Sound On Sound 2009-04

Sound On Sound April 2009 - In This Issue
April 2009 In This Issue

To open articles, click title links
Reviews People + Opinion
Alesis Master Control Kevin Burleigh & Glasvegas: Recording A
Firewire Audio Interface & Control Surface Snowflake Fell
Audio interface, control surface, monitor controller — the Alesis Christmas In Transylvania
Master Control does it all. Could it be the perfect companion to For most bands and most record labels, trekking to the wilds of Eastern
your DAW? Europe to record a Christmas album would be a project that would remain
filed under ‘Nice idea, but...’ Glasvegas, however, are not your ordinary
Audio-Technica AT2035 & 2050 guitar band.
Condenser Microphones Playback
Industry stalwarts Audio-Technica introduce two new
Readers’ Music Reviewed
microphones that offer a similar character to their popular
The editorial team audition another crop of your submitted tracks.
AT2020, but with better performance and additional features.
Sounding Off: 21st Century Culture
Camel Audio Alchemy David Glasper
Software Synth [Mac/PC] What can we do to save ourselves from the misery and bathos of 21st
Truly original and innovative software is a rare thing these days, but Camel century culture? Simple: hide in the past.
Audio’s latest is exactly that. Find out what it is that sets Alchemy apart
Won’t Get Fooled Again
from the soft-synth crowd...
Leader
CEntrance AxePort Pro Editor-In-Chief Paul White likes dreaming up April Fool's blue-sky
USB Guitar Interface products, but with the unveiling of MOTU's Volta and Microsoft's
Songsmith, fact is indeed becoming stranger than fiction!
Focal CMS65
Active Nearfield Monitors Technique
Focal control everything from design to manufacture in their Advanced Mixing In Logic Pro 8: Part 1
factory in France — and this approach appears to be paying off. Logic Notes & Techniques
A professional producer and mixer passes on his favourite Logic mixing
methods, starting this month at the bottom, with tips for bass and drums.
IK Multimedia T-Racks 3 Apple Notes: Upgrading MacBook Hard Drives
Master Processing Suite [Mac/PC]
Tips, Techniques & News
IK’s original T-Racks invented the idea of ‘one-stop shop’
With the increasing size of audio files and high-quality sample libraries, a
software for master processing. Do the improvements in version
Apple MacBook hard drive that seemed capacious just a couple of years
3 keep it ahead of its rivals?
ago may now be straining at the seams — but swapping it for a bigger one
is easier than you might think.
Imperfect Samples Braunschweig
Piano Sample Library Building A Beatbox In Ableton Live
The inaugural product from Imperfect Samples is a sampled piano with a Ableton Live Notes & Techniques
difference... We show you how to make Live emulate an MPC-style workflow for
composing rhythm tracks.
Line 6 Pocket Pod Express
Modelling Guitar Processor Classic Tracks: Heavy Zebra ‘Karla’
Producer: Heavy Zebra • Engineer: Kevin Byrne
Loopmasters KJ Sawka Blighted by drug abuse and mental illness, Heavy Zebra never
Multi-format fulfilled their early promise. Nevertheless, the deranged majesty
of their 1972 single ‘Karla’ makes it a bona fide classic track.
Markbass Studio 1
Bass-guitar Amp Emulation
Cubase: Advanced Vocal Compression
Nine Volt Audio Taiko Cubase Notes & Techniques
Kontakt 2/3 We explore some of the advanced parallel compression techniques used
by top mix engineer Michael Brauer — and how you can recreate them
SE Electronics SE4400a using Cubase.
Multi-pattern Condenser Microphone
Small size and a choice of polar patterns make this mid-priced, large- Cubase: Advanced Vocal Compression — Audio
diaphragm mic a very versatile performer. Files
Hear For Yourself
Sonic Reality Ocean Way Drums We explore some of the advanced parallel compression techniques used
Virtual Drum Instrument by top mix engineer Michael Brauer — and how you can recreate them
Ocean Way Drums offers 19 drum kits, recorded in a world- using Cubase.
famous studio by a world-renowned engineer. Is this the best
drum sample library money can buy? Double-tracking Vocals
Sound Techniques
Whether you want to do it for real or fake it, double tracking can add very
Soniccouture Bowed Piano
effective texture to vocal parts.
EXS24 & Kontakt 2/3
http://www.soundonsound.com/Contents.php[02/04/2009 11:52:43]
Sound On Sound April 2009 - In This Issue
Mix Rescue: Audio Files

Sony Acid Pro 7
Hear For Yourself
Digital Audio Workstation Software For Windows
Links to the MP3 preview and high-resolution WAV files that accompany
Acid Pro has always offered a fabulous environment for loop-based music
the SOS APRIL 2009 Mix Rescue article for our newsstand/bookstore
creation, but version 7 sees it making a bid for fully fledged DAW status.
readers who do not have eSub-access to the main web article.
Toontrack Jazz EZX
Mix Rescue: Timo Carlier
EZ Drummer Expansion
Recording simple ideas quickly
Universal Audio Twin-finity 710 Recording simple ideas quickly often helps you to capture a good, fresh-
Hybrid Microphone Preamplifier sounding performance — but it can also leave you with frustrating technical
Which is best, tube or solid state? When it comes to investing in problems in the mix. This month, we tackle just such a recording...
a preamp, that’s a question you may no longer need to ask...
PC Notes
Non-Windows hard drives
If you’re under the impression that installing your audio apps on a non-
Waldorf Blofeld Keyboard Windows drive will lead to better performance, you’re in for a surprise.
Digital Synthesizer Recording audio tracks to such a drive, though, is a different matter...
Waldorf build on the success of their Blofeld synth by adding not
only a keyboard, but also sample RAM. Recording Techniques For Upright Piano
Miking Techniques & Recording Tips
We’ve discussed how to record grand pianos in some depth in past issues,
but miking an upright piano can present a very different challenge.
Waves Maserati Collection
Plug-in Bundle [Mac/PC] Recording Upright Piano: Audio Files
Most of us cannot afford to have Tony Maserati mix our tracks Hear For Yourself
— but thanks to Waves, we can now use his personal effects We've discussed how to record grand pianos in some depth in past issues,
and processing chains in our own mixes. but miking an upright piano can present a very different challenge... Here
are links to MP3 and WAV files to accompany April's recording workshop.
Competition Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Jochem van der
WIN Audient BB4 Modular Channel Strip worth Saag
1450 GBP Seal: Soul 'A Change Is Gonna Come';
Deadline: 2009-04-30 When Seal decided to pay tribute to classic soul records on his
Prize kindly donated by Audient album Soul, he turned to legendary producer David Foster —
+44 (0)1256 381944 and his right-hand man, Jochem van der Saag, who was
www.audient.com responsible for mixing and much more.
Sonar: Integrating External Hardware With Your

WIN Epiphone Les Paul Ultra II guitar DAW
Deadline: 2009-05-31 Sonar Notes & Techniques
Prize kindly donated by Gibson/Epiphone Is it time to lighten the load on your CPU and put that outboard signal
Sound Advice processing hardware to work inside your DAW? We explain how...
Q. How can I create a better stereo image? Studio SOS: Gerry Daly
Making the most of your studio space
Q. How much difference does mic position make to We turn a less-than-ideal square rented room into a workable recording
vocals? and mixing space.
Q. Is Windows 7 good for musicians? The SOS Guide To Choosing A Modular Synth
Plug & Play
Q. Should I buy a separate preamp? No longer the preserve of men in laboratories or capes, the modular synth
business is thriving, and it’s now easier to go modular than ever before.
Q. What should I buy to equip my studio?
Read on and we’ll show you how...
Track Comping In Pro Tools 8

Pro Tools Notes & Techniques
One of the major new features in Pro Tools 8 is a system for easily
assembling 'comp' tracks from multiple takes. We explain how it all works.
Music Business
Notes From The Deadline
TV Music From The Inside
Your showreel can say a lot about you. And if it’s going to get you work,
what it needs to say is: trust me.
http://www.soundonsound.com/Contents.php[02/04/2009 11:52:43]
Alesis Master Control
In this article: Alesis Master Control

Audio Interfacing Firewire Audio Interface & Control Surface
Monitoring & Published in SOS April 2009
Talkback Reviews : Hardware Controller
Print article : Close window
DAW Control
Surface
Audio interface, control surface, monitor controller — the Alesis Master
Too Much Of
Everything?
Control does it all. Could it be the perfect companion to your DAW?
Vital Statistics Mike Senior

£899
pros
T here was a point in the ’80s when every other gadget
seemed to have a digital watch built in, or a biro, or a bottle
opener, or all three, while today it appears that the flame lit
by these early innovators is now carried staunchly by the LED
Up to 26 inputs, eight of torch. In the home-studio market, it wasn’t too many years ago
them analogue, as standard, that the ‘Swiss Army knife’ award for bundled extras would have
with six analogue line
gone to an analogue voice channel or digital multitracker, but
outputs and a pair of
onboard headphone amps. these days it’d probably be a toss-up between a software
The control surface features sequencer and a hardware audio/control interface.
some nice full-length touch- The new Master Control from Alesis is a case in point, taking a
sensitive faders, endless
hardware control surface and bolting on a couple of mic preamps,
rotary encoders, transport
controls and some multi-channel audio interfacing, monitor control and a 3.7-
assignable buttons. megapixel webcam. (OK, I lied about the webcam, but it can surely only be a matter of time...) As befits such
Slick hardware-controlled an all-in-one device, there are specs and features aplenty, but rather than getting bogged down with those
low-latency cue-mixing via straight away, I’ve popped them all in a separate ‘Vital Statistics’ box so that I can concentrate on how the
onboard DSP. Master Control responds in practice.
Basic monitor control and
talkback facilities. Audio Interfacing
cons
No high-impedance A lot of computer musicians will be perfectly happy with the supplied eight analogue inputs, so the use of
instrument input and only two digital interfacing for the remaining 14 makes sense, particularly as there’s now a good deal of choice in
ergonomically compromised terms of stand-alone multi-channel preamps with ADAT interfacing — names like Audient, Behringer,
mic preamps. Focusrite, Presonus, RME and TL Audio immediately spring to mind, but that’s by no means an exhaustive
Rotary controls have fairly list. What project studio owners are likely to be less happy with is only being provided with two mic preamps,
restricted preset parameter especially the ones here. It’s not that the preamplification itself is bad — Alesis have been making mixers for
assignments.
a long time, and you get a healthy 60dB of pretty clean gain. The first thing that’s a pain is that the gain
Only one low-latency cue mix
available despite the 26 control knob is exceptionally diddy (like a hardware LCD contrast control) and is tucked inconveniently
possible inputs. around the back of the unit below the line of the sockets.
Talkback button transmits a Even had Alesis, like many an ’80s gadget entrepreneur, built a pencil-sharpener into the Master Control,
lot of switching noise to the allowing you to slim down the ends of your fingers, you’d still encounter problems, because about 14dB of
adjacent mic.
the available gain has been bunched up so close to the end of our nano-knob’s travel that I was unable
summary reliably to set any intermediate gain level between about 46dB and 60dB. Although this kind of control-law
Despite some operational bunching is by no means uncommon on budget preamps, I don’t think I’ve ever encountered an example as
frustrations, the Alesis extreme as this before — that last 14dB might as well be a switch. And speaking of switches, the phantom
Master Control does put a lot
power for both preamps is activated by a small button that could scarcely have been better designed to
of important computer-related
disguise it as one of the gain controls, so new users should expect a certain amount of inadvertent
hardware functionality in one
place, and does so at a gain/phantom hilarity to ensue.
pretty competitive price. Another complaint I have in general about the audio interfacing is that there’s no top-panel legending to let
you know which socket is which, and this is particularly tedious for the headphone and line I/O sockets,
information which form such an inscrutable 8x2-socket phalanx that you’ll forever find yourself craning your neck trying
£899 including VAT. to make out the rear-panel legending. Which, from that viewpoint, of course, will be upside-down. Take my
Alesis UK +44 (0)1252 advice: don’t plan on setting up the Master Control right against a wall, under a shelf, or in front of a moving
341400.
table fan. And while we’re talking about panel markings, leave some budget for a bottle of Tippex, so that
Click here to email
you can mark an indicator line on the two otherwise featureless headphone-level knobs.
www.alesis.com
Monitoring & Talkback
Test Spec
Alesis Master Control That the input metering is limited to simple Signal/Clip LEDs isn’t
firmware v1.0. the worry it might once have been, given the extensive metering
Alesis Firewire Control Panel now available within most typical software applications, but it’s nice
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/alesismastercontrol.htm?print=yes[02/04/2009 11:53:15]
v3.3.3.3355. nonetheless to have the little five-LED bargraph display for the
While almost all of the controls are
Steinberg Cubase v4.5.2. main outputs, as it would, in theory, be possible to clip these
mounted on the front of the unit, the
Rain Recording Solstice O3 without clipping the outputs of your software. The reason for this is
preamps’ gain controls are found on
PC with AMD Phenom 9750 that the Master Control actually includes a separate low-latency
quad-core 2.4GHz processor, the rear, along with the unit’s I/O.
4GB DDR2 RAM, and DSP mixer for cue-monitoring purposes, and this combines its
This can make for some slightly
Windows XP Pro with Service output with that of your recording software.
Pack 3. fiddly operation.
This cue-monitoring facility is called Direct Monitoring by Alesis, While almost all of the controls are
Photos too small? Click and the available DSP mixing controls themselves are quite basic, mounted on the front of the unit, the
on photos, screenshots and comprising just level and pan controls for each of the analogue preamps’ gain controls are found on the
diagrams in articles to open and digital inputs, and the ability to route the subsequent mix via a rear, along with the unit’s I/O. This can
a Larger View gallery. dedicated Direct Mon Level knob to any or all of the available make for some slightly fiddly operation.
analogue outputs. What is a really nice idea, though, is that if you
hit the Direct Monitor button on the left edge of the unit, the assignable faders and knobs abandon their
DAW-control functions and drive the DSP mixer instead, letting you set up your cue balance in a flash. This
is a really elegant little system, with the inputs addressed in sensible banks and Mute/Solo buttons operating
as you’d hope. If you substantially expand the built-in analogue input count to push beyond small-scale
recording and overdubbing, you may find the single cue mix becomes a limitation, but as it stands I found the
Alesis control approach much friendlier and better than the handful of software cue-mix utilities I’ve used up
to now on other audio interfaces. (The Master Control’s own software control utility is a relatively calorie-free
affair, as it only needs to deal with simple digital clocking and buffer/latency settings.)
It’s worth clarifying that Direct Monitoring isn’t a true zero-latency scheme, as you still get a few
milliseconds of delay owing to the DSP’s A-D/D-A conversion and number-crunching. While Alesis
themselves admit that the Master Control’s smallest buffer-size settings will give just as good a latency delay
figure via software monitoring, the moment audio processing or virtual instruments start bringing your CPU
out in even the slightest sweat, you’ll quickly find Direct Monitoring to be the better option. To put this in
perspective, I opened a completely empty project in Cubase 4.5.2 with nothing but a single audio track in it,
and was able just about to achieve a buffer size of 96 samples without audio glitching. At that setting, the
software monitoring latency (reported as roughly 3.7ms in and 3.4ms out) was pretty much on a par with that
delivered through the Direct Monitor DSP mixer.
Rounding out the foldback functions is a built-in talkback mic, which can be routed to any output and, by
default, seems sensitive enough to pick up all but the most cautious of sniggers from the back of the control
room. If you’re monitoring via the built-in headphone jacks you appear to be stuck with the default level
setting in the current firmware, though, because although you can merrily adjust a Talkback Volume
parameter in the Master Control’s internal menus, this appears to make no difference to the level of the
talkback in the headphone feed.
The Talkback switch itself is another problem, despite sensibly muting the DAW and Direct Monitor feeds
to all outputs when the talkback mic is active. By locating the switch right next to the mic on the panel and
insufficiently damping mechanical vibrations within the chassis, Alesis have allowed it to transmit such a click
to the cue monitoring that it renders the talkback function practically unusable as far as I’m concerned. The
situation is rescued in some measure by the option to use a footswitch for talkback switching, but I don’t think
that really gets Alesis off the hook, because it just feels like poor design. How difficult would it have been to
locate the talkback mic at a greater distance from the button?
As I mentioned a moment ago, the DSP mixer has its own dedicated digital output level control, addressed
from an endless rotary encoder. While it seems fair enough to me to have a software level control here, I’m
cagier about the same approach being used for the interface’s main output-level control (labelled 1-2 Level).
To be fair to Alesis, I didn’t have any unexpected level jumps during the review period, but you have to ask
yourself how your speaker setup would respond if, say, the Master Control’s firmware ever decided to crash
in such a way that it sent full-scale digital hash out of the output sockets. What you do get in return, if you’re
unconcerned by such nebulous risks, is the ability to decide which of the three output pairs are under the
knob’s control, and in conjunction with the three Speakers/Outputs buttons this gives you simple monitor-
controller functionality: just select the pair of monitors using the buttons, while controlling the levels of any of
them from the 1-2 Level control. Enterprising studio owners might also decide to use the Master Control’s six
outputs for 5.1 surround monitoring too, for which the ganged volume control would likewise be very handy.
DAW Control Surface

When it comes to remotely operating your DAW parameters, the
Master Control uses the Mackie Control standard with all
supported applications except Pro Tools, for which it uses the HUI
protocol. (Whether many Pro Tools users will choose the Master
Control, given that its audio hardware won’t be accessible to the

software, is of course somewhat open to question anyway.) Preset
control layouts are available for all the main MIDI and Audio
sequencers (Cubase/Nuendo, Digital Performer, Logic, Pro Tools,
Sonar), as well as Reason, Samplitude and Live, but in addition to
these you can also use the Master Control as a generic MIDI The Master Control’s main panel
controller, in which case the faders and pots just squirt out a range measures 486mm by 368mm, and
of MIDI Continuous Controller messages. The hardware ships with Alesis have done well do squeeze
a couple of dozen natty plastic overlays that can be slotted snugly everything, including the full-size
into the top panel to remind you of the parameter assignments faders, into this space, with only one
relevant to your specific sequencer, and you also get bundled ‘lite’ or two ergonomic compromises.
versions of Ableton Live and Cubase supplied, in the unlikely The Master Control’s main panel
event that you’ve spent the best part of a grand on control and measures 486mm by 368mm, and
interfacing hardware without already owning anything for it to Alesis have done well do squeeze
everything, including the full-size faders,
control or interface with!
into this space, with only one or two
Setting up the Master Control for use with my Cubase system ergonomic compromises.
was pretty easy, given the well-written manual, which walks you
through the various steps of the process. Basic fader, pan, mute,
solo and record-arm controls worked as expected, with the four buttons just under the output meters sliding
the hardware controls across the software mixer channels one at a time (Track) or eight at a time (Bank).
Touching a fader selects the channel in question and brings its name into the LCD display, while moving a
knob not only displays the affected channel’s name but also the addressed parameter’s value. The rotary
controls are switchable to access three parameter layers, which in Cubase adds eight send switches and
levels for the selected track, and there is a facility to swap the control destinations of the faders and rotary
controls — useful given that the rotary controls give no dedicated visual feedback of their settings.
Transport operations and audio jogging/scrubbing held no surprises, although I see little point in audio
scrubbing now that audio waveforms have arrived on the scene. You can move channel and object
selections and alter zoom settings in two dimensions using the cursor keys around the Scrub wheel, although
I thought the spacing of these conspired with the slightly sloping layout to make them uncomfortable to use,
so preferred to use Key Commands for these tasks.
The final control area is taken up with the dual-bank assignable buttons. These can directly trigger a
shortlist of common location, automation and window-management tasks, and these assignments can be
edited via the LCD display and data dial. For any tasks not in the shortlist, you can simply instruct a button to
act as one of the Mackie Control function keys, and then map that onto your choice of Key Command within
Cubase’s Device Setup dialogue. Forgotten what a button’s control assignment is? Hold down the Preview
button first and you can press the control button to see its function on the LCD, without actually triggering the
action.
Although, on the whole, that lot constitutes a pretty well-rounded set of control features, the rotary controls
do still let the side down a bit. For a start, the preset knob assignments for each sequencer are both a bit
arbitrary and pretty limited. For example, in both Digital Performer and Pro Tools you get just Pan and Send
1 Level controls per channel, and the only preset to provide any access to EQ parameters is the one for
Samplitude. Needless to say, unless you switch over to the generic MIDI controller mode you can forget
about any control at all for plug-ins and virtual instruments.
In addition, there was a problem in the Cubase implementation of the second and third assignment layers,
whereby navigating around the Project’s mixer channels using Bank keys frequently caused the assignment
layer (as selected by numbered keys to the left of the knobs) to reset. So if you’re concentrating on setting
up reverb levels on different channels using Send 1, you can suddenly find yourself inadvertently disrupting
the channel pan controls instead. [Alesis say that this is to do with how their hardware implements the
Mackie Control protocol and can be avoided if you press the Bank keys more slowly.]
Too Much Of Everything?

As I said at the outset, the Master Control does manage to cram an awful lot of features into one unit.
However, as is often the case with all-in-one products, it manages to make many of these features feel a
little half-baked in one way or another. The interfacing, for example, boasts a lot of I/O, but has only two
slightly compromised preamps and no instrument input; the control surface has nice long faders and a
spacious control layout, but then you have weird cursor keys and some rotary-control parameter-access
frustrations; the hardware-controlled cue mixing is great, but you only get one mix for all those inputs; and
the monitoring is a neat addition as long as you don’t use the Talkback button. All of that said, however, I
couldn’t find any real show-stopping nasties, and the unit itself seemed robust and reliable during the review
period, so (niggles notwithstanding) this whole package must still demand serious consideration on grounds
of bang for buck.
Vital Statistics
Firewire Audio & MIDI interface, simultaneously capable of 26 inputs and six outputs.
24-bit digital recording and playback at sampling rates up to 192kHz. (Elevated rates can reduce audio
and MIDI I/O count and disable talkback.)
Compatible with Mac OS 10.4 and above, Windows XP SP2 and Vista.
Balanced analogue inputs: two mic/line inputs on combi jack/XLRs with phantom power and
accompanying insert points; and six line inputs on TRS jacks.
Balanced analogue outputs: six line outputs on TRS jacks.
Metering: Signal/Clip LED per analogue input channel; five-segment LED bargraph for main stereo
output.
Headphone outputs: two with independent signal feeds and volume controls.
Digital inputs: two ADAT multi-channel optical connectors and one stereo coaxial S/PDIF connector.
Digital outputs: none.
Other I/O: footswitch input, MIDI In and Out.
Hardware DAW controls: nine 100mm touch-sensitive motorised faders; 10 endless rotary encoders;
Select, Record, Solo and Mute switches per channel, plus a further two banks of eight assignable
buttons; Zoom, Scrub, and transport controls with jog/scrub wheel.
Other features: switched talkback mic; three-way speaker/output switching; Direct Monitor low-latency
cue-monitoring; 2x16-character LCD with accompanying data dial.
Published in SOS April 2009
Audio-Technica AT2035 & 2050
In this article: Audio-Technica AT2035 & 2050

Multi Mic: The Condenser Microphones
AT2050
Performance Reviews : Microphone
Verdict
Audio-Technica Industry stalwarts Audio-Technica introduce two new microphones that

AT2035 £159 & offer a similar character to their popular AT2020, but with better
AT5050 £219 performance and additional features.
pros
Paul White
A
Excellent build quality.
Musical, gently flattering
udio-Technica have established themselves as one of the
sound. most respected manufacturers of budget and mid-priced
Good value. microphones. Indeed, their AT2020 has proved itself to be
Shockmount and storage one of the best value studio mics around. They recently launched
pouch included. two new models, the AT2035 and AT2050, both of which are an
cons evolution of the original 2020 design.
Other than the slightly Like the 2020, the AT2035 has a fixed cardioid pattern. A back-
reduced sensitivity of the
electret model, in the usual side-address format, it is designed to
AT2050, which won’t be a
accommodate high SPLs with low background noise, and has a
problem for normal studio
use, there are no obvious capsule diameter of approximately 0.8 inches. This mic comes
cons. complete with a custom shockmount, made of high-strength
summary plastic, and an elastic suspension (the mic is gripped by simple
friction), and it features a switchable 80Hz high-pass filter and a
These are both excellent little
mics that expand on the 10dB pad switch, something the 2020 lacked. It can operate on
concept of the AT2020 while phantom power from 11-52V and has the usual low-impedance
remaining eminently balanced output on a standard XLR connector.
affordable. The frequency range is simply quoted as 20Hz to 20kHz, with
sensitivity of 33dB (22.4mV) ref 1V at 1Pa. There’s a small
information
presence peak around 12kHz, but otherwise the frequency
AT2035 £159; AT2050
response is pretty flat, so the designers seem to be aiming for a
£219. Prices include VAT.
neutral sound rather than an obvious tonal character. Without the
Audio-Technica +44
(0)113 277 1441. pad, the AT2035 can tolerate sound levels up to 148dB SPL (1kHz), which in itself is impressively high — but
Click here to email switching in the pad gives you another 10dB. Self-noise is a respectably low 12dB EIN, equating to a signal-
to-noise ratio of 82dB at 1kHz at 1Pa — some 8dB lower than that of the AT2020.
Photos too small? Click Structurally and cosmetically, the AT2035 is very similar to the 2020, weighing 403g and measuring
on photos, screenshots and 170mm long, with the widest point of the body being 52mm in diameter. Its all-metal casework is finished in
diagrams in articles to open a satin black with silver legend, and the two slide-switches for the pad and low-cut filter are recessed at the
a Larger View gallery. base of the body. There’s no fancy flightcase (saving on both cost and storage space!); the mic comes in a
cardboard box with the shockmount, a vinyl storage pouch and a mic-stand thread adaptor.
Multi Mic: The AT2050

Unlike the other two mics in this range, the AT2050 has switchable polar patterns: omni, cardioid and figure-
of-eight, using the expected back-to-back capsule arrangement. Like the 2035, it has a switchable 80Hz
high-pass filter and a 10dB pad, and the internal circuitry makes extensive use of surface-mount
components to conserve space. The two capsule diaphragms are gold-sputtered and subjected to an ageing
process designed to promote long-term stability of performance. The 2050 runs on phantom power, in the
same 11-52V range as the 2035. This mic also comes with an identical vinyl pouch, a shockmount and a
thread adaptor.
The frequency response is, again, simply quoted as 20Hz to 20kHz, and the open circuit sensitivity is rated
as 42dB (7.9 mV) ref 1V at 1 Pa — which is a little lower than for the AT2035 or the AT2020. SPL handling is
pretty much the same as for the AT2035 (149dB SPL, or 159dB SPL with the pad switched in), but the
equivalent input noise is a little higher, at a still respectable +17dB SPL, which is still some 3dB lower than
for the original AT2020. Outwardly, the mic is identical to the AT2035, except for the addition of a pattern
switch, and the similarity in specifications suggests that variations on the same capsules may be used,
although the response plot shows a slightly more obvious presence hump over the 4-12kHz region, and a
slight LF droop in the figure-of-eight mode, starting at around 500Hz and dropping around 3dB by 20kHz.
The shape and extent of the presence peak differs between the different polar patterns, with the flattest
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/at20352050.htm?print=yes[02/04/2009 11:53:36]
response obtained in cardioid mode, where the main presence peak — which is about 4dB in amplitude —
occurs at around 10kHz.
Performance
Conducting subjective tests alongside my own AT2020 confirmed
that, with the pad and low-cut filter switched out, the AT2035
sounded subjectively very similar to it on vocals, but it was more
sensitive than the AT2020 and also produced less background
noise. Switching in the low-cut filter robbed the low end of the
vocal range of a little of its warmth, but in situations where the pad
was needed it proved to be very effective in reducing low-
frequency spill and plosive popping.
The general character of both the 2020 and 2035 was what I’d
describe as ‘hinting at the vintage’, with a warm and slightly
compressed sounding mid-range and a very smooth high-end. The
2035 produced a slightly flattering result that I found easy to listen
to, but didn’t go so far as to make the sound obviously coloured
when used on vocals. I also had success using both the 2035 and
the 2050 on acoustic guitar and electric guitar amplifiers, so in the
context of the home studio they should be good all-rounders.
In accordance with the published specifications, the 2050 was
noticeably less sensitive than the 2020 and 2035 — presumably
due to the need to leave extra headroom when summing the
The AT2035 and 2050 are almost
outputs from the two capsules. In cardioid mode it comes very
identical, with the only obvious
close to the sound of the two dedicated cardioid models (once the
external distinction (other than the
levels have been matched). This isn’t surprising, when you
model number on the rear) being the
consider that in this mode one of the two cardioid capsules is
inclusion of a polar-pattern selector
active and the other switched off. What did surprise me was how
switch on the front of the AT2050.
consistent the sound remained when switching patterns, even
The AT2035 and 2050 are almost
though the frequency plots show presence-peak characteristics
identical, with the only obvious external
that vary slightly in the different modes. There were no nasty distinction (other than the model number
shocks when I decided to try a different pattern setting (but it’s as on the rear) being the inclusion of a
well to turn the monitors down when you do this, because you get polar-pattern selector switch on the
the inevitable pops and bangs when switching over). The front and front of the AT2050.
back of the 2050 in figure-of-eight mode sounded subjectively
identical, as they should do if the capsules are well matched, and side-cancellation was nearly perfect.
I’ve never yet tried a dual-diaphragm microphone whose omni mode works as well as a dedicated single-
capsule omni microphone: the latter always seems to produce a more natural sound, with a more evident
sense of space around it. The AT2050 is no exception to this rule, but it’s fair to say that in most instances it
will get the job done perfectly well, and it certainly managed to sound more open and airy than it did in
cardioid mode when used further from the source. The omni mode exhibited no evident low-frequency boost
(proximity effect) when used close up, as is experienced in the cardioid and figure-of-eight modes. This,
again, is exactly as it should be.
Verdict
I have to admit to having a fondness for the general sound of the AT2020, which is all the more impressive
in light of its low cost. The AT2035 retains the same tonal characteristics while improving on its technical
performance by offering a flatter low-end response and significantly lower noise. The addition of pad and
low-cut switches, and the very practical shockmount, are welcome. It does cost a little more, but the price
differential is probably no more than you’d pay for the shockmount on its own.
Although it is less sensitive, there’s no denying that the three polar patterns offered by the AT2050 add
greatly to its versatility: although cardioid patterns tend to get used the most, the excellent side-rejection of
the figure-of-eight pattern can be a powerful ally in avoiding spill, while the omni pattern tends to produce a
more natural sense of space where spill isn’t an issue. The mic is well suited to a number of studio
applications, including vocals and a useful range of acoustic and electric instruments.
Both the 2035 and the 2050 are built to a very high standard, and they can handle very high SPLs, so they
won’t get upset being in front of loud guitar amps, wind instruments or drums. Although the addition of the
switchable patterns makes the 2050 around 50 percent more expensive than the 2035, it still sits in the same
entry-level price bracket, where both mics offer an impressive level of performance. When you weigh up the
sound, the build quality and the cost, the two new models seem to be just as much a bargain as the AT2020.
Camel Audio Alchemy
In this article: Camel Audio Alchemy

Live & Kicking Software Synth [Mac/PC]
Deep Thought Published in SOS April 2009
Sourcery Reviews : Software
In Use
Final Thoughts
Truly original and innovative software is a rare thing these days, but
Designer Camel Audio’s latest is exactly that. Let’s find out what it is that sets
Connections
Alchemy apart from the soft-synth crowd.
Favourite Patches
Martin Walker
T
System
Requirements hings have been a little quiet on the Camel Audio front of
late. After making a name for themselves with plug-ins such
Camel Audio Alchemy as CamelPhat and CamelSpace, and then wowing us with
£179 their Cameleon 5000 additive synthesizer — which was impressive
pros enough to warrant a big review in the April 2004 issue of SOS —
The most comprehensive we’ve not heard a great deal from them. Apart from some updates
sample-manipulation engine to existing products, and a series of well-received Soundbanks for
ever found in any VST third-party products such as NI’s Absynth and Massive, little
Instrument. seemed to be happening.
One of the easiest to use
interfaces I’ve seen in a long Well, now we know the reason why. After four years of development, with a team of six programmers and
time, with versatile control 25 sound designers, we finally see the release of Alchemy. Operating as a VST or Audio Units plug-in and
options for live performance. going way beyond Cameleon, Alchemy not only features additive synthesis, but also spectral and granular
A treasure-house of new synthesis and resynthesis, and sample import, along with the more typical virtual analogue engine found in
sound possibilities for the
most other software synths (although this one offers up to 600 voices and can be used in unison mode for
sonic explorer.
the fattest sounds imaginable!).
Incredibly easy to import and
treat your own samples. Its extremely powerful engine will be great news to those who like to dive in at the deep end of synthesis,
cons and morph and manipulate their own unique sounds, but Camel Audio have included easy-to-use
Factory library doesn’t yet do performance controls and ‘remix pad’ variations for those who favour instant gratification. Alchemy also ships
justice to all of Alchemy’s with a 2GB sample library and a collection of 300 presets, but many more are promised for the months to
features. come. Let’s get stuck in!
No overall modulation view
page or Undo function. Live & Kicking
Until the DVD version is
available, those with lower Plenty of effort has been put into making Alchemy easy to play
Internet connection speeds and flexible during live performance. For the casual preset dabbler,
may grumble at the 1.2GB the Simple interface removes the in-depth controls, leaving the title
download size. bar with its easy-to-use preset selector. This has sounds sorted
summary into convenient banks such as Arpeggiated, Bass, Leads, Pads The Simple interface is ideal for
Alchemy is a sample- and so on, and also Load, Save, and Random buttons — the last a preset browsers and live
manipulator’s wet dream, Camel Audio speciality that creates a new preset each time you performance, offering real-time
offering a wide range of click on it. performance controls and smooth
synthesis and resynthesis morphing between the eight
engines and huge modulation Below this are the Performance controls, with eight knobs that
snapshots of the Remix Pad.
potential, yet one of the most can be assigned to any of the deeper parameters, and two X-Y
The Simple interface is ideal for preset
approachable interfaces I’ve pads, each in charge of two more functions, so you can perform
browsers and live performance, offering
ever used. I haven’t had so live twin-parameter sweeps or record automated ones. A set of real-time performance controls and
much fun for ages! dedicated ADSR buttons for final tweaks and a set of eight Remix smooth morphing between the eight
pads complete the controls. The latter are a revelation, since each snapshots of the Remix Pad.
information
one stores a different snapshot of all 16 Performance control
Alchemy £179;
settings. Each preset therefore expands to become a whole area of sonic exploration, and as you drag the
Atmospheric & Electronic
‘target’ with your mouse over each pad, the controls all smoothly morph from one snapshot to another. You
Soundbanks £39 each.
Prices include VAT. can even switch between Remix pads using keyswitches on your MIDI controller keyboard.
Click here to email
www.camelaudio.com Deep Thought
Once you switch to the Advanced interface, the rest of Alchemy’s controls appear, yet, despite the huge
Photos too small? Click
amount on offer, you never feel overwhelmed. The graphic user interface is designed by Bitplant, who also
on photos, screenshots and
developed interfaces for Propellerheads’ original Reason, Arturia’s CS80V and Cakewalk’s Project 5 PSYN
diagrams in articles to open
synths, and who seem to have the knack of creating workmanlike interfaces that are stylish, yet easy to get
a Larger View gallery.
to grips with.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/camelaudioalchemy.htm?print=yes[02/04/2009 11:54:02]
Camel Audio Alchemy
Each Alchemy voice starts life as between one and four sources, each of which can then be passed
through up to three filters before entering the main pair of filters, and finally the effects stage.
The interface is divided into three main horizontal areas. Across the top are the four sound sources, morph,
main filter and master controls. I’ll come to the sound sources in the next section, because they are so
revolutionary, but the filters are well worth a mention. Each source can have up to three multi-mode filters in
series or in parallel, and then there are a further two main filters (again in series or in parallel), and yet
another as an effect option. In total you can have up to 15 filters in each preset, chosen from 15 types
including formant and ‘fat’, which is designed to saturate at higher resonance and drive settings.
The middle interface strip houses all the Modulation controls, including LFO, AHDSR envelopes and
MSEGs — Multiple Segment Envelope Generators that can be assembled to taste, with as many
breakpoints as you wish, to create incredibly complex shapes. Other controls on offer include the Step
Sequencer, ModMap (to massage existing modulator outputs into new shapes, such as note-quantising
pitch-bends, scaling parameters across the keyboard, and so on), and XY-MSEG, which lets you modulate
two MSEGs simultaneously with the X-Y pad. The last is featured to great acclaim in Cameleon 5000 with its
evolving Spirographic pad sounds.
Despite its complexity, I found the Modulation area relatively
straightforward, since in most cases you simply right-click on a
voice parameter that you want to modulate and then choose the
modulation source from a drop-down list. There are few numerical
limits, either: for instance, although each patch starts life with a
single LFO, choosing ‘new LFO’ in the drop-down list adds another Each of the four sources can use the
one, and will continue to do so up to a maximum of 16. Thus your Additive, Spectral or Granular
patches can be as simple or as complex as you need them to be engine, as well as the more familiar
— it’s a bit like having a massive modular synth at your disposal, Virtual Analogue or Sample
but without needing any patch cords! Playback.
The bottom strip either displays the Performance controls Each of the four sources can use the
discussed earlier, a flexible arpeggiator, or the effects. The Additive, Spectral or Granular engine,
arpeggiator offers all the features you’d expect, as well as more as well as the more familiar Virtual
Analogue or Sample Playback.
advanced options such as MIDI File import, so you can grab the
velocity and swing values of an existing groove. Similar import
features can be found in the built-in Step Sequencer module, which can also use imported note data.
To add the final polish to your sounds, up to five effects are available simultaneously, chosen from a list of
19 types including various filter options, delays, distortion, compression, modulation, bass enhancement, and
a good-quality reverb. This list includes all those found in the popular CamelSpace and CamelPhat effect
plug-ins, which are already used around the world by so many professional musicians.
Sourcery
At the heart of each preset are the four Sources (A, B, C and D),
each of which can either be Additive, Virtual Analogue, Spectral,
Granular, or straightforward Sampler playback. To create your own
sounds from scratch, you just choose the ‘Import Audio’ option for
the chosen Source, choose the desired WAV, AIFF or SFZ file from
the Explorer-like dialogue, then click on one of the four analysis
buttons: Granular, Additive, Additive+Spectral (for sounds that
combine both pitched and unpitched elements, such as speech),
or Spectral.
Not the results of my ultrasound scan
The Granular engine breaks down imported samples into short — the Spectral Editor lets you paint
‘grains’ that are reassembled into a stream that can be time- your own sounds while you play
stretched, pitch-shifted, or scrambled into new orders. Most often them polyphonically!
used on drum loops and percussion to create new grooves, I
Not the results of my ultrasound scan —
found it inspiring with many other sources and treatments. I’ve the Spectral Editor lets you paint your
used various granular synthesis systems in my time, and it’s own sounds while you play them
incredibly easy to end up with static and crackles that would have polyphonically!
been easier to sample from a bowl of Rice Krispies. Alchemy’s
implementation is, however, eminently musical, letting you stretch sounds to incredible lengths while
remaining musical, or squashing them into short squeaks, and the modulation options let you perform mind-
bending manipulations.
Compared with the typically hundreds of parameters required to create additive sounds from scratch, the
big breakthrough in Camel Audio’s previous Cameleon 5000 synth was its resynthesis features. Alchemy’s
Camel Audio Alchemy
Additive engine is based on that of Cameleon 5000, and once again analyses imported samples or
multisampled sets into multiple harmonics that evolve over time. It is rather more sophisticated in this
incarnation, though, offering Pitch, Pan and Phase partials as well as Amplitude.
Previously, some sounds ended up more realistic than others, but this time around the analysis produces
results close to almost any original material, in stereo as well as mono. Cameleon’s 64-partial limit has also
been increased to a massive 600, which, for sound designers, is drool-worthy, especially since you get
individual Amplitude, Pitch, Pan and Phase envelopes for each partial, all of which can now be modulated in
real time. This means you can, for instance, control the odd/even harmonic balance, or pan different partials,
or stretch/contract the harmonic spectrum, using LFOs, envelopes, or step sequencing.
The additive engine provides other distinct advantages for the samplist: because your sounds are already
a series of sine waves, changing the length of the sound (time-stretching) introduces no lumpy artifacts, and
you also get more realistic pitch-shifting.
We covered the Additive Editor in some depth in our Cameleon 5000 review, but essentially it displays a
breakpoint envelope in its lower window (each breakpoint being a snapshot of your sound at a particular
moment in time), and the partial content (Amplitude, Pitch, Pan or Phase) for the currently selected
breakpoint is displayed in the upper window. However, this time around there’s an invaluable Detail control,
so you can either edit the fine details right down to individual breakpoints, or smoothly gather them into a
smaller number of groups, to both reduce visual overload and provide you with a bigger editing ‘brush’.
Spectral synthesis uses phase-vocoding techniques to split imported sounds not into a harmonic series,
but into a set of ‘spectral bins’ filled either with sine saves or filtered noise. This is the successor to
Cameleon’s noise synthesis option, but offers up to 1024 bands compared with 128. This is the least
explored option in the Factory sounds thus far, but I was impressed with what’s on offer. The Spectral Editor
provides graphical sonogram editing with various brushes, so you can both edit analysed sounds, and ‘paint’
new ones. There’s also the ability to import graphic PNG files, so you can generate sounds from pictures.
I’ve used utilities before where you wait a few seconds while the picture you’ve imported or drawn is
converted to audio format, and advanced sonogram editing in applications such as Wavelab 6, but never
before have I been able to play sounds polyphonically on a keyboard while drawing them in a Spectral
window. Wicked!
The final two synthesis options are simply variations on a theme. Sampler mode is an option in the
Granular engine that plays back samples continuously instead of splitting them into grains. Virtual Analogue
synthesis is an alternative mode for the Additive engine, playing back one of 48 oscillator waveforms with
variable pulsewidth, PWM (Pulse Width Modulation), and Unison. The waveforms are licensed from
Galbanum, whose waveforms have also graced many other quality synths, including U&I Software’s famous
Metasynth and NI’s Absynth and Massive.
Overall, Alchemy provides more scope, flexibility and synthesis options than I’ve ever seen in any soft
synth, yet you never feel you’ve entered a boffin’s lair. This is design at its cleverest!
In Use
I can’t remember ever loading up the first preset of a new synth
and finding myself still playing the same one 10 minutes later. This
is helped in part by the Performance controls, and in particular the
Remix Pad, which generally offers a whole raft of timbres and
alternate treatments for each preset. It’s easy to move beyond the
Performance controls to your choice of MIDI controller as well,
since any Simple or Advanced parameter can be allocated to
external controls using a right-click MIDI Learn function.
Several dozen designers were
The Morphing options are also lovely. While various other soft involved in creating the sounds and
synths refer to morphing from one sound to another, they sample library, and it’s obvious that
invariably mean fading one layer out while another fades in they had a lot of fun doing so!
underneath. Alchemy also offers true morphing, where a single Several dozen designers were involved
sound is generated but all the individual harmonics that make up in creating the sounds and sample
each sound, plus all the other parameters associated with each library, and it’s obvious that they had a
preset, are gradually interpolated between the settings of all four lot of fun doing so!
Sources. This means you can start playing one instrument and
have it slowly evolve into something else.
However, as much as I enjoyed the presets, this was nothing to the feeling I got once I started to import my
own samples and create unique sounds. I lost whole days exploring the possibilities, yet there’s so much
more promise still to come. An Undo function would be useful, and I was disappointed that you can’t
Camel Audio Alchemy
currently view all the modulation routings en masse, but you can at least click on each parameter in turn to
view its modulation routing and controls in the Modulation area. Nevertheless, Alchemy is the easiest and
most fun to use soft synth I’ve played for years, and the results are just so musical.
Final Thoughts
It’s not often that I get the luxury of spending a whole month with a product before the review is due, and it’s
even rarer to find myself still discovering yet more jaw-dropping features after such a length of time.
Alchemy is a deceptively deep synth, yet its engine remains incredibly easy-to-use, and at $249 it’s also
excellent value for money.
Overall, this is a diamond of a synth that sparkles in so many creative ways: a couple of its facets, like the
modulation overview and editing windows, may need a little final polishing, but you can most definitely see
why Alchemy took four long years to develop. Well done guys!
Designer Connections
One of the unique features of Alchemy is that its factory presets have been created by no less than 20
sound designers, while 16 people are credited with the sample-library design. There are plenty of famous
names in the list, such as Arksun, biomechanoid, Ian Boddy, Tim Conrardy, Richard Devine, John ‘Skippy’
Lehmkul and Scot Solida, to name but seven, and it’s also patently obvious that they have had a lot of
fun in the process!
At 2GB, the sample library may be modest in size compared to some, but apart from all the staples that
you might expect, there are loads of other intriguing sounds tucked away in there. These’s a good
collection of acoustic instruments, such as dulcimers, harps and guitar harmonics, a vocal and speech
library, exotic percussion such as metal hits and waterbowls, and a wonderful range of single note and
chordal soundscapes. There are also sound effects such as city and nature ambiences, circuit bending,
and exotic analogue synths such as the Chimera bC16 and EML Electrocomp 200.
Favourite Patches
Alchemy’s factory library covers a lot of sonic ground, so here are some of my favourites to give you an
idea of its scope:
A Forest Gnome Dancing: Fizzing sawtooth arpeggios pulsing over a lush, granular, swept pad.
Gossamer Gears: A clever use of 10 ModMaps to create a set of looping riffs variously reminiscent of
pipe organ, bagpipes, and Tomita-like motifs.
Hollyweird Drums: Granularly-stretched morphing drum kit with heavy ambient effects — just grab the
X/Y or Remix pads for mayhem on a glorious scale.
Low Red Moon: A slowly evolving pad combining a deep saw drone, kalimba rhythms and a wonderfully
evocative Eastern flute motif that appears and disappears.
Baby Tiger Sleeping: An inspired combination of singing sinewave, zingy granulated E-bow guitar and
granularly-treated purring cat!
Glissering Harps: A performance pad combining solo harp and delicate background harp glissandos
and choir.
Bubbles In Limpid Waters: Aeolian harp and glissando zither overlaid with metal droplets, producing a
delicate landscape of effects.
Released simultaneously with Alchemy are two add-on soundbanks: the soft pads and soundscapes of
Atmospheric Alchemy, and the harder bass, leads, loops and synths of Electronic Alchemy, both of which
further illustrate the scope and depth of the Alchemy engine. Some might consider this an odd approach,
but Camel Audio prefer to keep Alchemy’s retail price low and let its users buy only the sound genres they
prefer, which makes sense to me!
System Requirements
Alchemy’s requirements can vary hugely depending on the preset and the maximum polyphony you use,
but whether you are on the Mac or PC platforms an Intel Core2 Duo and 2GB RAM are recommended,
along with OS X 10.4.9, Windows XP SP2 or Vista. You’ll also need 3GB of hard drive space and a
suitable AU VST 2.4-compatible host application.
Camel Audio Alchemy
CEntrance AxePort Pro
CEntrance AxePort Pro

