

The AES show is not only about gear via Plectrum|NYC

Most discussions of the annual AES convention tend to be about all the amazing gear that is displayed on the exhibit floor. But there are also all the seminars/presentations that feature some of the talented producers and engineers that use the gear to create the iconic music for our favorite artists/bands. The feedback I've received over the last few days says that last weekend's 139th AES 2015 in NYC did not disappoint in this aspect.

My friend Andy from Plectrum|NYC (a boutique audio equipment rental service based in NYC)
summed it up quite nicely in his 4 part blog post on his site.

Some of the insightful gems mentioned include:

Meeting the designers behind some of the great gear that we use daily.

The "Platinum Producers-Bad Vibrations" panel which focused more on the emotional instead of the technical side of the music making process. How sometimes unorthodox methods are used to achieve the creative goals of the artist and producer.

The creative process of many iconic producers and engineers. 

"Joe Chiccarelli pointed out on several occasions that he felt he failed in his artistic vision if he hadn’t captured 90% of the desired sound by the time tracking was done!"

"John Congleton repeatedly emphasized creativity over gear, experimenting with all kinds of available gear including inexpensive guitar pedals and exploring any possible crazy combination including running his Boss pedals through his Fairchild!"

"John admitted that it took him a very long time ((6 or 7 years!) without anyone taking any notice of his artistic work! and stressed that unless there is true creative fire underneath, music may not be worth pursuing, at least not if one is in it to make a living."

"Val Garay generously shared a wealth of details about the production techniques for James Taylor’s “JT” album and Kim Carnes “Bette Davis Eyes” single, including the exact types of microphones used for drums and vocals and their placement. To note: he loves a pair of elam251s as drum overheads and u67 for vocal, tracked through an early API console."

Many shared personal stories of artists and historic sessions such as Jack Douglas telling

the personal stories revolving around John & Yoko, such as John explaining how to write a hit song: “Speak the truth and make it rhyme!” were first-rate.

Or Jack’s stories about John’s later day habits of recording while he was in bed: ”Surrounding John’s bed were guitars and tape machines to all sides. Recording him meant I literally had to jump in bed with him!” 

(In the past I've heard that Stevie Wonder used to keep tape recorders in every room in his house so he could lay down a song idea whenever and wherever his creative muse kicked in).

Read the entire post at http://plectrumnyc.com/blog/