Archive for September, 2008
Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
Let’s talk about using sends to control effects, parallel processing and some of the other benefits of sends.
First we need to understand a few concepts. Buses, auxes and sends.
What is a Bus?
A bus is an audio pathway that allows you to move a sound from one part of the mixer to another. The main outputs of your mixer is a bus, often called the Master Bus. Busses are very useful for mixing.
What is an Aux?
An aux is essentially the output of the bus. You use them to make subgroups or sub mixes, like all the drum tracks controlled with one fader, and also for anytime you want to do parallel processing. Often this is called an effects return.
What is a Send?
A send splits the audio signal and ’sends’ it somewhere else, usually through a bus, but can also be to a interface output.
The entrance to a bus is by assigning the output of the track in a virtual mixer or by using sends.
Simple Signal Flow
Lets take a typical signal path in a mix.
A vocal track has it’s output set to your master bus. Simultaneously using a send it is being sent through a bus into an aux track with a reverb plugin.
You could put the reverb plugin as an insert right on that vocal track, but it’s really not the most efficient way of working. The reason it’s not efficient is because the reverb can not be shared by any other tracks. Using the reverb on an aux and using sends allows the most flexibility and only takes 1 plugin. (more…)
Posted in Pro Tools, Software, tutorial | 6 Comments »
Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
(This article is from The Home Recording Show Podcast Episode 8)
This week I thought it would be good to go through some quick ideas for increasing productivity and getting better and more interesting recordings.
First lets talk about some ways to increase productivity
Unplug your internet connection, cut off the urge to check your email or download a new plugin, these distractions can destroy your creativity and productivity.
Next, turn off your cellphone. Cellphones are a distraction in the studio. If you are recording other people get them to turn their phones off too. A cellphone will always ring in the middle of an inspired performance. Don’t let that happen.
A great way to speed up your set up time is to create session templates in advance. For a songwriting template start with a couple of your favorite virtual instruments already set up along with a couple of audio tracks labeled for guitar, bass and vocals.
Experiment with different kinds of click tracks (metronomes) as well. Not everyone likes the same kind of time keeping reference so learn how to set up custom click tracks. I find really good results with a sidestick for quarter notes and shaker for 8th notes. Some people like cowbell and some people like beeps, whatever works!
Sometimes when you are using a click track you have to worry about headphone bleed getting into the microphones. This is usually a problem with overhead drum mics or acoustic guitars and usually at the end of the song. Mute or turn down the level of the click at the end of the song so that it doesn’t get into the mics.
Speaking of mics, experiment with microphone placement, I know I say this every other week but seriously…try something new next time.
Try a mic you wouldn’t normally use for that task, try taping two mics together, try putting the mic in one end of a long pipe or in a metal bowl pointed at an amp.
Try putting your amp on a chair or on a couch or pointing at a couch, or put a mic in the bathtub and point the amp at it so you get some nice bright and most importantly natural reverb. The location of the amp in the room will greatly impact the sound. In general it’s best to lift it up off the ground and away from the walls.
I could list dozens more, but I’ll leave some for another time.
What do you think of these tips?
Posted in Gear, Software, commentary, tutorial | 6 Comments »
Monday, September 22nd, 2008
Last night I made a couple of really distorted Addictive Drums presets. Works really well for slow tempo stuff.
Here’s some audio demos
adstandard
adfsu1
adfsu2
Did I mention they were distorted?
Download the presets from here: http://drop.io/audiogeekzine
Enjoy!
Posted in Plugins, Software | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008
The Best (And Worst) Pro Tools Tutorial Videos (Yes, I’ve seen them ALL!)
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Posted in Pro Tools, Software, tutorial, video | 4 Comments »
Monday, September 15th, 2008
…with these Autohotkey scripts. Autohotkey is a free macro program that turns multiple keystrokes into single ones. It’s a bit difficult to get working sometimes, but it can do some rediculous things. For Macs you can get Quikey, it is available for Windows too, but AutoHotKey is free!
Here’s some simple ones to try out for making new tracks. You can copy the code below and paste it over the default script, then reload. Remember you can change any of the hotkeys to suit your needs.
Keep checking back on this post because I’ll be updating it as I create more scripts.
Blue is the function of the script and Red is the key command to activate it. + means Shift, ^ means CTRL, # means Win key, ! means Alt
(more…)
Posted in Pro Tools, Software, tutorial | 3 Comments »