USB Guitar Interface Buy PDF
Reviews : Miscellaneous
I
Printer-friendly version
f you’re a guitar player who uses computers to create music using samples, loops and virtual instruments but don’t need to use
microphones, it can be very frustrating being forced to buy an all-singing audio interface just to record a few guitar parts. So if you want
something really small, but elegantly simple — and without sacrificing audio quality — you could do worse than this new product from
US company Centrance.
With its chunky, anodised aluminium case, their AxePort Pro may look like a blue Maglite, but it’s
actually a fully functional USB interface, with a quarter-inch, guitar-level input jack, a headphone
jack for monitoring, and two level-control knobs on the side, one to adjust the input sensitivity and
the other the headphone volume. Power comes from the USB port, and a USB cable is included.
With input and output level controls, a
The input is at the ‘flashlight’ end (which does light up if you want it to!) and the phones socket at jack socket on one end, and a USB
the other, alongside the 3.5mm phones jack. Any other adjustments are made using the starkly socket and headphone output on the
simple Control Panel software. other, the Axeport Pro offers everything
This device works with a Mac or a PC, which sees it as a mono in/stereo out audio interface. A you need for no-nonsense guitar
recording on your computer.
separate USB stick is provided, which includes the necessary installation software. Control Panel
has a zero-latency monitoring facility, allowing the user to listen to the live input while recording,
rather than the version that has passed through the computer (and which may, therefore, be subject to an off-putting delay). A slider on the
control panel mixes the direct AxePort input signal with the DAW output, and a tick-box lets you turn the ring-light that illuminates the jack
end of the device on or off. When using low-latency monitoring, the DAW monitoring needs to be switched off (or turned down for the track
you’re recording) or you’ll hear both the direct and delayed sounds. The bundled software includes the Schwa Oligarc guitar plug-in effects
(Windows and Mac VST, but not AU) and the Reaper DAW for Mac and Windows.
Using the AxePort Pro, which retails at £132, is as simple as it appears: you install the software,
plug it in, select it as the active hardware for your DAW and start recording. The headphone
output is plenty loud enough, and the input has more than enough gain range to handle any type
of pickup in normal use. It’s also quiet enough to make serious recordings. With passive guitar
pickups you may hear some noise, but that will be interference getting onto the pickup windings,
not electronic noise from the AxePort Pro. And that’s it. You get a lovely, clean guitar recording
that you can process with any modelling plug-in — or with the included Schwa plug-ins and
Reaper. When you’re done, everything can be packed into the included velvet pouch and then
easily stored in your guitar case or with your laptop. Paul White
SUMMARY
This is a typical Centrance product — it’s elegant, simple and does exactly what it claims. However, if you don’t have good amp-
modelling software, one of the solutions that comes bundled with a good range of amp and effect models (rather than just effect plug-ins,
as here) may appeal more, even if it isn’t so small.
SCV London +44 (0)20 8418 1470.
www.scvlondon.co.uk
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/centranceaxeportpro.htm[02/04/2009 11:54:29]
Focal CMS65
In this article: Focal CMS65

Design & Active Nearfield Monitors
Construction
Performance Reviews : Monitors
Focal CMS65 £1265

pros Focal control everything from the design to manufacture in their factory
Extremely well-balanced, in France — and this approach appears to be paying off.
detailed sound.
Paul White
F
Excellent build quality.
Sensibly priced. ocal, or Focal-JMlab, to give them their full title, are based
cons at their factory in Saint-Etienne, France, where they
None. employ around 200 workers. They’ve carved out
something of a reputation for designing and building specialist
summary
drive units for other hi-fi and pro-audio loudspeaker companies,
These are excellent speakers
and they also make hi-fi speakers that range in price from the
that manage to be
uncompromisingly honest affordable to the astronomical. Their studio monitors have also
while not costing a fortune. made something of an impact at the high end, but their new
They may cost a bit more than CMS65 model now brings them within reach of the project studio,
your average monitor but the as well as the professional. Apart from some individual
difference is worth it. components, which are sourced elsewhere, everything is
designed and manufactured in their factory.
information
CMS65 £1265; CMS50
Design & Construction
£874. Prices per pair,
including VAT. There are currently two CMS-series monitors: the CMS50, and
SCV London +44 (0)20 the CMS65 that’s reviewed here. There’s also the option of
8418 0778.
adding a subwoofer for systems where greater level and bass
Click here to email
extension are required. Both monitors share common design
www.scvlondon.co.uk
elements, the main difference being that the slightly lower-
www.focalprofessional.com
powered CMS50 has a five-inch main drive unit, whereas the
Photos too small? Click CMS65’s measures 6.5 inches. Both are ported, two-way, active
on photos, screenshots and designs that use Focal’s well-established aluminium and
diagrams in articles to open a magnesium inverted-dome tweeter to handle the highs. Focal
Larger View gallery. claim this construction method is the only way to achieve correct
movement of the complete dome, because of the way the cone and voice coil are coupled. They also claim
that the aluminium/magnesium alloy they use offers good self-damping, which leads to a cleaner impulse
response and the ability to extend the HF to a 3dB-down point at 28kHz. Powering the CMS65 is a 100W
amplifier at the low end and a 60W amp for the tweeter, which is set into an elliptical waveguide to control
its directivity. The TDA7293 unit that powers the woofer uses a MOS power stage and achieves an
impressively low distortion figure of 0.005 percent, and the LM3886 power unit driving the tweeter manages
a slew rate of 19V per microsecond, enabling it to follow extremely fast transients.
Focal’s woofer is also a bit special, and uses something they call ‘Polyglass’ technology, where a thin
layer of glass micro-balls is applied to a cellulose pulp cone. I don’t know who first came up with the idea of
trying this, but Focal claim that it combines the known good self-damping of paper with the rigidity of glass
to exceed the stiffness of a single-layer Kevlar cone, and to be almost 10 times more rigid than
polypropylene. (In theory, a light, stiff cone reduces distortion while maintaining transient definition.) Both
drivers are designed to be magnetically shielded.
The CMS65 cabinets are impressively solid, built from cast aluminium with sculpted corners, and with
internal bracing and acoustic treatment to provide a virtually resonance-free housing for the drivers. There’s
a slot-shaped reflex port on the front of each cabinet, below the LF driver.
Each cabinet comes with a rubber mat, four rubber ‘spikes’ that can be fitted to the front or rear of the
cabinet to adjust the angle, and two removable metal grilles. It’s recommended that, for optimum results,
the grilles are removed using the hook provided and the plastic phase-plugs, also included, are fitted over
the tweeters. Overall, the cabinet size with the mat fitted is 368.5 x 241x 231mm. Each speaker weighs
10.5kg.
Today’s active speakers wouldn’t be complete without some rear-panel settings for the user to fiddle with,
and the CMS65 is no exception: there are five screwdriver-adjustable, detented rotary controls mounted in a
metal panel just below the recessed amplifier heatsink. The adjustable-height spikes help the user position
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/focalCMS65.htm?print=yes[02/04/2009 11:54:51]
Focal CMS65
the speakers so that the tweeters are aimed at their head, but the room environment and speaker
placement relative to walls and corners may require electronic adjustment. Selectable LF and HF shelving
filters help to address general room problems, while a further notch correction helps to compensate for
reflections from a mixing console or desk. This operates at 160Hz with a Q of 2 (three-quarters of an
octave), and can be switched to flat, -2dB, -4dB or -6dB. The LF shelving filter affects frequencies below
450Hz and has settings of flat, +2dB, -2dB, -4dB and -6dB. The negative settings are useful when the
speakers are mounted closer to walls or corners than might otherwise be desirable. The high-pass filter has
settings at full, 45Hz, 60Hz and 90Hz with a 12dB per octave slope, while the HF shelving filter has a fixed
frequency of 4.5kHz with cut and boost settings of 0dB, -4dB, -2dB and +2dB. There’s also an input gain
selector (-4dBu, 0dBu or +10dBv) and a power switch. A power standby switch is also available on the front
panel, as is a flat, rubbery volume control that offers up to 66dB of attenuation. A red LED lights up when
the speaker is powered but in standby mode, and this turns green when the speaker is active. There’s also
a clip indicator next to the volume control that shows when the level is set too high. The filter circuits are
built around the ubiquitous NE 5532 amplifier IC, in combination with high-precision resistors.
The speakers have a 45Hz to 28kHz range at the -3dB points, with a peak SPL of 108dB at one metre.
The inputs can be on balanced XLRs or unbalanced RCA phonos but there’s no quarter-inch jack option.
Performance
If you’ve a selection of well-recorded commercial material that you know, you can tell right away if a
speaker sounds ‘right’ or not — and these Focals sounded pristine without my having to make any changes
to the rear-panel controls. Everything was as it should be: a controlled, but sensibly extended bass end,
with no boom or flab, a very nicely focused mid-range, and detailed but smooth highs. The stereo imaging
was also excellent, and I found that any flaws in the recorded material were easily revealed. In this respect
they should appeal to those who appreciate natural-sounding speakers such as PMC or K+H, rather than
some of the more brash or hyped-sounding monitors out there. They work well with a wide range of
material, from pop to classical, and I can honestly say I found nothing about their performance to dislike. If
you want to hear your mix rather than your monitors, these speakers really deserve your consideration, as
they have to count as some of the sweetest and most natural-sounding desktop monitors I’ve heard in this
price range. Highly recommended.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/focalCMS65.htm?print=yes[02/04/2009 11:54:51]
IK Multimedia T-Racks 3
In this article: IK Multimedia T-Racks 3

New Processors Master Processing Suite [Mac/PC]
Effect Matrixing Published in SOS April 2009
Metering & Playback Reviews : Software
Functions
T-Racks Record
IK’s original T-Racks invented the idea of ‘one-stop shop’ software for
IK Multimedia T-Racks master processing. Do the improvements in version 3 keep it ahead of
3 £437 its rivals?
pros Mike Senior
P
More sonic options and
aul White reviewed the first version of IK Multimedia’s T-
greater processing flexibility
Racks mastering software in SOS February 2000
via the five new modules and
the built-in effects matrix. (www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb00/articles/iktracks.htm),
Can operate as a plug-in and since then it’s come a long way. Back then it was a
within your sequencer or comparatively simple stand-alone processing package for 16-bit
audio editor. audio files, albeit with a suite of euphonic analogue-modelled
Extensively expanded processors that quickly earned themselves a loyal fan base. Now it
metering.
has reached its third-generation incarnation, expanded with new
cons virtual rack units, more flexible audio routing, and higher-spec
Setting up and evaluating audio processing and metering.
matrixed effects is fiddly and New in T-Racks 3 is a matrix that
frustrating. allows you to construct complex
New Processors processing chains, although there is
There seemed only a loose
correlation between readings The original cohort of mastering processors available in previous only limited control available from
on the Perceived Loudness this overview window.
versions (Classic Equalizer, Compressor, Multi-band Limiter and
meter and my own
Clipper) are still present and correct, but have been supplemented New in T-Racks 3 is a matrix that allows
perception of loudness.
by five additions. It comes as no surprise, given T-Racks’ history, you to construct complex processing
Audio file playback functions
chains, although there is only limited
still very basic. that three of these model desirable analogue circuitry: the Fairchild
control available from this overview
summary 670 valve compressor, the Pultec EQP1A valve equaliser, and an window.
Interfacing and control apparently generic optical compressor (the controls of which
problems undermine the nonetheless bear a striking resemblance to those of the Teletronix
usefulness of a good all- LA2A). However, the other two processors are something of a
round suite of processors departure, offering new transparent digital limiting and EQ
that can really add something algorithms to complement the more colourful analogue-style
special to your mastering palette.
and mixing projects.
The Fairchild and Pultec models take the purist approach of
information sticking with the control quirks and limitations of the original
T-Racks 3 Deluxe (as hardware, so, for example you only get the limited choice of EQ
reviewed) £436.99; T-Racks frequencies provided on original Pultec hardware. While this A new Compare function lets you
3 Standard £172.49. Prices maintains a more authentic recreation of ‘the sound’, it can, of evaluate mastering processing
include VAT. course, be a little frustrating in practice. That said, IK have setups without the misleading effects
IK Multimedia UK +44 included the Fairchild’s DC Threshold trimmers, added as a of loudness differences between the
(0)1223 234414. modification to some hardware, which adjust the compression processed and unprocessed files.
Click here to email knee. A new Compare function lets you
www.ikmultimedia.com
Mitigating the control limitations of these thoroughbreds are the evaluate mastering processing setups
optical compressor and digital equaliser, which provide a much without the misleading effects of
Test Spec loudness differences between the
freer parameter range, and by nature of their sonic
IK Multimedia T-Racks processed and unprocessed files.
unobtrusiveness allow you to take up any slack left when you’ve
3.0.1.
pushed the Pultec or Fairchild as far as each will pleasantly go. As
Rain Recording Solstice O3
PC with AMD Phenom 9750 is becoming the norm in mastering software, the digital EQ now
quad-core 2.4GHz processor includes a Linear Phase mode, although this does introduce a lot
and 4GB DDR-2 RAM,
running Windows XP Pro more processing latency and can be switched off if not required.
Service Pack 3. The original Fairchild 670 hardware is unusual in that it had M/S
Tested with Cockos Reaper (middle and sides) processing facilities built in, and this feature is
v2.5.
faithfully recreated in IK’s model. What’s more, IK have included
Photos too small? Click this function on the other two analogue processors and the new
on photos, screenshots and digital EQ too. The ability to pull the lead vocal or snare forward in
diagrams in articles to open a mix with middle-channel EQ is just one of the useful applications
for this feature, so it’s great that it’s included, although it’s a shame
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/tracks3.htm?print=yes[02/04/2009 11:55:10]
a Larger View gallery.

that IK didn’t also add this feature to the Classic range of
processors.
The digital Brickwall Limiter is fairly straightforward in terms of
controls, but has nine different peak-management algorithms to
choose from. At the one end of the scale is distortion-free limiting
for critical applications, while the other eight modes balance
different amounts and types of clipping and limiting to suit those
more aggressive commercial productions that are willing to
sacrifice a certain amount of sonic purity on the altar of raw
loudness. If you put this processor into the final slot in the effects
matrix, you can also take advantage of a special D-A Distortion Here you can see the range of
Protection routine that intercepts intersample peaks from adustment settings available for just
loudness-maximised masters and makes it less likely that they will the new spectrum analyser.
overload the output electronics of some domestic playback Here you can see the range of
devices. adustment settings available for just the
new spectrum analyser.
Effect Matrixing
Whichever processors you use, T-Racks 3 has extended their real-
world power and flexibility in two important ways. The first is that
the Mac- and PC-compatible program ‘shell’ now incorporates a
12-slot matrix system allowing you to set up quite sophisticated
series and parallel processing, and allowing you to use more than
Five new processors make their
one instance of the same processor. The second is that if this built-
debut in T-Racks 3. Two of these
in processor matrixing still isn’t flexible enough, or you want to
are detailed emulations of the classic
combine it with other processors, you can now run the T-Racks
Fairchild 670 and Pultec EQP1A
shell as a VST, AU or RTAS plug-in.
valve processors (top left and bottom
Processors within the internal matrix (or Chain, as IK call it) can
right), while the rest (Opto
be bypassed individually or all together, the latter via a useful
Compressor, Linear Phase EQ and
Compare function that allows you to adjust the level of the
Brickwall Limiter) offer much more
unprocessed signal to match the processed one. There are some
transparent processing.
annoying limitations to the scheme, though. You can view the
Five new processors make their debut in
whole Chain in its own window, but you can’t do sensible things T-Racks 3. Two of these are detailed
like bypassing or re-ordering the effects from there. Bypassing has emulations of the classic Fairchild 670
to be done via the little series of boxes at the top of the shell and Pultec EQP1A valve processors
window, and there isn’t, in fact, any way you can re-order the (top left and bottom right), while the rest
effects except by manually removing and reloading each processor (Opto Compressor, Linear Phase EQ
in a new slot. Tedious? Oh Death, where is thy sting... (IK did and Brickwall Limiter) offer much more
transparent processing.
confirm that improvements in this area are projected for a future
upgrade.)
The bypass functionality is also less than ideal, with some very
odd clicks, stereo anomalies and tempo judders reaching the audio
outputs in normal bypassing and comparison tasks, both of whole
effects and of individual EQ bands. I found that this made it much
trickier to weigh up subtle processing decisions, especially on
smoother and less transient-rich classical or acoustic music. IK
say these effects are a consequence of the complex delay-compensation routines they’ve put in place, and
they could find no way to avoid them without compromising the oversampling and processing quality in multi-
processor setups. That doesn’t stop it being a royal pain, though.
The Compare feature is handy, allowing the levels of both the processed and unprocessed files to be
matched by ear while refining processing, in order to remove loudness differences from the equation. I could
have done with more resolution (and a numeric read-out) on the level control, though, and a facility to
compare other reference tracks within the interface in the same way. The set of four buttons labelled ‘A’
though ‘D’ at the bottom of the interface allow you to instantly switch between complete mastering settings,
which can also be useful, but are even more prone to audio gremlins than simple bypassing.
Metering & Playback Functions

The metering functionality of T-Racks 3 has seen significant
updates, which means that you now get peak-reading and RMS
meters, a vectorscope display with accompanying correlation
meter, and a spectrum analyser. In addition, there’s an intriguing
Perceived Loudness meter, which is rarely to be found on
competing products, and this has highlighted ‘target’ regions that
can be shifted to different style-related preset locations on the
meter. The developers suggest that the way to use this meter is to play a number of your favourite reference
recordings while watching the read-out, to get a feel for how it responds to different records, and once
you’ve developed some experience of how it works you can use it to inform your own decisions when it
comes to loudness processing.
I gamely spent some time poring over my own personal
collection of reference tracks, but came away scratching my head,
because the meter’s read-out often seemed to bear little relation to
the loudness as I actually perceived it. In IK Multimedia’s defence,
I imagine that this is simply indicating what a freak I am, but if
you’re intrigued by the concept of this feature on paper, I’d
seriously recommend checking that it actually works for you in
practice before parting with any hard-earned cash. Besides this criticism, the rest of the metering is pretty
usable, with a good range of tweakable scale, ballistics, and weighting options and that particularly nice
vectorscope display.
Playback and audio editing facilities understandably grace only the stand-alone version of the application,
and are pretty basic. You load files to be mastered (and referenced against) into a little file-list window, and
a waveform display for the selected file appears to the right of the list for playback navigation and fade
setting. Again, lack of drag-and-drop re-ordering is a tedious omission from even a no-frills audio playback
device, but at least you can have a separate mastering chain per file, and can also add up to nine Snapshots
of different controls settings per file, effectively allowing parameter adjustments mid-file. You need to be a bit
careful with the A/B/C/D buttons in all of this, though, as their settings aren’t saved as part of the global T-
Racks project file. If you move on from one audio file with the wrong setting engaged, that’s what’ll be saved
with the project file. I found this approach rather confusing — couldn’t the settings of the A/B/C/D buttons
simply be saved per audio file, with some kind of clipboard system for ferrying settings between audio files
instead?
If you’re running T-Racks as a plug-in in your sequencer, you don’t get the Snapshot facilities, but instead
can choose to automate up to 16 controls from the host. You need to manually assign these parameters
from a dialogue box within the T-Racks interface, but once that’s done, everything seems to work slickly
enough.
T-Racks Record
As a result of the various functional limitations of the interface, I
found T-Racks 3 quite frustrating to work with as a stand-alone
application, and I’d recommend using it as a plug-in within another
host if you plan on spending more than about 15 minutes with it! In
this context, however, it becomes easier to concentrate more on
that aspect of this software for which IK Multimedia have
deservedly earned a good reputation — the sound.
The raison d’être of T-Racks has always been to enhance the file being mastered — to actually make it
subtly better in some musical way, rather than simply adjusting the tonality or dynamic range to match other
tracks. The existing Classic processors were already good at this, adding something more than ‘just’
compression and EQ and helping to smooth off the less attractive digital edges of primarily in-the-box
productions. What’s nice about the new analogue-modelled units is that you now get some new shades of
‘smoother’ and ‘warmer’ to choose from courtesy of the Fairchild and Pultec, both of which will impart an
extra sonic dimension even with no processing dialled in.
So are IK’s emulations of these units better than those from other manufacturers? Well, I lined up T-Racks’
Fairchild against Waves’ Puigchild 670 and the Fairchild model in URS’s Console Strip Pro to see what the
differences might be. All of them offered closely comparable dynamic control characteristics, but the
Puigchild had a bit more aggression, whereas Console Strip Pro seemed to have weightier bass. I wouldn’t
have picked out any of them as sounding categorically ‘better’, though, by any means, so I don’t think IK’s
particular slant on the modelling process should really be the reason to go for T-Racks if you already have
another mainstream Fairchild emulation. Same goes for IK’s Pultec, nice as it undoubtedly is.
Where T-Racks scores best is in bundling together a well-balanced suite of high-quality processors in an
all-rounder package, and I can see how the latest version’s combination of analogue processing magic and
clinical digital control might appeal amongst home studio owners looking for more than just a touch of class.
That said, competition in this area is fierce, and I reckon IK would be unwise to let their software’s control
interface remain in its current under-developed state, because musicians with this much money to spend will
justifiably feel they have a right to demand better.
In this article: Imperfect Samples Braunschweig

Just The Facts Piano Sample Library
A Fistful Of Keys Published in SOS April 2009
Conclusion Reviews : Sample/Sound/Song Library
Imperfect Samples
Braunschweig The inaugural product from Imperfect Samples is a sampled piano with
pros a difference...
Unique and offbeat. David Ricard
I
Excels at both dreamy and
creepy passages. was a bit perplexed when I first heard about the
Good value. Braunschweig Upright Piano. Is there really a demand for
cons more piano libraries out there? Is an upright piano instrument
what every composer and producer is clamouring for? Aren’t
Something of a ‘niche’ piano
sound. there already several well-received upright piano libraries on the
Large hard-drive footprint. market? I decided to stop being a naysayer and check out the
No sample player included. product description on Imperfect Sample’s web site.
summary The concept behind the Braunschweig piano (the Braun from
A warm old German upright here on out) is to offer an alternative to pristine, polished piano
piano sampled from libraries by injecting some real-world artifacts and idiosyncrasies.
unconventional mic Additionally, the piano is sampled from slightly unfashionable
perspectives, creating piano
microphone positions, achieving even more esoteric results.
sounds that offer a pleasing
alternative to clean and Interspersed throughout the instrument are subtle quirks, such as
‘perfect’ libraries. finger-on-ivory taps (yes, the actual sound of a fingernail clicking
on an ivory key), pedal noise and other ‘flaws’ that one would conventionally wish to eliminate from a
information recording or performance. But if we consider possible intentions for a sample library such as this, several
5GB version £39.99; Pro applications come to mind, and I’ll get to those in just a minute.
15GB version £89.98; upgrade
from 5GB to the Pro 15GB Just The Facts
version £49.99. Prices include
VAT. Currently, the Braun is only available via Imperfect Samples’ web site. After purchase you’re emailed a link
Click here to email to download the files. Then, after uncompressing the hefty files, you have both the EXS24 instruments and
www.imperfectsamples.com the Kontakt versions (SFZ and other formats are in the works) and all the sound files required. It should be
noted that you’re buying the libraries without a sample player, so you must own a soft sampler capable of
Photos too small? Click playing back EXS24 instruments or Kontakt 2.2 or later.
on photos, screenshots and
The 24-bit library itself consists of one piano in several incarnations. The standard version (5GB) is the
diagrams in articles to open a
Braun Upright sampled from one mic perspective (two inches from the soundboard) using up to eight
Larger View gallery.
velocity layers. Or you can spring for the pro version (15GB!) which includes the aforementioned piano with
up to 14 layer, as well as another group of samples from a second mic perspective (near the hammers) in
up to 11 layers. The folks at Imperfect Samples recommend using Redmatica’s EXS manager to re-link the
samples and help speed up load times but without it, the pianos loaded on my Mac quad-core in about 15
seconds. Even with ever-swelling hard drive sizes (and I’m sure this point will seem silly in two years’ time),
I found myself asking: doesn’t 15 Gigabytes seem large for a library that’s one instrument and meant to be
kind of lo-fi?
Initially, having the choice of how many layers to load seemed overwhelming but as I employed the piano
on projects, I started to understand the value of these options. For instance, if you’re working on a project
that calls out for the Braun but your session is pretty dense with software instruments and plug-in effects,
you can record the three-layer version first and then, when you’re ready to mix, switch it to the instrument
with the next-highest number of layers. If all is well, continue adding layers until your system starts to beg
for mercy.
A Fistful Of Keys
So now that we have the gist of what this instrument is about, let’s start tickling the ivories. The first image
that comes to mind when I think of uprights is ragtime, so ‘Maple Leaf Rag’, here I come. Well, no. Not
withstanding the upright piano’s ubiquity in the saloons of the cinema, this is neither a tack piano nor a
honky-tonk tuned piano. It’s simply an upright piano. The strings may be a bit shorter than its grand cousin
but there is no inherent sound effect from this piano. The effect comes from how it was sampled.
To get things started, I loaded the 10-layer, ‘first perspective’ instrument and started playing through my
repertoire. The first thing I noticed was its ambient sustain. Whole-note chords have a lot of character,
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colour and capability. Soft notes have a dreamy, far-away quality, while harder strikes bring your attention
back to earth. When cycling through chords in this way I found the Braun inspiring — I do a lot of music for
film and TV, and I could definitely use this in a quiet, evocative, peaceful sort of cue.
The other application at which the Braun excels is creepy, menacing, suspenseful passages. Just
grabbing four random notes in the upper register would give you a starting point for a horror movie scene.
What about the ‘second mic perspective’ instruments, then? These have a warmer sound and work well
on soft passages. They have less ambience and faster decay than the first-perspective versions. While this
version is softer, it also has more presence as you play it harder. It still has a distant vibe to it — although
less dreamy than the first perspective — and works well in the same types of application.
Refreshingly, from either perspective, the Braun seems to sit well in a mix without needing much
tweaking. As much as I am a fan of alliteration, big, bold and beautiful pianos usually need to be sonically
sculpted to fit into final mixes. I, personally, would not run to the Braun for all styles of music, but the
demos on Imperfect Samples’ web site do illustrate a fair amount of versatility.
Conclusion
Is the Braun going to be your go-to piano? Probably not, and I suspect that the team at Imperfect Samples
would probably agree. Does the Braun deserve a place in the modern composer/producer’s arsenal of
instruments? For sure. It’s priced well for what you get, it’s very straightforward, and it is untouchable in the
situations at which it excels (namely, in my opinion, ethereal, horror, creepy, suspenseful, antique moods). I
would start with the standard version, and if you feel that you need the extra layers and the second
perspective, take advantage of the company’s offer to upgrade to the Pro version.
In a perfect world, I think more companies would offer products like the Braunschweig Upright Piano.
Unfortunately, we live in an imperfect world, but I’m sure that suits Imperfect Samples perfectly.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/braunschweig.htm?print=yes[02/04/2009 11:55:37]

Modelling Guitar Processor
Reviews : Modelling Guitar
I
f you thought the Pocket Pod was a no-brainer spin-off from the successful Line 6 Pod line, you should take a look at the Pocket Pod
Express. Its squashed-kidney plastic case has just four knobs and, although its patches can’t be edited, it still provides five basic amp
models (Clean, Twang, Crunch, Rock and Metal) that can be augmented with either delay or reverb, and a choice of chorus, tremolo or
flanging. It has the expected input and output jacks for your guitar and amp, but unlike the Pod from which it takes its technology, they’re
only in mono. However, you do get a 3.5mm stereo input jack, so that you can jam along to your MP3 player, and a 3.5mm phones jack.
There’s also a socket for an optional 9V DC power adaptor, should you want to use one — but you can also run the Pocket Pod Express on
four AAA batteries, a set of which is included to get you started.
The picture tells you pretty much all you need to know about the layout, and shows the Line 6
Spider-style control arrangement, with the three model-knobs divided into segments. Putting the
knob anywhere in a segment selects the effect that’s depicted by the panel legend, and moving
towards the clockwise end of the segment increases the amp drive or intensifies the effect. The
fourth knob is a volume control, but sadly there’s no tone control — the only big omission that I
noticed. Apparently, the amp models are ‘inspired by’ the Fender Deluxe Reverb, the Marshall
JCM800, the Vox AC30 Top Boost, the Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier, and the Fender Twin Reverb.
I suspect the Crunch model is Vox AC30-inspired, and it certainly has a nice jangly edge to it.
You get a choice of spring or hall reverb, or delay. A ‘tap’ button is used to set the delay rate,
but if you hold it down, you’ll select the built-in tuner, which uses a simple two-LED system to
show sharp or flat for each note. When both lights are on, the note is in tune. The tuner assumes
standard tuning, and it directs you towards the nearest ‘open string’ note — so, unless you’re miles out, it works fine. If both lights flash
when you’re not in tuner mode, you’re being told that the batteries are about to die: something to watch out for! An included belt clip lets you
fix the Pocket Pod Express to your belt or guitar strap, but this can be removed if you prefer.
The tone comes across as being very similar to the company’s little Spider amps and, despite its simplicity, the quality of the sounds is
actually very good. I’d have liked a slightly longer spring-reverb decay time but that’s a minor point. This product is clearly aimed at the
home-practice and entry-level recording markets, but at under $100 it also provides a great safety net against amp failure during a gig: keep
your Pocket Pod Express in your guitar case and, if things go bad, you’ll always be able to plug it into the PA (via its speaker-emulated
phones output), or plug the amp output into a spare channel of your mate’s amp to get you through the rest of the night. It also makes a
useful front end to a guitar amp that has limited features — and because there’s nothing to program, you can easily set up a sound in
seconds. In short, this is amp modelling at its simplest, and is cheaper than buying a plug-in to do the same job: the sounds are Pod quality
but with less choice and controllability. A great little impulse buy that has no real competition in its price range. Paul White
SUMMARY
A simple, inexpensive and good-sounding guitar preamp for practice, recording or even gigging.
Line 6 UK +44 (0) 1327 302 700.
www.line6.com
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/line6pocketpod.htm[02/04/2009 11:55:56]
Loopmasters KJ Sawka
Loopmasters KJ Sawka
Multi-format
Reviews : Sample/Sound/Song Library
D
rum & bass wasn’t designed for human drummers but has still attracted the attention of a few die-hard technicians whose
superhuman dexterity is surpassed only by their lung capacity. Such a drummer is Kevin (aka KJ) Sawka, whose Damascene
conversion to drum & bass followed years of playing rock, and this new library in Loopmasters’ Artist Series showcases what he
can do.
Using seven hybrid acoustic/electronic kits, he created over 500 loops, covering tempos from a
sedate 120bpm to a buttock-clenchingly swift 200bpm. These loops have the kit name, tempo and
a short description in the file name, and are organised into Dry and Effected folders, and
subsequently into more than a dozen stylistic/musical subfolders. A further 100 single-hit samples
from the acoustic kit elements are also named to link them to their ‘home’ kit. Given the
comparatively small library size (about 625MB of WAVs), this is a reasonable structure, and
further usability is guaranteed by the usual multi-format Loopmasters package.
On first listen, I was mesmerised (how the hell can a single person do all that?!), and I
remained no less impressed once the novelty had worn off. In terms of sheer musicality, KJ has
taken a clear step above what’s available from most programmed libraries. Not only do these
loops groove like a vinyl lathe, but they draw out of drum & bass immense possibilities for
rhythmic complexity and innovation; a subset of invention that has the unmistakable humanity of a
living, breathing musician. Even on the few straight-down-the-line drum & bass patterns, he
manages to give the potential clichés an urgency and flow that could take weeks to achieve
through programming. Happily, while KJ’s drumming doesn’t want for complexity, he rarely lets it
get in the way of the overall flow. Some of the loops feature solo instrumental riffs and fills, and
these warrant special praise for the way the human really steals a march on the machines — a refreshing change.
But what of the sounds? Again, KJ scores well, with a good balance of hi-fi and lo-fi elements. Kicks roll and rumble where they should,
but are also by turns tighter and higher for faster, more detailed patterns. The snares pop and rasp in a solid, usable way and there’s
splendid virtuoso use of rolls. Cymbals and hi-hats aren’t exactly good in beard-stroking hi-fi terms, but right on the money as far as general
attitude is concerned.
Despite the live drumming, there’s also plenty that sounds programmed — electronic blurps and glitches, reverse swells, abrupt cutoffs.
What’s great about these, though, is that they seem to grow naturally out of the more acoustic sounds and are integrated intelligently into
the performance.
If I’ve not made it clear enough yet, this is a great library, and something of a rarity in the field of electronica in demonstrating how real
musicianship can survive even the most stratospheric of tempos. Mike Senior
£39.95 including VAT.
Time + Space +44 (0)1837 55200.
www.timespace.com
www.loopmasters.com
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/kjsawka.htm[02/04/2009 11:56:12]
Markbass Studio 1
Markbass Studio 1
Bass-guitar Amp Emulation
Reviews : Software
A
couple of years ago, the bass player in my band announced proudly that he’d bought himself a Markbass combo. I wasn’t very
familiar with the Italian manufacturer of amps and cabs at the time, but the combo was a pleasant surprise, providing a full,
confident and rich sound in a mercifully portable package. It turns out to be the baby of a range spearheaded by a number of
impressive heads and cabs, three of which have now been emulated in software.
The Markbass Studio 1 plug-in (which is available for $199) was created by developers
Overloud, who have recently launched their own TH1 guitar-amp simulator (which we reviewed in
SOS March 2009). Three Markbass valve heads — the TA501, R500 and Classic 300 — are
emulated, along with six cabinets ranging from 1x15 to 8x10 in configuration. There’s also a
compressor, and the usual wide range of options when it comes to miking up the virtual speakers.
Unusually, Markbass Studio 1 uses Pace copy protection, but not the iLok system: authorising it
requires you to fill out a typical challenge and response form via the Markbass web site. The CD
includes VST, RTAS and stand-alone versions, each of which must be installed separately, for some reason.
When you load up Markbass Studio 1, you’re greeted by an enormous on-screen amp head next to a tiny cabinet. Both are sitting on a
shelf where the rest of the controls reside. Presets are saved and loaded using the buttons along the bottom centre, in banks of eight. I
found this system quite irritating, as there’s no way to see the names of more than one preset at once, so you’re often reduced to blindly
hovering the mouse over a button to find out what that preset is called.
One thing that’s immediately apparent with all the models is that there are a lot of controls. Even the simplest of the heads has four EQ
bands, while the TA501 has several additional tone-related parameters. On top of that, there’s a compressor which can be switched pre or
post the preamp and EQ, while the final output can draw from no fewer than five different sources: direct, room and rear mics, a separate
tweeter signal, and a simulation of the amp’s DI output. This latter can even be phase-reversed with respect to the miked signals.
Although each of these signals has its own level control, the overall output of the plug-in is just the same whether you have them all at
zero or all full up. This makes it easy to A/B different sounds at the same level, but can sometimes be confusing — even if all the levels are
down, it still outputs a full-level signal, so it’s not clear what that signal represents.
Interestingly, though, despite the possibly excessive number of controls and options, Markbass Studio 1 always sounds like Markbass
Studio 1. The qualities that I first heard in that small solid-state combo are here in abundance, no matter what you do to the controls. So
what this plug-in won’t give you, for the most part, are the gritty overdriven and distorted bass sounds you might find in hard rock or punk,
although I suppose you could always use a separate distortion device. Its strengths are more likely to be in pop, jazz, soul and other genres
where what’s needed is a warm, solid sound to anchor the mix. In general, the tone controls provide gentle massage rather than
fundamental alteration of the sound; likewise, the various mic and DI options sound convincingly like subtly different takes on the same
source signal, and the built-in compressor does pretty much what you’d want a compressor on a bass amp to do.
All three amp models cover a lot of similar ground, but they’re not exactly the same: to my ears, the TA501 head provides a more precise,
sharply defined sound that might suit slap bass and modern pop/rock, while the Classic 300 delivers a deeper, more rounded tone that
lends itself well to vintage sounds. It’s not a jack of all trades by any means, but despite the annoying preset handling and unnecessary
proliferation of controls, this plug-in is definitely the master of some. Sam Inglis
SUMMARY
A convincing software model of some of Markbass’s own hardware bass amplifiers. Guitar Center +1 866 498 7882
www.guitarcenter.com
www.markbass.it
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/markbassstudio1.htm[02/04/2009 11:56:32]
Nine Volt Audio Taiko
Nine Volt Audio Taiko

Kontakt 2/3
Y
ou’d have to be bloody serious about Taiko to want 2.3GB of multisamples, but the instrument’s ubiquity in high-octane film and TV
scores has led Nine Volt Audio to take it very seriously indeed. They put four Taiko drummers on a concert-hall stage and recorded
each with nine mics, hitting the drum head and shell; smacking the sticks together; growling and shouting blood-curdlingly Asian
syllables; and stomping their feet. At up to 90 velocity levels. If ever an engineer deserved a box of painkillers on expenses...
In Kontakt, if you just want specific sets of velocity-mapped multisamples for particular
performance techniques and mic positions, so that you can manually construct your own
ensembles, you should be restrained until appropriate medication can be administered. Er, I
mean, you should browse the Ensemble Constructor Instruments. For something more playable,
Drum Instruments blend the mic signals for a specific performance technique to give more
immediate gratification. A set of Effected Drum Instruments takes you into sound-design territory
using Kontakt’s internal processing, but although interesting, I suspect they won’t be the main
reason anyone buys a multisample Taiko library...
What most users will be looking for is the archetypal legion of bald, sweaty drummers in
loincloths, courtesy of the Multi Instruments. The quickest route to Narnian battlefields (assuming
you have no wardrobe to hand) is via the dozen Performance Multis, each accompanied by a
multi-channel MIDI trigger file. These conjure all manner of breathless tribal pursuits and epic
conflicts.
So does it sound the business? Yes. And the developers have covered every sonic angle I can
imagine needing, plus a lot I can’t. The Performance Multis sound very authentic, and include
good specimens of the 5/4 and 7/4 meters that frequently crop up in Taiko-garnished media
music. Given the quality and quantity on offer, the price is reasonable too. Were it not for some
occasional slightly flakey Kontakt programming and audio editing I’d have awarded this five stars.
As I’ve said, if you plan to buy this library, you have to be serious about Taiko, and not just in terms of money and disk space. While I was
testing one of the Performance Multis, Kontakt’s polyphony meter threatened to hit 500 voices, so CPU munch will be a concern (unless you
plan to write a lot of solo pieces for Taiko... in which case, I pity your neighbours). So, as good as this library is, busy or cash-strapped
media composers might be tempted to forgo some of its flexibility and try the same company’s excellent, and more wieldy, Action Drums
Taiko Edition loop library. Mike Senior
£106.74 including VAT.
Time + Space +44 (0)1837 55200.
www.timespace.com
www.ninevoltaudio.com
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/ninevoltaudiotaikodrums.htm[02/04/2009 11:56:49]
SE Electronics SE4400a
In this article: SE Electronics SE4400a

