Pierre Oliver-Margerand, the owner/designer of Pom Audio Design said his new POMPYEstereo compressor is based on the original PYE compressors which became famous back in the 60's and is still a favorite with many engineers/producers. I got to see and hear them in action many years ago while chatting with Tom Lord Alge at South Beach Studios. Pom Audio Design specializes in the "design, maintenace, repair, update or re-make of any high quality compressors, limiters and preamps to order.... made between 1939 and 1981". (Only UK customers can book a repair.) I think the POMPYE will work well as part of the recording chain, "re-amping" tracks as well as strapped across the stereo buss of your DAW, console or summing chain.
Take a look/listen to the POMPYE in this intro video by Kore Studios :
I look forward to hearing it in person and using it on a recording and mixing session.
For the features and specifications visit pompeye.com
The POMPYE compressor's price is £1990/$2828.32. Contact Pierre for ordering info.
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 UltraChannelplugin 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.
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.
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.
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 IIplug-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.
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 lowerprice.
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.
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.
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.
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-SSrackmount 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.
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 atProtools 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.:
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.
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
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.
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).
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 Expertjust posted showing the Stealth Limiter in action:
Price $124.99. Download the demo at IK Multimedia's websiteand hear for yourself on your own material what the Stealth Limiter is capable of.
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.