Overview Multi-pattern Condenser Microphone
Performance Published in SOS April 2009
Conclusion Reviews : Microphone
SE Electronics
SE4400a £512 Small size and a choice of polar patterns make this mid-priced, large-
pros diaphragm mic a very versatile performer.
Very versatile. Paul White
Y
Subjectively natural sound,
balancing warmth with detail. ou can find any number of Chinese-built microphones at
Excellent shockmount. the budget end of the market, but SE are one of the very
cons few companies to own a microphone factory in China —
rather than having their mics made for them in one of the huge
No obvious cons, although if
you only need a cardioid- factories in Shanghai or Bejing that specialise in building mics or
pattern mic you may be capsules for third-parties. Certainly, this has helped SE to build a
better off buying an strong reputation for value at the affordable end of the market, but
SE2200a. they also make more up-market microphones, many with
summary innovative design features, such as the Titan’s titanium diaphragm
SE have designed a good or the Gemini’s dual-tube, transformerless circuitry.
studio all-rounder at a price
point that should make it Overview
attractive to serious
enthusiasts and professionals The mic reviewed here is designed to meet professional needs,
alike. but priced within reach of the serious home-studio owner, and
despite cosmetic similarities to a well-known Austrian studio
information classic — which also has a pair of fours in its name — the
SE4400a single mic SE4400a is far from being a copy or clone. In fact, the mic’s
£511.75, matched pair
multiple patterns are achieved using a pair of back-to-back, large-
£1069.50. Prices include
diameter (one inch), centre-electrode capsules that are
VAT.
Sonic Distribution +44 mechanically similar to those used in the company’s SE2200a
(0)845 500 2500. model. Indeed, that’s my guess on how the name was arrived at: 2200a x 2 = 4400a. The two capsules are
Click here to email supported on a shockmount inside a slim, flat-profile body, and the overall cosmetic theme is matt black (to
www.sonicdistribution.com comply with film, theatre and TV low-visibility requirements). FET circuitry with a transformerless balanced
output stage delivers the signal to the outside world on a conventional XLR connector, and standard 48V
Photos too small? Click phantom power is required for operation.
on photos, screenshots and A row of four miniature toggle-switches along one side of the body allows you to switch in a -10dB or -
diagrams in articles to open 20dB pad when working with high SPLs, to engage the high-pass filter (60 or 120Hz, and off), set the pickup
a Larger View gallery. pattern to omni, cardioid or figure-of-eight, and to change between normal and hypercardioid mode when
cardioid is selected — so you have four pattern choices in all. The main body of the mic is finished in a
tactile, rubbery coating (possibly Nextel), and the steel grille is also finished in black. Overall, the quality of
finish and styling is excellent, and the same can be said of the included shockmount, which grips the base
of the mic in a plastic sleeve tightened by a thumb-screw. The mic can either be mounted to sit snugly inside
the shockmount or outside it (inverted), enabling it to fit into tighter spaces than the more common
shockmount designs. Similarly, the three-quarter-inch-thick profile of the mic makes it easy to position in
awkward places, such as around a snare drum. The usual swivel mount attaches the shockmount to the
threaded mic-stand adaptor, and I’m happy to say that the swivel locks really securely, even when the
thumbscrew is just lightly finger-tight.
A frequency response of 20Hz-20KHz is quoted. On its own, this means relatively little, but the frequency
plot is somewhat more revealing and shows a nominally flat response, but with a gentle presence peak at
around 10kHz. This type of response tends to produce a largely natural sound, but with an extra sense of
clarity at the high end, making it suitable for a wide range of acoustic instruments from piano and acoustic
guitars to drum overheads. The sensitivity of 14.1mV/pa-34 (±1dB) puts the mic’s output in the same ball-
park as most other similar studio mics, and although its equivalent noise level of 17dB (A-weighted) isn’t
outstandingly low, it is again pretty typical for this type of microphone, and certainly quiet enough for most
studio tasks. A maximum SPL for 0.5 percent THD at 1kHz is quoted as 130dB, but I suspect that this is
extended when the pads are switched in.
Matched pairs are available as an option for a slightly increased cost, but these come in a camera-style
case, with a sturdy metal mounting-bar so that you can use the mics as a spaced stereo pair.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/se4400a.htm?print=yes[02/04/2009 11:57:10]
SE Electronics SE4400a
Performance
The SE4400a is clearly designed as a general-purpose mic, so I wasn’t surprised to find that it had no
overbearing tonal characteristics. Its presence peak gives it a slightly flattering, larger-than-life vibe, but in a
pretty subtle way that doesn’t make things sound too harsh, and the low end gains useful support from a
little added warmth. The general tonality also remained reasonably consistent between patterns — taking
the proximity effect out of the equation, of course.
As you’d expect, the large-diaphragm design makes the SE4400 very good as a vocal microphone, and it
should be quite flexible in this role, as long as you don’t need to hype up the vocal sound too much. I even
managed to make some good violin recordings, in which the top end of the instrument sounded very close
to how I heard it in the room. Normally, I’d generally go for a mic with a more rounded-sounding top end for
recording violin, but I was putting this mic through its paces, after all, and the result I got responded very well
to some gentle top-cut EQ.
I found that acoustic guitar was handled without problems by the mic, which delivered both the depth and
woodiness of the body sound, and the transient detail of the strings. I also managed to coax a very sweet,
woody sound out of a mandolin when the mic was positioned about 12 inches from the sound hole. The
SE4400a sounds good on hand percussion too, including bodhran, so it should work as a drum overhead or
general percussion mic too. Because the response is pretty flat, with plenty of low-end extension, there’s no
reason not to expect a stereo pair to turn in good results on piano, although I didn’t have the chance to try
this during the review.
Given that the mic is, as I mentioned, based on a derivation of two back-to-back SE2200a capsules, I also
compared it directly with that mic (with the SE4400a in cardioid mode), and wasn’t surprised to discover that
they sound very similar. So if you only need a cardioid mic, the SE2200a is clearly going to save you a lot of
money. Being hyper-critical, I’d have to say that, as with large-diaphragm mics more generally, it doesn’t
sound quite as focused as a small-diaphragm model when used on some acoustic instruments, and its
‘omni’ mode isn’t quite as true an omni as you’d get from a single, small-diameter capsule. But, on the other
hand, I couldn’t find anything that it couldn’t cope with, and its ease of positioning for a large-diaphragm
model was a big plus.
Conclusion
If you need a large-diaphragm, multi-pattern capacitor mic that’s almost as easy to position as a small-
diaphragm pencil mic, the SE4400A, with its elegant shockmount, is a very practical choice in the mid-priced
section of the microphone market.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/se4400a.htm?print=yes[02/04/2009 11:57:10]
Sonic Reality Ocean Way Drums
In this article: Sonic Reality Ocean Way Drums

Some Serious Drum Virtual Drum Instrument
Sampling
Drum Miking — Now Reviews : Software
With Added Thwack!
How Does It Sound?
Ocean Way Drums offers 19 drum kits, recorded in a world-famous
Uses & Useability
studio by a world-renowned engineer. Is this the best drum sample
Conclusion
library money can buy?
Ocean Way Drums
Mike Senior
T
pros
here are few studios that enjoy the cachet of Ocean Way,
Sounds like an instrument and few engineers who can match the credits of the
from one of the world’s
studio’s owner Allen Sides, so surely only the most jaded
greatest sound engineers,
of studio denizens could fail to take notice when both the studio
working in one of the world’s
top studios. Because it is. and its head honcho became involved with the same software
Multitrack audio from the sound library. The product in question is Sonic Reality’s Ocean
imaginative multi-mic Way Drums, a meticulously multisampled and multi-miked
recording setup can be mixed selection of drum instruments that is available in two forms: the
to suit the application in hand, 40GB 24-bit/48kHz Gold edition on six DVDs and the 80GB 24-
providing an enormous
bit/96kHz Platinum HD edition on a 10,000rpm hard drive. (More
timbral range from each of
entry-level Ocean Way Drums Silver and DL Edition products are
the 19 kits.
also apparently in the works, too — and may well be available by
cons
the time you read this.) Both operate using a customised version
So what drums were used in
of Native Instruments’ widely-used Kontakt Player virtual
each kit? How were the
instrument, which is now compatible with most major sequencers.
heads tuned and damped?
What beaters were used? No
clues! Some Serious Drum Sampling
Make sure to keep a good
book on hand while In collaboration with another highly-respected engineer, Steven
auditioning different multitrack Miller, Allen has sourced 19 different custom drum kits (of
kits — they do take a while to unknown provenance, but apparently including some pieces
load. courtesy of high-profile recording artists), set them up in Ocean
The Extended IMAP key- Way’s near-legendary Studio B drum-room, and then thrown a
mapping seems confusing at
collection of the world’s most sought-after recording equipment at
the outset, and may take you
a while to get the hang of. the problem of capturing their every nuance. So you not only get
Allen’s personal favourites from the Aladdin’s Cave-style mic
summary
locker, but also his own custom-modified ‘minimum signal path’
An excellent-sounding virtual
recording console and a number of carefully modified rack
drum instrument, currently
best suited to anyone who classics from Neve, API, Urei and Fairchild.
If you’re planning on much flipping
isn’t too pressed for time in Various drum performance techniques were recorded, including between the different Ocean Way
the studio. snare rolls, ghost notes, rimshots and side-sticks; various stages Drums kit Multis, then you’d best get
of hi-hat open-ness, closed-ness, and, er, pedal-ness; and rolled used to this screen, because you’re
information and choked cymbals. Multiple velocity levels (32, to be precise) going to be seeing a lot of it. The
Gold Edition (DVD) 798 have been used, as you’d expect, and all the drums and cymbals
Euros; Platinum Edition (hard Multi loading here took a full minute
have alternate samples available to help avoid ‘machine-gunning’ to load on my machine because the
drive) 1498 Euros.
when playing repeated hits in rapid succession. Separate kick- multisampling is so detailed.
Click here to email
drum and tom recordings were captured with and without the
www.bestservice.de If you’re planning on much flipping
sympathetic rattling of the snare, something that makes a between the different Ocean Way
www.oceanwaydrums.com
surprisingly large amount of difference. Drums kit Multis, then you’d best get
used to this screen, because you’re
Test Spec You trigger all these samples in a two different ways. The first is
from a MIDI keyboard using Sonic Reality’s Extended IMAP going to be seeing a lot of it. The Multi
Kontakt Player v2.2.4.001. loading here took a full minute to load
layout, whereby each type of hit is assigned its own individual key.
Rain Recording Solstice O3 on my machine because the
PC with AMD Phenom 9750 Much is made by Sonic Reality of the intuitiveness of this multisampling is so detailed.
quad-core 2.4GHz processor, keyboard layout, and you can check it out for yourself on the
4GB DDR2 RAM, Windows XP
Pro with Service Pack 3.
dedicated Ocean Way Drums web site, but I have to say I found it
rather confusing, particularly in the way the alternate samples
Photos too small? Click were laid out. For example, where the main snare edge and
on photos, screenshots and centre hits have alternate samples on the same keys an octave
diagrams in articles to open a below, the side-stick and rimshot hits on the black keys directly
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/oceanwaydrums.htm?print=yes[02/04/2009 11:57:31]
Larger View gallery. above them have their alternate samples two octaves below. If you
try playing those black keys one octave below you get a couple of The interface of each Instrument can
hi-hat samples which themselves seem strangely dislocated from be switched to show numerous
the main body of the hi-hat hits an octave and a half above them. different controls, some of which are
I can accept that perhaps this layout is quicker to use in the long shown above. The top two
run (in much the same way as the non-alphabetical layout of the screenshots show how you get
letters on a QWERTY keyboard), but not everybody has the time access to level and pan controls for
to learn a new kind of touch-typing for every new virtual each individual mic signal in the
instrument they buy, and I would certainly have appreciated a setup, and there’s some clever
more straightforward layout for those programming MIDI, rather Kontakt scripting behind the scenes
than playing it in live. As it was, I got so fed up squinting at the switching off any fully faded-down
manual’s key allocation diagram that in the end I stuck masking- samples to minimise the required
tape across the top of my controller keyboard and wrote out all the polyphony. The bottom screen here
sample allocations by hand! shows the independent envelope
The other key-mapping is for the TD20 version of Roland’s V- controls for close and ambient mics,
Drum system, and although I didn’t have a V-Drum system on which provide yet another powerful
hand to try this out, it looks to me a much better way to trigger way to mould the sound.
Ocean Way Drums than a MIDI keyboard, as the variety of The interface of each Instrument can be
switched to show numerous different
different hit types are allocated fairly intuitively, so that the kit
controls, some of which are shown
responds to different stick-hit positions in much the way you’d
above. The top two screenshots show
expect. Sonic Reality have also programmed Kontakt Player in how you get access to level and pan
this instance to automatically cycle between the available alternate controls for each individual mic signal in
hits on the fly. In some respects, MIDI programmers may find the the setup, and there’s some clever
V-Drum keymapping easier to use for basic duties, even though Kontakt scripting behind the scenes
some of the more unusual performance options (such as the rolls) switching off any fully faded-down
samples to minimise the required
won’t then be accessible to you. Apparently, a planned update will
polyphony. The bottom screen here
include a GM keymap, which might help, although whether this will
shows the independent envelope
then provide access to the extended performance techniques is controls for close and ambient mics,
open to question. which provide yet another powerful way
to mould the sound.
Drum Miking — Now With Added
Thwack!
While the miking setup features many first-call mic choices (AKG’s
D12/D112 and Neumann’s U47 FET on kick, for example, as well
as Shure’s SM57 on the snare), there are also aspects of it that
are unusual. The first thing that stands out is the three sets of
stereo room mics, which all have very different characters and
give a lot of flexibility, but then there’s also the six-mic snare
setup. Yes, that’s right. Six mics on the snare: two modified
SM57s two inches from the head, two AKG C12As 18 inches away, and two Sony C55P condensers five
inches under the bottom head. A selection of Kontakt Instrument presets presents these mics in a variety of
stereo and mono configurations, but the level and panning of all those mics is completely adjustable if you
delve into the settings. A couple of other options are occasionally provided too: a ridiculously compressed
‘Thwack’ channel for adding aggression and character, and a reverb return from one of those ’80s effects
stalwarts, the early AMS RMX16 reverb unit. Both are a bit ‘suck it and see’, but fun to play with
nonetheless.
Instrument presets are used to provide a quick and dirty kind of ‘dry/wet’ control for each kit component
and, indeed, the kit as a whole — as you step through the six numbered presets (which you can do remotely
from either of the key maps), the virtual hand of Allen Sides adjusts the balance between near and far mics
to give you a progressively roomier sound. One other set of controls is also worth a mention: the envelope
parameters. Most importantly, these allow you to set the release time of the samples following a MIDI Note
Off message being received, and there are independent controls for the close mics and the more ambient
mics — very handy for dampening down some of the more enthusiastically resonant or reverberant sounds
on occasion.
Within Kontakt Player, the whole kit is set up as a Multi, with each kit component playing from a separate
Instrument within it. The multi-mic audio from each Instrument is then combined into six channels in the
Kontakt Multi’s mixer (kick, snare, hat, toms, overheads and ambience) for passing through to the host
sequencer. These can be accepted by the host sequencer in multi-channel format or as an appropriate
downmix, depending on how you set up Kontakt Player’s outputs. Because of the way the spill of every
instrument can appear on the overhead and room mics in the setup, the experience of mixing the multi-
channel output streams from Ocean Way Drums is much like mixing a typical drum recording, albeit without
any spill from other instruments on the close mics (something that’s more often a hindrance than a blessing
with real drum recordings).
With up to 13 mono and stereo mic sources running simultaneously for every component in the entire kit,
there is a bewildering array of sonic options, because you can mix and match all of the mic sources for each
individual kit component and, indeed, freely swap different instruments in from other kits. However, as The
Incredible Samplerman might have said: with great power comes great polyphony. For example, I
programmed up an only moderately busy drum pattern comprising kick, snare, hat and crash cymbal, and
found that with all the possible audio streams active for each Instrument I was reaching around 140 voices
on Kontakt’s polyphony counter. As you can imagine, it makes sense to be running this monster on a fast
machine with lots of RAM and a fast audio drive if you want to get the most out of it in practice. What is nice
to see, though, is that Sonic Reality have sensibly scripted Kontakt Player in this case so that any audio
streams not being used (those which have their level controls down all the way) take up no polyphony.
How Does It Sound?

Given that Ocean Way Drums was put together by one of the
greatest audio engineers of our time, it should be little surprise
that the audio quality is beyond reproach. The 19 kits on offer here
are all excellent professional specimens that would grace any
recording you cared to put them on: clean, clear, fast and larger
than life. The dynamic response of the hits is musical and
appealing, and the hint of snare rattle on the kick and tom hits is great at gluing the kit together as a whole.
The range of sounds on offer is also good, with each different kit having plenty of unique character to set it
apart from the others. I reckon you could find something here for most eventualities, although by the very
nature of Allen and Steven’s emphasis on high production values and pristine audio quality, the raw sounds
are kept within the bounds of fairly conservative taste, so you’ll need to do a bit of mix processing if you
want to stray outside acoustic, country, pop or MOR rock styles. Some may miss a brush kit, but this didn’t
fuss me too much; Sonic Reality had to stop sampling somewhere, and finishing ‘after the stick hits’ has a
certain logic to it.
However, no matter what sound you’re looking for, the scope you have in this library to manipulate the raw
recordings is phenomenal, just by rebalancing all the audio streams of each drum-kit component, either
statically by manipulating each Instrument’s controls directly, or dynamically by using Kontakt Player’s MIDI
controller assignments or sequencer automation facilities. This can be expanded further using Kontakt
Player’s range of onboard effects and any plug-ins within your sequencer (which can, of course, operate on
Kontakt Player’s multi-channel audio outputs for extra control). And if you have the full version of Kontakt,
you can go further still in terms of processing and routing individual samples. To start with such fantastic
recordings and then to have so much scope to adjust them is brilliant, and I can’t think what more I’d want
from a drum instrument on this front, to be honest. In this respect, Ocean Way Drums is a godsend for
mixdown drum-replacement in particular, because the sounds are so good, you can tweak them so much
more than you can a straight sample, and you can adjust the sound dynamically to match different sections
of your mix.
Uses & Useability

Blistering sonics aside, though, I think the real-world usability of
Ocean Way Drums as a virtual instrument could definitely be
improved. First of all, there’s no description whatsoever of the
instruments that make up each of the 19 kits, or of how they might
have been tuned and damped to create the final sound. Some
might argue that this makes you more likely to choose suitable
sounds with your ears rather than relying on preconceived notions The outputs from all the different
of what specific drums sound like, an argument that has more mics in the kit are submixed to six
than the usual weight here in the light of the mixing flexibility on channels in Kontakt Player’s mixer,
offer within the Kontakt Player interface. However, what rather and from there they can be assigned
hamstrings this viewpoint in Ocean Way Drums is that the to individual channels in your
instruments and kits take so long to load — for example, a typical sequencer for mixdown. You can
snare-drum Instrument takes around 30 seconds to load in on my also add in further effects from
machine, even though it’s considerably more powerful than the Kontakt’s own arsenal of processors
required spec. This makes surfing through the 19 kits looking for a if you like.
suitable patch a somewhat sedate pastime! Even if the developers
The outputs from all the different mics in
decided to take the view that writing about timbre is like dancing the kit are submixed to six channels in
about flavour, and eschewed descriptive text entirely, then they Kontakt Player’s mixer, and from there
could at least provide some kind of ‘menu’ Instrument to they can be assigned to individual
showcase representative mixes of the different kits side-by-side. channels in your sequencer for
As it is, the only way I’m going to get regular use out of Ocean mixdown. You can also add in further
effects from Kontakt’s own arsenal of
Way Drums on my system is if I decide to manually bounce out
processors if you like.
audio files of each kit for comparison purposes. When I get a
moment... (When I contacted Sonic Reality about this, they
admitted that the size of the full kits did mean that loading times were high. However, they are apparently in
the process of developing lightweight stereo-only Multis for quicker auditioning purposes, as well as MP3
demos of each kit.)
One other issue that may concern some users is that although Ocean Way Drums can produce incredibly
realistic drum realisations given the right MIDI input, it makes no attempt to help you generate a musical
MIDI part in the first place. There are lots of software drum instruments on the market, and many of them
now include libraries of preset grooves to get you started, but there’s nothing like that here. So unless
you’re already a seasoned drum programmer, or a drummer with a V-Drum kit, you may struggle to achieve
musically satisfying results despite the platinum-coated sound quality that this virtual instrument brings
within reach. That said, Sonic Reality are apparently in the process of producing a library of over 200 pre-
programmed MIDI grooves for Ocean Way Drums, which they say will be made available as a free download
for all customers.
Conclusion
Niggles aside, though, there is simply no getting away from the fact that this is a library from a studio that’s
sold more than a billion records — and it sounds like it. So if audio fidelity and mixing flexibility are at the top
of your list of requirements, then this library should amply justify its high-end price point.

EXS24 & Kontakt 2/3
F
ollowing their excellent esoteric tuned-percussion releases Hang Drum and Balinese Gamelan, Soniccouture stay off the beaten
track with Bowed Piano. How on earth do you ‘bow’ a piano? Allow me to explain: as piano strings are laid out on a flat plane it’s
impossible to bow them as you would a violin, but you can get a bowed effect by threading a nylon fishing line coated in rosin below
the string and pulling it back and forth against its underside. This style of bowed piano was first adopted by composers in 1972. A later
development was the ‘rigid bow’ consisting of horse-hair glued onto a wooden tongue depressor, which is used for short staccato attacks.
Inspired by recordings of bowed piano, Soniccouture got messy with Krazy Glue, tweezers,
horsehair, nylon filaments and tubs of rosin, and used their home-made bows to chafe and
caress the strings of a nine-foot Baldwin SD10 grand piano. The recordings took place in Ottawa,
Canada, a town Bob Dylan described as “the worst goddamned hole in the universe”. But I’ll try
not to let that influence my review...
The stereo samples require 1.7GB of disk space and are formatted for EXS24, and Kontakt 2
and 3. There are three articulations: normal sustains, strong sustains and short staccatos. The
looped sustains’ tone is rich and somewhat ethereal, like a cross between a church organ
‘mixture’ stop, a waterphone and a small string section playing without vibrato. At the top end,
they sound like a disembodied mini-orchestra from outer space; at the bottom, not unlike the
twangly bass-drone of an Indian tambura. The pulling/bowing action imparts a lot of harmonic
movement to notes, adding a slightly voice-like character, and because the piano was bowed with
the sustain pedal down, the sympathetic resonance of other undamped strings creates a beautiful,
floaty reverb-like wash: a unique and colourful pad sound.
With a fiercer attack and louder harmonics, the stronger sustains bear a passing resemblance to
a hurdy gurdy but sound way more pleasant and melodious. The short staccato notes reminded
me of a bass harmonica, and of early stringed instruments such as the viol. I guarantee that if you use this sound in an arrangement no-one
will know what it is! The ‘Bowed Piano Synth’ patch adds superb effects, making the samples sound immense. A fantastic ‘glissando’ control
transforms long bowed notes into sirens, seagull cries and wailing choirs — just the thing for your latest psychedelic epic.
I can recommend this exotic library to all sonic adventurers, but I couldn’t help feeling that the inclusion of a few more under-the-lid piano
articulations (plucked strings, soft mallet hits and harmonics, for example) would have widened its appeal. That said, it does a great job of
exploring its fascinating chosen theme. Dave Stewart
DVD £61.10, download £57.57. Prices include VAT.
Soniccouture +44 (0)208 392 8837.
www.soniccouture.com
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/soniccouturebowedpiano.htm[02/04/2009 11:57:51]
Sony Acid Pro 7
In this article: Sony Acid Pro 7

Mixing Acid Digital Audio Workstation Software For Windows
Best Of The Rest Published in SOS April 2009
Seventh Time Lucky Reviews : Software
Bundled Effects, Sounds
& Processors
Acid Pro has always offered a fabulous environment for loop-based
Sony Acid Pro 7 £250 music creation, but version 7 sees it making a bid for fully fledged
pros
DAW status.
John Walden
I
Project mixing is easier with the
new Mixing Console.
f you make extensive use of loops in your music, and you
The new Input Bus feature makes
for a better multitrack audio work on a PC, the odds are that you will have tried Acid
recording environment. at some point. Acid Pro has always offered a powerful
Includes an excellent bundle of and creative platform for loop-based music creation, and with
free VST Instruments and effects. versions 5 and 6, Sony expanded its features for audio and
Great fun to use. MIDI recording. Version 7 of Acid Pro is now with us and,
cons again, the new features suggest that Sony are still keen to
There are still a few MIDI and position Acid as a fully fledged DAW. So is Acid Pro now a
audio editing refinements that viable alternative to products such as Cubase or Sonar for
might be added. PC-based musicians?
summary
Those new to Acid Pro might like to look through the earlier
If your PC music production
SOS reviews (see the April 2005 and July 2006 issues) for some background, as all the previous
regularly combines loops, audio
functionality is retained in the new version. In essence, Acid Pro’s long-standing focus has been its
and MIDI, Acid Pro 7 provides a
very capable DAW environment ability to provide real-time pitch-shifting and tempo-matching of audio loops. This capability is now built
and is both easy and fun to use. into most mainstream DAWs, but Acid is pretty much where it started, and it is fair to say that the quality
of this real-time process in Acid is about as good as it gets. And thanks to its very straightforward user
information interface, even non-musicians can put together plausible results given a suitable collection of pre-
£249.98; upgrades £176.15. recorded loops — although whether that’s good thing is another matter! Other key features include an
Prices include VAT. excellent audio groove quantise function, a range of audio effects, a video window for music-to-picture
SCV +44 (0)208 418 1470. work and the ability to act as a Rewire host or client.
Click here to email
As with most software updates, Acid Pro 7 offers a number of headline additions and numerous
www.scvlondon.co.uk
smaller refinements. For me, four new features fit into the headline category: the provision of an Input
www.sonycreativesoftware.com
Bus system, a full audio and MIDI mixing window (something that was on my personal wish-list when I
reviewed version 6), improvements to the time-stretching engine, and the impressive bundle of added
Test Spec
extras from Garritan, iZotope, Native Instruments and Submersible Music (see box on the next page).
Acid Pro v7.0a.
Also notable, but a bit less dramatic, are features such as MIDI track freeze, the ability to create
PC with Intel quad-core 3GHz tempo curves, real-time rendering of projects (allowing external sound sources to be mixed down as
Q9650 CPU and 4GB RAM, running
Windows Vista 32-bit, with TC part of the Acid project) and, amongst a range of user-interface tweaks, customised labelling for ASIO
Electronic Konnekt 24D interface. devices and ports.
Tested with Steinberg Cubase
4.5.2. Mixing Acid
Photos too small? Click on Acid has always had a Mixer window, but until now, its features have been somewhat limited. Although
photos, screenshots and this didn’t stop users from undertaking complex projects with mix automation, it did mean that mixing
diagrams in articles to open a usually involved both the Track List and the Mixer window. The fully featured audio and MIDI Mixing
Larger View gallery. Console window is, therefore, an obvious highlight in the new release.
As shown in the screenshot above, the general appearance of the mixer channels retains the classic
Acid style, which is very functional if perhaps not a thing of great beauty. As well as the output, preview,
bus, effects and soft synth mixer channels, the new Mixing Console window now also includes audio
and MIDI channels for each track within the Track List, plus the new Input Bus channels. The user can
toggle different track type groups or individual tracks on and off via the View pane or Channel List, and
both of these options make it easy to configure the mixing environment to suit particular types of task.
Aside from the usual channel fader, level meter and pan controls, tracks now include slots for insert
effects and sends, where appropriate. These two areas can be contracted and expanded to show fewer
or more slots, as required. Clicking on an empty insert effects slot produces a drop-down list from which
effects can be selected, while clicking on an already filled slot opens the window for that effect so that
its parameters can be adjusted. Other features include mute, solo, automation mode, a phase switch,
record arming, input monitoring, insert effect chain editing, track freeze and an insert pre-/post-fader
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/acid7.htm?print=yes[02/04/2009 11:58:16]
Sony Acid Pro 7
option, the selection of which depends upon the track type. This is now a well-specified mixer, and
having faders for all track types in one place makes it easier to focus on basic mixing tasks such as
fader automation. In version 6, this required working in both the old mixer window (for master outputs,
buses and so on) and in the Track List (for the audio and MIDI tracks).
In terms of making Acid a more credible environment for serious audio recording, the new Input Bus
tracks are a big plus. They provide the ability to quickly
configure which hardware input(s) are to be used, what
effects (insert or send) are to be applied to the input signal
and whether the input bus is to be returned to an output for
monitoring purposes (which, as in most DAWs, works fine if
your audio device can function at low enough latency levels).
Best Of The Rest

A few of the other new features are worth highlighting. Like The new Mixing Console window
most mainstream DAWs, Acid Pro 7 now includes a Freeze including an equally new Input Bus.
option for MIDI tracks. This simply renders the soft synth The new Mixing Console window
output to a WAV file, hence reducing the CPU load when including an equally new Input Bus.
working with a project that is stressing the host computer.
This works well and the operation is pretty much invisible to the user. Tracks can be unfrozen if further
editing is required.
Acid has always allowed tempo changes within projects, but version 7 sees the introduction of tempo
curves for the first time. The approach used offers a number of pre-defined shapes of tempo change
between two tempo markers — not a full-blown tempo track but a considerable improvement, and easy
to use, too. As before, Acid will follow tempo changes (including tempo curves) from another application
via Rewire.
For users with hardware MIDI sound sources, the new real-time rendering option will be welcome.
This enables a project to be bounced in real time rather than as quickly as the CPU allows, with MIDI
tracks transmitting data out to any hardware sources and the audio being returned via an Input Bus for
inclusion within the mix. One other nice detail in this release is the ability to customise the labels for
your various ASIO-based audio inputs and output. These then appear in all the I/O drop-down options
(within the Mixer, for example) — all much neater than the sometimes cryptic default names that appear
for some devices.
Seventh Time Lucky

As a long-standing user of Acid, I’m obviously something of a
fan. In use, I found Acid Pro 7 immediately familiar and, small
changes to the interface aside, still a working environment I
find simple, efficient and downright fun to use. Sony have
made some changes under the hood in terms of the pitch-
and tempo-shifting algorithms (including the new Zplane ‘
lastique Pro’ time-stretching that can be used with
Beatmapped files), but these are generally invisible to the
user. The bottom line here is that the real-time pitch and
tempo manipulation is still as good as it gets, and pretty much
effortless when used with pre-recorded loops.
For anyone familiar with virtual mixers, the new Mixing
Console is very easy to find your way around, and it does
make final project mixing much easier, both in terms of Effects management is much easier
managing your use of effects plug-ins and creating track-level with the new Mixing Console.
automation data. The new Input Bus system is well Effects management is much easier with
implemented and immediately makes Acid an easier the new Mixing Console.
environment for standard multitrack audio recording. Having
run both version 6 and 7 on the same test system during the course of the review, I didn’t see any
noticeable difference in performance, and the v7.0a release used for testing seemed very stable.
So is Acid now the perfect DAW? Well, not quite. Rival products such as Cubase and Sonar still have
tools for audio and MIDI editing that are missing here. For example, I’d love to see the equivalent of the
Cubase ‘Detect Silence’ command available, as I find this a real time-saver when I’m editing together
multiple takes of vocals. Equally, however, there are areas where Acid outshines the competition,
Sony Acid Pro 7
particularly in the mixing and matching of pre-recorded loops.

In recent years, my impression is that Acid hasn’t had quite the profile of some of its obvious
competition, particularly in the UK, and this has always been a bit of mystery to me. Perhaps it’s
something to do with its PC-only status but, as a tool for working with loops, I think Acid is just about as
good as it currently gets. This upgrade is evolutionary rather than revolutionary but I’m sure the majority
of existing users will see it as well worthwhile.
What is perhaps more interesting is whether Acid Pro 7 might now be seen as a more serious
competitor for the mainstream PC-based DAWs such as Cubase and Sonar. Sony have continued to
move Acid forward in that respect, and it is now also a very capable multitrack audio and MIDI
recording and mixing environment. As a regular user of Cubase, I hesitate to undertake a
predominately loop-based project in Cubase knowing I’ve got Acid on my PC. Equally, if I’m creating a
complex MIDI-based project, I still go with Cubase, simply because I’m more familiar with the MIDI tools
it offers. However, for projects that mix and match all three elements — loops, audio tracks and MIDI —
I would previously have used Cubase with Acid Rewired in, but now Acid Pro 7 is perfectly capable of
handling it all. PC users looking to buy into the top end of the workstation market should certainly give
Acid Pro 7 some serious consideration, because this is now a very good DAW that also happens to be
great fun to use.
Bundled Effects, Sounds & Processors

For those interested in recording electric guitars, the new
Input Bus channels will be particular useful, allowing users
to take full advantage of the Native Instruments Guitar
Combos that are part of the bundled extras. These provide
three very decent amp models — AC Box, Plexi and Twang
— and each is supplied with a good number of presets. The
clean and crunchy sounds are all very useable, although I
did find myself taking a little top-end off some of the high-
gain presets to reduce some of the fizz.
A special version of Garritan’s ARIA sample player is also
included. This VSTi includes a range of orchestral, jazz/big
band, marching band and GM-type sounds, all subsets of
samples taken from Garritan’s other products. The player
The Twang Combo is one of three
itself is simple but offers some nice features and, although
supplied with the NI Guitar Combos
there are not huge numbers of instruments provided, what is
bundle.
here is very good indeed. This includes some nice key-
The Twang Combo is one of three
switched string samples (full strings and sections) and very
supplied with the NI Guitar Combos
useable Steinway jazz piano, vintage electric piano and
bundle.
upright bass.
The third element of the bundle is the KitCore drum sample VSTi from Submersible Music. This is a
cut-down version of their flagship DrumCore package and it includes a range of different drum kits
and MIDI loops taken from the various DrumCore libraries. While it perhaps serves as a taster for the
full product, as with ARIA, the basic set of drum and percussion sounds supplied are good.
The final freebie is the Acid Pro Effects Rack from iZotope. This includes a flanger, phaser,
‘analogue’ delay and dynamics processor, all of which will be familiar to anyone who has used any
of iZotope’s full products such as Ozone. I particularly liked the delay, which is both well specified (it
offers, tube, tape and ‘bucket brigade’ models), easy to use and sounds great.
Toontrack Jazz EZX
Toontrack Jazz EZX

EZ Drummer Expansion
I
f you want great drum sounds but don’t need to tweak every bolt in the kit, Toontrack’s EZ Drummer provides a very natural-sounding
approach to sampled drums, complete with a mixer page for balancing the kit elements and for bringing up the overhead and room
mics. You can switch some of the drums in a kit for alternatives, or sometimes pick a different type of kick-drum beater. The range of
options is deliberately narrow, though, which forces you to treat it like a well-recorded acoustic kit rather than endlessly tinkering with the
sound. Additional kits come in the form of EZX expanders on DVD or as downloads. The latest of these, Jazz EZX, features Grammy award-
winning composer and drummer Roy ‘Futureman’ Wooten. Roy has been working with sampled drums since the mid ’80s, and has played
with numerous jazz legends, including US band Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. He’s also often seen playing the SynthAxe-Drumitar, which
he designed to trigger drum samples.
Jazz EZX was recorded at Nashville’s Blackbird Studios and produced by Andreas Sundgren
and Brad Bowden. The all-important kit includes both stick and brush hits and is made up of
either a Pearl 14-inch or Leedy piccolo snare with a Pearl 18-inch Reference series kick drum or
a 22-inch Ludwig Maple Psychedelic. The toms are by Pearl or Slingerland and there’s an
additional Gretsch 10-inch USA custom tom to the left. The cymbals are Zildjian or Paiste with 14-
inch Masterworks hi-hats, and the mixer page gives separate control over the overhead and
‘chamber’ levels, as well as the close mics. Chamber adds a nice brash, short reverb, with a very
strong sense of a real space. The snare has both top and bottom microphones, and — unusually
— there’s also a separate sub fader for the kick that offers you some real low-frequency clout.
Despite this being a jazz kit, most of the included ‘drag and drop’ MIDI rhythms are musically
usable in straight or swing time, these being played by David Haynes, Morgan Agren and Per
Mikaelsson. As you’d expect for a jazz kit, the sound is very natural: the drums feel as though
they’ve been given plenty of space to breathe, but the kit is versatile enough to be used for other
genres, such as rockabilly or country. When a brushed snare is selected, you get two different hits
and a ‘drag’, and all the snare and tom sounds are very articulate and well-defined. Inevitably you
can’t get a virtuoso brush performance out of so few hits, but the general effect is very convincing. There’s a wonderful sense of dynamics
as you play louder, courtesy of generous multisampling and, as with the other EZ Drummer expander kits, the overall recording quality and
fidelity is extremely high. This is definitely one to add to your collection — even if jazz isn’t your thing. Paul White
£55 including VAT.
Time + Space +44 (0)1837 55200.
www.timespace.com
www.toontrack.com
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/toontrackjazzezx.htm[02/04/2009 11:58:35]
Universal Audio Twin-finity 710
In this article: Universal Audio Twin-finity 710

Twin-finity & Beyond Hybrid Microphone Preamplifier
Design & Construction Published in SOS April 2009
Trial Time Reviews : Preamp
A Fine Blend?
Universal Audio Twin- Which is best, tube or solid state? When it comes to investing in a
finity 710 £799 preamp, that’s a question you may no longer need to ask...
pros Paul White
T
Simple means of blending tube here are those engineers who swear by tube preamps
and solid-state sounds without
for their warmth and musicality, whereas others prefer
phase problems.
Variable drive, from clean and the accuracy of a good solid-state circuit. It’s also true
pristine to very obviously that some types of music work best with one or the other, so the
distorted. same engineer may use tube or solid-state preamps for different
Doubles as a really good-quality jobs. With the Twin-finity 710, Universal Audio have attempted
instrument DI. to satisfy both camps by creating a preamplifier that has both
cons tube and solid-state signal paths, and a means to blend them as required.
No independent drive controls
for the two signal paths. Twin-finity & Beyond
summary
This 2U, half-rack, all-metal preamp is a single-channel device that can accept mic, line or instrument
The Twin-finity is an extremely
signals, but although the name suggests that there might be elements of the Solo 610 in the tube side of
versatile preamplifier that’s able
to cover a lot of ground. the circuit, and perhaps a Solo 110 in the solid-state side, there are aspects of this design that make it
Although it isn’t exactly ‘budget’, quite different from either, resulting in a unique tonal character. I know there are users out there who
it could save you the cost of would want it to blend the Solo 610 and 110 sounds, but that’s really not what the 710 is about. In fact it
buying separate tube and solid- couldn’t be, because additional design techniques had to be incorporated to ensure the two signal-paths
state mic preamps, and it has summed in-phase, which is not a trivial task when combining two very different circuit topologies.
enough drive range to be used
on instruments for which more The term ‘Twin-finity’ describes the device’s tone-blending abilities, which can be applied to both the
overt distortion would be mic/line preamp and the ‘Hi-Z’ instrument DI. Unlike some low-voltage tube preamps, the tube here runs
beneficial. at the full 310V in the expected class-A configuration, and the input stage uses UA’s trans-impedance
input circuity, a current-feedback arrangement that combines good phase coherence with a wide audio
information bandwidth. As the instrument input needs to offer a high input impedance, a discrete FET circuit is used,
£799 including VAT. yielding an input impedance of 2.2M?. The input is split to drive separate, phase-aligned tube and solid-
Source Distribution +44 state gain stages. These are then summed back together via the centrally located Trans/Tube blend knob,
(0)20 8962 5080. which goes from all-tube to all solid-state, and covers all points in between. Given these details, you
Click here to email might expect the output stage to be transformer-coupled, but in fact the Twin-finity employs a monolithic
www.sourcedistribution.co.uk (solid-state) balanced output stage.
www.uaudio.com
As with my own Solo 110, the Twin-finity has a dual gain-stage arrangement, with separate gain and
Photos too small? Click on level controls. ‘Gain’, of course, allows you to drive the circuitry harder to introduce deliberate coloration.
photos, screenshots and A single moving-coil, back-lit VU meter monitors the output level by default, but can also be switched to
diagrams in articles to open a show how much drive is being applied. In Drive mode, the meter gives a good idea of how much
Larger View gallery. distortion is being added, although subjective listening tests suggest that the tube distortion becomes
evident at lower drive settings than does the solid-state contribution.
Design & Construction

Built at UA’s own facility at Scotts Valley in California, the Twin-
finity 710’s half-rack format (8.45W x 3.5H x 10.25D inches)
allows two units to be mounted in a conventional 19-inch rack,
using an optional adaptor. A desktop handle kit is available as a
further option, and the desktop format should make the Twin-
finity well suited to the private DAW studio owner who needs a
Despite the complex internal circuitry,
single, good-quality, versatile preamp.
the rear panel offers the simplicity
In appearance, the Twin-finity has the UA look, with a you’d expect from a single-channel
pleasingly retro front panel — although the knobs are not quite preamp, with sockets only for power,
as endearing as the Bakelite ones of the Solo 610. mic and line inputs, and line out.
All connections other than the instrument input jack are on the Despite the complex internal circuitry,
rear panel, and all the switched functions are handled by small the rear panel offers the simplicity you’d
— but not quite ‘miniature’ — toggles. To the left of the meter expect from a single-channel preamp,
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/uatwinfinity710.htm?print=yes[02/04/2009 11:58:52]
are switches for the 48V phantom power, a 15dB pad and with sockets only for power, mic and
line inputs, and line out.
mic/line selection. To the right there’s the meter, Ouput/Drive
selection, a 75Hz low-cut filter and an Out/In switch for phase
inversion. A horizontal toggle activates the mains power, which comes in the usual IEC socket. Rear-
panel connections are simply line input, mic input and output, all on balanced XLRs. When the line input is
selected, plugging a jack into the front-panel instrument input automatically takes precedence, so you can
leave the rear-panel connectors hooked up at all times.
The internal construction of the unit is based around a couple of double-sided glass-fibre printed circuit
boards, with a further board for the universal voltage (100-240V at 50/60Hz), switch-mode power supply
module. A multi-pin connector joins the main board to the front-panel board, with a further connector
hooking up the PSU to the main board. Other wiring is minimal, and is restricted to the meter hook-up
leads and the mains inlet feed to the power switch. All the input and output sockets are mounted directly
to the circuit board, as is the ceramic base for the single ECC83 (equivalent to 12AX7) dual-triode tube.
The non-electrolytic audio-path capacitors are chunky WIMA types, the preferred choice for a lot of high-
end audio designers, and the resistors are generously rated metal-oxide film types. UA have clearly gone
to a lot of trouble to make this product easy to assemble, while at the same time retaining the engineering
integrity for which they’re known.
Overall, the Twin-finity offers over 70dB of gain, with a frequency range of 20Hz to 100kHz, +/- 0.2dB,
for all inputs. The maximum output level into 600? is +18dBu or +28dBu into 100k?. A typical line input to
which this unit might be connected is around 47k?, so there’s plenty of level to feed converters with a
DFS (Digital Full Scale) level of 16dB or thereabouts. THD+Noise at +4dBu is specified at 0.1 percent for
the tube path and 0.005 percent for the solid-state path.
Trial Time
Because tubes take a while to reach their optimum operating temperature, it’s a good idea to switch on a
unit like this one half an hour or so before you intend to use it. Tested on speech with range of studio
mics, the solid-state side of the Twin-finity sounds pretty flat and transparent, as long as you keep the
drive-meter reading below midway. As you increase the drive above this, the vocal tonality becomes
increasingly ‘forward’ sounding and eventually becomes quite gritty, although having the ability to push
things this far is within the design brief of the device, as you may need heavier amounts of distortion when
processing some instruments.
Turning the blending control fully clockwise to fully utilise the tube section, still with the drive registering
at around half scale on the meter, the tone changes in a subtle way to give a more obvious tube-like
character, where the high end seems smoother and the lower mid-range a hint fatter. This is exactly the
character I’ve heard from a number of good-quality tube mics and tube preamps, so the lack of an output
transformer clearly hasn’t been too detrimental to the creation of a true tube sound. Driving the tube
harder creates the familiar ‘soft and fluffy’ distortion of an overdriven class-A tube, which provides a useful
counterpoint to the more overt grittiness of the solid-state part of the circuit when pushed.
Blending the two sounds provides the opportunity to mix the fatness of the tube with the more pushy
high end of the solid-state circuitry at moderate drive levels, and there are some nice hybrid tones to be
had. However, I did sometimes find myself wishing that there had been two drive controls, so that I could
mix a more driven tube sound with a lightly driven solid-state sound, or vice-versa. As it is, the gain control
knob increases the drive to both stages, so you have to arrive at a compromise setting where both the
solid-state and tube paths sound close to what you want to hear before you start blending them.
After further experimentation I came to the conclusion that both signal paths sounded best on vocals
with only moderate amounts of drive, usually less than half scale on the meter when switched to Drive,
and I was also surprised at how warm the 100 percent solid-state setting could be when used clean. The
tube side of the preamp works nicely when you have a vocalist who might benefit from a tube mic to
smooth off the high end, but as there are many singers who fall somewhere in the middle, it makes perfect
sense that you can blend the two characters.
On electric guitar, I could discern very little difference between the solid-state and tube options at lower
drive levels, but the differences become very obvious as the drive level is increased. Eventually the tube
path breaks up almost like a guitar amp, but without the smoothing effect of the speaker, while the solid-
state path gets brighter and more edgy — but doesn’t move so quickly into really obvious distortion until
you apply quite a lot of drive. Once it does, it exhibits the expected grit of a solid-state circuit pushed into
clipping. The more overdriven settings can work really well on some drum sounds and there’s enough
angst in the tube path to add some real overdrive to a plug-in organ or keyboard sound, but for vocals I
much prefer less obvious levels of drive. Still, there are death-metal singers out there who I’m sure would
relish the higher settings!
A Fine Blend?
The idea of being able to combine two different characters in one preamp is a novel one and will appeal
to those who like to record through something that adds some definite character of its own. Personally, I
prefer the safe, clean sound of my Solo 110 for most things, but then, by preference, I always try to record
clean and then add ‘filth’ later if it proves necessary. If I need a tube mic sound I’ll use a tube mic or one
of my dedicated tube preamps.
That being the case, it will come as no surprise that I most like the way the 710 sounds at lower drive
settings, where it provides the best of both worlds, adding character but without any obvious distortion.
Still, nothing succeeds like excess, as they say, and UA have given the user plenty of scope for adding
creative coloration when the need arises, which is something to be applauded.
What this all adds up to is a very versatile front end that can deliver good results with a range of
microphones and vocal styles, as well as doubling as an extremely classy instrument DI. It isn’t a Solo
110 or a Solo 610: the Twin-finity 710 is very much its own thing, and more power to it for that.
Waldorf Blofeld Keyboard
In this article:
Heavy Metal
Digital Synthesizer Buy PDF
RAMifications
Multi Mode Reviews : Keyboard
Conclusion
Waldorf build on the success of their Blofeld synth by adding not only a
Waldorf Blofeld keyboard, but also sample RAM.
Keyboard £699
Paul Nagle
L
pros
ast year German wunderkinds Waldorf returned from the
Fantastic-sounding synth
wilderness bearing a compact and stylish white module.
engine — now with added
With its blend of wavetable synthesis and analogue
sample playback.
Keyboard feels great and modelling, the Blofeld was a little cracker, so the announcement
has aftertouch. of a keyboard version hot on its heels was no surprise. What did
cons raise an eyebrow or two, however, was the news that this model
possessed onboard sample RAM, widening the scope of an Unlike its desktop sibling, the Blofeld
Still a few bugs and
occasional voice-stealing already versatile synth engine. Keyboard has a MIDI Out port and an
crackles (as of version 1.11). input for a sustain pedal.
Sample RAM is provided, but Heavy Metal
at the moment there’s no
way to import user samples. For the lowdown on the Blofeld’s internal spec, please revisit our review from June 2008. I’m happy to
summary report that externally the Blofeld Keyboard is constructed solidly — indeed, at 8kg this is a substantial
The Blofeld module marked chunk of pearly-white metal. Other than the single pair of stereo outs and lack of a MIDI Thru, you don’t
an important new chapter in find the cost-cutting measures typically associated with keyboards in this price range. The keyboard action
the Waldorf story, and the is good and it has aftertouch — top marks there! And as the power supply is internal, I can (almost)
keyboard version builds overlook the fact that the included power lead was a European one.
solidly on that foundation.
The Blofeld Keyboard’s user interface adopts the minimalistic approach of its sibling, leaving ample
Bringing samples to an
space on its surface for a Blofeld module, should you own both. Thankfully, Waldorf have included a MIDI
already packed party sees
the Blofeld attain new heights Out this time, as well as two control wheels and a sustain pedal input. The remaining ‘extras’ consist of
of wonderfulness. While we three plastic buttons, two of which transpose the keyboard beyond its range of four physical octaves. The
clamour for the release of a third button is labelled ‘Free’, its role selected from a (short) list of possibilities including mute, sustain and
utility to open up the sample latched sustain. Choosing the last for latching drones and arpeggios is far nicer than jamming knives into
RAM, we can at least be the keyboard, or riding the sustain pedal. Sadly, none of these buttons offer any visual indication that they
content to experiment, to
have been pressed.
program and to play.
RAMifications
information
£699 including VAT. We saw in the previous review that the Blofeld’s flexible architecture offers multiple flavours for the
Hand In Hand +44 budding sound designer. All three of its oscillators provide full-bodied analogue waveforms, while
(0)1752 696633. oscillators one and two offer a tangy wavetable synthesis implementation. The Blofeld Keyboard shares
Click here to email this architecture but adds a new element to the first two oscillators: sampled waveforms. These samples
www.handinhand.net are housed in 60MB of onboard flash RAM but, frustratingly, at the time of writing, there is no way to
www.waldorfmusic.de import user waves.
Photos too small? Click So what samples are pre-loaded to whet our appetites? Well, there are 41 waves in total, including
on photos, screenshots and piano, zither, marimba, guitar, organ, strings, some sound effects and a selection of percussion hits. There
diagrams in articles to open are one or two goodies — the choir and flute spring to mind — but I doubt I’d keep many of them once the
a Larger View gallery. wave manager software has been released.
Layering sampled strings, drums or effects with wavetables and analogue waveforms is both addictive
and fruitful — it’s interesting to note how even fairly ordinary samples acquire markedly different
personalities courtesy of the Blofeld’s filters and modelled drive circuits. However, I suspect what we hear
in the current factory set represents only the start of a whole new Waldorf adventure.
If owners of the Blofeld module are feeling a little left out by this talk of sample playback, all Blofeld
models do already contain the sample RAM, but module users will have to pay for a software upgrade, at a
cost of 99 Euros, to be able to access it.
Multi Mode
At the end of January this year, a Blofeld upgrade including a
multitimbral mode was finally handed over to an eager
community of Waldorf users. Unfortunately it wasn’t entirely bug-
free. One particular bug broke the handling of external MIDI
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/waldorfblofeld.htm[02/04/2009 11:59:16]
clock and, although a fix should be available by the time you

read this, it’s a pity it leaked through: it took the shine off an
otherwise comprehensive upgrade.
There are now 128 multi setups, each with up to 16 parts. In
common with the previous implementation, the ‘Effect 2’ setting
of the first part — typically reverb or delay — is shared by all. Of the other parts, only the first four maintain
their ‘Effect 1’ (chorus, flange, etc) which, on a synth with just 25 notes of polyphony, isn’t a bad
compromise.
Selecting a part to edit is a two-handed affair involving the play button and adjacent main encoder. You
can then scroll through a series of screens setting MIDI channel, transpose, detune and so on, or defining
velocity and key zones. There’s even a graphical overview of all the parts’ levels and panning, and the
end result is a clear and well-designed system. My only moan was the ease with which you can
inadvertently lose edits-in-progress by the simple action of switching to another multi or into single mode.
One slip and all tweaks to the multi, or to individual patches in that multi, are lost.
Finally, multis don’t keep copies of the patches they point to — but with over 1000 patch locations on
board you could probably reserve a bank or two specifically for multi use.
Conclusion
I sincerely hope this trend of merging different synthesis types continues because it’s leading to some
genuinely innovative, powerful hardware instruments. With its mixture of sample playback and synthesis,
I’ve heard the Blofeld Keyboard compared with the more expensive Nord Wave — but until the Blofeld’s
sample RAM is open to full exploitation, it’s probably too early to draw any final conclusions. The Blofelds
are, however, aimed towards those who appreciate complex synthesis, admittedly at the expense of a
direct, knobby interface. It’ll be interesting to see how many samples can be crammed into that precious
60MB and I’m glad that purchasers of the module can upgrade their machines to the same spec —
imagine the gnashing of teeth on on-line forums otherwise!
The inclusion of a proper multitimbral mode should be appreciated by all, whether for creating keyboard
layers and splits or for sequencer work. Multitimbral use inevitably means a greater strain on the available
resources, which can sometimes lead to unpleasant clicks and crackles. However, Waldorf are aware of
this, so fingers crossed for quieter voice-stealing in a future OS.
To sum up, the Blofeld is a deep and splendid instrument that goes where no Waldorf synth has gone
before. For not a great deal of money, it can serve up a host of analogue and digital synth tones, speaker-
shredding industrial sound effects and even ‘normal’ keyboard sounds — all in a neat, portable package.
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In this article: Waves Maserati Collection

GTi Guitar Toner Plug-in Bundle [Mac/PC]
VX1 Vocal Enhancer Published in SOS April 2009
DRM Drum Slammer Reviews : Software
HMX Harmonics
Generator
Most of us can’t afford to have Tony Maserati mix our tracks — but
B72 Bass Phattener
thanks to Waves, we can now use his personal effects and processing
ACG Acoustic Guitar
chains in our own mixes.
Designer
Fast But Not Paul White
I
Furious have, on occasion, suggested that music technology software might be made easier to use if it was
approached from the musician’s point of view rather than the engineer’s. Waves have clearly taken steps
Waves Maserati
in that direction with the Maserati suite of plug-ins, developed in conjunction with award-winning mixer
Collection £589
Tony Maserati. Maserati has worked with artists as diverse as Black Eyed Peas, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Macy
pros Gray, Sting and David Bowie, and in March 2007’s Inside Track feature
Very easy to use. (www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar07/articles/maserati.htm), he talked to SOS about his work on John
Great-sounding results. Legend’s ‘Save Room’.
Enough adjustment on offer
to avoid the plug-ins Tony Maserati has his own favourite signal-processing chains for specific applications, and what Waves
becoming one-trick ponies. have done is recreate those chains in software, bringing out only those controls that Tony would normally
cons adjust during a session and leaving the rest hidden. The result is that with just a handful of knobs and
buttons, you can arrive at a highly produced guitar, bass, voice or drum sound very quickly. There’s no clue
Tweakers may lament the
lack of additional control in as to what original hardware components are emulated in any of the plug-ins or processing modes, but then
some areas. that doesn’t really matter: this suite of plug-ins should be judged on its results. While stripping the controls
Fairly high CPU load. down to a bare minimum may rob the more advanced user of some flexibility, the idea is that the sense of
summary instant gratification you get as soon as you switch them into the signal path should more than make up for
I’m sure we’ll see more this.
signature series plug-ins Running in native mode on both Macs and PCs, the Maserati Collection supports the native VST, AU,
from Waves, because this RTAS and Audio Suite plug-in formats — there are no TDM versions. Protection is via iLok. The load and
first showing is seriously save format is the same as with other Waves plug-ins, as is the ability to create and compare A and B
impressive and a great way
versions, but there are no factory presets as such. Mono-in, stereo-out and stereo-in, stereo-out versions of
for those with limited mixing
experience to achieve better- each plug-in are available.
sounding results.
GTi Guitar Toner
information
First up is the GTi Guitar Toner, which is a dedicated tool for
£589 including VAT.
polishing electric guitar sounds. The source guitar sounds can
Sonic Distribution +44
range from clean to overdriven, and the plug-in can also be used
(0)1582 470260.
to add colour and movement to electric pianos. The main thing to
Click here to email
understand about this plug-in is that it doesn’t do guitar amp
www.sonic-
distribution.com modelling or overdrive — it’s there to allow you to polish the sound
www.waves.com once you’ve recorded it, and this it does very well.
GTi offers five modes, named Clean, Clean Chorus, Heavy,
Photos too small? Click Thick Rhythm and Soft Flange. As with the other plug-ins in the
on photos, screenshots and collection, some of the controls change as you switch modes, but
diagrams in articles to open the Sensitivity control is ever-present. This is accompanied by a
a Larger View gallery. three-colour signal light to help you optimise the input level (necessary for any dynamic effects to work
correctly), a round retro meter that can monitor either the input or output level, and an output level control. If
you can get the lamp showing amber but not red during louder sections you’re pretty much set to go, though
you can occasionally get desirable effects by running the plug-in slightly hot or slightly cold.
All modes have Presence controls and all except Thick Rhythm have compression adjustment in the form
of the Tame knob. In Thick Rhythm mode this is greyed out, while the FX section grows a second Presence
control. The same control paradigm extends right through this range of plug-ins; some controls are greyed
out when not used in a particular mode, while some of the others change function.
The individual effects within GTi are controlled via the smaller knobs at the bottom of the screen, which
adapt to the types of effect being added. For example, in Thick Rhythm mode you get to control the delay
time, stereo width, vibrato and chorus on or off. There’s always an FX level control to adjust the signal sent
to the effects section. In this mode, even with all the effects turned to minimum, there’s a very subtle tremolo
effect when the FX knob is turned clockwise, while the Vibrato knob, when turned up, gives a shimmering,
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/maserati.htm?print=yes[02/04/2009 11:59:36]
almost rotary-speaker-style modulation.

Clean mode adds no obvious effects but allows a useful degree of tonal change, as well as applying some
dynamic processing, and, like all the mode settings, seems to include a low-level expander or gate to keep
pauses clean. All the other settings are quite obviously effected, but in a way that sounds good right out of
the box. There’s scope for adjustment, of course, but the overall effect is very slick-sounding. Thick Rhythm,
for instance, includes a very plausible doubling effect when you crank up the delay time (which is limited to a
short slap-back). It may not suit all guitar sounds or all songs, but in most instances it will help you make a
good guitar sound even better, and if you want to go all-out on the chorus or vibrato effects, you can. With all
of these plug-ins, whenever you switch to a different mode you get the default factory setting, after which
you can make your own adjustments.
VX1 Vocal Enhancer

Everybody wants to create the perfect ‘produced’ vocal sound, but
that involves having mastery over compression, EQ and reverb.
The VX1 Vocal Enhancer makes all of this manageable using just
a few intuitive controls, and with three ‘contour’ modes to suite
different song styles. Contour 1 creates the impression of a small,
intimate space, while Contour 2 conjures up a larger chamber that
works well with slow ballads. Contour 3 is designed for faster
tempos where a ballad setting might be too messy, and combines
a very small room with pre-delay. Compression is built in and in
modes 1 and 2, once the input level is optimised, there’s nothing else to adjust other than the compression
amount knob.
The EQ section comprises simply Bass and Treble optimised for vocals, while FX controls the amount of
signal sent to the effect section. DLY adjusts the delay time, DLY Mix sets how much delay is added and
Decay sets the reverb length. The reverb tonality can be tweaked using the VRB knob. In Contour 3 mode
you also get to adjust the amount of ‘air’ or high boost in the sound, usually in the 10 to 12 kHz region, at the
expense of adjustable compression. Again, this plug-in saves a lot of work combining other plug-ins, and
makes vocals sound more even and more present in the mix. The delay is pretty conventional, while the
reverb is quite rich in reflections, which really reinforce the vocal while not muddying the mix. The resulting
sound is pretty contemporary, but there’s enough scope to get a more obvious reverb if it suits the song. I
like the way this plug-in brightens and focuses vocals without making them seem hard or edgy, and it really
pushes them to the front of a mix. Definitely one of my favourites!
DRM Drum Slammer

Rather than offering a single treatment for a drum mix, the DRM
Drum Slammer has seven switchable modes that optimise its
operation for the kick drum, snare top, snare bottom, hi-hats,
toms, overhead and room mics. Part of its aim is to help
percussive transients cut through mixes and it can be used with
live drums or any sampled drum instrument that allows you to
separate the individual kit pieces. The frequency bands have been
designated Thump (Low), Snap (Mid) and Treble, and I suspect
there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes than simple EQ,
including some carefully tailored dynamic processing.
The same controls are available for each mode, but I suspect
that the EQ filter shapes are fine-tuned for each application, which makes adjustment pretty foolproof.
There’s no adjustment of compression, though some dynamic processing is clearly happening, as the ring of
the decaying drum hits lasts noticeably longer than when the plug-in is bypassed. All the EQ controls work
well, though Snap is sometimes quite subtle, but in the main the plug-in makes drum sounds brighter and
more present. Indeed, you have to be careful not to overdo things on well-sampled kits, or you can push the
sound too far forward in the mix. Obviously, you get the best results by processing separate drum tracks or
instruments with multiple outputs; you can process a stereo kit mix using the Overhead or room setting,
though the results are far less controllable.
HMX Harmonics Generator

As with the other plug-ins in this suite, the Tony Maserati HMX
Harmonics Generator is far more than just a harmonic enhancer.
In Modal mode it widens the apparent stereo image and adds a

subtle chorus effect that works well on pianos or even vocals, not
unlike a Roland Dimension D. Bounce mode adds a touch of
reverb and delay, so this is a good general-purpose plug-in for
making sources sound more lush and interesting. Size sets the
perceived spaciousness, Amount controls the amount of added
reverb, and Spread adjusts the stereo spreading effect. The effects
can also be tempo-sync’ed in Bounce mode.
In fact, the harmonic enhancement effect seems quite subtle
compared to the other treatments, adding a hint of air to the upper
registers of most sounds. In combination with the effects, it can
add interest and definition to pianos, synth pads and so on, and it
also works with voice and guitar. A good plug-in to try when you
feel a sound is lacking something but you’re not quite sure what!
B72 Bass Phattener

The B72 plug-in has two modes of operation, one optimised for
bass guitar and the other for synth bass, and it is worth trying both
settings on any bass source, as you occasionally get very
workable results by picking the ‘wrong’ mode. The Type switch
toggles between the two bass types, and once the sensitivity is
optimised, you get a very intuitive set of Bass and Treble tone
controls that work in conjunction with a preset style of
compression. Switching to Synth mode gives you the same
controls plus FX input and output level controls, along with a
dedicated tone control that works on the ‘buzzy’ part of the synth’s
spectrum.
Using this plug-in, it is easy to make a DI’d bass sit well in a mix.
The sound becomes fuller and less gritty at the top end, while the
behind-the-scenes compression evens up the sound and adds
further weight to the notes. In Synth mode the FX tone control
seems to work as some kind of sweep equaliser, but I could also
detect a very subtle chorus or doubling effect that created the
effect of gentle pulse-width modulation. Whatever is going on, it
adds character to the upper harmonics of a synth bass sound,
while the EQ and other ‘invisible’ processing makes the bass end
seem even fatter: very straightforward and seriously effective.
ACG Acoustic Guitar Designer

Acoustic guitars can be difficult to get sounding right in a mix, so
the ACG Acoustic Guitar Designer provides a straightforward
toolkit comprising tonal control, ambience effects and some under-
the-hood compression. Once again, there are two settings: ACG 1
enables the user to maximise level and tweak the high and low
tonal contours, while ACG 2 is similar but more compressed. The
EQ section is split into Hi, Mid and Punch bands, with switched
rather than continuously variable settings. An Excite function
appears to add high-frequency harmonics to the effect chain, Pre-
delay does as expected, and there’s also some kind of built-in
room ambience that sits the guitar nicely in a track without making
it sound messy.
ACG doesn’t hide all of the piezo ‘quack’ from less-than-perfect
under-saddle pickups, but it does a pretty good job, while at the
same time adding a lovely ambience and scope for basic tonal
tweaking; the tone controls seem ideally placed to address the
body tone and string zing of the instrument. Using the exciter can add brightness to an otherwise dullish
instrument, and the compression seems to be set up just right for the acoustic guitar in the two modes. The
driest of acoustic guitar recordings comes to life with this plug-in, and a few basic adjustments soon get it
sitting correctly in the mix.
Fast But Not Furious

I love the idea behind these plug-ins, and because the user still has a great deal of adjustment available I
don’t really consider them to be dumbing down music production: rather, they’re a means of giving you the
taste of a professional producer’s signature style. Each does a specific job, and extremely well. Vocal
Processor is my favourite, as it makes achieving a really professional vocal sound relatively easy, and of
course you can use other plug-ins in combination with it if you need something more specialised. Perhaps
more tweaky users would have enjoyed an ‘under the hood’ mode with more controls that could be opened
only when needed, but on balance I think the format that’s been adopted will be welcomed by most recording
musicians, and it’s only a matter of time before competing plug-in designers latch onto the idea. You do
need a fairly brisk computer to use these plug-ins, as each hides multiple processing blocks behind its
simple exterior and each has its own demands on processing power, but then most modern DAWs have a
freeze function to save on CPU power if you need it. The bottom line is that I really like the results from these
Waves Maserati plug-ins and I think they’ll become firm favourites in my own studio.
Q. How can I create a better stereo image?
Q. How can I create a better stereo image?

Sound Advice
I’ve recorded a couple of songs with just three tracks: acoustic guitar, bass and lead vocal.
I’ll obviously pan both bass and lead vocals in the centre. I’ll probably have to centre the
acoustic guitar too, since if I pan it a little to one side there’d be nothing on the other side to
balance it volume-wise. There wouldn’t then be much of a stereo image, so I figured that a
stereo reverb might give the song a sense of space. If I use something like a Lexicon
MPX550, how would I route the effect? Obviously, the vocal is mono and sits on one track.
The effect return part is easy: effect return to 1 and 2 and pan them hard right and left. But
what about the effect send? The Lexicon has ‘R’ and ‘L’ inputs, so would I use two effect
sends for the vocal, panned right and left?
Jay Menon
SOS Technical Editor Hugh Robjohns replies: The vast majority of artificial reverbs are actually mono in, stereo out devices — and if they
have a stereo input, this is usually summed to mono internally before the reverb signal is generated. There are a few devices that have
genuine stereo inputs and create early reflection and reverb patterns according to the relative levels of left and right input signals, but these
are usually only the high-end hardware units and the more sophisticated plug-ins.
The notion of keeping bass in the middle is seated in the days of vinyl records, and isn’t a constraint of modern digital media at all. If you
need lots of bass power in your track, then keeping bass instruments central makes sense, as both speakers are working hard for you, but
in something as simple and gentle as this kind of track, panning the bass partially to one side would be acceptable and would make more
sense from a spatial point of view.
Imagine the performers on stage: I’d probably pan the bass a quarter to a half left, the guitar a similar amount to the right, and the vocal in
the centre.
If I was using a conventional summed-input reverb, I’d probably just feed in the appropriate amounts of all three instruments and let the
stereo return occupy the full width, to put some space around the instruments. With a true-stereo-input reverb I’d feed in the panned stereo
signal. Alternatively, you could mess around with slightly different stereo reverbs panned to complement the instruments as suggested
above, but in my experience this can often create a confusing mush of reverb. Keeping it simple is usually the best way.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/qa0409_3.htm[02/04/2009 12:00:33]
Q. How much difference does mic position make to vocals?
Q. How much difference does mic position make to vocals?

Sound Advice
I have heard from a ‘proper’ singer that changing the mic position when recording vocals can
make a big impact on the way they sound. For example, rather than pointing the mic at the
singer’s mouth, you can point it downwards to capture more ‘chest’ or upwards to capture
more of the nasal characteristics. I was also told that facing the microphone at a 45-degree
angle on the horizontal axis instead of at the singer’s mouth would produce a less direct
sound and could be better for recording backing vocals, as the sound will be softer. Does this
really work?
SOS Forum Post
SOS contributor Mike Senior replies: There’s no question that changing the microphone’s position
when you’re recording vocals will alter the sound, and for a variety of different reasons. Distance
is one factor, partly because of the proximity effect of the cardioid microphones typically used for
vocal recording, partly because a mic further away from the singer picks up a more natural
representation of their head and chest resonances, and partly because extraneous sounds such
as lip noises dissipate more quickly than the more resonant aspects of the voice as distance from
the source increases. Another factor is the vertical position, with an important issue here being
that higher frequencies tend to beam slightly downwards from the nose and mouth, so positions
below the nose will tend to be brighter than those above. Some consonants, such as ‘S’ and ‘P’
sounds, tend to be worst directly on-axis vertically. The horizontal plane is a bit more of an
unknown quantity, as it seems to me to vary more from singer to singer and many vocalists sing If you’d like to experiment with a
assymetrically too, so the best thing to do is experiment, if you have the time. If you’re moving the different mic placement for recording
vocals, using a dummy mic should
mic around, though, you need to make sure that the singer doesn’t follow it with their head
encourage the singer to keep their head
position and posture, otherwise they’ll counteract the effect you’re seeking. The easiest way to
in the correct orientation. Here the
prevent this is to set up the pop-shield and have the singer locate themselves according to that, dummy mic is the Shure dynamic in the
rather than according to the mic. Putting lyric sheets in a sensible location can also do a lot to higher position.
direct the singer’s attention in the desired direction irrespective of mic position, and some
engineers have even been known to use dummy mics for this purpose too.
Changing the angle of the mic in any given position will also change the sound, especially if you’ve followed the norm of using a large-
diaphragm cardioid condenser mic. Even the best large-diaphragm cardioid mics deliver an altered frequency response off-axis, which
usually means less sensitivity to the high end of the spectrum, and in principle you could, indeed, use this to soften backing vocals.
However, in practice I’d recommend against it unless you’re using a £1000 microphone on an experienced studio singer and in a well-
damped recording space. The first problem is that the off-axis response of many mid-priced and budget large-diaphragm condenser mics
isn’t very well controlled at all, and exhibits all sorts of peaks and troughs that start sounding very nasty very quickly. The response will also
change more in response to horizontal movements of the singer, so you’ll do best with a performer who can stay rooted to the spot. Finally,
you have to remember that if you face the singer into the mic off-axis, the more sensitive on-axis pickup of the mic will be pointing out into
the room, and nine times out of 10 in small studios, this added room coloration is the last thing you want. I’d record on-axis and leave it to a
gentle high-shelving EQ cut to soften the BVs at mixdown.
Q. Is Windows 7 good for musicians?
Q. Is Windows 7 good for musicians?

Sound Advice
Could SOS write an article on the latest Windows 7 as soon as possible, and say whether in
your view it’s worthwhile to try it instead of Vista, or even XP?
Tat Fai
SOS contributor Martin Walker replies: I’ve already discussed Windows 7 in my January 2009 PC
Notes column, but as I said there, it’s not been released yet. At the time I mentioned a likely
release date of January 2010, but a few industry experts have since predicted that this may be
moved forward to November 2009 to take advantage of the Christmas market, or even July 2009.
The general public have been able to download a full-featured Beta version since January 9th
2009 (from www.microsoft.com/windows7), but this is only apparently available to the first 2.5
million people, and it expires on August 1st 2009. However, in my opinion no musicians should be
running Beta versions of any software anyway, unless they are prepared to accept crashes and
unexpected behaviour. Many users now seem to regard Beta software simply as a ‘free
download’, but it’s actually part of the development cycle before a new product is released to the
public. First the developers release an Alpha version (normally only available to internal staff) to
test that all serious bugs have been eradicated, and then a Beta version is typically released to a
limited number of testers outside the company to root out any further incompatibility problems.
Windows 7 has been available as a
A new operating system like Windows 7 faces installation on an almost infinite variety of PC
public Beta for up to 2.5 million
hardware combinations, so it makes sense for Microsoft to let the public at large aid in Beta members of the public, but is not
compatibility testing prior to its release. In direct response to your question, I’d say it’s worth trying expected to be officially released until
the Windows 7 Beta if you are desperate to see what’s coming next from Microsoft, like taking a late this year at the soonest.
gamble, and are prepared to install it on a fresh partition alongside any existing Windows install,
so that you don’t have to rely on it for day-to-day use. Even on Microsoft’s own web site they admit that the Windows 7 Beta “can be glitchy
— so don’t use a PC you need every day”. Possible problems include software that runs perfectly on Windows XP or Vista but won’t run at
all on Windows 7, hardware drivers that don’t install for devices such as printers and audio interfaces, such that you can’t use them at all,
random BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death) problems, and possibly file corruption. Remember also that on 1st August 2009 the Beta will cease
to run, and then you’ll have to wipe your partition, buy the official release version (which may involve a wait of several more months), and
install it from scratch, along with all your hardware drivers, software applications, and so on.
On the positive side, the feedback so far is that Windows 7 is more efficient than Vista, and smoother in operation. On the other hand, it’s
an incremental version of Vista rather than a completely new OS, and there are still audio software developers who have yet to release
Vista-compatible versions of their products. Moreover, some musicians have had problems running their audio interfaces with Windows 7,
and it’s unlikely that audio manufacturers will devote time to updating drivers until we can actually buy it. Rest assured that once Windows 7
is available to the public, we’ll give it the coverage it deserves.
Q. Should I buy a separate preamp?
Q. Should I buy a separate preamp?

Sound Advice
I have happily been using Pro Tools for the past decade and am currently using Pro Tools LE
with an Mbox 2 interface. I want to buy a mic preamp, perhaps a Behringer Tube Ultragain or
similar, but will this be a waste of money when using Digidesign’s LE Interfaces?
Jody O’Brien
SOS Reviews Editor Matt Houghton replies: It’s difficult to say whether adding a mic preamp to
your Mbox setup is a “waste of money” or not without knowing what you want to get out of it. I’m
not sure which of the Behringer Tube Ultragain models you had in mind, but at the budget end of
the market I’d probably avoid tubes altogether and spend the money on something good-quality
and clean-sounding — which is likely to be of more use to you for a much longer time. You can
When you’re on a budget, a good-
always add ‘character’ after the event using plug-ins, if you want to. quality preamp that’s clean sounding is
If I were in your position and could stretch the budget to around £85 (‘street’ price), I’d probably likely to be the most sensible long-term
look at something like a Mackie 402 VLZ3 mixer, which gives you excellent preamps for the investment, but if you’re set on
money. As well as the preamps, this would give you a few other benefits, such as line inputs, EQ ‘character’, there are a number of
suitable devices that won’t break the
and basic monitoring facilities. For more on these mixers, read Hugh Robjohns’ review of their
bank, including the original SPL Gold
bigger brother at www.soundonsound.com/sos/may07/articles/mackie1642.htm, which discusses Mike, which can be found second-hand
the preamps in more detail, and Paul White’s shorter review of the 402 and 802 at for £200-300.
www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct08/articles/mackie802402vlz3.htm.
In terms of other ‘affordable’ preamps, I picked up a second-hand SPL Gold Mike for about £200 last year and that’s a nice tube preamp.
In the same sort of price range I’d probably consider the TL Audio PA2, which makes a great bass DI as well. There’s also the solid state
Aphex 207D, which has digital outputs to connect to the Mbox, thus bypassing its A-D converters if they’re frustrating you; or the most
recent one we’ve been playing with here, the Golden Age Project Pre 73 (reviewed in our March issue). It’s only one channel, but at £200
for something that has transformers and sounds rather like a Neve, you can’t go wrong! The Focusrite Platinum range is good too, and falls
into this price band.
Another option, if you’re just looking for flavour and want EQ and compression, is to seek out one of the old Joemeek designs, such as
the VC3Q or the VC6, on eBay or in our readers’ ads. They’re not valves and they’re certainly not transparent, but they sound nice on some
music styles and you get a compressor and EQ thrown in.
Of course, this all assumes that the preamps are the weakest point in your recording and monitoring chain: it may be that you’d get more
benefit from spending some money on acoustic treatment, or upgrading your mic or speakers.

Sound Advice
I’m planning to start some writing and recording in my basement home studio — only there’s
no equipment in it! I have an Ensoniq ESQ1 from back in 1987 (when I used to play in a
band) and I know virtually nothing about current music technology. My basic plan is to get a
Macbook or Macbook Pro and possibly Logic Express 8, and use my ESQ1, via a USB/MIDI
link, to play into it.
What else do I need? I might try to add some vocals and I definitely want to be able to make my own CDs. If you could make a few
suggestions regarding different setups it would be extremely useful. My maximum budget for everything will be £3000.
I’m lucky enough to have a ‘proper’, soundproofed studio, complete with separate vocal booth, as (I’m told) my house used to belong to
Simon Gallup, bass player with The Cure.
Andrew Ward
SOS Features Editor Sam Inglis replies: You are in a relatively lucky position, as most of the hard
work and expense involved in setting up a home studio often goes into the building of the rooms
themselves! The idea of buying a computer and a DAW program such as Logic is a sound one,
and should enable you to take care of all your synth and sampling needs without buying any
other hardware instruments. Any modern computer will also let you burn CDs. Is there a specific
reason why you’re looking to buy a laptop computer? In general, desktop machines have better
price/performance ratio and expandability, so unless you need the portability it might be worth
looking at a Mac Pro or iMac rather than a Macbook.
Assuming you’re happy to use your ESQ1 as a controller keyboard, you’ll need some way of
getting MIDI and audio in and out of the computer. There are many, many combined audio and
MIDI interfaces on the market, and choosing one is a matter of deciding which features you are
likely to need. It sounds as though you are likely to want to record vocals, so you will need one or
more inputs with mic preamps, unless you plan to buy a separate mixer or preamp, and make
sure these preamps can supply phantom power for condenser mics.
If there’s any chance you’ll want to record drums, or other sources that will require more than
two audio signals to be recorded at once, you’ll need a multi-channel interface. Focusrite’s new
Saffire Pro 40, Presonus’ Firestudio and M-Audio’s ProFire 2626 all give you eight inputs with mic
preamps at an affordable price (under £500 on the street). If you’re only ever likely to record, say,
vocals and guitars, you may well get away with a smaller interface, such as the basic Focusrite
Laptops are deservedly popular, but if
Saffire, M-Audio Firewire 410 or Edirol FA66. The interfaces I’ve listed above connect via you’re equipping a fixed studio
Firewire, but there are also many interface options that connect via USB if that suits your installation, think twice: it’s possible that
computer better. a desktop machine, with its generally
On top of that you should budget for some monitor speakers, a decent pair of headphones, one better price/performance ratio, is a
better bet.
or more microphones, and those sundries like cables and mic stands that always cost more than
you think! It’s worth spending as much as you can afford in each of these areas, and especially
getting the best monitors you can. You can buy either active or passive monitors: the latter require a separate power amp, the former are
complete within themselves. In both cases, there’s a huge range on the market: names to look out for include Genelec, ADAM, Dynaudio,
Yamaha and KRK.
For vocals, a decent large-diaphragm condenser probably makes the best first microphone. There are lots on the market at the moment
from the likes of Audio-Technica, Rode, SE Electronics, Audix, Sennheiser, AKG, Sontronics and many others. With both monitors and
microphones it’s helpful to try before you buy, and worth making a special trip to a music shop that will let you do so (Digital Village, for
instance, have listening rooms set up so that you can run music you know through different sets of monitors). For other sources, you’ll
probably want to add to your mic collection. A pair of ‘pencil’ small-diaphragm condenser mics can be handy as drum overheads or for
recording acoustic guitars, while dynamic mics such as the classic Shure SM57 are widely used for close-miking loud sources such as
guitar amps and snare drums.
Kevin Burleigh & Glasvegas: Recording A Snowflake Fell

Christmas In Transylvania Buy PDF
People + Opinion : Artists/Engineers/Producers/Programmers
For most bands and most record labels, trekking to the wilds of Eastern Europe to record a
Christmas album would be a project that would remain filed under ‘Nice idea, but...’
Glasvegas, however, are not your ordinary guitar band.
Matt Frost
L ittle more than a year ago, Glasvegas were just another underground band with a bit of a
buzz among those in the know. The release of the band’s third single, ‘Daddy’s Gone’, in
November 2007 changed everything for cousins James and Rab Allan, bassist Paul
Donoghue and drummer Caroline McKay. By the dawn of 2008, Glasvegas became the subject of
a good old-fashioned major-label scrap, and since signing to Columbia in February, they’ve
enjoyed sold-out tours across Europe and the US, the BBC Electric Proms with Oasis, two top 20
singles, a slew of prestigious summer festival slots and a gold-certified album that debuted at
number two in September.
Yet in press interviews, frontman and songsmith James Allan didn’t seem interested in talking
about that record. His excitement was focused on the band’s next project: a mini-album of
Christmas-themed songs called A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like A Kiss), to be recorded in
Transylvania.
“James used to talk about the Christmas record on and off since maybe about a year ago,” Glasvegas (from left): Rab Allan, Paul
says Rab Allan, Glasvegas’ lead guitarist. “And then once the record companies got involved we Donoghue, James Allan and Caroline
told them all. We told them all we wanted to do a Christmas album, and they all agreed and said McKay.
‘Yeah, that’s fine’, but I think Columbia thought we were kidding them, to be honest, because
when we turned round and said, ‘Have you booked the tickets for Transylvania yet?’, they seemed quite surprised!”
Against The Clock

Because of a tight gigging schedule, time was against the record even getting off the starting
block. In the end, two of the six tracks — ‘Cruel Moon’ and ‘Please Come Back Home’ — were
laid down in early October at Electric Lady Studio A in New York with Rich Costey, who had
produced the debut record and would have joined them in Transylvania if he hadn’t had other
projects already swamping his in-tray.
“The LP was a thought-out, timely affair, mostly using material that they had been touring with,”
explains Costey. “As a result, they were already comfortable with the songs, as was I, so it was
more a matter of crafting the sounds, opening some doors for them, and keeping an eye on the
performances to be sure we were getting the best possible work out of everyone. The EP was
loose! They came into the studio straight from the tour bus, with the material in various states of
undone, and with that wild look in the eye one has whilst in the middle of a tour. We had about The bulk of A Snowflake Fell was
four days — three of them were spent hanging out, going through the material and occasionally tracked in this room at the citadel in
getting some work done on ‘Cruel Moon’, and the final day was spent recording ‘Please Come Brasov, Transylvania.
Back Home’. The recording of the EP tracks and the recording of the debut had Neve preamps in
common and that’s probably about it. For the EP, it was basically ‘Do we have signal coming in from that mic? We do? OK, roll!’ James
sang through a vintage U47 from the studio’s closet, which is a very good-sounding piece, and other than that it was SM57s and KM86s on
the guitar cabs. Drum mics were chosen for reliability first, sound second, and acoustics were recorded with U67s.”
No Compromise
While Glasvegas were still laying down tracks with Costey in New York, Kevin Burleigh, the
band’s front-of-house engineer, was organising the Transylvanian sessions. Burleigh has been
working with Glasvegas since 2005, and he engineered and co-produced the band’s early demos
and pre-Columbia singles at Central Sound in Glasgow, but the Transylvania experience was a
challenge like no other. From an early point, James Allan had been absolutely clear that there
could be no compromise over the recording location he envisaged.
“We found this great studio called ISV in Bucharest and they had an SSL, API, Avalon pres,
quality outboard — the usual suspects — and they had a great backline, so we were happy to go
there,” explains Burleigh, “But James was like ‘No! It has to be Transylvania and it has to be a
space. Get us a room!’ And they were saying, ‘Lots of other bands we can quote have done this
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/glasvegas.htm[02/04/2009 12:02:30]
and they’ve photographed a place but then actually gone and recorded it somewhere else — it’s a
concept thing!’ but James and I both thought ‘Let’s try and actually go to a space and make it
happen!’”
Why Transylvania rather than any other place on the planet? James just puts that down to a
mixture of having a strong hunch and a weighty dose of long-standing curiosity. “Sometimes you
just get ideas and you can’t quite put your finger on why,” he explains James. “I always used to
wonder what that place looked like, whether it looked like it did in the cartoons — a faraway, other
world, really spooky, gothic, untouched — and it was all the things I thought it would be.” Kevin Burleigh outside Saint Nicholas
Church in Brasov, where he recorded a
When Kevin Burleigh and his assistant Jimmy Neilson touched down in Romania, just days
local choir singing ‘Silent Night’.
before the band were due, they still had no idea where they were going to be recording. Help
came in the form of Horia Daneti, a Romanian travel rep who earmarked four possible recording
locations. After checking them all out, Kevin plumped for two rooms that he felt would tick all of
his and James’ boxes. The spaces in question were at the Cetate, a 16th-Century citadel sitting
on a hill above the Transylvanian city of Brasov.
“We chose an old wine cellar that we wanted to use for some acoustic stuff,” says Kevin, “It was
just a circular stone room, and some of the reflections were fantastic. And the other place we
used was like an outhouse that was part of this citadel. And we had two power points to run the
whole thing.”
Choosing Gear
Recording in Saint Nicholas Church was
Burleigh had spent a couple of days in pre-production in Glasgow, building and testing a rig that
a hurried affair.
he thought would fit the bill for whatever space they ended up finding once they hit Transylvania.
Glasvegas would be flying to Romania direct from New York and they were bringing their guitars,
Rab Allan’s pedal board and Caroline McKay’s drum kit. Rather than clocking up big bills hiring
and transporting gear from a UK rental company, Burleigh rented amplifiers, monitors and mic
stands from a local private studio owner, Gabrielle Isacc. “I’m from Glasgow and I know where the
guys are from, and I spend their money like it was mine. There was no way I would justify
spending £5000 for someone coming over with amps, because everything comes out of the
band’s budget and I know from running a studio how tight things are! You cut your cloth and if
you’ve got a bit of confidence in your ability, you can use most bits of equipment.”
So as far as the core recording gear and mics went, Kevin’s real key consideration was how
much they could cram into their luggage.
“I thought we could take a small hand luggage bag each with a laptop, a couple of cables and
some plug-ins, and the rest of the stuff we could pack in a hard suitcase,” explains Burleigh.
“Jimmy had been using this M-Audio ProFire 2626 interface, and using that meant that at the top
end we could have 12 A-D channels using ADAT with a Focusrite 4Pre, which gave us a good in.
Glasvegas have never really multitracked together as a band, so I knew I wouldn’t need any more
than four, but there were another eight on the interface. That gave us the best way of getting Pro
Tools because it’s a single-unit interface, the converters work, the Pro Tools works and if it came
to it, we knew we could take the Session back and get to work on it quickly.”
Microphone-wise, Kevin packed a few pet faves, including a Neumann U87, an Audio-Technica
4033, a Beyer TG201 and an AKG 414EB, as well as a few Shure SM57s and an SE Reflexion Glasvegas frontman James Allen at the
Filter, so that “whatever the space we ended up in, we knew we could get some vocals done”. upright piano that made its way onto
several tracks.
All In The Head
By the time the band arrived in Brasov, Kevin and Jimmy had everything set up and ready for
recording at the citadel. For James Allan and the rest of Glasvegas, finally setting foot on
Transylvanian soil was a surreal experience, to say the least. “I’d just spent a week or a week and
a half in New York City, and going from that to Transylvania in one move was like a pretty f**ked-
up time, man, do you know what I mean?” says James. “Time was getting on and it’d been quite
hard work with a lot of things, touring and generally just living — hard living — and I think by that
time everybody’s state of mind seemed pretty low, like you were floating in this f**king abyss or
something. It was quite a peculiar time there, but having your mind a little bit like that going from
New York to Transylvania — that all added to the picture of it being a little psychedelic!”
Time was certainly tight, as they only had a grand total of four days in Romania and, to top it all
off, the other members of the band still knew very little about these James Allan Christmas Kevin Burleigh opted to bring the bare
minimum of equipment from Britain.
compositions. James recalls an amusing encounter with one of Columbia’s A&R men in New
York.
“I said, ‘Well, that’s the Christmas thing finished, you’re gonna love it!’ and he was like ‘Oh brilliant, I can’t wait to hear it, can I hear it?’
and I was like ‘No’ and he was like ‘What? Why not?’ and I said ‘Because all the sounds are in my head!’ He wanted to punch me!”
“James had got it all planned in his head before he went in so he knew what was going down but none of us did,” explains Rab Allan. “So
what would usually happen is that James would sit and play and say, ‘I want you to play this on the bass, Paul,’ and he’d say to me, ‘I want
you to do this on the guitar,’ and we would just build it up that way with the ideas that he had. Me, Paul and Caroline were just walking in
the dark to be honest, just doing what we were needed to do.”
Serendipity also played a part: the discovery of an out-of-tune upright piano in a citadel room was destined to change the sound of the
songs ‘Careful What You Wish For’, ‘Silent Night’ and the title track. “One of the beautiful things was finding that old piano,” enthuses Kevin.
“It wasn’t too badly out of tune but it had seen better days. We got a couple of people to physically move it to the outhouse and that’s the
piano used on most of the recordings. Some of James’ ideas came through him playing that piano, and it was also fun trying to match up all
the guitars to the tuning. It was really ad hoc how it happened!”
Play To The Effects

The main aim of the little time Kevin had with the band at Cetate was to lay down a core structure, which could then be built on at a later
point with overdubs as and when necessary during the mixing process. On the tracks they recorded with piano, ‘Careful What You Wish
For’, ‘Silent Night’ and the title track, the citadel’s upright was the first thing to be laid down with an SM57 “popped under the lid”, whilst
Kevin also gave James a “rough click” so that all the other parts could be overdubbed and individually tracked later on. The guitars and
drums were recorded with a combination of SM57s and an AT4033, while James’ vocals were recorded in the centre of the room with the
Neumann U87 and the Reflexion Filter to reduce the room ambience. Burleigh had borrowed some Rode NT5 mics from his local studio
contact and these were left open facing the top corners at the rear of the room during all the sessions, capturing room ambience.
A Glasvegas trademark is the ‘wall of sound’ wash of guitars that permeates both their recordings and their live performances. Kevin
Burleigh outlines some of the secrets behind that sound and how they were recorded for the Snowflake Fell Transylvanian sessions, which
in the end all took place within the confines of the citadel’s outhouse.
“I just set up 57s and an AT4033 because a lot of it is effects,” explains Kevin. “They were playing through a Fender DeVille, which we
hired from the local guy, and then it would just be tuning EQ and levels. I’d feed things in like Waves Enigma and Echo Farm before Sonnox
reverbs just to let it move about, and we’d have a really long reverb that I’d darken up a bit. That gives me the sort of thickened-up pad
sound which is on the guitars. When they both change chords, they don’t move bang on the bar but, if they do, there’s still the overhang of
the delay. Rab’s pedal setup and James’ have a Big Muff into a RAT and other distortions fed into a Space Echo or Line 6 DL4, so they
distort everything before they put it in delay, and it just creates this noise. If you just listen to the guitar sound through the amp you’d say
‘That’s quite strange, that’s really muddy!’ but they play to the effects. A lot of guys will just play the guitar, pick out the lines and then add
effects as long as the riffs are still defined and the melody still cuts, but Glasvegas don’t; they play differently because of the effects!”
Mixing
The mixing sessions that followed the Transylvanian escapade were just as frantic as the
recordings had been. Kevin Burleigh and James Allan camped out at Terminal Music in Glasgow
to mix on their Euphonix, adding a few overdubs, while they were also keeping in virtual contact
with Rich Costey, who was simultaneously mixing ‘Cruel Moon’ and ‘Please Come Back Home’ in
New York.
“I was already in the middle of another album at that point,” explains Costey, “so the mixing
process for me consisted of recording basics of someone else during the daytime in Studio A,
then going upstairs to my room, Studio C, at night and mixing Glasvegas. For ‘Cruel Moon’, I was
able to send finished versions to James, get his arrangement notes back, and then pull up the
song again to tweak it. For ‘Please Come Back Home’, we didn’t have that sort of time, so I
basically pulled it up and it stayed on the board until it was done. I had the mix streaming live off
the desk to their studio in Scotland so they were able to check in constantly and make comments,
mostly whittling down the arrangement. An interesting thing to note is that I mixed ‘Cruel Moon’
entirely on my Neve BCM 10 [sidecar mixer], doing all the fader moves manually, even though I
had my 88R sitting next to me. I just like the way it sounded.”
During the final mixing session, Kevin Burleigh and Glasvegas actually broke the Terminal
Studio record, working non-stop for 29 hours to get everything finished, resulting in poor assistant
engineer Jimmy Neilson hallucinating. The pressures were certainly starting to take their toll.
“This boy Jimmy just started hallucinating thinking people were waving at him through the studio
windows,” says Rab Allan, “He was seeing people waving at him just purely because everyone Caroline McKay’s minimalist drum kit
had been working — by that stage — for five or six days with just a couple of hours sleep each sets the Christmas mood.
night. It was just chaos!”
Something Special
As far as Kevin Burleigh is concerned, the decision to head to Transylvania for the recordings was fully justified, despite the hard work and
crazy schedules: he believes the songs would not have come out as they did had they been recorded in a conventional studio.
“The ambience of Transylvania totally benefited the recordings,” says Kevin. “Even what we did at night in Brasov, going for a drink, going
to different places, seeing different people, getting a bit crazy, a bit wild. James always said it was about getting away together to do this,
the whole point was that the space had to be in Transylvania because it just fed everybody’s imagination and I think it affected the finishing
touches — James’ melodies, how multi-layered he would arrange the songs, he must’ve known his top lines but maybe the pace would
have changed in a proper studio. The place just gave everyone that wee bit more imagination.”
James Allen, likewise, feels that the whole project exemplifies what is special about his band. “[Glasvegas] is about using your
imagination and being a part of loving art, of loving music, of loving being creative. It’s not doing things just because it’s the standard way to
do things, man, and the Christmas record is obviously far away from being the standard thing, you know, and I hope, moving into the future,
we never accept the standard thing. Hopefully this record is gonna represent the future both for myself and for the band.”
Glasvegas & The Transylvanian Choir

One of Kevin Burleigh’s many Transylvanian tasks was to track down a Romanian choir and record them singing ‘Silent Night’ in a local
church or cathedral. “Luckily enough, the first night I managed to get on-line at the hotel and started searching for a choir,” says
Burleigh. “I found this choir in Brasov, so I asked our interpreter if he could call them. Then, the first night the band arrived, James and I
met the conductor, Marius Modiga, and another guy who was part of a small orchestra, in case we required strings. These guys and
everyone we met in Transylvania were so helpful and they asked us if we would come to see the choir at rehearsal, in a classroom at a
local college. It was strange because the guy had given me a recording of them doing ‘Stille Nacht’ or ‘Silent Night’, and as we walked
through the college corridors to the class, I thought they must be playing the recording for reference — but when the door opened this
choir was in full voice, everybody just sitting at these desks, looking at the conductor, really relaxed, just singing ‘Silent Night’. It was
stunning!”
“That was an amazing thing and it was something I’ll never forget,” says James Allen. “I love that it was totally human and there was
no other kind of music or instrumentation or acoustic guitars or amplifiers or pianos or whatever. Humans have evolved making that
noise, I never even knew that kind of noise was possible. I’d only heard people do things like that on TV, and as I was walking through
the front door and I was getting closer to them, I thought it was a CD they were playing, but they were practising ‘Silent Night’ and when
somebody opened that door, it was like f**king angels coming out! I was really pinned back against the wall!”
Luckily, the conductor was well acquainted with the priest at Brasov’s magnificent gothic Saint Nicholas Church, where they recorded
two takes of ‘Silent Night’, sung in Romanian, which would later be mixed into James Allan’s haunting piano-led take on the carol. The
choir’s ad hoc vocal exercises would also form the end sequence to ‘Careful What You Wish For’. Kevin Burleigh recorded them with
four mics plugged into the Focusrite 4PRE: a set of Rode NT5s in X/Y configuration about two metres behind and above the conductor,
an AKG 414 behind the choir, where there was a “magnificent low end” due to the height of the cupola above the altar, and the
Neumann U87 30 metres away at the back of the cathedral.
“We had 20 minutes setup time, no soundcheck and an hour to record everything we needed,” says Kevin Burleigh. “There was
absolutely no room for error. ‘Take everything!’ was our mantra during the whole of the Brasov sessions. I’m very, very lucky to be
involved with such an imaginative band as Glasvegas, even with all its technical challenges — the results are sublime!”
Playback
Playback
Readers’ Music Reviewed Buy PDF
People + Opinion : ReaderZone
Reflections Of Elephants
Debut EP
This CD isn’t really called Debut EP, but sadly, Reflections Of Elephants’ minimalist press material
hasn’t furnished me with the luxury of an actual title. In fact there’s little I can tell you about them,
other than that they’re from Chelmsford and they make an impressive racket. Their melange of
abrasive riffs and stop-start rhythms is the sort of thing that invariably gets described as ‘angular’,
and achieves the rare feat of being immediate and accessible yet never becoming obvious. The
recording is not fancy but very serviceable (apart from what sounds like an egregious replacement
sample on some snare hits) and I bet they’re a fantastic live band. Sam Inglis
www.myspace.com/reflectionsofelephants
The Woolgatherers
Long Way To Indigo

The Woolgatherers’ album is, they say, mostly a ‘one take’ studio recording, and it pretty much
sums up both the pluses and minuses of this approach. The performances are excellent, with a
light but insistent groove, and nice use of instruments such as accordion and harmonica.
However, their attempts to cut down on spill and make the mix more manageable have led them
to DI as many things as possible, with less than pleasing results. There’s an infuriating crackle
somewhere that really should have been dealt with before anyone pressed Record, and the
acoustic guitar sound recalls Trotsky’s final moments. The overdubbed vocals also sound a bit
strange, thanks to a reverb that suits neither the voice nor the context.
Phil Hooley has a strong voice, and his songs are nicely turned, suggesting a musical diet of
Springsteen, JJ Cale and side two of Neil Young’s Hawks And Doves. It’s probably fair to say that
his influences are often more prominent than his own ideas, but there is enough variety here to
create a satisfying whole. Sam Inglis
The Hush
Us
What we have here is, apparently, “the Ultimate album — the kind of album that will be in record
books in years to come, the kind of album that everyone of all ages has a copy of”. Since you all
have a copy of it already, there’s no need for me to review it. Sam Inglis
www.thehushexperience.com
Hollow Moon
Closer Than The Blood

It may come as a surprise to SOS Forum frequenters that ‘Feline1’ has managed to tear himself
away from his electronic home long enough to start a band and record an album. Hollow Moon
have a single-minded aesthetic involving “decrepit, cheap and nasty” instruments, found
percussion and odd samples. As you might expect, it’s an aesthetic that prizes feeling above
niceties of tuning and intonation. It also sounds as though all these decrepit instruments have
been tracked in a very ambient but not particularly flattering space, which is atmospheric, but gets
a bit tiring to listen to.
Hollow Moon’s songwriting is equally individual, and the wonky acoustic tracks that bookend this three-track sampler have a rare charm. I
was less keen on the intervening slab of Pere Ubuesque glum-rock, which mainly consists of someone intoning ‘Oh man it’s just another
false flag / Another Reichstag’ over and over again, to the point where even a good lyric would lose its appeal. Sam Inglis
www.hollowmoon.co.uk
Playback Is Sponsored By Breed Media

Sound On Sound are proud to feature the Breed Media Group as the sponsor of Playback. Each month, Breed will be giving away a run
of 1000 CDs to the lucky winner. This amazing prize will be professionally pressed, and includes glass mastering, print, cases and
delivery — worth over £630!
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Specialists in CD, DVD & vinyl pressing, digital distribution and music video production, Breed Media Group are also dedicated to the
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This month’s winners are Reflections Of Elephants.
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David Glasper
People + Opinion : Sounding Off
What can we do to save ourselves from the misery and bathos of 21st century culture?
Simple: hide in the past.
David Glasper
P opular culture in the 21st century is a desolate mire of vapid, moronic and endlessly-repeating crap. It is a wasteland of reality TV
and cyclical revivals of music and fashion. No-one, it seems, has an original idea in their heads, and if they do there’s clearly not
enough enthusiasm from the rest of us to allow it to survive.
Tired though they may be, the same clichés are endlessly dragged out, tarted up and foisted upon us again — possibly for the first time in
as many as three years. How many separate ’80s revivals have there been in the last decade?
I think I know why this is — it’s the Internet. The Internet hasn’t made us free. It hasn’t given us the means to exchange all wisdom and a
friendly shove down the path of enlightenment. It has given us an enormous forum for every wretched idea anybody ever had and hurled us
into the pit of our own stupidity. It is a vast swirling pool of co-dependent idiocy, a place where Steven Fry getting stuck in a lift is news and
David Hasselhoff is a folk-hero. It is nothing more than a retarded hive mind.
The Internet comes along and for the first time in human history, culture just groans to a halt. It can’t possibly be a coincidence. Nothing
else — not wars, famines, revolutions, active systematic oppression — has ever managed to have the same effect: culture has always
carried on regardless. But now we can spend our days exhaustively detailing the tedious minutiae of our lives on Twitter, we suddenly don’t
give a toss any more.
Even if I’m quite wrong to blame the Internet, chief suspect though it may be, culture is clearly quite destitute at the moment, so the
question is: what to do with ourselves until it sorts itself out? My solution has been to create my own elaborate fantasy world to retreat into.
OK, so maybe ‘elaborate’ makes it sound a bit cleverer than it actually is: it’s a bit more sophisticated than the traditional ‘pretending to be
Unity Mitford pretending to be a horse’ type business, but it’s still fairly simple. It basically involves ignoring any art, music or literature that I
don’t find appealing and praying that it all goes away. I think this is the best way to deal with the revulsion I feel for contemporary culture
and it saves me the trouble of having to do anything particularly complicated or difficult — like reinventing Art in my own image, for example.
Until it was discontinued, culture was happening all over the place and had been doing so since, well, more or less forever. This means
that there’s a lot of it. An awful lot of it. So there’s no reason to take any notice at all of any of it if you don’t want to, because there’s always
going to be something else to choose from.
I used to DJ a lot, and when I stopped and I realised that I no longer had to listen to whatever dismal odium was currently in vogue, I felt
a blessed sense of relief. I started to only listen to the records that I wanted to listen to and I slowly began to realise that I was free.
If that sounds incredibly self-indulgent, that’s because it is. Culture is an indulgence. It’s perhaps the only area in our lives where we can
afford to be entirely self-centred — so for God’s sake why not be?
It’s not just music either. You don’t have to accept anything you don’t like. For example, I tend not to stray this side of 1950 when it comes
to books. I’ve found that I don’t like modern novels as much as older ones, so I don’t read them. Why on earth should I? And as there are
far more good novels from before 1950 than I will ever be able to read in my lifetime, I will never need to read another modern one if I don’t
feel like it.
There’s no reason to lazily accept third-rate recycled bosh because third-rate recycled bosh is readily available. Remember that you don’t
have to settle for anything that doesn’t excite or engage you. Why should you when there are an almost limitless number of alternatives
within reach?
So next time you find yourself confronted with something that you consider to be moithering toss, don’t just sit there and take it, go and
find something better. The Internet’s a good place to start looking...
About The Author

David Glasper is Reviews Editor for Sound On Sound. He probably disapproves of whatever it is that you’re doing right now.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/soundingoff_0409.htm[02/04/2009 12:03:52]

Leader
People + Opinion : Miscellaneous
W
e have, in the past, been guilty of the odd April Fool article but, ironically, many of the daft ideas we proposed eventually became
actual products. However, sometimes new things come along that seem too far-fetched even for an SOS April Fool.
If we’d written an article in the ’90s which suggested that you would soon be able to buy a piece of software that would let you sing any
melody, and then automatically produce a complete backing track of high-quality MIDI sounds to accompany it in a choice of styles, you
would have been certain it was a wind-up, especially if we’d told you it was available for less than the price of a round of drinks at your
local. And yet we saw exactly that at the NAMM show, in the form of Songsmith. Marketed by Microsoft, Songsmith combines their
technology and expertise with the pattern-generation system developed for Band In A Box and sounds from US education and sample
specialists Garritan. Whether you see it as dumbing-down music or a means of empowering singers by giving them the means to get their
ideas into demo form is up to you, but there’s no denying that it’s a clever concept and one that I’m sure we will see evolve over the coming
years.
Another ‘unlikely’ product unveiled at NAMM was the MOTU Volta plug-in, the general product description for which reads exactly like an
SOS April Fool article. You know the sort of thing — plausible technology but who in their right mind... The idea behind Volta is that all
those voltage-controlled synths and modular systems out there (see our article on modulars in this very issue) can be controlled from a
software plug-in that uses multi-channel audio interfaces as control voltage output ports. The more channels you have, the more
parameters you can control simultaneously. As it happens, MOTU interfaces use DC-coupled circuitry, so they’re perfect for this. What’s
more, the oscillator outputs can be fed back into the interface inputs, allowing the system to calibrate itself for accurate tuning. A niche
product maybe, but what a great idea!
With so many real products now paralleling our April ramblings (we joked about DAWs for game consoles but now they’re available in
phones, for heaven’s sake!), maybe it’s only a matter of time before we see miniature air-bags that deploy automatically if you drop a tube
or ribbon microphone, software that can mix songs for you, helium-injection automatic pitch-correction for wind instruments, or DAWs that
rate your finished mix and tell you on a scale of one to 10 how commercial it is. After all, who would have believed a thing like Auto-Tune
could ever exist when home recording first gained a foothold in the early ’80s?
Paul White Editor In Chief
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/leader_0409.htm[02/04/2009 12:04:06]
Advanced Mixing In Logic Pro 8: Part 1

Logic Notes & Techniques Buy PDF
Technique : Logic Notes
A professional producer and mixer passes on his favourite Logic mixing methods, starting
this month at the bottom, with tips for bass and drums.
Gary Bromham
O ne of the dilemmas faced by an engineer coming from a background in analogue mixing is

how to translate that skill, which we often use without thinking on a console, into
software. Using a mouse, or even a control surface, to perform a task in software is often
counter-intuitive when compared to doing the same job with a piece of dedicated hardware, and
there is an ongoing debate between the ‘in the box’ and the ‘outside the box’ brigades as to which
method sounds best and provides the quickest workflow. What this new way of working requires
is a new way of thinking, a way of embracing rather than fighting the technology, but I have found
that my background in analogue mixing has helped rather than hindered my mixing in software.
Logic Pro has evolved to a point at which it is now easy to translate most of the techniques In this screen I’ve grouped all the
used every day in conventional analogue mixing to the software, and the advantages, when drums together, which you can see by
the group name (coloured yellow). In
working on several songs at once and being able to recall tracks instantly, have made mixing in
the Group settings dialogue we’re able
software more time efficient. There are a few mixing techniques I’ve managed to make work very
to set which parameters will affect the
well in Logic that employ exactly the same method as in the hardware domain. There are also entire group. For example, with the
many I can now perform that would be impossible on a conventional console. settings here, if I automate one drum
from the Group, all the other drums will
First Things First be similarly automated.
Before we start dealing specifically with mixing, we need to make sure a few important settings
have been made. Plug-in Delay Compensation (Preferences/ Audio/ General tab) should be set to ‘All’. I also make sure that Track
Mute/Solo is set to ‘Fast’, to prevent track status buttons acting independently of channel-strip mute or solo buttons. In the mixer page, we
should have the view set to ‘Arrange’, so that any track selection made in the Arrange page is
reflected in the mixer. Because of the flexibility of Logic’s adaptive mixer, we might also think
about using Screensets to separately display just audio tracks, software instruments, aux tracks
and/or outputs. This prevents the screen from becoming too cluttered: it’s worth bearing in mind
that an over-complicated screen makes the job of mixing much harder! Screensets are accessed
by simply selecting any number between 1 and 99 and customising what is displayed on the
screen. (By holding down the Control key on the first digit, you can access numbers 10-99.) You
don’t need to save Screensets, as this happens automatically. It is, however, possible to lock your
current work view simply by pressing Shift-L or clicking on Lock Screenset in the global Screenset
menu. To unlock, we merely toggle the command. It is important to lock Screensets, as shown in
the screen above, so that settings aren’t lost when we alter what is being displayed.
The use of Groups when mixing is also essential. Groups are created in the mixer page by
clicking on the window just above the automation status button. By lassoing or shift-selecting any
Set plug-in delay compensation to All
number of tracks, you can automatically assign them to any one of 32 groups, and opening the
and Track Mute/Solo to Fast.
Group Settings menu allows you to alter which parameters will affect the group. When mixing, I
like to set up the group to control volume, mute, automation and sends, and usually link region
selection and editing. The final point worth noting is that you can suspend the ‘Group Clutch’ by
pressing Shift-G if you need to alter a parameter on one track within the group.
Folders are another good way of keeping your mixer view simpler. The Pack Folder command is
found in the local Region menu. By Shift-selecting or highlighting with the mouse a number of
regions and packing them into a folder, you can create a much simpler visual display of parts you
want to isolate. If, for example, you place all your backing vocals in a folder, when you double- I’ve got three Screensets set up to suit
click it only the backing vocals displayed in the Arrange page will be shown, providing you have my way of working. I’ve locked
Screenset 3, which you can tell by the
checked the Arrange View tab in the Mixer page (see screens, left).
dot next to its name. I haven’t bothered
The final preparation I like to make is customising my I/O setup in the mixer page. Go to lock Screenset 2 because I know I
Options/IO Labels and you can change the generic labels to those provided by the driver, or will need to be constantly changing it.
create your own.
In this two-part feature, we’ll work our way through some of the scenarios that confront us
during mixing, and answer questions related to achieving a finished track. This month I’ll
concentrate on drums and bass, as they form such an integral part of any mix, moving on to EQ,
de-essing, phase cancellation, and more, next month.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/logicworkshop_0409.htm[02/04/2009 12:05:18]
Kick-drum Low End

The screen above shows all the backing
My kick drum has loads of click, but no deep low end vocals for this song packed into a folder
As well as hearing a kick drum, we also want to feel it! I still use Yamaha NS10 monitors for on track 13.
mixing, as well as KRK V8s. I want to get the sensation of moving air with the NS10s and see the
cones moving when I add bottom end. I could try just adding 40-60Hz with EQ, but I’ve found that
it’s far more flexible to copy the kick track with the Test Oscillator plug-in and a Noise Gate
inserted and simply trigger the gate via a side-chain input from the original kick. The Test
Oscillator plug-in can be set to a suitable frequency (30-50Hz works well for this job) and mixed
with the original kick sound. The ability to fine-tune the frequency of the tone signal, possibly even
to the key of the song, and to control the sound’s envelope with the gate is extremely useful. Just
follow the steps below.
Copy your kick to a new track. This is easily done in Logic 8 by simply Double-clicking on the folder displays all
selecting Duplicate Track from the local track menu and then option- the backing vocals once more.
dragging the kick part to the new track.
Insert Test Oscillator from the Utility menu, followed by Noise Gate from the
Dynamics menu, on your new track.
Change the frequency of Test Oscillator to 50Hz (or to taste) and set up
Noise Gate with your original kick-drum sound selected as the side-chain.
This will open the gate only when the kick plays.
You may have to tweak the EQ in the side-chain (ie. the high-cut and low-cut
filters) so that the gate only responds to a narrow frequency range, thus I’ve duplicated the kick drum and
preventing unwanted triggers. inserted Test Oscillator and Noise Gate.
Look at the Noise Gate window and
Bass Definition you’ll see that the side-chain input is
selected as Audio 1, which is my
My bass has plenty of bottom end, but certain notes seem to disappear or are much quieter than original kick sound, triggering a Test
others. Oscillator tone at around 50Hz. This
As well as limiting the bass to control level fluctuations, I find that re-amping the bass in some should beef up the low bass content of
the kick nicely.
way tends to reinforce note definition. The low and high end from the DI’d signal are
complemented by the mid-range of re-amped sound. We don’t literally have to use an amplifier
(although this is preferable) but instead copy the audio track and treat the DI and ‘re-amp’ signals separately. Logic’s Bass Amp Pro is
extremely good for adding the mid-range, and even more versatility can be attained using Guitar Amp Pro instead. Try the following:
Follow the first step in the kick-drum example above, but this time duplicate the bass track.
Insert Bass Amp or Guitar Amp Pro (Amp Modelling menu) on the new track.
Adjust the plug-in setting so that it brings out the mid-range and then fine-tune the sound with Logic’s EQ. I
find sometimes that just using a high- and/or low-pass filter is enough to take out the unwanted frequencies.
Blend the two tracks together, paying particular attention to the phase of the two when they are played
together.
Kick & Bass Punch

My bass and kick sound great when solo’ed but lose punch and definition when combined.
Try ducking the bass slightly when the kick sounds, by side-chaining a compressor placed on the bass track and triggering it from the kick.
This creates some extra space for the kick drum and also gives the bass more punch. The same technique can also be used to good effect
on a whole mix. You could try experimenting with different patterns on the side-chain trigger. (The Eric Prydz track ‘Call on Me’, in which an
offbeat trigger pattern is used to give the impression of pumping, illustrates this idea perfectly.)
Insert a compressor on the bass track (this can be any compressor as long
as it has a side-chain input. I really like the URS 1970 plug-in for this!)
In the top right-hand corner of the plug-in window, select the track with the
kick as the side-chain source
I’m using the kick drum to trigger gain
Adjust the threshold of the compressor so that the kick gently increases the reduction in the compressor, which is
gain reduction. You may also want to play around with the threshold setting inserted on the bass track. This ‘ducks’
for more extreme effects. the bass when the kick sounds.
If the plug-in has suitable parameters (namely, filtering), adjusting the EQ of

the side-chain can sometimes help to fine-tune the trigger source for the compressor.
Conclusion
Achieving a good balance between bass and drums (especially bass and kick) is perhaps the most difficult task faced by the mix engineer,
which is why we often spend the greatest amount of time trying to get it right. A mix will often stand or fall on the strength of the relationship
between these two elements, and if the relationship works, it really helps the song to sound big and punchy. As I hope you’ve seen from this
first article, Logic’s ability to cope with the most demanding bass and drum tasks is in no way compromised by the fact that it’s working ‘in
the box’. There are obviously other techniques we could use, but I consider the ones I’ve outlined here to be the most important in
achieving a solid and defined bottom end.
Next month we’ll look at further mix scenarios, but in the meantime I’ll leave you with a Benny Faccone quote about building a mix, taken
from Bob Owsinski’s excellent book, The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook. “It really is like building a house. You’ve got to get the foundation of
bass and drums right or all of the other elements will come tumbling down.”
Gary Bromham’s long career in production and songwriting covers artists as diverse as George Michael, Sheryl Crow and Dannii Minogue,
and he has collaborated with top songwriter Pam Sheyne on projects for artists including Delta Goodrem. An Apple Distinguished
Professional, he is also a guest lecturer at several British universities.
Automation Tips
Automation in Logic has come on in leaps and bounds since the introduction of Logic Pro 8. On-
line and off-line methods are equally versatile at achieving good results, and the use of the
marquee tool for automation has gone some way towards silencing the Pro Tools users! It is
very easy to just drag over a section with the marquee tool and automatically create automation
nodes in order to simply change a parameter. It is equally easy to select a region from
Options/Track Automation, insert four nodes and turn the selected parameter for the region up or
down.
I want to copy all the automation data from one chorus to another. Highlight the automation line and shift-
drag to where required, to copy and
Copying automation data from one track to another is as simple as shift-dragging a loop around paste the automation.
a collection of nodes, copying them and pasting them to a new destination, as shown in the
screen to the right. Here I’ve copied the delay feedback on a selected line from verse one to
verse two.
I have 10 tracks of drums and want to automate them all but then fine-tune only the overheads in the bridge.
To automate drums, I group them, go to Group Settings and make sure I have ‘Automation Mode‘ ticked. Then when I move the level on
the channel-strip fader or adjust a parameter, this will change all the tracks contained in the group. To individually adjust the level of,
say, the overheads, I merely turn off Group Clutch, by pressing Command-G, make the alteration and switch the group back on again.
I need to automate my aux returns
Automating aux returns is made easier if you view the channels in the Arrange area and make adjustments from there. To do this, you
need to first open the mixer. Now highlight the aux channel and choose ‘Create Arrange tracks for selected channel strips’ from the Local
Options menu. You can now see the aux channel in the Arrange page and adjust the volume automation in the same way that you would
any other track.
I’m happy with the level automation changes I have on a track but want to adjust the overall level a bit.
Just Command-click in the meter bar to the right of the track display and literally drag the yellow bar up or down.
Apple Notes: Upgrading MacBook Hard Drives

Tips, Techniques & News Buy PDF
Technique : Apple Notes
With the increasing size of audio files and high-quality sample libraries, a Macbook hard
drive that seemed capacious just a couple of years ago may now be straining at the seams —
but swapping it for a bigger one is easier than you might think.
Mike Watkinson
T he last time I thought I might try and upgrade the hard drive in a laptop was in 2003, when the 20GB drive in my iBook G3 (sporting
a 600 MHz Power PC processor — feel the burn!) was under a little strain. At the time, an upgrade to 60GB seemed appropriate,
and the 7200rpm model I chose would surely give me unheard-of audio track counts for a laptop. Although I did succeed in installing
the replacement drive, the complexity of the process, involving a credit card at one point to ‘jemmy’ open the case, left me in awe of the
guys who work in Apple’s repair shops (check out Sniper Twins feat. Rob Collier on YouTube, to find out what these guys really do — I
must admit that this is the only time I have heard a shout-out to Presonus in a rap lyric!). In all, I ended up taking over 30 photographs of
the process, and combined with the fact that the promised track counts were never achieved, and that the cooling fan never switched off
again, this meant that the article detailing the process that I’d proposed to Sound On Sound never happened! Until now
Drive Time
My current laptop is a late 2006 2GHz Core Duo 2 Macbook with 2GB RAM and a stock 80GB Toshiba hard drive that runs at 5400rpm.
When purchased, that size seemed generous, but recently I have had to rely on an external drive to support the increasing amounts of data
required by modern music production. The 500GB Lacie D2 Quadra I initially purchased as a backup drive fast became an integral part of
my previously portable system. For example, I had installed Logic’s loops and samples library on the Lacie, as there was not enough room
on the internal drive. This left me red-faced at a Logic training event where I didn’t have any content to demonstrate the program, having
forgotten to take the external drive along. Enough was enough! I decided to attempt a drive transplant once again, with a new Seagate
Momentus 7200 320GB model running at 7200rpm.
I’m happy to report that the installation procedure this time was pretty much painless, and the test results are very gratifying indeed.
Installation took about 10 minutes (including initialisation of the disk) and the performance is stunning. I’ve provided step-by-step
instructions below if you’d like to do the same, but one word of warning if you’re thinking of following the procedure described: do check with
your vendor as to whether your remaining warranty will be affected.
Step By Step
You’ll need a suitable coin, a Phillips 00 screwdriver and a Torx T7 screwdriver. The process is applicable to all white and black Macbooks.
1. Back up all your data to an external drive, then shut down the computer.
2. Lie the Macbook upside down and unlock the battery with a suitable coin.
3. Lift out the battery and place to one side.
4. Using a suitable screwdriver, undo the three retaining screws that hold the metal strip around
the edge of the battery compartment.
5. Carefully lift off the protective strip and place to one side.
6. Using a screwdriver (or a pencil will do), tease out the plastic flap that will be tucked in on itself.
Note the two years worth of grime accumulated in the edge of the battery compartment!
7. Pull the white plastic flap to the right to remove the hard drive caddy. It should come away
easily, as it only needs to ‘unplug’ from the MacBook chassis.
8. Undo the four screws that attach the drive to the caddy, and place to one side.
9. Reverse the process above, replacing the original drive with the new one.
When you boot from your external drive, Mac OS will report an unreadable disk and offer to
initialise it for you. An alternative is to launch Disk Utility and initialise from there. This whole
process took me around 10 minutes, with the appropriate tools. By far the most time-consuming
part (and the most important) was backing up my data before proceeding! There are several
videos on YouTube to help you out with the upgrade procedure if you are unsure. It should be
pointed out that the document on Apple’s web site, while useful, misses out the part where you
remove the drive from the caddy and replace it with the new one!
Test Case
With the new drive safely installed, I was able to do some tests to compare its performance with
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/applenotes_0409.htm[02/04/2009 12:05:41]
the previous drive.

All audio files tested were 24-bit/96kHz, with sample rate in Logic Pro set to 96kHz. The audio
interface was a MOTU 896 that uses the Firewire 400 protocol. The Core Audio driver
preferences were set with the I/O buffer size at 512 samples, and the Process Buffer Range was
left set to Medium (the default). For my ‘small files’ test, each track consisted of 16 audio files per
beat, with the project tempo set to 120bpm. Each region was converted to a discrete audio file by
using the ‘Convert Regions to New Audio Files’ command in the local Audio menu of the Arrange
area, in Logic Pro.
Starting with a basic folder duplication test, the stock Toshiba drive took three minutes and 16
seconds to duplicate a 1.67 GB folder. The same task took the new Seagate drive less than half
the time, at one minute 23 seconds. First round to Seagate!
Using QuickBench from Intech Software (available from www.speedtools.com), I obtained an
average sequential read speed of just over 18 MB/s for the stock Toshiba drive. The replacement
Seagate drive scored 43 MB/s for the same test. This is backed up by practical application. The
Toshiba drive played back 43 tracks of 24-bit/96kHz audio in Logic Pro, which is fairly impressive
for a 2.5-inch drive. The Seagate replacement, however, managed 109 tracks before giving up.
For multiple short files, the result was a little disappointing, however, in that both drives came
out equal, with 18 tracks. As noted in my article on Firewire hard drive speed tests
(www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug02/articles/firewire.asp), it is most likely that some other factor
is the limit in this case, probably processor speed and bandwidth, as the Seagate trounces the
Toshiba in QuickBench’s ‘Random Reads’ test (13.4 MB/s as opposed to 6.7 MB/s)
Surely there must be a drawback. With that kind of track-count power, the Seagate must drain
the battery faster than a first-year medical student can sink a bottle of peach schnapps, right?
Well, running a test that involved playing back 33 continuous tracks of 24/96 audio (not a random
number, but set at 10 less than the Toshiba’s maximum) from full charge until the battery ran out,
revealed the following. With the Toshiba drive the battery lasted one hour and 46 minutes — just
a little less than Apple’s claimed five hours! The Seagate drive under the same conditions lasted
for one hour and 58 minutes (see the ‘Battery Testing’ box for the rules of this competition).
There’s some advantage to the new drive, probably due to the fact that the Seagate was not
working so hard to provide the same data flow, but the results are close enough to make me
suspect that the main draw on power is more likely to be the screen than the drive. I look forward
to checking out the backlit LED displays of the new Macbook and Macbook Pro ranges to see if
this is indeed the case.
Conclusion
Given the simplicity of the drive-swapping procedure, and the significant gains in performance and
disk space, with no apparent implications for battery life, the decision to upgrade is a
straightforward one based on cost alone. Toshiba and Western Digital offer drives with similar
specification to the Seagate Momentus tested here, so shop around and give your Macbook a
new lease of life!
Logic playing back 109 tracks of 24-

bit/96kHz audio, using the new Seagate
Momentus drive in a Macbook.
Battery Testing
I wanted my battery-life tests to be as ‘realistic’ as possible, but I didn’t want to have to sit at the
computer for the several hours that each would take. I thus used a piece of shareware called
MiniBatteryLogger (www.emeraldion.it) which, as well as giving me statistics about the health of
my battery (very good for a 28-month-old, apparently!), is able to track its charge, voltage and
current drawn over time.
In Energy Saver, in System Preferences, I set the computer and display to ‘never sleep’ to
simulate constant activity, but left the ‘Slightly dim the display when using this power source’
option ticked. The ‘Put the hard disk(s) to sleep when possible’ option was also left ticked. In
order to compare like with like, I ran a control test first, where the computer was left on but with
no audio-related disk activity. To compare this with what happened when the disk was being
Prosoft Engineering’s Data Rescue II.
accessed by a DAW, having recharged the battery I set Logic Pro to play back 10 fewer
continuous 24-bit/96kHz audio tracks than the maximum for the slowest drive on test (in this
case, the stock Toshiba drive) — a reasonably strenuous test, but hopefully stable enough to leave running for several hours. The
replacement Seagate drive was tested playing back the same number of tracks. The battery life with no disk activity was two hours and
six minutes. Playing back audio files, the Toshiba stock drive managed one hour and 46 minutes, while the replacement Seagate kept
going for one hour and 58 minutes.
Disaster Recovery
During these tests, large amounts of data were liberally swapped between the various systems and drives at my disposal. At one point I
noticed that the four partitions on the Lacie D2 drive no longer had an eject button in the Finder — strange? Obviously not strange
enough for me to do anything about it! Carrying on without backing up, I then realised that two of the four partitions were no longer
mounted. Checking in Disk Utility, they still existed, but could not be mounted. I was also rewarded with a polite message to the effect
that I was only being given limited access to the volumes that were mounting. One of the un-mounted partitions contained an archive of
all the music I had ever produced, which, while all the data exists in other places in various formats, took an extremely long time to
compile into one handy location — not so handy any more! After a little research, I downloaded a demo of Prosoft Engineering’s Data
Rescue II (from www.prosofteng.com), impressed by the fact that it is used by NASA, and by the promise to rescue my data without
doing anything destructive to any of my volumes. With a few clicks in Assistant mode (see accompanying screen), I had found the
previously inaccessible data, but needed to pay the license fee to overcome the demo’s 5MB file-size limit. Ten minutes and $99 later I
had my music library restored to another drive and wiped the sweat from my fevered brow. Data Rescue II differs from other disk utilities
such as TechTool Pro and Disk Utility, in that it can restore the data from a disk or volume without initialising or erasing data. It also
offers to reclaim data from erased volumes or disks, but I really hope I never have the need to test this feature. Considering how many
days it would have taken to rebuild this library, I consider the license fee to be money well spent, but I could have avoided the whole
episode with a rigorous backup routine.
Building A Beatbox In Ableton Live

Ableton Live Notes & Techniques Buy PDF
Technique : Ableton Live Notes
We show you how to make Live emulate an MPC-style workflow for composing rhythm
tracks.
Simon Price
T he emergence at the Winter NAMM show of two new drum-programming tools — MOTU’s
BPM and NI’s Maschine — highlight the growing recognition that most DAWs are not
conducive to producing interesting electronic drum tracks. There’s no secret which existing
product range NI and MOTU think offers a better alternative: both name-check Akai’s MPCs as
inspiration. Although plenty of Live users will find these new instruments tempting (myself
included), much of the core workflow offered by MPC-style devices can actually already be
replicated in Live.
Beats Working
What’s so bad about laying down rhythm tracks (OK, I’ll say it — making beats) in a DAW, and
what works better with a drum machine or an MPC? Well, in the traditional linear DAW, you
record or draw MIDI notes into tracks, then edit MIDI regions with the mouse to create a song
arrangement. Sounds simple, but, as you’ll have found, this can be a fairly lifeless and tedious
business. Some drum machines, the MPCs, and software instruments such as BPM, Maschine
and FXpansion’s Guru offer a real-time, jamming style of composition and arrangement that can
be much more fun — and much quicker.
This way of working can, in fact, be recreated in Live. Here’s the basic outline: record a drum
loop; copy the loop and overdub with variations and fills; trigger playback of the loops in real time
and record a song arrangement. The rest of the article will take you through these steps in detail.
Drag a Drum Rack kit to a MIDI track to
By the end you should be able to quickly construct beats without touching the mouse (or even
get started.
stopping playback), and create a large amount of variation from just a few patterns.
Getting Started
First, load a drum kit into a track. You can use the older Impulse instrument, but if you’re on
version 7 or above, Drum Racks are the way to go, especially if you’re using a MIDI trigger pad
controller that matches the Rack’s 4x4 grid. In the screen to the left, I’ve loaded one of the default
Drum Rack Kits, called ‘Kit-Wired’, by dragging it into an empty MIDI track.
Play with the kit using your pads or MIDI keyboard. The cells in a Drum Rack start from MIDI
note C1, but if you decide to use Impulse, the samples are mapped from C3. If you don’t have a
MIDI controller connected, you can still play the kit in real time using the computer’s keyboard. To
do this, enable Computer MIDI Keyboard in the Options menu. The top two rows of alpha keys on
your computer keyboard will then function like an octave (and a bit) of MIDI keyboard, with the ‘A’
key playing C3. To transpose the keys up or down, use the ‘Z’ and ‘X’ keys. Two taps of ‘Z’ should
get you into the correct range for playing a Drum Rack.
Recording A Pattern
Once you’ve come up with a promising-sounding pattern, it’s time to start recording. Although you
can draw patterns in with the Pencil, we’ll complete all the steps using manual recording and
triggering. I sometimes record a few bars, then go in and pick the best bit for my loop, but we’ll
keep things neat by choosing a loop length from the outset. Create an empty Clip in the drum A new, empty Clip in the drum track.
track by double-clicking the track’s first slot in the Session View. The bottom of the Session The loop-length field (bottom left),
Metronome button (top left), and MIDI
window will automatically switch to display the Clip View. In the parameter area to the left of the
Overdub button (top right) are
Clip View, you can set the loop length of your pattern, as you can see at the bottom of the screen highlighted.
to the right.
The advantage of starting with a ready-made Clip is that you don’t need to worry about starting
and stopping recording while you’re playing. You will simply record into an empty Clip with a predetermined length. We will be making use
of Live’s MIDI Overdub facility, which is enabled and disabled by clicking the OVR button in Live’s main transport bar, as shown in the
screen below. We’ll see how this works as we go.
If the track containing your drum kit is not already record-enabled, arm it now, and verify that you can play it from your MIDI controller or
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/livetechnique_0409.htm[02/04/2009 12:05:59]
computer keyboard. Enable the metronome (again, shown in the screen below), then start playback of your new MIDI Clip. The metronome
will start ticking, and a cursor will track the playback position in the MIDI Clip View. Finally, use the Tap Tempo button at the far left of the
main tool bar to change the tempo to match the pattern you’ve been playing. Click the Tap button on the beat in time with the pattern in your
head. Now you’re ready to record.
With the Overdub button enabled, anything you play will be recorded into the Clip. If you wish to rehearse the loop before recording,
simply disable Overdub. When you’re ready to go for a take, enable Overdub again. Watch the cursor to make sure you start recording on
the first beat of your loop, and play in your pattern. You’ll see the notes being added to the Clip as you play. Once your loop is recorded,
decide whether you like it. If not, simply Undo (Ctrl-Z on Windows, or Command-Z on Mac) and try again. If you need to quantise your
recording, see the ‘Quantise & Groove’ box, which also discusses Record Quantising.
Variety Performance
When you have your first pattern down, you can set about creating variations. In my example, my
first pattern is quite simple and will probably be used at the opening of a song. The next natural
step in this case is to add some extra parts to the pattern. First you need to copy the original
pattern. Use the shortcut Ctrl-D/Command-D to Duplicate the current MIDI Clip, then press Return
to start it playing.
Now you can switch Overdub mode off, allowing you to rehearse extra parts for the pattern.
When you have something, switch Overdub mode on and play the part in. (To keep things
mouseless, I assign an available MIDI button or a computer key to the Overdub button). Repeat
this process until all the patterns you want to use are in your song.
In the screen to the left, you can see my drum track, containing several Clips. The first four,
named ‘A’ to ‘D’, are the main patterns for my song. I’ve given them descriptive names to help
when I come to sequence an arrangement. You can rename a Clip quickly be selecting it and
using the shortcut Ctrl-R/Command-R. Use the up and down cursor keys to select different Clips if
you don’t want to reach for the mouse.
I’ve progressively added more parts, so I can build up the rhythm track’s complexity over time by
stringing these patterns together. One of the patterns is a Clip called ‘C Fill’. This is the same
pattern as ‘C’, but has a fill at the end. When I come to join the patterns together I can
occasionally insert the ‘C Fill’ variation into a string of the standard ‘C’ pattern.
Pattern Play
The next stage is to sequence our patterns together to create a song arrangement. However,
rather than messing about with dragging blocks around on a timeline, we’ll trigger patterns
manually as the song plays along. Patterns can, of course, be triggered with the mouse, but as
we’re trying to emulate the tactile MPC-style of working, we’ll use MIDI notes, drum pads, or
computer keys to play the patterns. Choose Edit Key Map, or Edit MIDI Map from the Options
The drum track with several named and
menu to assign sources to trigger your Clips. In the screen at the bottom of the page, I’ve colour-coded patterns.
assigned the number keys on my laptop to my eight patterns.
Now you can press Play, and trigger your Clips in sequence from your keys or pads. This is a
good thing, but I have another trick up my sleeve that is the key to truly dynamic and varied beats.
By default, Clip playback is quantised to the bar, thus every time you trigger a Clip it doesn’t come
in until the start of the next bar. However, any decent groovebox will let you switch between
patterns at any time, so you can punch into, say, pattern ‘B’ halfway through pattern ‘A’, with
pattern ‘B’ coming in on the right step, rather than starting from the beginning.
I wouldn’t be bringing this up if Live couldn’t do it too, of course! Select all the Clips in your drum
track and the Clip View will tell you that ‘X’ number of Clips are selected. In the Clip Parameters
section, click the small ‘L’ icon to show Launch Properties (as shown in the screen shot above).
Set the Quantisation to either None, or something small like 1/16th. And, crucially, enable the
Legato option. The last is what tells Live to keep all the Clips in the track in step, rather than
triggering each from its starting point.
Try playing back some Clips with these settings. Each time you choose a new pattern it
immediately starts playing, but at the same bar/beat position within the loop. The great thing
MIDI controllers or computer keys can
about this is that from a few simple Clips you can create a large amount of variation by chopping be assigned to trigger different patterns.
and changing between patterns mid-loop.
A great way to take advantage of this technique is to create a couple of fill patterns full of stuff
throughout a whole loop length. In my example, I created a Clip called Filler, packed with different,
slightly chaotic stuff. This pattern doesn’t sound very good played on its own, but is great to ‘dip
into’ from the core patterns for a beat here and there.
Recording An Arrangement
Live’s nifty Arrangement recording means that you can save all of your real-time pattern jamming
straight to the drum track in the Arrangement view. You may want to experiment and rehearse
your song arrangement, or you can just jump in and record everything you do until you get what
These Clip Launch settings allow for fast
you want. You can always Undo recordings, or simply delete them and try again. When you’re
chopping between loops.
ready, all you have to do is arm the Record button in the main toolbar, then either press Play or
trigger a Clip. Everything you do from this point until you Stop will be recorded into the
Arrangement. The screen above shows an example. Remember, this is only recording Clip
launches, not actual audio, so you can easily make edits, trim changeover points, and drop in on
the track.
A drum arrangement created by
This way of programming drums rewards you with fast results that sound like the product of
recording a real-time performance.
hours of patient editing. The real-time workflow feels like a more creative, spontaneous approach,
compared to the analytical, editing task of moving blocks around in a linear track. If you find you
keep hitting the dreaded wall where you get bogged down in your DAW somewhere between an idea and a song, this could be your
answer.
Quantisation & Groove

Because this month’s technique uses manual, real-time recording of drum patterns, you’re almost certainly going to need to use
quantisation at some points. Like the drum machines we’re trying to emulate, Live offers input quantisation, which automatically aligns
what you record precisely to a chosen grid. This is enabled by choosing Edit / Record Quantisation / [desired resolution]. You can also
quantise notes after the fact. Following any record pass, the notes that were just recorded are automatically selected. Therefore, all you
have to do is hit Ctrl-U/Command-U to bring up the Quantise options, then select a resolution and strength to tighten the selected notes.
Quantising after recording is more flexible, allowing you to quantise by a percentage, and therefore preserve some of the original feel
from your playing. However, Record Quantise is fast, and is especially useful when you are applying a Groove, because it forces all the
notes to be aligned to the grid before being affected by the groove. Live 8 includes a new user Groove feature that is going to transform
the way Grooves are used in Live — expect to read about it here soon.
Classic Tracks: Heavy Zebra ‘Karla’

Producer: Heavy Zebra • Engineer: Kevin Byrne Buy PDF
Technique : Classic Tracks
Blighted by drug abuse and mental illness, Heavy Zebra never fulfilled their early promise.
Nevertheless, the deranged majesty of their 1972 single ‘Karla’ makes it a bona fide classic
track.
Richard Buskin
O bscure but influential — that is the legacy of Heavy Zebra, the experimental blues-rock
band that countered scintillation with self-destruction. Their 1972 album Tipping The
Scales has had a major impact on an eclectic array of artists, ranging from Massive
Attack, the Orb and Nirvana to Kate Bush, the Feeling and Jay-Z.
“That band was way ahead of its time,” Bush has been overheard saying. “Its music was just so
out there, so unique, and I also had a huge crush on [singer/guitarist] Stuart Nash... It was
because of him that I wrote ‘The Man With The Child In His Eyes’.”
That’s quite an accolade for a troubled soul who always sought musical integrity and female
company in equal measure. Still, for all of the peer plaudits, Tipping The Scales garnered mixed
reviews and disappointing sales at the time of its release, and it has never even been properly
Heavy Zebra in 1971. Clockwise from
distributed on CD. So why, despite the lack of mainstream recognition, does it enjoy a cult status top left: Stuart Nash, Nigel Spencer,
among the rock cognoscenti nearly 40 years after it first saw the light of day? And what is it about Graham King and John Collins.
the album’s standout track, the sonically bizarre power-ballad ‘Karla’, that continues to inspire and
entertain Zebra devotees around the world more than three decades since the group’s somewhat
squalid demise?
Earning Their Stripes

“The key to Tipping The Scales is the rhythm section and Graham King’s lead guitar,” asserts
former engineer Kevin Byrne, who tracked the sessions in a mobile truck parked in the stately
home surroundings of Gloucestershire’s Thwing Abbey. “It’s there all the time, underpinning
whatever weirdness is going on around it. By that time, the Zebra were extremely together as a
band — at least in a musical sense — and when push came to shove they could really swing.
That’s what saved it from just being a formless mess. Of course, in many ways it is a mess, but it
does have form.”
An electronics expert who spent fewer years in the music business than with the Ministry Of
Defence, Byrne first encountered the nucleus of Heavy Zebra in the early ’60s, when attending
North London’s Finchley Catholic Grammar School with Stuart Nash and bass player/keyboardist Stuart Nash with his trademark Gibson
Nigel Spencer. Both of a musical and artistic bent, Nash and Spencer became inseparable SG, Thwing Abbey, Summer 1971.
friends, and in 1964 they formed their first band, the What?. A primitive blues outfit that never
gigged, the What? nevertheless enabled the pair to hone their skills by way of non-stop rehearsals.
Moving on to art college in 1967, the 18-year-olds struck up a friendship with one of their teachers, the maverick John Collins, who in
addition to his penchant for painting strictly in monochrome, also happened to be an enthusiastic drummer. Accordingly, once they had
joined forces to form an experimental art-rock trio, it was Collins who suggested they call themselves ‘Zebra’ in deference to an animal that
he perceived as “a yin-yang horse, man”. And it was also Collins who, when he and his bandmates were involved in a back-alley fracas
with a rival combo named the Peace Corps, persuaded that outfit’s frontman, Graham King, to switch sides in mid punch-up and become
the Zebras’ lead guitarist.
This addition, in conjunction with Nash sustaining a hand injury and severe concussion that forced him to strip down his previously florid
style in favour of a simpler, harder-edged technique, resulted in a heavier, more rock-oriented sound and a change of name. “Heavy Zebra,”
Nash muttered to Spencer, King and Collins during a booze-fuelled routining session for the band’s first album. “That’s who we are. We’re
all heavy zebras.” The others agreed. A legend was born.
Taking The Reins

In 1969, in the wake of the A&R frenzy created by the burgeoning popularity of rock-blues outfits
such as Cream, the labels were ransacking every grungy dive in the capital in search of potential
signings. Heavy Zebra was among them, and a chance sighting by Liberty Records’ Harvey
Sparks resulted in a three-album deal.
Excited to be in a real studio, the Zebras could hardly wait to experiment even more with their
sound, yet within a week they were out on their ears. This, after all, was the standard period of
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time allotted for an album during the late-’60s and early-’70s, and even though Stuart, Nigel,
Graham and John were incensed to be left with what they regarded merely as backing tracks,
these did make for a commendable blues-based debut LP, Heavy Zebra II, as well as a standout
song in the form of the side-one opener, ‘Theme From Heavy Zebra’. The only problem: minimal
interest from press and public alike. Heavy Zebra in happier times.
For the follow-up, Nash not only came up with most of the material, but also songs that
signalled a distinct shift in his mindset, featuring lyrics that alluded to tour trauma, laudanum abuse, an unhappy love affair and emergent
mental illness. None of this made for a pleasant picture, but in line with Nigel Spencer’s oft-quoted observation that “Pain is genius,” it did
lend itself to a landmark double album whose entire fourth side would comprise the radical ‘Three Piece Suite’.
With the Thwing Abbey sessions for Tipping The Scales scheduled to commence in April of 1971, the Zebra attempted to hire the Rolling
Stones’ mobile studio. That, however, turned out to be fully booked, so they used Graham King’s industry connections to borrow a mobile
truck from Mungo Jerry. By now, Stuart Nash was experiencing full-blown paranoid delusions, and so while the band members all agreed to
produce themselves he insisted that the album’s engineering should be handled by someone they already knew. Enter their old friend from
Finchley, Kevin Byrne.
Given his complete lack of professional recording experience, Byrne was an unlikely choice, yet Nash favoured him due to his interest in
electronics and the fact that he had presided over the recording of early demos by the What? Hailing from a more working-class
background than the other two men, Byrne had left Finchley for an apprenticeship with the MOD at the same time that Nash and Spencer
had departed for art college, and via his work with radar he had acquired a solid background in electronic engineering, while also dabbling
in playing the guitar and bass.
“In my spare time, I really loved designing and constructing sound-processing boxes, using parts that I scrounged from anywhere and
everywhere,” recalls Byrne, who used his first tape recorder at age 14 to record the What?’s practice sessions. “I’d sit down with my
soldering iron at the kitchen table and sort of make things up as I went along, building machines that could be used for goodness knows
what. Well, the guys were very interested when I told them about some of the things that I’d made, and Stuart in particular was dead keen
to use them to bring an experimental edge to the new album.”
Increasingly at odds with “that strait-laced bunch” at the MOD, Byrne didn’t need much persuading to join the Zebra bandwagon.
“The only thing that made me think twice was Stuart’s appearance,” Byrne remarks. “He was very different to how I remembered him.
Yes, he was friendly and charming and very keen for me to get involved, but at the same time he was twitchy and constantly fidgeting. I
could tell he wasn’t getting much sleep.”
Thwings & Roundabouts

In the spring of 1971, Byrne arrived at Thwing Abbey, eager to familiarise himself with the Mungo
Jerry mobile that was centered around a custom mixing console and a Studer A80 eight-track
analogue tape machine. The rig also came with a selection of Neumann and Shure mics, Pye
compressors and Vortexion outboard gear, along with Tannoy monitors that were powered by
Quad amps.
“Thwing was beautiful,” he says. “The house itself was a bit run-down, but it was located in this
great big park with an ornamental lake, and it was miles from anywhere, so you could make as
much noise as you liked. It was exciting. Everyone was pleased to be there — the sun was
shining and I think we all felt like we were on holiday.
“Stuart had a vision for Tipping The Scales. It was a bit blurry in places and sometimes it
Spencer and Nash on stage at the Bath
seemed a bit dark or maybe even illegal, but it was his vision and he stuck to it doggedly. A big
Festival Of Blues, 1969.
part of the vision was doing whatever felt right at the time — it was quite a spontaneous vision —
and he also wanted to push things as far as he could with the recording. I suppose everybody did
at that time, but he was determined to take it further; to just do whatever it would take to make an album that sounded like nothing that had
ever been heard before.
“Things got pretty experimental and we did get some pretty amazing stuff, but I also think we wasted a lot of time. For instance, we spent
an entire day recording Stuart sitting under an apple tree in complete silence, waiting for an apple to drop. At around five o’clock in the
morning, Nige said, ‘Stuart, it’s f**king April. We’re going to be sitting here until f**king autumn waiting for your f**king apple to drop!’
Looking back, it all seems so ludicrous. We didn’t see Stuart for the next two days, he just hid in his room and sulked.”
It was at times such as these that a lot of the backing tracks were completed, with Kevin Byrne dipping into his goodie bag of homemade
gadgets and devices.
“Several of them did some pretty extraordinary things to audio,” he says proudly, “including one that took a completely different approach
to filtering. I called it my ‘all things must pass’ filter. However, the device that the band liked most was this thing we called the ‘Red Box’.
You see, it was red, and it was also only half-finished when I took it down to Thwing. I can’t now remember what it was actually supposed to
do, but it had a bypass switch that I’d mucked up slightly, so when it was bypassed it made the signal a tiny bit louder. The band thought it
was great as soon I turned it on, and they immediately made me use it on all the tracks. They didn’t understand that it didn’t do anything,
they just thought it was great because it made everything louder. They used to call the bypass switch the ‘magic button’ and they’d dance
around like kids, going ‘Press the magic button, Kev! Can I press the magic button, Kev?’ Silly sods!”
Zebra Rampant
With Nash’s behaviour teetering precariously between the erratic and the downright peculiar, the
sessions grew increasingly fraught, and Byrne soon found himself cast in the unenviable role of
technological-wiz-cum-technocratic-nursemaid. Sample the infamous ‘pony incident’, when Nash
entered the control room with a young colt and stunned his bandmates by announcing that they
had all been sacked.
“They were gobsmacked,” Byrne confirms, “but by that point they were also getting so tired of it
all that they were probably just glad to take a break. We spent the next two days trying to record
the pony, and Stuart was going spare because it couldn’t play in 6/8. It was almost funny to start
with, but it turned into a bloody nightmare. Stuart was just shouting at that horse, getting really
angry, there was shit everywhere — we were getting nowhere. In the end, it bit him and he got rid The track sheet from ‘Karla’ — Byrne
of it. Then he got strung out about the wallpaper in the drawing room. He said it was so loud, he meticulously documented the recordings
couldn’t hear himself sing. He and John stayed up all night, getting completely wrecked on speed at Thwing Abbey.
while they peeled off every last bit of wallpaper. In fact, you know those weird rumbling sounds at
the start of ‘Three Piece Suite’? That’s them stripping the paper with the tape slowed right down. Since there was no stopping them, I
thought we might as well record it and then just edit out all of the grunting and muttering.”
While Byrne spent a lot of his time trying to figure out how to get the equipment to work, he also had to deal with an increasingly eccentric
singer/guitarist who had decided that the console was an altar and needed to be adorned and treated with respect. Accordingly, after his
fellow Zebras had been dismissed from the studio along with their recording engineer so that Nash and the desk could enjoy some quality
bonding time, they returned the next day to find candles all over the console, along with the robes that he expected them to wear.
“He’d made them out of the purple velvet curtains in the drawing room,” Byrne says. “That whole ‘veneration of the blessed mixer’ was
bizarre, but we had to humour him just so that we could get some bloody work done.”
‘Karla’
This included the aforementioned ‘Karla’, which starts with an unusual, reflective Hammond organ intro followed by delicate guitar arpeggios
that support Nash’s initially introspective vocal. The song then shifts up a gear as the rhythm guitar, bass and drums kick in, building
through the bridge to the now-familiar anthemic chorus that is driven by the inexorable rise in pitch and volume of the lead vocal, while
massed backing vocals and assorted sound effects add to the other-worldly feel.
“‘Karla’ is my favourite song on the album, but it wasn’t an easy one to finish,” Byrne states. “It went through lyrical rewrites as fast as
Stuart went through girlfriends, and even the title was changed — originally, it was called ‘Ariadne’, so when Stuart changed this to ‘Karla’
the entire chorus didn’t scan properly and at one point he had to hold the ‘l’ in Karla over four whole bars. I’ve been told the Manic Street
Preachers were very influenced by this.
“The funny thing is, I don’t remember there being any microphones involved. But looking back, there must have been. The names escape
me right now, but there were definitely some longish, pointy ones and a few short, stubby ones about the place. Given Stuart’s vocal style,
it really didn’t make a lot of difference, to be honest! My forté was the stuff I made myself; I had trouble getting interested in commercial
gear.
“I’d read about optical compression, where the signal lights up a little bulb that shines on a photo-resistor and reduces the gain. I found
out you can also get resistors that are sensitive to heat, so I thought maybe those would work, and they did, kind of, although they needed
a lot of power. You see, as Stuart’s vocal style grew more and more eccentric, I needed more and more compression. Eventually, I
soldered a jack input onto a Baby Belling electric cooker and that did the job. Then, later on, we used the MkII, which had balanced XLRs
and a wok attachment. If you listen closely to ‘Karla’ you can actually hear a drop in level halfway through the second verse — that was
where John put the kettle on in the middle of a take.”
Nigel Spencer, meanwhile, used his newly acquired Hammond C3 to write an additional section for the ‘Karla’ intro, just before the drums
appear. Recorded with plenty of tape delay, this fits perfectly with Graham King’s lead guitar and Stuart Nash’s one-chord drone.
“The rhythm guitar went through the Leslie,” Byrne recalls. “And you know that weird echo effect on Graham’s lead part? The one that
sounds like a tunnel? It is a tunnel! We went to a railway tunnel in the middle of the night and we played back the guitar part just to get that
echo.”
Decline & Fall

When the Thwing Abbey sessions finally came to an end, Heavy Zebra were no longer signed to Liberty Records but to United Artists,
which had been merged with Liberty several years earlier and now took control of the entire roster. Baffled by what they regarded as a
weird end product, UA assigned a miniscule budget to the marketing of Tipping The Scales, and this, together with its lukewarm reviews
and the band’s refusal to tour, resulted in lousy sales both for the album and the ‘Karla’ single.
Disconsolate over the mainstream failure of his magnum opus, Stuart Nash subsequently became hooked on the laudanum that he’d been
using to cope with his headaches, and after another album, 1974’s Crossing, met with even less interest, he disbanded Heavy Zebra,
changed his name and left the music business forever. Over the past three decades there have been several unconfirmed sightings —
erstwhile fans are said to have spotted him playing guitar at a Turkish beach bar, roadying at the Malvern Folk Festival and even alongside
Elvis in the Ramsgate branch of Burger King. However, there has been no contact with his former colleagues: Nigel Spencer, who is now a
sheep farmer in Wales; John Collins, who retrained as an architect in East London; and Graham King, who in addition to his successful
Macclesfield-based painting and decorating business, has recently started a Heavy Zebra tribute band with Spencer. Called Loaded Gnu,
this gigs several times a year.
“I am proud to have made that album with them,” says Kevin Byrne, who returned to the MOD after his traumatic experience recording
Tipping The Scales. “I am proud to have survived making that album with them. But I’ve got to say, I never want to do another one. It’s just
incredible to hear how some of pop’s biggest groups have been influenced by a record that we made nearly 40 years ago, and there are
nights when, tooling around in the kitchen, I just think to myself: what does Stuart make of all this?”
Artist: Heavy Zebra

Track: ‘Karla’
Label: United Artists
Released: 1972
Producer: Heavy Zebra
Engineer: Kevin Byrne
Studio: Thwing Abbey
Bass Glue...
Byrne expresses satisfaction with the sound that he obtained from Nigel Spencer’s bass on Tipping The Scales, and there can be no
denying that it does, indeed, hold the entire record together. However, there was an interesting reason for this...
“To begin with, we miked up Nigel’s bass cab, but I didn’t exactly know what I was doing with that sort of thing,” Byrne now admits. “I
was fine with the technical side, the electronics side, but I reckon a more experienced engineer would have just known where to put the
mics. That’s probably why a lot of the album sounds so odd — half the time I didn’t have a bloody clue what I was doing! Still, I’ve always
suspected that’s why Stuart hired me. He could be pretty clever... and he could also be a bit of a sh*t!
“We actually had to stop miking Nige’s bass fairly soon after the sessions had started because his amp disappeared. It turned out that
Stuart had flogged it and used the money to buy everyone shoes. I remember him coming back really happy, handing them out as
though he’d done a really nice thing. He didn’t seem to realise they were children’s shoes. Anyway, that’s why the bass sounds like it
does — it went straight into the desk because we didn’t have a bass amp, yet it’s probably the only properly recorded thing on that entire
album.”

Cubase Notes & Techniques Buy PDF
Technique : Cubase Notes
We explore some of the advanced parallel compression techniques used by top mix engineer Michael
Brauer — and how you can recreate them using Cubase.
Mike Senior
B ack in SOS November 2008’s ‘Inside Track’ feature, we interviewed Michael Brauer, a mix engineer who
has mixed records for established megastars such as the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Aerosmith and
Bob Dylan, and seems equally in demand today by the likes of KT Tunstall, James Morrison and
Coldplay. From a personal viewpoint, I was interested to read about his vocal processing techniques, because I’d
been very impressed with the vocal sounds he’d achieved for James Morrison’s first album, Undiscovered.
The article didn’t disappoint! It turns out that Brauer uses a very unusual compression approach for vocals,
whereby he feeds the vocal in parallel to five different compressors at once, mixing their outputs to create the final
sound. But what’s the point of doing that when it’d be a lot easier just to insert a compressor directly into the vocal
channel? The first reason, as Brauer explains, is that if you use five different models of compressor, each will, by
virtue of its compression character and processing side-effects, alter the timbre of the vocal. Mixing these
compressors together therefore gives you access to a range of tonal enhancements that can be matched to what
the specific vocal needs. When using this multi-compressor tactic for my Mix Rescue of ‘Big Dummy Shake’ in
SOS March 2009, I realised that Brauer hadn’t mentioned a second reason why the technique works so well: it’s
One of the secrets behind the vocal
because the compressors are connected in parallel, a technique that tends to be very good at bringing about sounds of world-famous mix engineer
serious dynamic-range reduction without stamping on level peaks as heavily. So in this month’s Cubase column, Michael Brauer is his unusual parallel
I’m going to look at how you might take advantage of this advanced compression technique in Cubase. compression technique. Here you can
see a configuration in Cubase that
Advanced Vocal Compression simulates his setup. Five Group
channels are fed via post-fade sends
There are a few different ways you could set up the multiple parallel compressors in Cubase. In some ways, the from the ‘LV Source’ audio track
simplest method is just to duplicate your audio track and insert different compressors on each duplicate, but this containing the original vocal recording,
can get tedious if you need to edit the audio at a later date. A better approach is to have your audio on one track and each of the Group channels
and send from that to a selection of different compressors, much as you would send to effects such as delays and contains a compressor with its own
unique sound. The outputs of all these
reverbs. You may, therefore, like to use Cubase’s dedicated FX Channels to host your different compressors, so
compressors are then mixed to the LV
that you keep all your send effects tidily together in one area of the screen. However, the restricted routing to and Master Group channel for any further
from FX Channels until recently may stop those with versions of Cubase prior to v4.5 from creating the necessary communal insert processing or send
routing, so instead I’d recommend setting up separate Group Channels for each compressor. effects.
In this case, we’ll follow Michael Brauer’s example and create enough for five different models running
simultaneously. Right-click the Project Window’s track list and select Add Group Channel Track from the Add
Track submenu, increasing the number in the subsequent dialogue box’s Count field to five to save time. The new
Group Channels should then show up as available destinations if you select the lead vocal’s audio track in the
Project window and click in any spare Sends slot within the Inspector. Set up separate sends here for each of the
Group Channels you’ve created, and then make sure they’re all switched on and faded up to the same level. This
might as well be the 0dB mark, as it’s quick to set just by holding the Control key while clicking the little horizontal
send-level control. It’s also best to leave these set to post-fader operation, for reasons I’ll come back to later...
The lead vocal should now feed all the new Group Channels at the same level when you play back, and if you
reassign the Audio Track’s output in the top Inspector pane to Stereo Out to No Bus, then that will stop any
uncompressed vocal reaching the mix. The final stage is to create one more Group Channel labelled something
like ‘LV Master’, and reassign the outputs of all five Group Channels to it from their default Stereo Out setting.
Choosing The Compressors

That completes the basic audio routing; now you need to choose your compressors. The problem, though, is that
all of Cubase’s built-in compressors sound quite similar, so sticking just to those would defeat the object of the
exercise. The point is that you want the compressors to have contrasting characters, to increase your tonal
options. Many recording musicians have a variety of additional commercial third-party plug-ins on their systems,
and there are also many good freeware ‘character’ compressors available, so there shouldn’t be any shortage of
alternatives for you to try — and all you really need to do is compare the sounds of different ones side by side and Here are the five compressors you can
choose a subset that provide a good variety of timbres. see in use in the first screenshot. They
The differences between the sounds of compressors can initially be difficult to latch onto as a listener, so when have been chosen and set up to
auditioning different contenders, it’s worth driving them moderately hard so that their side-effects become more achieve sonic contrast between them,
something that’s a crucial element of
apparent. Whatever it is that seems to make a specific compressor interesting, experiment with the different
this compression technique.
compression controls to try to heighten this character, without thinking too much about whether it’s actually what
you want for the vocal in question. In my experience, even if one type of compressor doesn’t seem to give a
particularly appealing sound on its own, it can actually end up working magic once it’s mixed in with the sound
from another model.
So what kinds of things should you be listening for? Well, in the first instance consider how the specific gain-
reduction style affects the feel of the performance. Some compressors will make the sound seem more animated,
while others will smooth it out and make it feel more restrained. Tonal changes are inherent in some compressors,
and distortion side-effects of different flavours are probably even more important, in my opinion, although I
suppose that depends on what kind of music you’re mixing and how hot you plan on running the compressors.
For the purposes of this column, I’m going to use five plug-ins that Cubase users can download and try out
without parting with any money, so that it’ll be pretty easy for you to replicate my setup if you want a ready-made
starting point for your own experimentation and reference. The first two compressors give a comparatively clean
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/cubasetech_0409.htm[02/04/2009 12:06:38]
sound, with Cubase’s Vintage Compressor offering a brighter and more natural sound next to the rounder and
more obviously compressed effect from Stillwell Audio’s Dbx 160-inspired Major Tom. The other three all offer
different distortion sounds: Bootsy’s Density has a nice, breathy, high-frequency enhancement, Buzzroom’s
Grancomp contrasts this with a slightly telephony presence bite, and Antress Modern’s VHME (an obvious homage to the Empirical Labs Distressor) gives a
stodgier tone. If you prefer, you could select alternative compressor plug-ins — but make sure you use a similar array of ‘flavours’.
Now you’ve got all the compressors set up, you can try mixing and matching them to get a tone you like. There
are no real rules here, as you can afford to be fairly intuitive when it comes to vocal tone, and the compressed
signals don’t always seem to combine in the way you think they might. A little trick I find useful, though, is using
the ‘M’ key on the keyboard to toggle the mute status of different compressor channels. For example, let’s say I
have one compressor I really like, but two others that I am thinking of mixing in, and I can’t quite decide between
them. If I mute one of the channels in question, and then select both of them, pressing ‘M’ then toggles between them instantaneously.
One thing to bear in mind is that the overall vocal level will affect your tonal judgements, so you may need to adjust the ‘LV Master’ channel’s level to
compensate for any increases in level you get when combining different compressors. However, if you have a hardware fader controller you should be able
to do this compensation very quickly and instinctively from the compressor-channel faders while the track is playing, as long as you can get your hands on
all these faders at once.
Some Refinements
If you’ve tried the idea out this far and like the results you’re getting, there are a couple of further refinements to
the scheme which you might also consider experimenting with. The first thing you can do is create another Group
Channel, as if for a sixth compressor, but then not actually insert a compressor into it. You can then use this
Group Channel to feed the uncompressed vocal into the mix alongside the compressor outputs. This can really
help to maintain a little liveliness in the sound even if you need to compress quite heavily to maintain your mix
balance.
Speaking of compressing heavily, if you discover, after finding your preferred vocal tone, that your compressor’s gain-reduction is a bit too gung-ho, or
alternatively doesn’t control the singer’s level peaks enough, there’s no need to go through all the compressors tweaking them individually. All you have to
do is adjust the fader level on the original lead vocal audio track, which affects all the post-fader sends to the compressors, and hence alters the amount of
compression across the board. You’ll need to juggle this fader with the ‘LV Master’ fader to keep the overall mix level the same, but that’s not tricky to do.
Any other processing you carry out on the vocal can be inserted on the source audio track if you’re happy with any effects that may have on the action of
the compressors, but in practice I usually only high-pass filter at this point, to remove rumbles and excessive plosives, leaving any other processing for the
‘LV Master’ channel’s insert slots.
The most no-nonsense way to feed any send effects such as delay or reverb from the lead vocal in the mix is to set up post-fader sends on the ‘LV
Master’ channel. However, don’t completely disregard the possibility of feeding some effects from the original lead-vocal audio track instead. What this will
do is cause less effect to appear on quieter vocal phrases and more to appear on louder ones, something that can often work well in concert with the
common ‘drier verse/wetter chorus’ mix dynamics of many commercial tracks.
A final issue to consider is level automation, without which it’s tough to get a commercial-sounding vocal mix, no matter what you do with compressors.
The first interesting consideration here is which channel to automate for overall level control. Again, if you automate the lead vocal’s audio track, you’ll affect
how hard the vocal hits the compressors, whereas the fader on the ‘LV Master’ channel will affect only the post-compression signal. Although you might
think that it would therefore be better to avoid tampering with the compression, in reality I’ve discovered that it often sounds more musical if you automate
into the compressors for most of your fader rides, and only turn to the ‘LV Master’ channel if the compression suffers as a result of a specific pre-
compressor fader move.
The second automation issue is that you can, of course, adjust the relative levels of the different compressors to suit different sections of your song,
something that Michael Brauer refers to specifically in the interview I mentioned. This is particularly relevant if you have any of the uncompressed signal
passing through to the ‘LV Master’ channel, as this will often suit sparser sections of your arrangement better.
Beyond Compressors
Although this column focuses on the idea of combining compressors, that’s not the end of the story. A couple of
other processes also affect both the tone and the dynamic range of a signal simultaneously: limiting and clipping.
Mixing in a limiter working at full tilt can be really useful for bringing up the levels of half-swallowed syllables. You
could try Cubase’s Limiter plug-in if you like, but the mastering-style Maximiser felt like it did a smoother job of
levelling out the peaks when I tried it out.
When it comes to clipping, you’re spoilt for choice in Cubase, so there’s little need to venture out in search of
third-party plug-ins if you don’t want to. Amp Simulator, DaTube, Distortion and Soft Clipper are all options
(although I’d probably be wary of the last’s harsh-sounding and rather unpredictable third harmonics), as long as
you don’t drive them too hard and you mix them in low. You might also feel the need to pop an EQ after the
distortion to shape it more, or a compressor before the distortion to make its tone more consistent. Grungelizer is
another quirky option that you might look at (shown in the screenshot), but there’s nothing useful to be gained
from Bitcrusher, as its digital distortion artifacts aren’t musically related.
Any of the processors in the plug-in
menu’s Distortion submenu can be used

in place of a compressor in this article’s
parallel vocal processing setup, but in
addition to those you can also get some
useful tonal colours out of the
Grungelizer plug-in if you turn the
Crackle, Noise and AC controls down to
get rid of the background noise.
Judge For Yourself!

If you want to hear how this compression technique sounds in practice, you’ll be pleased to know that the Cubase 4 setup you can see in the
screenshots can be downloaded from the SOS web site. It includes a short section of vocal recording in case you don’t have anything to hand. If you
don’t already have the plug-ins on your system, you can download them from the links given below.
Stillwell Audio’s Major Tom (fully functional evaluation version): www.stillwellaudio.com
Bootsy’s Density (freeware): http://varietyofsound.wordpress.com
Buzzroom’s Buzcomp Free Grancomp (freeware): www.x-buz.com
Antress Modern VHME (freeware): http://antress.webng.com
Double-tracking Vocals
Sound Techniques Buy PDF
Technique : Effects/Processing
Whether you want to do it for real or fake it, double tracking can add very effective texture
to vocal parts.
Paul White
M y guess is that double tracking was discovered the afternoon the multitrack tape
recorder was invented! If a singer performs the same part twice, playing the two together
can give a magical, rich thickening of the sound. However, much relies on the singer’s
ability to use the same phrasing and pitching on each take: some singers nail it every time, but
others seem to be unable to do the same thing twice, producing a messy end-result.
Keeping It Real
There are numerous methods of ‘faking’ double tracking, or something close to it, and I’ll come on
to those, but let’s start with some of the tricks you can use to improve an authentic double-track
performance.
Here & Now: If you want the double-tracked performances to sound as close as possible, try, if
possible, to record the double very soon after the original. That way, you know that the singer will
easily be able to capture the same feel, and that the mic positions, any ambience, and so on, will
match up. You’ll still get the ‘shimmer’ but it should feel like a tighter performance.
Cut & Paste: If you didn’t know when recording that you’d want the double-tracked effect, you
may already have captured the perfect second take. Most songs have repeated sections, so as
long as the feel hasn’t changed too much over the course of the song you can copy and paste to
double up those parts. Be mindful, though, that using identical double-tracked sections throughout the song could result in a lack of variety.
Pitch Perfect? If inconsistent pitching is the problem, you can use pitch-correction software, such as Auto-Tune or Melodyne. It’s best not to
be too aggressive with the treatment: it’s easy to iron out all the natural, small pitch-differences that give you the rich sound you wanted in
the first place!
Forcing Imperfection: If the singer is too pitch-perfect, you may have the same problem,
particularly on long, held notes, where the two parts can seem to merge. To remedy this, one trick
you can try is playing the singer’s headphone mix through a pitch-shifter and offsetting it by a few
cents. That way, they’ll sing the new parts a tiny bit sharp or flat. You can then use the same
amount of pitch-shifting to offset the original track in the other direction when playing back the
results, in order that the nominal pitch-centre remains correct.
Happy Endings: Where words end on hard consonant sounds, such as the letter T, the results can
sound messy unless the singer is ultra precise. A common trick is to ask the singer to soften the
ends of words on the second pass so that only the hard endings of the original vocal track are
noticeable.
In cases where the singer’s phrasing isn’t adequately accurate, most DAW software makes it
fairly easy to slice the second part into separate words or phrases so that they can be lined up Plug-ins such as Antares’ Duo create
visually with the first track. Where words have been extended too long, or where uncontrolled two slightly different parts from the same
consonants have slipped through, you can often shorten them using a volume envelope, but vocal source by varying the pitch, timing
and other factors. Although the result
where individual syllables are either too long or too short, you may need to break some words
isn’t exactly like true double-tracking, it
down into individual syllables and use time-stretching (or time-compression) to match them to the can add some thickness to vocal parts.
length of the original. I’ve done this a lot recently using Logic’s Arrange-page region-stretch
facility, and there are similar functions available in most serious DAWs. If you do this a lot,
though, consider dedicated software such as Synchro Arts Vocalign.
Don’t be tempted to edit something just because it looks a bit out of time on the screen, though: always use your ears to see if something
is close enough to sound acceptable before going in with the knife. It is all too easy to fall into the trap of editing with your eyes rather than
your ears.
Better Than The Real Thing?

Numerous attempts have been made to find a process that can be applied to a single vocal part
to make it sound double-tracked. Some have proved reasonably successful, and others that failed
on a technical level have become effects in their own right.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/doubletracking.htm[02/04/2009 12:08:43]
The Real Fake: The first, and most obvious, process was ADT, or automatic double-tracking,
which was usually accomplished by using the playback-head monitor facility of a tape recorder to
produce a short ‘slap-back’ delay. It’s this technique that creates the familiar effect that was used
on countless early rock & roll records, and was famously exploited by artists such as John
Lennon.
You can create the ADT effect easily using modern technology. Simply add a digital delay to the
vocal at around the same level as the original part, with a delay time of 80-120ms, and then turn the feedback control to minimum so that
you get only one repeat.
Pitch Modulation: More sophisticated emulations combine slight time-delays with pitch modulation or pitch offsetting. One of the earliest
devices to do this, the Drawmer Double Tracker, was based on analogue charge-coupled delay-line chips, plus an LFO for gentle pitch
modulation. The Double Tracker is no longer in production, but you can get similar results by applying a very shallow, slow pitch-modulation
to your digital delay line, to imitate the natural pitch variation that occurs with double-tracking. You could also roll some top end off the delay
to mimic the limited bandwidth of those analogue delay chips. Plug-ins such as PSP Audioware’s Lexicon PSP42, which includes a
‘Doubler’ preset, can give a similar effect.
Pitch-shifting: An alternative to pitch modulation is to use pitch-shifting, just as we did earlier with real double-tracked parts. Move the
original up by four to eight cents, and the delay down by the same amount. This approximates the kind of pitch difference that might occur
in a real performance and avoids the sometimes obvious cycling effect of LFO-driven modulation.
Emulating Real Double-tracking: We now have software plug-ins such as Antares Duo that try to get closer to a genuine double-tracking
effect, something that’s achieved by making the small timing and pitch discrepancies between the original and delayed parts more random.
Some also create not just a second vocal line but several parts, and allow the formant of the voice to be shifted slightly to create a different
character for each of the added parts.
If you have a DAW and a basic set of plug-ins, you should be able to combine them to find your
own recipe for fake double-tracking. Here are some strategies you can try.
First, copy your vocal onto a second track, delay it by 80ms or so, then use a pitch-correction
PSP Audioware’s Lexicon PSP42 can
plug-in to pull it tightly into pitch, but not so tightly that it sounds false or robotic. Even if the be used to create very short, bright
original part was very well sung, there should now be enough pitch difference to create an audible modulated delays, that give a rich,
effect. If you go too far you can end up with a phasey character, in which case use a slower rate textured effect similar to ‘authentic’ ADT.
of pitch-correction. It’s worth pointing out that though this phasey effect is normally unwanted, it
can be great as a special effect in its own right and can be great on guitar.
A variation on this theme is to use a program that lets you change the depth of vibrato present in the original performance without
changing the nominal pitch. Some DAWs, such as Cubase 5, have this functionality built in, but if yours doesn’t, you can use a third-party
processor such as Melodyne. By reducing or increasing the vibrato depth of the second part (which should ideally still be delayed slightly)
you may get enough variation to create the desired effect.
For a more subtle ADT effect, try using a reverb program that allows you to create only early reflections (or a short ambience) instead of
traditional delay — something like Smartelectronix Ambience is ideal. What you’re aiming for is a short burst of fairly bright reflections with
no reverb tail. If you bring the pre-delay value up to 80ms or thereabouts, you’ll hear a rich ADT effect that’s less mechanical-sounding, with
fewer phasey artifacts than pure delay. You can still combine this with any of the pitch-shifting or modulation techniques already discussed,
and feeding the reverb via a pitch-correction plug-in can often be successful.
Make Mine A Double!

Double-tracking can add a pleasing thickness to a vocal part, and although nothing sounds as convincing as the real thing, all the
approaches to ‘faking it’ have their own character, which may just as easily suit your song. Even if you decide against fake double-tracking
on your lead vocal part, you might find it a good way to thicken backing vocals. As a rule, any vocal processing of this kind will make the
vocals sound less ‘in-your-face’, so you may need to play with EQ and levels to get the mix sounding properly balanced. So if your singer is
capable of doing it ‘for real’, you may want to try that first. After all, we’re all used to recording multiple takes in order to ‘comp’ the best
version, and you only need to play two takes together to get a feel for whether double-tracking is going to work for that particular song
and/or singer.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/doubletracking.htm[02/04/2009 12:08:43]

Hear For Yourself
Technique : Recording/Mixing
Recording simple ideas quickly often helps you to capture a good, fresh-sounding
performance — but it can also leave you with frustrating technical problems in the mix. This
month, we tackle just such a recording...
MainGtrMicOriginal MP3 WAV
Here's a section of the main raw guitar track, recorded through a Shure SM58 mic. Timo's choice of a dynamic mic was unwise, because the noise
performance of this type of mic isn't usually up to the demands of recording something as quiet as this. You can also hear the occasional low-
frequency booming (for example at around 0:20 in this audio file) which rendered the guitar's low lines rather uneven.
MainGtrMicProcessed MP3 WAV
Waves X-Noise noise-reduction plug-in was used to bring the hiss levels down, but at the expense of a certain amount of high end. Fortunately, EQ
brightening of vocal mic (which had been recorded simulataneously) supplemented this area of the guitar sound somewhat, and EQ boosts at
7.3kHz and 12kHz in Stillwell Audio's 1973 plug-in made up the slack.
MainVoxMicOriginal MP3 WAV
Here's the raw audio from the Rode NT1 vocal mic for a section of the main guitar-plus-vocal take. The sound has been dulled by the foam wind
sock which was placed over the mic. This was a misguided attempt to stop plosive air blasts from creating low-frequency thumps in the audio, but
as you can hear at around 0:13, this wasn't very effective at doing this. The vocal dynamics are very wide as well, which meant that a good deal of
compression and level automation was required for the remix.
MainVoxMicProcessed MP3 WAV
Here's the same section of audio as you heard in MainVoxOriginal, but EQ'd with Stillwell Audio's 1973 plugin: high-pass filtering at 160Hz and a
further shelving cut of 4.5dB at 220Hz removed the plosive problems and some timbral muddiness into the bargain, while a stiff 8dB boost with a
12kHz shelf gave the vocal a much more intimate and upfront feel. Compression was courtesy of a fairly slow-acting 3:1-ratio setting on Waves
Neve-emulated VComp, and this was supplemented by extensive fader automation to improve the lyric intelligibility.
MainMicsProcessedWithFX MP3 WAV
This is how the two main mics worked together in the final mix, complemented by a touch of warm plate reverb (an impulse response of an EMT
140 stereo plate running in Christian Knufinke's SIR2 convolution engine).
PickNoiseUp MP3 WAV
Later in the track, the guitar playing style changed to strumming, and here the pick noise began to become too harsh. This pick noise was actually
primarily coming from the vocal mic in the form of spill, so the vocal brightening had emphasised it.
PickNoiseDown MP3 WAV
Inserting an instance of Waves TransX Multi into the vocal mic allowed me to reduce just the levels of high-frequency transients (in other words the
excessive pick noise) during the offending section of the song. Compare this to PickNoiseUp to get an idea of how much effect this had.
BassDrumOrig MP3 WAV
This is the original bass-drum part that Timo sent over as an extra overdub upon hearing the first draft of the remix. It's pretty punchy for such a
laid-back tune, and is also playing a very repetitive part.
BassDrumLPF MP3 WAV
Here's the same bass-drum sample which I've low-pass-filtered gently from about 1kHz to give a more muted tone. You can also hear the way I've
edited and adjusted the part to try to give it a bit more musical meaning. Notice in particular the pick-up beat, which is lighter-sounding than the
downbeat.
BassDrumLPFProcessed MP3 WAV
In the end, I got a bit creative with a couple of envelope-shaper plug-ins (Stillwell Audio's Transient Monster and Reaper's built-in Jesusonic
Transient Controller) to transform the tightness of the original sample into something more rolling and sustained. It's not often you get the space in a
mix to go with a bass-drum sound like this!
TambOriginal MP3 WAV
Timo's eleventh-hour tambourine overdub was also problematic, because it was very dry and upfront, as well as having an (admittedly rather
endearing) halting feel to the part which was slightly at odds with the vibe of the song as a whole.
TambProcessed MP3 WAV
Pushing the tambourine back behind the other instruments required some serious EQ cuts from Reaper's ReaEQ: 4.5dB peaking cuts at both
5.4kHz and 8.6kHz, combined with a steady low-pass roll-off from around 5kHz. Silverspike's Room Machine 844 diffused the sound into it's
emulated room to soften things further, and then Mda's Limiter rounded off a few level spikes that were still sticking their head above the parapet.
TambProcessedWithFX MP3 WAV
This is the tambourine part as it appears in the final remix. The high-feedback tempo-delay is there simply to try to reduce the impact of the gaps in
the part, which otherwise seemed to me to distract too much attention away from the all-important vocal message.
SoloFairyDust MP3 WAV
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/mixrescueaudio.htm[02/04/2009 12:10:44]
This example solos the subtle 'fairy dust' elements I used to warm and blend the mix: some smooth vinyl noise from Retro Sampling's Audio
Impurities plug-in; a couple of low-level synth drones from Reaper's ReaSynth, rounded off using the low-pass filter in the ReaEQ plug-in; and a
warm EMT 140 stereo plate reverb running from an impulse response within Christian Knufinke's SIR2 convolution plug-in.
RemixNoFairyDust MP3 WAV
Here's my final remix, but without any of the elements you can hear in the SoloFairyDust example. Compare this with the proper Remix example
below to evaluate the difference this achieved.
OriginalMix MP3 WAV
The rough mix of his song 'The Road Ahead' which Timo Carlier originally sent in to Mix Rescue.
Remix MP3 WAV
My remix of Timo's song, using not only his original multitrack files, but also a few additional overdubs he supplied towards the end of the mixing
process.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/mixrescueaudio.htm[02/04/2009 12:10:44]

Recording simple ideas quickly Buy PDF
Recording simple ideas quickly often helps you to capture a good, fresh-sounding
performance — but it can also leave you with frustrating technical problems in the mix. This
month, we tackle just such a recording...
Mike Senior
W hen the inspiration for his song ‘The Road Ahead’ struck Timo Carlier, he didn’t hang
around, recording the main acoustic guitar and lead vocal parts into Steinberg Cubase
SX in a single continuous take alongside a simple bongo loop. His recording gear
comprised a Rode NT1 large-diaphragm condenser through an ART Tube MP preamp for the
vocal, and a Shure SM58 through a Behringer Eurorack mixer for the guitar. Following the main
take, he quickly added a guitar improvisation and a vocal harmony as separate overdubs to
complete the arrangement. Mixing was also a no-frills affair, the most hi-fi touch being a touch of
one of the bundled UAD1 compressors on the vocal mic.
Yet despite (or perhaps because of) this drop-of-a-hat production process, Timo managed to
capture a fragile quality reminiscent of Nick Drake, and found himself returning to the song time
and again. However, even though he felt that his first mix had captured his intentions pretty well,
he was dissatisfied with the final outcome, which he felt sounded rather soft and hissy, as well as
generally rough around the edges. A few vocal slip-ups in the first verse bothered him, and the
relative levels of the vocals and guitars also seemed to vary a lot, depending on what listening
system he was using.
Because he liked the song Timo revisited the mix on a half a dozen occasions, first in Cubase SX and later in Cockos Reaper, but to no
avail. The background noise from the guitar’s mic (the higher noise floor of dynamic models such as the SM58 doesn’t really suit sound
sources this quiet as this) and the spill between the main mics prevented him from processing the mix to any useful degree without obvious
detrimental side-effects. Try as he might, he still preferred his first rough mix, despite its apparent flaws, and by the time he sent the song in
to Mix Rescue he’d pretty much resigned himself to the view that this mix was as far as he could get given the less-than-perfect source
material.
Noise Reduction, EQ & Compression

Many engineers will tell you of difficulties they’ve had trying to improve on the sound of a much-
loved rough mix, so I have to say that I initially approached this particular remix with some
trepidation. In this instance, I figured the whole mix would stand or fall on whether I could get the
sound of the main guitar/vocal pass working.
The first main problem was that the guitar mic had a lot of noise on it, and it was clear that
specialist tools would be required, so I opened up the Waves X-Noise plug-in. I don’t normally
have much call for noise-reduction processing — so I can hardly claim to be a power user — but it
was nonetheless easy enough to juggle the main Threshold and Reduction sliders to pull down
the noise substantially. Most hiss-removal processors will work better if you can give them a
section of noise-only signal against which to calibrate their noise-reduction algorithm, but Timo
hadn’t recorded any silence at the beginning of the part, and had also slightly truncated the final Timo’s method of recording had stored
up problems for him at mixdown. In the
guitar chord when dropping out, so there was nothing for me to work with on that count. As a
first instance the Shure SM58 dynamic
result, the noise-reduction process was also losing me a fair bit of the guitar’s high-frequency mic was adding a lot of noise to the
information, but I decided to compensate only a little for that with X-Noise’s high-frequency guitar part, and was also positioned in
shelving EQ (adding +2dB at around 4kHz) and live with the duller sound for now, because I was such a way that the guitar body
anticipating brightening the lead vocal part and I knew that this was bound also to lift the high resonances were being emphasised and
frequencies of the guitar via the spill on the vocal mic. were making some low notes boom
unevenly. The vocal mic’s foam wind
The dynamics of the guitar part were causing problems with the threshold-based noise-
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/mixrescue_0409.htm[02/04/2009 12:11:05]
sock also wasn’t helping, as it was

reduction, though, as a suitable threshold setting for the quieter introduction was far too low for dulling the mic’s high-frequency pickup
the more powerful strumming later on. I could have automated the threshold control here, but I felt while still letting problematic plosive air
that the guitar level issue was likewise a problem for the song as a whole, so instead I inserted blasts through to the mic’s capsule.
GVST’s useful little Gain plug-in before the X-Noise instance to reduce the part’s dynamic range Photos: Vanessa McCulloch
over the long term. I ended up applying about 8dB of gain during the introduction, tapering it
slowly off to unity as the strumming picked up steam.
Listening to both mics together again with the recorded noise better under control, I first panned
them very slightly left and right to give the image some width — not enough to be distracting, but
enough to avoid a completely mono presentation. The tonality now needed some work, so the
next stop was a couple of instances of Stillwell Audio’s Neve-inspired 1973 EQ plug-in. The low
end of the sound was pretty woolly, so in went the high-pass filters (at 50Hz for the guitar and
160Hz for the vocal) and some low-frequency shelving cuts (-4dB at 110Hz and -4.5dB at 220Hz)
to balance things a bit better. This processing also sorted out some low-frequency plosive thumps
on Timo’s vocal mic which had survived his attempts to stop them using the NT1’s foam wind sock
Excessive noise from the guitar’s mic
— in future he’d do better to use a proper pop shield for this purpose instead, as they work better was dealt with using Waves X-Noise,
and impact less on the high end of the recording. Had these low frequencies been left intact, but the lack of a section of solo noise
they’d have potentially caused unnatural lurching in the gain-reduction of any compressor further for calibration purposes meant that quite
down the signal chain, so it was as well to toast them early on. a lot of high-frequency information was
lost before a satisfactory reduction in
One of the reasons I chose the Stillwell plug-in was for its smooth 12kHz high-frequency shelf,
the noise level was achieved.
because the vocal required a good deal of extra clarity. A shelving boost of 8dB on the vocal mic
made it more immediate and intimate to suit the mood. The effect of this boost on the vocal mic’s
guitar spill significantly supplemented the high end of the accompanying instrument too, as I’d
expected, but there was still further to go in that regard, so I also boosted the guitar’s high shelf
by 3dB and added another 4.5dB of peaking boost at 7.2kHz.
Another Neve-inspired plug-in, this time the Waves VComp compressor, further emphasised the
intimacy of the vocal sound, and I used its 3:1 ratio and (pretty slow) automatic release time to
keep a fairly natural sound. Although the gain-reduction meter was registering up to around 9dB
at points, the very slow release meant that the actual reduction in short-term dynamic range was
in practice much smaller than that might seem to imply. The Analog control I left turned up to 100
The lead vocal part had some
percent because I liked the extra roundness it imparted, but that did also incur a certain amount
pronounced low-frequency thumps on
of emulated background noise, even when no audio was going into the plug-in, so I automated the plosive consonants, one of which you
vocal fader to avoid this noise drawing attention to itself at the end of the song, where a fairly swift can see highlighted in the waveform
fade-out was required to conceal the aforementioned truncated chord tails. display in the top screenshot here —
the spectral content of that section of
Surgical Acoustic Guitar Troubleshooting audio can be seen in the spectral
display screen. The vocal EQ setting
That was the bulk of the broad-brush processing, but there were still a couple of specific Mike used within Stillwell Audio’s 1973
problems to solve. The first was that the guitar mic was close enough to the guitar that it was plug-in included a high-pass filter which
picking up the body’s resonant modes rather too strongly, which resulted in a couple of sporadic stopped these low-frequency thuds
interfering with dynamics processing
booming harmonics in the low-mid region of the spectrum. The difficulty with this kind of thing is
later in the mix, and you can see how it
that normal broad-band EQ cuts will take out much more than just the resonant peak, undesirably
removed the low-frequency waveform
thinning out the sound overall and effectively throwing the baby out with the bath water. excursions in the screen at the bottom
So I took a more precise approach, zooming in the display of Schwa’s excellent Schope left.
frequency-analyser plug-in to find the exact frequency of each resonance (201Hz and 225Hz
respectively, as it turned out) and then automating a very narrow EQ notch in Reaper’s ReaEQ to
tame the boom whenever it occurred. It took a few minutes, but sorted the problem with negligible
side-effects, so it was well worth the effort.
The second technical problem was rooted in the guitar spill on the vocal mic, which contained
rather too much pick noise and was becoming overbearing now that the lead-vocal processing
had lifted the top end. Again, I couldn’t just globally EQ the vocal mic to reduce the pick noise
without compromising the vocal sound that I already liked, so more surgical processing was
required to dip the high frequencies only during the very brief bursts of pick noise.
This is certainly not something I’d relish trying to do manually, so I was grateful to have Waves
TransX Multi on hand to help out. What TransX Multi does is detect and process transients across
four different frequency bands, but I only wanted it to do its magic on the high frequencies, so
bypassed all but the highest band. Setting this to its maximum transient-reduction setting (a
sensitivity of 10 and a range of -24dB) allowed me to hear clearly what the band was operating on
while I adjusted the its lower boundary by ear to around 2.8kHz, after which I returned the
sensitivity and range controls to more sensible settings: a sensitivity of 6.1 caused the gain-
reduction to kick in only for the pick noise, and then a range setting of -12dB was enough to take
the edge off each of these detected transients. The final touch was to bypass the processing
completely during the finger-picked sections, where the processing was redundant.
Adding In The Remaining Parts

Having achieved a passable sound for the main guitar and vocal, I began adding in the rest of the
arrangement. The bongo loop came first, and this had a bit too much low end to it given the
richness of the guitar tone, so I high-pass filtered it at 66Hz and employed a narrow 10dB EQ cut
to duck out a prominent 126Hz pitched resonance. I could then balance this sound in the mix
without any further processing — except during the introduction, where I reduced the 126Hz cut
because it was making the loop sound too anaemic in isolation. Remember, an EQ that works
within the context of a full mix may not work for when that same sound is heard on its own.
The second improvised guitar part had been recorded with the same mics as the first, so I
decided to use the spill on the NT1 to spread the guitar widely across the stereo picture,
surrounding the main guitar and vocal. This part again needed a dose of X-Noise to overcome the
noise-floor shortcomings of the SM58, and while this once more dulled the sound a little, I wasn’t
worried, because I was happy for these guitars to take a background role. As such, there was
very little EQ to do, just a simple high-pass filter at 40Hz and a broad 2dB peaking cut at 340Hz In the analysis display here you can see
to avoid too much muddiness creeping in. one of the two low-frequency
In line with their background role, and because I wanted to avoid tampering with the rhythm set resonances that were causing the guitar
sound to ‘boom’ sporadically. Mike dealt
by the main guitar, I deliberately compressed the second guitar part hard (2.7:1 ratio and a low
with these frequency peaks by setting
threshold) with Jeroen Breebaart’s PC2 compressor, setting fast attack and release times to duck
up a pair of narrow EQ filters and then
the rhythmic transients and concentrate the ear on the sustain phase of each note and chord. carefully using Reaper’s automation to
This compressor was actually inserted over a bus through which both mics were routed, so that cut only when the resonances occurred
there’d be no danger of the instrument’s stereo image wandering owing to unequal gain-reduction — you can see this automation data for
on the two channels. both the filters superimposed on the
audio waveform.
The vocal harmony overdub needed a high-pass filter to keep the plosives at bay, as with the
lead vocal, but in this case I used the most gentle curve in ReaEQ and raised it high enough to
lighten the vocal’s timbre into the bargain. Scarcely a brush with Tin Brooke Tales’ TLS3127
Leveling Amplifier plug-in completed the processing for that channel and I could then complete a
static balance, which was sent on to URS Console Strip Pro for some gentle 1.5:1 ratio gain-riding
(care of what I understand to be a model of the Manley Vari-mu valve compressor). All that then
stood between me and a first-draft remix was a bit of lead vocal level automation to maintain the
audibility of the lyrics, and when this was done I sent it off to Timo to get some feedback from him.
Eleventh-hour Overdubs
As is quite often the case when a mix nears completion, other parts begin to suggest themselves
to the artist, and so it was with Timo. Although he liked the direction I’d taken the mix, he asked
whether he’d be able to send through a few more overdubs to expand things further beyond the
original version of the song. These extra recordings didn’t take him long to do, and he sent me
three new tracks within a couple of days. These comprised a lovely resonant kick-drum sample,
an unusual live tambourine part, and a subtle bass drone towards the end of the song.
The bass drum warranted the most attention, first and foremost because it seemed to me that
the straight repeated part that Timo had provided didn’t support the song as well as it might. So I
decided to try adding a bit more variation. Initially just omitting every other pick-up hit helped,
transforming a one-bar pattern into a more extended two-bar one, and I then edited out a few Reducing the levels of pick noise on the
more hits to simplify the part during the song’s last section. Chopping out all the pick-up beats and strummed section of the track required
putting them on their own track turned out to be the easiest way to manage this, and while I was carefully directed use of the powerful
at it I slightly reduced the low-end and overall level of the pick-up track to make those hits slightly Waves TransX Multi plug-in, because
lighter-sounding than the downbeat, aiding the musicality of the phrasing. most of the pick noise was actually a
result of spill on the vocal mic.
The last kick-drum edit I did took a few more liberties, substituting a faster kick pulse underneath
the chord-changes that accompany lyrics such as ‘you shouldn’t let go’. This took greater work, as
I needed to gauge the levels of each of these hits to keep a musical flow and avoid getting
bogged down. After a little massaging of audio-region levels, though, it was fine, and Timo liked
the way the new part worked.
Sonically, there wasn’t much to do with the kick drums, beyond some low-pass filtering to keep
them well behind the main instrumentation. I seem to spend a lot of time in Mix Rescue trying to
add punch to kick drums, but in this case it was nice to have the opportunity to demonstrate that I
don’t operate some kind of ‘one size fits all’ policy in this regard. Here I deliberately softened the
kick drum’s attack with Reaper’s Jesusonic Transient Controller to avoid it tampering with the
mellow mood of the song as a whole. I also tried boosting the sustain strongly with Stillwell
Audio’s Transient Monster (another transient-shaping plug-in which is a bit more musical than
Transient Controller, but not as firm in its control), and that brought up all sorts of lovely pillowy
rumblings that sounded great in context. In most mixes there simply isn’t space to have those
kinds of things going on at the low end, but there was no other real bass instrument taking up any
space in Timo’s arrangement so I could afford to run with the idea.
The new drone part was bracketed by filters at 55Hz and 7.3kHz to keep it pretty understated, When the main static balance was
and that was all it needed to sit it into the balance. The tambourine part, on the other hand, was a working well, Mike bussed all the
bit trickier to deal with, because it was very bright and dry-sounding, and was leaping right to the instruments through URS Console Strip
front of the mix and making a nuisance of itself, so I combined a variety of measures to push it Pro, using an emulation of a celebrated
modern valve compressor to warm the
right into the background. As far as I was concerned, the vocal had to be king here, and I wasn’t
sound slightly while gently restraining
about to let the tambourine distract from that.
the overall mix level.
A low-pass filter at 19kHz allied with 4.5dB peaking cuts at both 5.4kHz and 8.6kHz distanced
the sound straight away, but some slightly lo-fi room sound from an instance of Silverspike’s
Room Machine 844 helped out here too. A peak limiter, MDA’s Limiter plug-in, controlled a few
little level spikes that were still punching through a little much until the sound was sitting more
comfortably behind the rest of the instruments. Panning this sound and the bongos slightly to
opposite sides of the stereo made sense at this point, leaving the middle ground freer for the lead
vocal, main guitar, and kick drum.
This screenshot illustrates a couple of
I already mentioned that the tambourine part was a bit unusual, by which I mean that its little different techniques used for the kick
phrases had quite big gaps between them, lending the whole part an endearingly halting quality. sound: first you can see how the pick-
However, on balance I felt that this feature of the part also took a little too much focus away from up beats have been separated onto the
the lead vocal, so I applied one more effect just to soften the gaps: a simple tempo-sync’ed delay ‘_Bassdrum_c’ track, where they were
with enough feedback so that it would echo on through and reconnect the separate phrases to EQ’d to lighten them and create a
some extent. musical phrasing; and secondly, the
region levels in the ‘_Bassdrum_a’ track
show how the hit levels were massaged
A Pinch Of This, A Pinch Of That
to make the fill sections more natural-
All in all, there wasn’t a tremendous amount of processing going on in this mix, but that doesn’t sounding.
mean that there weren’t some unusual and powerful techniques employed where necessary.
Clearly a multi-band transient shaper like Waves TransX Multi isn’t the kind of thing you’d use
every day on what is ostensibly a vocal mic, but the reason for it being there in this mix was to
deal with a specific and tangible balance problem that had arisen. What this underlines is that the
point with mixing is first to listen and decide what the problems are, and only then to take a
decision on what a good solution might be, rather than just processing all your instruments the
same way every time.
The tambourine part was too sharp-

sounding and upfront for this mix, so
Mike transformed it into something more
understated using a combination of
Reaper’s built-in ReaEQ, Silverspike’s
Room Machine 844, and Mda’s Limiter.
Corrective Measures
Unlike many Mix Rescues, there wasn’t an enormous amount of corrective editing involved in
this remix. This was partly because the imperfections of the original recordings were actually a
part of the appeal for me, constituting an important part of the direct emotional connection that
the song was making. It was, of course, also partly because the simultaneous recording of the
main guitar and vocal parts made corrective editing almost impossible -- any tuning or timing
changes to one track would have conflicted with the uncorrected spill from the other.
However, there were a couple of tuning moments in the first verse which I felt couldn’t be
ignored and were detracting from the song as a whole. As I was scratching my head as to how
they might be improved, I noticed that the same musical material appears at the end of the song.
I could just steal from the end to patch up the beginning! Timo had played along to the bongo
These two plug-in windows shown two
loop, so the copy and paste job was pretty straightforward to do. I did need to copy slightly more of the subtle additions that Mike used to
than I thought I needed, though, in order to find an unobtrusive edit point, because the gel the instruments in the mix into a
performances naturally weren’t exactly the same. cohesive whole: a stereo plate reverb
running as an impulse response in
By contrast, the backing vocal part had been recorded as its own overdub, and thus had no
Christian Knufinke’s SIR2 and moulded
guitar spill on it, so I was free to chuck that into Melodyne and tidy up a few little corners. I took tonally using the plug-in’s onboard EQ;
the opportunity to shift its tuning a bit more into agreement with the lead at points, and also and some simulated vinyl noise care of
headed off some messy-sounding conflicts between the parts in terms of the placement of Retro Sampling’s Audio Impurities plug-
certain consonants. in.
Fairy Dust: Plate Reverb, Vinyl Noise & Subliminal Synths

The only global send effect I used on this track was a plate reverb, running as an impulse
response in Christian Knufinke’s SIR2 convolution plug-in. The comparatively space-less sound
of plate reverb is nice for filling out sparse textures like this without changing the environment
unduly. In this case I gave the reverb 25ms of pre-delay and gently rolled off the high end about
3kHz with the built-in EQ to keep it fairly unobtrusive. Almost everything was sent to this reverb
to some extent, which helped the track blend, making it warmer and more sustained. The only fly
in the ointment was that the vocal sibilants and guitar pick noises on the vocal mic were
scattering into the reverb distractingly, so I passed the vocal-mic send through a simple Waves
De-esser first to sweep those undesirables under the carpet.
Something else that helped glue the track together was the addition of a dash of vinyl noise.
I’m not talking about the overt crackling you might expect on a hip-hop record, but the soft
smooth sound of a high-quality LP, as simulated by Retro Sampling’s little freeware Audio
Impurities plug-in. It’s amazing what a little overall background noise can do in this regard, and
here it had a few ancillary benefits too: firstly, it gave the whole track a slightly vintage feel in line with those Nick Drake records;
secondly, it gave an impression of a wide stereo image despite the restricted stereo width of the recordings; and, thirdly, it concealed any
remaining noise in the main guitar and vocal take, the modulation of which by X-Noise, VComp, and the vocal level automation was
slightly unnatural-sounding.
A final slightly sneaky addition on my part was a barely audible low synth drone underpinning the lowest guitar notes, which effectively
just added some extra fullness and consistency to the low end of the guitar sound. I didn’t want it to sound like there was a synth playing
as such; rather that the guitar was just a touch more consistent in body and level on the lower strings. However, when the strumming
really got going I also added in a sub-octave to this synth line to widen the frequency range in use, although the level was still pretty
subliminal.
Rescued This Month

The song featured in this month’s Mix Rescue, ‘The Road Ahead’, was written, performed and
produced by SOS reader Timo Carlier, with some additional input from his friend Michiel. Timo
teaches English Literature for International Baccalaureate students at an international high
school in Belgium, and also runs a songwriting and recording elective in the college’s recently
revamped studio. His home system is based around a seven-year-old PC and an M-Audio Delta
1010LT audio interface, and includes a vintage ’70s-era Tascam mixing desk and a pair of
Yamaha MSP5 monitors.
www.myspace.com/orangemouthman
www.songsbytimo.tk This month’s Mix-rescuee Timo Carlier.
Photo: Carina Gossele
Remix Reactions
Timo Carlier: “This recording of ‘The Road Ahead’ was never meant to be a final take. I
recorded this version almost immediately after writing the song, and liked what I heard, so I
stuck with it. The problem was that I had not thought the recording process through carefully,
and as result had not separated the sound sources enough. Mixing a song where almost every
track contained bleed from other sources turned out to be a nightmare. I was ready to give up
when I bumped into Mike Senior on one of the Reaper forums. I’m glad I did! He took the
individual files, and the first draft he sent me was already a lot warmer than my own mix. Mike
was able to hide some of the flaws in the vocal performance and balance the different parts to
create a much more pleasing sound. He also reined in my rather generous use of reverb and
delay on the vocals, and took the edge off of the guitar strumming. Now that Mike has edited the
extra layers of the bass drum and tambourine to create more variation, the final mix has more
depth, more suspense, and a much warmer sound. Sending a track off like this and receiving a new mix is a great experience, and I am
really grateful for the time Mike’s put into this! It is also great that the SOS writers check out the various forums where we live. It adds a
whole new dimension to the magazine.”
Hear The Difference

As usual, we’ve placed audio examples of the before and after mix, as well as individual tracks, on the SOS web site at
www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/mixrescueaudio.htm, so that you’re able to hear what Mike is writing about.
PC Notes
PC Notes
Non-Windows hard drives Buy PDF
Technique : PC Notes
If you’re under the impression that installing your audio apps on a non-Windows drive will
lead to better performance, you’re in for a surprise. Recording audio tracks to such a drive,
though, is a different matter...
Martin Walker
M any musicians seem to be under the false impression that installing their audio applications on a non-Windows drive is a good
idea. Unfortunately, nearly all applications (except trivially small ones) rely on lots of Registry entries, and if these end up pointing
to files on other drives, or even other partitions on the same drive, it makes it significantly more difficult to maintain backups
without them getting ‘out of sync’.
Let’s say you install a new application on your non-Windows partition or drive, and then have virus problems on your Windows partition
and have to restore a Windows backup made before that application was installed. Although your application is still intact, it will no longer
run, because the associated Registry entries no longer exist, and you’ll have to reinstall the application over the top of itself to restore them.
Even worse, if you have problems with the non-Windows partition or drive and have to restore a backup of that, the Registry entries will all
be intact, but pointing to non-existent files. Once again you’ll need to reinstall the application. So it’s nearly always safer to keep application
files and Registry entries on the same partition.
Why are so many musicians risking such problems? Well, the story goes that by placing your audio applications on a faster drive along
with your songs and associated audio files, you’ll get better performance, but this is rarely true. Audio applications generally load their own
files into system RAM once only, when you first launch them. A few extra files might need to be loaded if you subsequently open another
significant feature, such as a score or drum editor, but in all my tests over the years, I’ve never noticed any audio application requiring
regular disk access to its own files — only for the audio files it’s recording and playing back, and sample files that require streaming. So the
only aspect of performance you might improve by placing an audio application on a faster drive is initial loading time, which you might
shave a second or two off. I personally feel that’s not worth the possible extra aggravation.
Spreading The Load

On the other hand, it does make sense to place your audio tracks on another partition or drive.
Audio files eat up vast amounts of space (about 16 MB per minute for 24-bit/96kHz files), and
performance will soon suffer if files of this size are saved in piecemeal fashion to a typical
Windows partition, among thousands of tiny system files. Since audio applications rarely access
their own files during recording and playback, a separate partition for audio on the same drive can
work, although placing them on a separate drive to Windows will generally result in you being able If you create a VST plug-ins folder on a
to run more simultaneous tracks, as well as making project backup easier. separate data partition, you can access
its contents from any active Windows
Some musicians attempt to gain further performance benefits by ‘striping’ audio across several partition, enabling you to dabble with
drives in parallel using RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks), but, again, you have to be music while on-line, or run the same
careful. A single modern drive is perfectly capable of running perhaps 80 tracks of 24-bit/96kHz instruments and plug-ins from a
audio (and lots more at lower sample rates), so unless you need more than this, or want to run stripped-down, music-only setup for
video alongside audio tracks, one drive will suffice. maximum performance.
When it comes to streaming samples (rather than loading them in their entirety into system Photo credit
RAM), a separate partition on the Windows drive can again work, although, if you have more
ambitious requirements, placing these on a third drive will increase the maximum number of voices you can run.
If you want to run even more simultaneous software sampler voices than you can manage from a single drive, RAID is not a good choice,
since you’ll almost certainly be grabbing lots of small data chunks in real time from semi-random positions on the drives, for lots of different
sampled instruments. It’s better to have several independent drives for sample storage and install some of your sample libraries on each
one (perhaps across three or four drives in the case of huge orchestral libraries). Then each drive’s read/write heads are free to dart about,
grabbing whatever data they need, rather than being tied together. So when you’re installing sample libraries, if you get options to choose
locations for these separately from the application during an install, do think about the possibilities.
Trans-partition Trickery
Sticking with the topic of storing sample libraries on non-Windows partitions or drives, in March 2008 I gave several approaches to ‘VST
Slimming’ so you could move VST Instruments and libraries off your C: drive and onto other partitions
(www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar08/articles/pcnotes_0308.htm).
My second suggestion involved creating an additional VST plug-ins folder on your sample partition or drive, and then letting your
sequencer know about this extra VST plug-in path. As previously discussed, this can result in performance benefits for sample streaming,
but in many cases musicians want to do it simply because it’s more convenient to store all their libraries in one location.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/pcnotes_0409.htm[02/04/2009 12:11:23]
PC Notes
However, I’ve since discovered that having a VST plug-ins folder on a data partition results in some other intriguing possibilities for those
who run a multi-boot setup. If you have a general-purpose Internet-enabled Windows partition stuffed to the gills with firewall, anti-virus and
spyware checking utilities, but maintain a separate, stripped-down music partition for maximum performance, any VST plug-ins folder you
create on a separate data partition will be visible from both Windows partitions.
While running a music-only partition gains you more security from on-line nasties, it does prevent you checking for updates on-line (many
VST instruments now provide a clickable menu link to let you see if a newer version exists). However, since your ‘shared’ VST plug-ins
folder is visible from all Windows partitions, its contents can also be accessed from your Internet-enabled partition, so you get the best of
both worlds.
For instance, I still mainly run Camel Audio’s excellent Alchemy synth (www.camelaudio.com) inside Cubase 4 on my music-only partition
when writing music. However, I can also run its files inside Reaper (just 3.5MB) on my Internet-enabled Windows partition, where I can click
on Alchemy’s internal links to check for updates, download presets, read the Support Forum, and so on.
This dual approach will work with all unprotected VST instruments and plug-ins, and with protection methods where the developer
provides a keyfile to drop into the VST plug-ins folder. It will also work with many using dongle copy-protection, since both the dongle and
associated DLL file will be visible from all Windows partitions. (Plug-ins from Waves are a notable exception, since they insist on their plug-
ins being installed on a Windows rather than a data partition.)
Even where a global VST plug-ins folder doesn’t let you run an instrument or plug-in because the installation involves Registry entries that
only live on the Windows partition where it was installed, you can force it to do so by installing it ‘over the top’ from each active Windows
partition and entering the same data-partition destination. I’ve used this approach with AudioEase’s Altiverb, so I can update and audition its
library on-line.
However, be cautious about using such techniques with products having hardware-specific challenge/response protection. For instance,
Native Instruments products will enter a time-limited Demo mode when run from a partition other than the one you used to install them.
Although you could authorise such products separately from each Windows partition, some developers might view this as installing them on
multiple PCs, so check with them first. Nevertheless, using a shared VST plug-ins folder has certainly made my life easier.
WaveRT News
When the Windows Vista operating system was released, Microsoft were keen to have its new
WaveRT driver model adopted by the professional audio community (and, no doubt, hoped that
it would replace ASIO as a standard). However, while it could offer similarly low latency to ASIO
drivers, but with lower CPU overheads, it had problems with multi-device sync and, more
importantly, it didn’t support USB or Firewire audio devices.
Neither of these limitations endeared it to many professional audio interface manufacturers,
and although a few did eventually release Vista WaveRT drivers (most notably Echo for their
Echo24, Indigo and 3G families), to use them you also need WaveRT support in your audio WaveRT drivers for Vista have been thin
sequencer. Unfortunately, sequencer support for WaveRT is still very thin on the ground as well, on the ground, and sequencer support
Cakewalk’s Sonar (www.cakewalk.com) and Giel Bremmers’ MultiTrackStudio for the WaveRT format even thinner.
(www.multitrackstudio.com) being the only WaveRT-compatible hosts I’ve come across to date. Cakewalk’s Sonar is one of the few
Even worse, there was a limitation that prevented Echo’s WaveRT drivers from working with sequencers that offer it, and now
MOTU’s new WaveRT drivers for their
Sonar.
interfaces can be used with Sonar.
Now there’s finally some potentially good news on the horizon. MOTU (www.motu.com) have
announced WaveRT drivers that will work with Sonar 8, but the most intriguing news is that they support USB and Firewire audio
interfaces, which seems to be a first. All credit to them for managing to bypass this previous limitation!
However, while they do add WaveRT support, these new drivers also apparently remove the previously available options for buffer
sizes of 32 samples and 64 samples. The new minimum buffer size becomes 128 samples, even for ASIO use, which may be a slight
disappointment to musicians who had previously been achieving glitch-free audio with MOTU hardware using ASIO buffers of 64
samples (producing just 1.5ms latency at 44.1kHz).
Edrum Monitor
If you’ve got a digital drum kit or electronic drum sensors, you’ll know how infuriating it is to get
false triggers, and to end up with loads of data coming from drum pads allocated to different
MIDI notes, but with no easy way to treat each one separately. Enter Edrum Monitor
(www.edrummonitor.com), which runs on Windows XP, NT and 2000, and is compatible with
any drum module that has a MIDI output.
It’s simplicity itself to use. You add a track (up to 100 are available, including Dual and Triple
options for drums with multiple zone sensors) for each of your drum pads, then click its Learn
button and hit the appropriate pad. You can scale each track’s velocity to balance up your kit
levels, cap the minimum and maximum velocity values, and map each output to different notes If you’ve got MIDI drum pads or an
PC Notes
and MIDI channels. entire digital drum kit, Edrum Monitor is

In the Settings dialogue, you can create complex velocity curves to adapt the response of an invaluable tool that helps you set it
up to exactly suit your playing style and
each pad to your own playing style, either by clicking and dragging in the graphic curve window
requirements.
or by adjusting the 128 velocity steps of the graphic EQ-like Full Control window. There’s an
anti-machine-gun mode that automatically tweaks identical incoming velocity values slightly to
avoid multiple triggers of the same sample, and an Alternating Output so that you can send out up to four different notes on alternating
hits. Each channel has its own Automatic Retrigger detection to avoid false hits, while leaving flams and rolls unaffected.
Edrum Monitor also lets you turn game joysticks into MIDI controllers, and manipulate incoming data from standard MIDI controllers,
while the meters on each track and the global MIDI status window are great general-purpose tools for drummers and non-drummers
alike. Best of all, Edrum monitor is freeware, although donations are gratefully received.
Recording Techniques For Upright Piano

Miking Techniques & Recording Tips Buy PDF
Technique : Miking Techniques
We’ve discussed how to record grand pianos in some depth in past issues, but miking an
upright piano can present a very different challenge...
Mike Senior
A range of different approaches to miking a grand piano was covered in my SOS January
2008 article (www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan08/articles/pianorecording_0108.htm), but in
practice many home recordists, whether by preference or out of necessity, find
themselves faced with the task of recording an upright piano instead. Both types of piano share
some characteristics, which means that many of the principles from the earlier article still hold true
— so rather than reiterating all that information here, I’ll work on the assumption that you’ve
already absorbed that material (if not, I’d recommend you look it up) and concentrate on those
differences between the instruments that warrant some extra attention.
There’s little call for recording upright pianos in a classical context, simply because uprights
were designed for domestic use — not for projecting sound into a concert hall. As a result, most
of the time you’ll want to close-mike uprights, rather than trying ambient techniques.
Having said that, the room in which the piano sits will obviously still have an impact on the
recording — so you should try, at the very least, not to record in the tiny little practice cupboards
within which upright pianos often lurk. Such rooms may work for practice, but they usually sound
dreadful, and turn the already uphill battle of getting a good upright piano sound into an
impossible task. Another tip is that boundary-effect bass boost, while not giving the most natural
sound for classical recordings, can bail you out if the low end of the piano in question is lacking
weight.
Unless you can take some of the panels off the instrument (of which more later), the only way to
gain access to the strings is to open the lid at the top and mic the piano from above. The low
strings are on the player’s left and the high strings on the right, and you can use much the same kinds of mic techniques you’d use over the
hammers of a grand to capture them.
That said, the height at which you place your mics has an influence on how you set up for stereo capture. If you choose a very close
placement (perhaps even slightly inside the case itself) the mics will tend to emphasise the registers they’re closest to (as well as the
mechanical-action noises of the piano). So if you’re working with a piano part of limited register, it’s worth zeroing in with your stereo rig on
this region of the strings to help keep the sound even in your recording. This applies to very close placements in a grand piano as well, of
course — but you rarely need to get that close with a grand unless you’ve got the lid down.
If you’re using a spaced stereo technique, then extremely close miking is likely to risk creating a ‘hole’ in the middle of the stereo image,
even if you’re using good omni mics, so it would also make sense not to space the mics as far apart as you might when close-miking a
grand. One other thing to bear in mind is that, while spaced stereo techniques can help blend the sound of a grand in a subjectively
pleasant way, I find that the phase-cancellations between the mics bring out the ‘pub piano’ element of many uprights, which isn’t often the
kind of sound you’re looking for.
To demonstrate some of these issues, I’ve created some audio examples, which you can download from the SOS web site at
www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/uprightpianosaudio.htm. The first set of examples are of an upright piano using three different
stereo pairs of Rode NT55s, all poking a little way down into the casing of the piano (as you can see in the photo on the previous page).
The recordings are of: a spaced pair of omnis 50 cm apart (‘UprightPanelsOnInsidePair1’); a
spaced pair of omnis one metre apart (‘UprightPanelsOnInsidePair2’); and a coincident crossed
pair of cardioids in the centre of the instrument (‘UprightPanelsOnInsidePair3’). The height of the
mics above the open lid of the upright obviously affects the overall sonics, as well as the amount
of room ambience, so I’ve also recorded exactly the same set of mics at heights of 20cm and 1m,
to give an idea of the range of sounds on offer, and the results can be heard in the
‘UprightPanelsOn20cm’ and ‘UprightPanelsOn1m’ sets of files.
Taking The Panels Off

Most upright pianos can have most of their external body panels temporarily removed without the
aid of wrecking gear, and this can help you get a clearer and more balanced sound from the
strings. Coincident stereo miking techniques are pretty rare in this application, because you would
usually want to put the mics roughly on the central line of the instrument for such methods, and
that’s exactly where the player sits. Customising the player with a chainsaw is not a practical
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/uprightpianos.htm[02/04/2009 12:11:40]
solution, unless you’re on a Slipknot session, so spaced mic arrays are usually chosen instead.
One option with a spaced pair is to put the mics either side of the player’s head, so that the mics
‘see’ the tops of the strings emerging above the hammer mechanism, a technique The Feeling
described using when I interviewed them in SOS March 2008. This gives a bright sound, rich in
harmonics and with a lot of hammer attack, excellent for rhythmic parts that need to cut through a
A range of close-mic positions used for
busy arrangement.
some of the on-line audio examples that
An alternative to this placement is to put the mics either side of the piano stool, peering at the accompany this article.
lower halves of the strings below the keyboard. This gives quite a different, and more mellow,
sound for a number of reasons. Firstly, the high-register strings simply don’t extend past the
keyboard assembly, so can’t be ‘seen’ directly by the mics. Secondly, the soundboard contributes
much more to the timbre underneath the keyboard because it is less obscured by the piano’s
framework and hammer mechanism. Thirdly, mics under the keyboard can catch each low- and
mid-register string at a point closer to its centre, which emphasises the fundamentals of these
notes; above the keyboard it’s typically only the ends of the strings that clear the hammer
mechanism. The down side of this approach is that you can get quite a lot of mechanical noise
from the pedal action down there, as well as any shuffling of feet and squeaking of the piano stool.
Again, I’ve made some audio examples that you can access on our web site, to compare these
two miking options. The first (UprightPanelsOff20cmPair1) is of a pair of omni mics either side of If you’re unable to remove the top or
front panels, recording from the rear of
the player’s head, positioned 20cm from the strings and 80cm apart. The second recording
the piano with a stereo pair can give a
(UprightPanelsOff20cmPair2) is of a pair of omnidirectional mics either side of the piano stool, surprisingly well-balanced sound.
placed 20cm from the strings and 80cm apart.
There’s another strategy for upright pianos, though, which a lot of musicians don’t consider, and
that is miking the soundboard from behind the piano — something that was done, for example, on a bunch of Jerry Lee Lewis records. This
can produce a surprisingly balanced sound, it doesn’t rely on you being able to remove the front panels of the instrument, and the
soundboard can be miked in stereo using whatever technique you like. While recording the other two techniques, I also set up another
spaced omni pair behind the piano to capture the soundboard, and you can see how this sounds by checking out
‘UprightPanelsOff20cmPair3’ — again, the mics were 20cm from the soundboard and 80cm apart. As a final set of tests, I re-recorded all
three of the ‘UprightPanelsOff’ mic pairs at two other distances (50cm and 1m), to demonstrate the changing sound and ambience levels as
the mics are moved further from the piano.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/uprightpianos.htm[02/04/2009 12:11:40]
Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Jochem van der Saag

Article Preview :: Seal: Soul 'A Change Is Gonna Come';
When Seal decided to pay tribute to classic soul records, he turned to legendary producer
David Foster — and his right-hand man, Jochem van der Saag, who was responsible for
mixing and much more.
Paul Tingen
S eal’s seventh studio album, Soul, is an exploration of classic ’60s soul songs. It was a
slightly surprising departure for the British singer, who is more known for bridging the gap
between cutting edge electronica and mainstream rock. His fans didn’t seem to mind, as
Photos: Alexandra DeFurio
Soul has sold over two million copies world wide. The album was produced by the legendary David Foster, together with his right-hand man,
Dutchman Jochem van der Saag, who is credited not only as engineer and mixer, but also keyboardist, drum programmer, sound designer
and co-producer.
Van der Saag, who also came up with the title, explains the genesis of the album: “David and Seal had known each other for a long time,
but had never worked together. Then in the middle of last year Seal sent David an MP3 of him singing ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’ a
cappella into his laptop. His idea was to record the song in support of [Barack] Obama’s presidential candidacy. The sound quality of the
MP3 was horrible, but the singing was very inspiring. David gave it to me and I chopped up the MP3 rather arbitrarily and programmed the
groove that’s now on the record underneath it. David then did this amazing arrangement over that. I built the track further with drums,
percussion, and guitar programming, and then Seal came in and blew us away with his vocal. The track sounded so good that David and
Seal decided to do an entire album featuring all these famous songs from the ’60s.”
Last summer, with an eye on the timing of the US presidential election, Warner Records gave Seal, Foster and van der Saag a 10-week
deadline for finishing the album — which entailed choosing the songs, arranging the backing tracks, recording overdubs and mixing
everything. Soul was eventually released on November 11, 2008.
It’s The MIDI That Matters

According to Jochem (the ‘ch’ is pronounced as in the Scottish ‘loch’) van der Saag, the process by which Soul, and ‘A Change Is Gonna
Come’ in particular, came into being was fairly typical of the duo’s current working method, in which they make use of the Dutchman’s three
identical DAW setups, featuring, unusually, Cubase SX3 loaded onto a PC running Windows XP (see separate box for the lowdown on the
Dutchman’s love affair with Cubase). Van der Saag: “Two of my setups are at my home, and the third is at David’s place. In addition, I have
a fourth PC with Cubase, set up exclusively for samples and soft synths, so we can retain low latency while I track David’s MIDI playing
and my own MIDI playing.
“David is one of the greatest keyboard players that has ever walked the face of the earth. When we start work on a song, he’ll first listen
to the demo or the original version and take down the chords in real time. He then defines a tempo, I set a click and give him the kind of
sound he wants. He plays for a minute or so to get the feel, and he then goes back to the top and lays each part of the arrangement down
in one pass. After that he’ll do a pass of synth bass, often with one hand while using the other to talk on his cell phone. It’s pretty freaky!
He’ll then add strings, and you can see his fingers move as if in counterpoint, with melodies going against each other. He’ll do one or two
passes, we go back and fix a few things and the arrangement is done. I call it real-time arranging, and I’ve never seen anything like it. From
my end, I go as far as to draw in swells or do other things in the MIDI automation, while he’s playing! Of course, I later perfect what we did,
but I know him so well that I often know what he’s going to do.
“After David has finished with playing, I then do my stuff. First of all I tend to focus on drum programming, and on the Seal record I added
guitar samples, chopping them up and moving them around in Cubase. I would also be doing orchestral things, sound design, percussion,
synths, organ parts, whatever is necessary. David usually gives me free rein: he simply tells me to ‘Jochemize’ it! The arrangements David
and I do are almost always sketched out in MIDI instruments. I’ll use a mixture of samples — my three main soft samplers are Halion, GVI
and Kontakt — and virtual instruments: I have everything that’s commercially available. It all depends on what’s necessary. When it comes
to synthetic strings, lately I’ve been using the Sonivox Sonic Implants Symphonic Strings collection. I still have some hardware synths, such
as the Yamaha FS1R and a few Waldorf Pulses, and I occasionally use the Yamaha S90ES for Rhodes and Wurlitzer sounds because I like
them. But mostly I use soft synths: because of their unlimited size, they often have more capabilities and sonic depth.
“After I’ve done my thing, we focus on recording the vocals and the live instruments: guitars, bass, drums, horns, strings, and so on. As
we record these in a commercial studio, I’ll export WAV stems from Cubase, using Phil Pendlebury’s MEAP program, which is an
automated multitrack export script. I’ll include a MIDI file with tempo information and markers, plus a click, so they can set up their Pro Tools
session exactly like I have it. They then give me back consolidated WAV files which have the same starting points as my files. I usually
import those files directly into my main Cubase session. Once the live recordings are in the original session, I immediately put them in
perspective. I tweak and subtract and apply volume automation, and I may add more programming or sound design, until we end up with
what is the final mixed piece of music.”
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/it_0409.htm[02/04/2009 12:13:20]
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http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/it_0409.htm[02/04/2009 12:13:20]
Sonar: Integrating External Hardware With Your DAW

Sonar Notes & Techniques Buy PDF
Technique : Sonar Notes
Is it time to lighten the load on your CPU and put that external hardware to work inside your
DAW?
Craig Anderton
N o matter which DAW software you use, there’s always the desire to use it more efficiently
and transparently. Those who remember when ‘booting up’ required simply turning on a
tape recorder and mixer have often longed for the same ease of use with computer-
based recording setups.
One option is to integrate external hardware with Sonar, rather than trying to do everything ‘in
the box.’ For example, many newer hardware synths (particularly models from Korg) are designed
to function as if they were VST plug-ins within a DAW such as Sonar, and Cakewalk’s upcoming
V-Studio system includes the Fantom VS, a hardware synth built into the V-Studio’s rackmount
interface that can act as an external hardware synthesizer and a VST plug-in within Sonar.
Hardware Advantages & Disadvantages

One advantage of using external hardware is that it’s ready to go as soon as you turn it on —
especially if you create a startup template that incorporates the synth (we’ll cover how to do that
in a moment). Any CPU loading is minimal compared to using a software workstation, so if you’re
a guitarist who plays through amp sims and monitors the computer’s output, this is a big deal:
musicians can create drum, bass, guitar and keyboard tracks using the multitimbral workstation,
yet keep the latency really low for the best feel when playing. Conversely, with software synths,
the more parts you create, the harder the computer has to work, and this may require you to
increase the latency to prevent audio drop-outs, which interferes with feel when playing through
the computer in real time. Granted, you can ‘freeze’ tracks with soft synths, but that can add
This screenshot shows six MIDI tracks
another level of complexity to the recording process.
assigned to six different parts in the
Another advantage of hardware is being able to count on a fixed number of voices. With a Korg M3. The top track is the
software synth, the number of voices fluctuates depending on what else the computer is doing, instrument’s audio output.
how many tracks you’ve recorded, latency, the phase of the moon, and so on. Although many soft
synths are specified as having ‘unlimited polyphony’, the part of that sentence that usually gets left out is “assuming you have a 16-core,
32GHz, Freon-cooled computer with 512GB of RAM.” At least for now, in the real world it’s still quite possible to ask a CPU to play more
notes than it can handle.
Having said all that, hardware has limitations as well. For example, a synth might offer 128 voices of polyphony but if, say, four sounds
are layered on one key, you can only play 32 notes at a time without voice-stealing. That’s quite a lot, but consider what happens in a
multitimbral context where you might have, say, eight instruments going at once: now we’re down to four notes per instrument if they’re all
playing at the same time. Unlike soft synths, upgrading your CPU or going multi-core won’t help get you more voices with a hardware
synth.
Another significant limitation is that you can instantiate only one ‘hardware VSTi’ in a project; and if you have multiple projects open in
Sonar, only one of those projects can have a hardware VSTi instantiated. This is because we’re dealing with hardware: you can’t magically
multiply one hardware unit to become several hardware units. However, at least with a multitimbral hardware synth you can insert multiple
MIDI tracks to play back multiple parts over multiple channels.
Creating A ‘Workstation’ Template

We’ll start by creating a template project with a hardware synth so that it’s ready to go as soon as Sonar opens. It might seem logical to
create a template with 16 MIDI channels, but consider how many voices your synth can play back and limit the number of channels
accordingly. For example, with a 128-voice synth, my template loads up six channels. This way, I can have a reasonable number of voices
allocated to each part. Also note that with some synths you can reserve a certain number of notes for particular parts, to forestall voice-
stealing. For example, reserve two notes for bass and three notes for ‘one-finger’ pads that layer multiple voices on one key.
We’ll use the Korg M3 as an example, because it’s fairly representative of how hardware synths behave as ‘VSTi’ devices. The upcoming
Sonar/Roland Fantom VS works very similarly, except that there’s no need for Firewire interfacing because the synth is built into the
interface.
The following assumes that you’ve researched the correct settings in the synth itself (for example, MIDI local control usually needs to be
off), and that the synthesizer is communicating with the computer (for example, via Firewire). Furthermore, you’ll need to install some type of
program that looks like a VST plug-in to Sonar; in the case of the M3, it’s the M3 Plug-In Editor.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/sonarworkshop_0409.htm[02/04/2009 12:13:58]
Handling audio interfacing and MIDI depends on how the plug-in is installed. If you’re using an M3, you do not want to enable the M3’s
Firewire audio drivers when you go Options / Audio in Sonar, nor do you want to include its MIDI drivers under Options / MIDI Devices. This
is because the driver handles all communication in the background, so you can use your usual audio interface for monitoring the signal.
Now, let’s create that template.
1. Boot Sonar. When it’s ready, turn on the M3 and wait until it boots completely.
2. Insert the synth by going Insert / Soft Synths / M3 Plug-In Editor. When the Insert Soft Synth Options dialogue appears, tick MIDI Source,
Synth Track Folder, Synth Property Page (so the Editor opens when you insert the instrument), and either First Synth Audio Output or All
Synth Audio Outputs. Note that most hardware synths don’t have as many individual outputs as soft synths; for example, the M3 offers
three stereo output pairs, while the Fantom VS has a stereo out, which requires you to do most of your mixing and effects processing inside
the synth.
3. In the synth’s main audio track in Sonar, double-click on the Input field name to open the Plug-In Editor. With this open, you can receive
Banks of Combis, individual Combis, all Programs, and so on. However, if you’ve opened an existing file, note that the state of the editor
will have been preserved when you saved the project and will be recalled when you open the project.
4. If you’re creating this template for the first time, assemble your favourite workstation palette of sounds by choosing programs within the
M3 Plug-In Editor. If you call up a program, it will appear at the M3. You don’t have to transmit it; this all happens automatically.
5. In Sonar’s Track view, insert additional MIDI tracks for the instruments you added (go Insert / MIDI Track, or right-click on an empty
space in the track view and select MIDI Track from the context menu). For example, for six instruments, insert an additional five MIDI tracks
to supplement the one that appears when you insert the instrument.
You’ll probably want to save this Combi in the M3, so you can call it up at any time. However, you can also save it as a template that shows
up as an option when you open a new project in Sonar. To save this project as a template:
1. Go Options / Global and click on the Folders tab. Check where the folder for the Templates lives, because that’s where you’ll want to
save the template file. It will probably be located in C:/Documents and Settings/Administrator/My Documents/Cakewalk/Sonar 8 Producer
Edition/Sample Content.
2. Set up your project exactly the way you want it to appear when you call it up.
3. Go File / Save As and under ‘Save as Type’ choose Template from the drop-down menu.
4. In the ‘Save In’ field, navigate to the Templates folder you located in Step 1.
5. Click on Save.
6. Now when you call up Sonar and select ‘Create a New Project’, the new template will be listed along with any other templates.
Incidentally, now might be a good time to clean out your template folder (do you really need the
Surround 7.1 template?). Just change the suffix of the templates you don’t use from .cwt to
something like .ccwt, then they’ll be easy to recognise in case you ever want to bring any back.
Also, if you put a special character such as an underscore or exclamation mark before the
templates you use most, they’ll move to the top of the list.
Bouncing With Hardware

If you’ve ever processed a track via a hardware effects processor using Sonar’s External Insert
plug-in, you’ve probably found you have to do a real-time bounce because it’s necessary to send
audio, in real time, through the insert. Using an external hardware synth as a VSTi works similarly; The template created around the Korg
because it’s hardware, you can’t do a ‘fast bounce’. To bounce a hardware VSTi track, in order to M3 has now been added to the list of
turn it into a hard disk track: templates that appears when I open a
1. In Track View, click on the header or track number for the hardware synth audio track. new project.
2. Control-click on the header or track number for the MIDI track driving the hardware synth. At
this point, only two tracks should be selected.
3. Drag in the timeline across the area you want to bounce.
4. Go Edit / Bounce to Track(s). Set the parameter values as desired, but make sure that Fast
Bounce is unticked.
Also note that if you want to bounce a track that’s processed through an external Firewire DSP
box such as the TC Electronic Powercore or SSL Duende/Duende Mini, you can’t do a fast
bounce with that either, so make sure Fast Bounce is unticked before bouncing.
As for Track Freeze, generally hardware synths don’t get along too well with freezing. It’s a
better strategy to bounce.
A drum track has an External Insert
Synth Internal Effects plug-in inserted. You can also see the
MR Editor, which is set to External FX,
With a hardware synth, you may or may not be able to create multiple outputs that flow into allowing the effects to be accessed from
Sonar. If not, any internal effects assume added relevance, because all instruments may end up Sonar. Note the External Insert send,
at the same stereo output bus. Thus if you want to put different effects on different instruments, which is going to External FX 1, a
you need to do so within the hardware synth. You’ll need to study the signal flow carefully to take Sweet Spot Morphing Processor.
full advantage of this; many keyboards allow insert effects on individual audio channels, while
others have effects ‘chains’ where you can send signals into various inputs of effects in the chain.
If possible, it’s a good idea to build any essential effects into the synth. That way, when you call
up the synth you won’t have to re-patch effects into the individual audio outputs, or devise an
excessively convoluted track preset. Many of the effects you’d use in a synth, such as delay or
chorus, will be good enough that you won’t have to use the plug-ins bundled in Sonar. Of course,
you might want to reserve really high-quality effects, like a CPU-hungry convolution reverb, for
instantiation within Sonar itself.
The two tracks being bounced (Korg M3

synth audio output and bass MIDI track)
are circled in purple. The section to be
bounced is outlined in green in the
timeline; note how Fast Bounce,
outlined in red, is not ticked.
Sonar & Steinberg?

The Steinberg MR816 CSX Firewire interface has caused quite a stir with Cubase users, not only because of its audio quality and its
Quick Connect feature that makes it easy to assign an input to a track, but also because of its onboard effects, the REV-X reverb and
the Sweet Spot Morphing Processors. The morphing processors are particularly interesting, as they’re basically a channel strip with EQ,
side-chain, and dynamics and have a ‘sweet spot’ knob that varies several parameters simultaneously. In a way, it’s like having a rotary
switch that selects various presets, except that each preset morphs smoothly into the next.
Why does this matter to Sonar users? Because in addition to being able to serve as an audio interface, the MR816 CSX DSP works
very well with Sonar (although, sadly, the Quick Connect feature does not). Here’s how to make it happen.
1. Call up the MR Editor and click on Setup. Under MR816 CSX Settings, choose External FX for the ‘Digital I/O, External FX’ field.
Under External FX Type, you have four choices: eight mono or four stereo Sweet Spot processors, or REV-X with either six mono or
three stereo Sweet Spot processors. If you choose a REV-X option, as you can insert only one REV-X instance, you’ll probably want to
insert it in a send bus. Click again on Setup to leave Setup mode.
2. Right-click in the Effects Bin for the track you want to process, and choose External Insert.
3. In the External Insert’s Send drop-down menu, choose the appropriate External FX. For example, if you chose three stereo Sweet
Spot processors with REV-X, External FX 1-3 are the Sweet Spot processors, while External FX 4 is the REV-X.
4. In the External Insert’s Return drop-down menu, select the return for the effect you choose. For example, if you sent the signal to
External FX 1, the return would come from Stereo External FX 1.
5. While Sonar is stopped, click on the External Insert’s Delay button. This ‘pings’ the system, to compensate for delays caused by going
through the external effect.
6. To edit the Steinberg effects, return to the MR Editor. Click on an effect’s ‘e’ button to bring up the effect’s user interface; there’s also
limited editing in the MR Editor’s interface (Drive and Morph for the Sweet Spot processors, and Reverb Time and Reverb Type for the
REV-X).
With the MR816 CSX you can also monitor through the effects while recording, which is very convenient if, for example, your vocalist
wants to hear reverb while singing, but you don’t want to commit to recording it.
Studio SOS: Gerry Daly

Making the most of your studio space Buy PDF
Technique : DIY
We turn a less-than-ideal square rented room into a workable recording and mixing space.
Paul White & Hugh Robjohns
G erry Daly is a songwriter who has recently completed a demo CD that he wrote, recorded
and produced by himself. Gerry, who hopes that his songwriting abilities will secure him a
publishing deal, studied Sound Engineering at IMW College in Islington last year. He
must have paid attention, because his songs are well structured and nicely mixed, and he made
good use of guest vocalists when required: you can listen to his material at www.gerrydaly.com.
However, he wasn’t happy with the monitoring in his home studio, especially at the bass end.
Living in rented accommodation in West London, he needed a solution that would minimise
damage to the walls of the room, and that could be taken with him when he has to move —
something that’s a common scenario for many of our readers.
Not only was Gerry Daly’s home-studio
When Gerry first contacted us, his equipment list included a pair of unbranded monitors, so our room acoustically untreated, it was also
first suggestion was that he try to upgrade to something that would perform well in domestic- an almost perfect square... making it a
sized rooms. Of the monitors discussed, he decided on a pair of Adam A7s — active two-way very imperfect studio.
monitors, which are fitted with Accelerating Ribbon Technology (ART) tweeters.
The rest of the studio system was pretty straightforward, comprising a good, quiet PC that worked almost perfectly, a Digi 002 Rack audio
interface with Pro Tools 7, and an M-Audio master keyboard. He also had a Focusrite Voicemaster Pro mic pre and processor with the
digital card fitted, but he’d been sold an optical S/PDIF cable rather than the required coaxial one, so he’d not yet tried connecting it digitally.
His mic collection comprised a Rode NT2 and an AKG C414 B-ULS.
Gerry plays guitar, and had several of them standing in the room. He tends to DI guitar parts using a Line 6 Pod or a Zoom effects unit,
but he’d just taken delivery of a new Roland Jazz Chorus amplifier, so we tried to talk him into experimenting with miking the amp as an
alternative, possibly using the Pod or Zoom boxes as effects units before the amp.
Hooking Up
When we arrived, Gerry had just returned from a trip to buy some cables for his new speakers, so
this would be the first time he got to hear them in his room. He needed jack-to-XLR cables,
ideally balanced ones, and although the store only had the unbalanced jack version in stock we
felt that there was a good chance these would work fine with no hum, as all the mains equipment
was connected in a star formation to a single double-outlet wall socket, which reduces the risk of
ground loops. We chatted over tea and some extremely good chocolate-plated, chocolate-chip
cookies to prioritise the days tasks before checking out the room itself, which turned out to be of
the ‘almost square’ type, with bare plastered walls and a wood laminate floor. The only acoustic
treatment was a table top leaning against one of the side walls with a duvet draped over it so, as
you can imagine, the room sounded fiercely live and ringy. Gerry also showed us a tiny under- With acoustic foam placed at the mirror
stairs cupboard that he’d used as a vocal booth, but even with an SE Reflexion Filter behind the points, in front, behind and to the sides
of the mix position, and strategic
mic the space was so small and reflective that the sound was too coloured to give good results.
placement of duvets, some modal
We hooked up Gerry’s new monitors, which he had placed directly on the desktop where his ringing problems were cured, and the
previous monitors had been, and then dug out Hugh’s BBC test CD to do some listening tests. imaging became tighter. As long as
Gerry had installed the driver required to route the CD drive output of his PC through to the Digi Gerry avoids putting his chair in the very
002, but hadn’t set the computer to use it, so CD audio was only audible through the computer’s centre of the room, he’ll now have much
more accurate monitoring.
internal sound card. Obviously, we needed to hear it via the new Adam speakers with the Digi 002
acting as the monitor controller. Hugh fixed this quickly and simply by reassigning Window’s
default sound playback destination to the Digi 002, and then closing Pro Tools (which takes priority over the Digi interface when running).
We were then able to audition the test CD via iTunes as a convenient playback program, and through the Digi 002 to the speakers.
Although the cables linking to the Digi 002 (which also doubles as a monitor level controller) were unbalanced, the system had a blissfully
low noise-floor, even with the volume control turned right up, and we had no hum problems at all. As expected, the sound was badly blurred
by the wall and desk reflections, with almost no stereo imaging, but the bass end surprised us by being reasonably even, unless listening
from close to the centre of the room. On past Studio SOS visits, we’ve discovered that in square, and particularly cuboid rooms, there’s
invariably a place in the exact centre of the room where the bottom octave of bass simply disappears, and it is vital not to sit there while
mixing. There seems to be no practical way to address this, so you really do need to be aware of it.
Out Of Place
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/studiosos_0409.htm[02/04/2009 12:14:15]
Unfortunately, in very small rooms the mix chair often ends up being in exactly the wrong place, and a similar problem occurs when setting
up the speakers across the width of a small room. It is always best to have your speakers firing down the length of a room unless the room
is much larger than a typical domestic studio space. Gerry’s room was roughly 3.5m square, and our listening tests confirmed that as long
as he sat close to his desk when mixing — rather than leaning back into the zone of ‘bass death’ — the bass end was pretty solid and
stable. Thankfully, listening while standing at the back of the room worked well too.
The amount of effective acoustic treatment you can put into a rented room without damaging the walls is quite limited, but we developed a
strategy based on bringing the vocal-recording space back into the studio by hanging a folded polyester duvet across one corner to act as
an absorber behind the singer. Sturdy metal brackets above the window supported the curtain rail, so we decided to fix one end of a nylon
line to that, and anchor the other end to a substantial picture-hanging screw that was already in place halfway along the left hand side wall.
Once the nylon line was pulled tight, we suspended the duvet over it, where it would hang nicely behind a singer’s head and shoulders. This
also mopped up some of the room reflections, but more help would be needed from strategically-placed absorbers.
For this job, Auralex had provided us with some two-inch foam pyramid-profile panels, each 2 x
4 feet in size. They also gave us a set of Aural Xpanders, a box of accessories comprising
behind-the-mic type foam screens, and resilient ‘PlatFeet’ supports to go beneath the mic-stand
legs. Auralex also donated a set of their MoPad speaker platforms. We would end up using all of
these, but to start with we glued thin strips of wood to the rear of each panel, close to the top
along the short edge, and with a loop of nylon cord tied to it, so that the panel could be hung from
a single hook like a picture. As we were waiting for our next shipment of Auralex adhesive, we
used spray-on carpet adhesive, which works fine as long as you apply it fairly generously to both
the foam and the wood, then leave it for a minute or two to go tacky before bringing the two parts
together. In rented accommodation, you need to
attach acoustic foam with the minimum
Some nails and screws were already in place in the walls, so we pressed these into service to
of damage to decoration, and these 3M
hang two panels behind the monitors, one in the centre of the rear wall between the two windows, pads proved to be just the ticket.
and one on the rear right wall, facing our duvet corner. That left the two mirror-points to cover to
the left and right of the mixing position, but as luck would have it, a door occupied one of these
spaces and a bare wall with no nails or hooks the other.
I don’t make a habit of studying TV advertising in great detail, but I did take note of adverts for 3M’s Command adhesive hooks, as they
have little tabs that let you remove them after use without damaging the surface to which they were fixed. Gerry had bought a few of these
already, so we fixed one to the wall and one to the door — following the instructions carefully, of course! You’re supposed to leave them for
an hour before hanging things on them, so we had another cup of tea ... and about 10 minutes later we hung up our last two foam panels,
which we figured would be light enough not to pull the hooks off — which they were.
Because the Auralex foam we used was only two inches thick and hanging close to the wall, it
will only really be effective at upper-mid and high frequencies, and the room response won’t be
completely flat — but at least the ringing was tamed, and Hugh’s test CD sounded much clearer,
with normal left/right imaging.
We explained to Gerry that treatments like acoustic foam are more effective at lower
frequencies when they’re thicker than two inches, or mounted over an air gap. The other cost-
effective strategy is to mount two-inch foam over a thickness of Rockwool or glass fibre, which is
something he may wish to consider if he moves somewhere he can establish a more permanent
setup. As it was, all of our acoustic modifications could be taken down in minutes without any
It wasn’t practical to attach acoustic
damage to the room’s walls, and re-used elsewhere just as easily — yet they made an enormous
foam to the ceiling, so we improvised a
difference to the sound within the room.
walls-and-roof system for recording
A further significant improvement was made by placing the Auralex MoPads under the monitors, sessions, using a Reflexion Filter and
with their foam wedges arranged so as to aim the Adam A7 tweeters up towards the engineer’s some Auralex Xpanders.
head (they were a little too low when placed directly on the table top). The foam helps keep the
speaker vibrations from being transmitted into the surface of the desk, which in turn helps produce a clearer sound, while the upward-angled
wedges also helped to direct the sound away from the table top, reducing unwanted reflections.
For The Record

For the vocal recording area, our first spoken-word test using the C414 B-ULS with an SE
Reflexion Filter produced generally good results, but we could still hear a hint of low-mid room
coloration, due in part to our inability to fix anything to the ceiling above the mic and singer. The
floor was also very reflective, so we put a thick rug down under the mic stand and used a couple
of the Auralex Xpander mic screens in slightly unorthodox ways. A triangular Tri-Xpander screen
was clipped to the mic stand just below the mic, while the 14-inch long Xpander baffle was rested
on top of the Reflexion filter to form a roof. Repeating the test revealed an even cleaner vocal
sound with noticeably reduced coloration. Although we weren’t quite in pro vocal-booth territory,
the results were in a totally different league from the cupboard-booth, and perfectly acceptable for
making serious demos.
The AKG mic was supported in a standard clip, rather than a proper shockmount and, partly
because of the wooden floor, any foot movement was picked up by the mic through mechanical
vibration. A proper shockmount would help enormously, but as a temporary solution, we fitted
some Auralex PlatFeet under the mic-stand legs to provide some much-needed isolation.
Our final challenge was to check out the S/PDIF link between the Focusrite Voicemaster Pro
and the Digi 002. As Gerry didn’t have a coaxial S/PDIF cable, I cannibalised one of his spare
phono-to-3.5mm-jack cables to make a short phono-to-phono lead. We explained that this
With the ceiling and the walls sorted,
shouldn’t be used for serious work because audio phono cable has the wrong impedance for
floor reflections and mechanical
digital signals and may therefore lead to errors or glitches, but the ‘bodge lead’ worked fine for our vibrations were tamed with a thick rug
tests, and all we needed to do was set the 002 to external digital-sync mode so that the Focusrite and Auralex PlatFeet.
box became the system’s master clock. Of course, this means that the Voicemaster Pro must
always be switched on when Gerry’s using the system, so that he doesn’t have to keep switching
the Digi 002 between internal and external sync modes. Another speech recording test proved that all was working properly so, for a
change, we made it out of London before the traffic got too bad.
Reader Reaction
Gerry: “Since SOS revamped my studio, I have noticed a vast improvement in my vocal
recordings. Paul straight away suggested that I forget about using the under-stair closet room
for recording, as it was simply too small. Setting up the microphone in the control room, with
Auralex foam under the mic stand and more foam above and below the Reflexion filter, resulted
in a much more defined sound, and has greatly improved the quality of my vocal recordings.
One of the main problems was the wooden floor, and putting down a large rug made a
surprisingly big difference. The bass frequencies are now a lot more audible too.
“Thankfully, knowing that I was in rented accommodation, Paul and Hugh managed to mount
the Auralex acoustic foam on the walls without getting me into too much trouble, and I really Gerry Daly.
appreciated this.
“With my previous studio setup, I was able to do all my tracking at home, but I had to bring my Pro Tools sessions into a commercial
recording studio to get them mixed properly. Thanks to the Studio SOS team, I can now mix my songs at home, saving me both time
and money!”
The SOS Guide To Choosing A Modular Synth

Plug & Play Buy PDF
Technique : Synthesis
No longer the preserve of men in laboratories or capes, the modular synth business is
thriving, and it’s now easier to go modular than ever before. Read on and we’ll show you
how...
Jyoti Mishra
M odular synths, eh? Monolithic beasts emitting squeals and stridulations under the hands
of caped sonic crusaders. Seductive, intimidating and surely far too complex for the
average keyboardist? Even though I’ve been playing synths for 26 years, this was my
view of modulars until only a few months ago. Then something happened: I bought one!
In this feature, I’m going to explain how and why I changed my mind about modulars, how I
chose my modular and why you, too, should be going modular. I’ll dispel some prime modular
myths, hopefully making a little space in your heart for my knobular friends.
When I Were A Lad...

Say the word ‘synthesizer’ to most people and they’ll think of a keyboard with a knob-laden
control panel and perhaps some blinking LEDs. Show those same people a modular synth (as I’ve
done recently when demoing my modular to friends) and a look of fear and incredulity appears.
What the hell is it? What are all those wires? It looks like some kind of old telephone exchange!
That’s not a synthesizer!
The irony is that modulars were the first commercial synthesizers. Indeed, they were the only
commercial synthesizers until they were supplanted by portable, internally hardwired models like
the Minimoog. Sadly, this article hasn’t got space to cover the detail of the early days of
synthesis, but there are many books covering this ground. I can recommend Analog Days by
Pinch and Trocco as just one such excellent history.
Skipping all that jazz, we arrive in the 21st century, where the majority of commercially available
synthesizers are digital devices: computers inside keyboards emulating various forms of
synthesis. Whether it’s the humble Micro Korg or the mighty Virus TI, it’s a computer wearing a
beard and quite often pretending to be a classic analogue synthesizer. Then we have the recent
resurgence of non-modular true analogue synthesizers: Moog’s current products, the Alesis A6
Andromeda, Dave Smith’s Prophet 08 and its siblings. Further to the left of this already esoteric
and niche-interest area is the shadowy, here-be-monsters terrain that the mighty modulars stalk...
Modular Whatisizer?
If this is all confusing you, don’t worry, you’re not alone. During the course of my seduction by
modular, I talked to quite a few keyboardists (some quite famous!) who were wary about modular
synths. They kind of knew what modulars were but weren’t going to say, just in case.
The basic point of modular synths is this: you decide everything. The modules are the discrete
parts that you choose and arrange according to your own tastes: filters, oscillators, mixers, ring
modulators, envelopes. This modularity, this flexibility, is very different from non-modular systems.
Say you fire up your conventional, non-modular analogue monosynth. You’ve got two or maybe Just a small part of Lester Barnes’ Fat
Bastard system. This section comprises
three oscillators, probably going into one filter. Then you’ve got maybe one or two envelopes with
Synthesis Technology’s MOTM
which to shape the sound. The flow from sound source (oscillator) to tone control (filter) to modules.
dynamics/articulation (envelopes) is preset. Whatever was installed inside when you bought the
synthesizer, that’s it. You’ll always have the same type and number of oscillators, the same filters
and, even more crucially, you’ll always have the same connections between those components.
Of course, this in itself isn’t a bad thing. The very reason why synthesizers like the Minimoog
exploded onto the music scene is that, unlike their modular ancestors, they were relatively quick
and easy to use, since there were no patch cables. This speed and simplicity saw the non-
modular synthesizer usurping the modular through the late-’70s and ’80s in most pop music. On a
dark stage with an impatient crowd, you probably don’t want to spend 10 minutes fiddling with
cables to get a sound a Pro One could do with a few easy adjustments.
The modular synthesizer trades this immediacy for power. A modular synth can be whatever
you desire it to be, money and space permitting. Do you want three oscillators? Or six? Or 15?
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/goingmodular.htm[02/04/2009 12:14:40]
Two filters? A multi-mode filter? Two low-pass and three high-pass? How about a vocoder or a
theremin? Perhaps you’re a fan of a specific filter on a particular vintage Russian monosynth?
Well, somewhere in the wild world of modular, the chances are that someone will have built a
module that will satisfy your desires.
You configure the system you want, module by module and, in a very real sense, your modular Cwejman Res-4 voltage controlled
resonator in the company’s trademark
synthesizer is never finished. You always have the possibility of adding a different filter, different
grey.
oscillators or perhaps very bizarre individual modules that simply don’t exist in the world of non-
modular analogues.
During the course of my research, I’ve chatted to many modular veterans, and the defining
theme of those conversations is that the fundamental nature of modular synthesis is flux.
Modulars synths are instruments that aren’t fixed in the way most synthesizers are. Their owners
are continuously adding and swapping modules, changing the reach and focus of their system,
depending on their current tastes and goals.
Of course, there is absolutely nothing to stop one buying a modular system and never modifying
it, never making any changes to the sound-creation possibilities. But I haven’t come across a
singular modular owner so far who’s followed this path. Tinkering is the key concept here — a far
more active involvement with the bones of the instrument than in the normal player/keyboard
relationship, which often progresses no further than selecting presets.
It may sound like traditional advertising hyperbole, but I feel I can say truthfully that the world of
modular synthesis is actually only limited by your imagination.
What’s Out There?

Despite modular synthesis being such a niche market, a bewildering array of modular
manufacturers confronts the newbie. Some of them, like Doepfer, Modcan and Synthesizers.com,
manufacture a very broad range of modules, along with all the auxiliary equipment required to
house and power them. This end of the business is the mainstream modular arena, and the
manufacturers can supply anything from an individual component or patch cord up to entire, lunar-
eclipsing systems.
Then there is the more boutique end of the market, inhabited by companies such as Tiptop
Audio, who only launched their first product (the Z5000 voltage-controlled digital effects
Tiptop Audio Z3000 Smart VC
processor) in April 2008. These companies often don’t cover the entire range of modules that the Oscillator.
bigger manufacturers offer, instead preferring to limit themselves to more idiosyncratic and often
quite wonderfully bizarre designs. For example, The Harvestman provide a modular version of the
filter circuit from the Russian Polivoks duophonic synthesizer. They developed their module in
collaboration with the original Polivoks designer, Vladimir Kuzmin. I wasn’t kidding when I said if
you desire some form of sound generation or mangling, there’s probably a module out there that
does it. And if there isn’t now, there probably soon will be!
The next hurdle for the modular newbie to leap is that of format. Modular synthesizers come in
different varieties of module size, patch-lead type and power supply. The three most popular
formats around at the moment are Eurorack, Moog/MOTM/Synthesizers.com and Frac rack. Can
you use modules from one manufacturer in a different system? Well, it isn’t impossible, as this
email from Paul Schreiber of MOTM illustrates: “MOTM is almost the same height as Moog and
Synthesizers.com, but about 3mm shorter. However, I use MOTM modules in Synthesizers.com
wood cabinets all the time. I also sell MOTM-995 Power Adapter that allows a .com supply/case Blacet 2310 Fithy Filtre and 2070 EG1.
to power MOTM modules.”
So it is definitely possible to mix and match, sometimes even within supposedly non-compatible
systems. However, for a beginner, sorting out the different power connectors, voltages and
physical sizes, and perhaps even integrating differing patch-cord types, would be very daunting.
Therefore, it makes sense to work backwards here: if there’s a particular module range you’ve
seen that’s inspired your dive into modular, the best thing would be to find out the format of that
range and then base your first system around that. Remember, if you ever feel limited by your
initial selection, there’s nothing preventing you from buying different-format systems and plonking
them next to each other to build a super-modular, cross-format beast.
Leaving the electronic issues of compatibility to one side, there’s a simple question of personal
preference. Frac rack format and Eurorack both typically use 3.5mm jacks to make their
connections. MOTM and Synthesizers.com use 6.3mm (quarter-inch) jacks, the same as on guitar
leads. Bigger connectors need bigger sockets and consequently more rack space. This leads to
big modules with plenty of space for Ben Grimm-sized hands. These players might find the
smaller Eurorack and Frac-based systems cramped in comparison. Others prefer the smaller
format, as it saves weight and space. This is, of course, totally subjective: how do you feel using
each type of system? Do you find the smaller size of Doepfer gear fiddly and awkward or
appealingly bijou? Have you got the space for that monster Synthesizers.com system you keep
gazing at online?
And then we have the banana connector: a connector that some modular synthesists swear by.
Because Banana plugs can have a socket mounted on the plug itself, it’s possible to stack them,
one on top of the other, thus letting you route one source to multiple destinations or vice versa.
Confusing, isn’t it? Keeping that in mind, here’s a quick survey of some current modular
Metalbox Bi-N-Tic Filter.
manufacturers.
Cwejman
Cwejman manufacture entire modular systems, including a shallower-than-normal rack housing
that shows off their slimline modules. Their modules are highly regarded — as we’ve seen in
numerous SOS reviews — but towards the pricier end of the market.
Format: Eurorack.
Sockets: 3.5mm jack.
Web: www.cwejman.net
Tiptop Audio
Relative newcomers to the modular world, Tiptop are already generating quite a buzz (heh) with
their Z3000 oscillator. They only make two modules at the moment — the Z3000 and the Z5000
digital signal processor — so they can’t provide whole systems. You’d have to mix and match with
A complete Modcan system in its own
compatible gear. rack case.
Format: Eurorack.
Web: www.tiptopaudio.com
Blacet
Blacet have been in the game since 1978, and it shows. They have a mature range of modules,
also available in kit form, which saves a packet if you’re handy with a soldering iron. Because of
their Frac rack format, you can fit a lot of modules in a very small space compared to, say, MOTM
gear. However, if you have giant, sausage-fingered hands this may not be an advantage.
Format: Frac.
Web: www.blacet.com
Synthesis Technology
Synthesis Technology make the MOTM modular synthesizer system. They currently sell 23
modules, and you can construct a whole system with just MOTM gear. They pride themselves on
their “no compromise” manufacturing: sealed pots, Switchcraft jacks, 3.2mm-thick front panels.
This, inevitably, has an effect on pricing, but there are cheaper kit options for the advanced
Cynthia Filterlab.
tinkerer.
Format: MOTM is a format in itself, compatible with Oakley and Modcan B, and can be integrated
with Synthesizer.com gear.
Web: www.synthtech.com
Doepfer
Doepfer manufacture a massive range of modules, cases, sequencers and accessories. Their
modules are reasonably priced and offer the beginner a vast choice, from bread-and-butter
oscillators and filters to theremin and vocoder systems. Of particular interest for the impoverished
beginner is the possibility of buying a Doepfer mini-case and starting off with just a few modules.
Format: Eurorack. A Mattson Mini Modular system.
Sockets: 3.5mm jack. Although it might appear to be really
huge at first, the keyboard at the bottom
Web: www.doepfer.de
should give you an idea of its true scale.
Livewire Electronics Just fairly huge.
At the other end of the spectrum to Doepfer are Livewire, who currently manufacture only five
modules. But what modules! If the idea of a Dalek Modulator or Dual Bissell Generator appeals to
you, look no further.
Format: Eurorack.
Web: www.livewire-synthesizers.com
Metalbox
Metalbox currently make 23 varied modules covering drum synthesis, audio mangling, sequencing
and more. They don’t do basic modules such as VCOs and VCAs. Metalbox’s Michael Ford
recommends mixing their gear with other Frac rack gear, such as Blacet, to build systems.
Format: Frac.
Sockets: 3.5mm (but banana are available as a special order).
Web: www.metalbox.com
Modcan
If you’re after a complete system, it’s definitely worth checking out Modcan. They offer an
extensive range of modules and, crucially for the beginner, pre-assembled cases. They currently
do two ranges of modules, the ‘A’ and the ‘B’. The A-series is Modcan’s own format and
measures 9 x 2.25 inches in size, while the B-series is the same format as Synthesis Technology.
The Harvestman Malgorithm. Moth not
With devices as beautiful as they are powerful, Modcan are modular masters. included.
Format: Own and MOTM.
Sockets: A-series, banana; B-series, 6.3mm.
Web: www.modcan.com
Cynthia
Cyndustries offer most of their modules in Modcan ‘A’ format but, like a lot of modern modular
makers, they’re now offering selected modules, such as their Zeroscillator and Sawtooth
Animator, in practically every format going. This is a great move and I’m sure it will boost sales to
beginners who may only have one base system available.
Format: Mostly Modcan ‘A’/mixed.
Sockets: Banana/mixed.
Web: www.cyndustries.com
Mattson
From modular veterans like Modcan we come to Mattson, who have just started to manufacture Synthesizers.com system. Mmm.
their own Mattson Mini Modular system. Like Wowa Cwejman, George Mattson has a pedigree in Moogy!
the synth world, having developed and produced the Syntar synth. Specifically designed to be
low-cost and tiny (hence the Mini part), it’ll be very interesting to see how Mattson shape up in the
modular market. There’s a lot of power in a small space!
Format: Unique.
Sockets: 3.5mm.
Web: www.mattsonminimodular.com
The Harvestman
These Eurorack-format manufacturers make some wonderfully-named modules, including the
Malgorithm (a voltage-controlled bit-crusher), the Zorlon Cannon (a “voltage-controlled pseudo-
random pulse and pitched noise generator”) and the previously-mentioned Polivoks filter. And
how many other modular makers display ‘Digital Audio Electronics’ proudly on their web page?
Format: Eurorack.
Sockets: 3.5mm.
Web: www.theharvestman.org
Synthesizers.com
Often shortened in the modular community to ‘dotcom’ or ‘.com’ format (which confused the hell
out of me initially!). Roger Arrick of Synthesizers.com makes one of the biggest, most attractive
and certainly most comprehensive modular systems available. In the Moog format, their gear is
unashamedly no-compromise, but they keep prices down by selling direct from their web site.
Format: Moog/proprietary.
Sockets: 6.3mm.
Web: www.synthesizers.com
Curetronic
Manufacturing in the same format as Synthesizers.com, Curetronic manufacture a full range of
modules and power supplies/cases, meaning that you could assemble your own Curetronic-only
system from scratch. Of particular note for synth-heads is the C303 Multi-VCF, which is based on
the Steiner Parker Synthasystem filter.
Format: Moog/ Analogue Systems RS95 VCO.
Synthesizers.com.
Sockets: 6.3mm.
Web: www.curetronic.com
Analogue Systems
British firm Analogue Systems make a full range of modules, from basic oscillators and filters
through to the more esoteric RS370, a ‘polyphonic harmonic generator’ based around additive
synthesis. They can sell you entire systems, and you may have seen Johnny Greenwood of
Radiohead worshipping at the altar of one of their mammoth RS8000 Integrators. If you’re in the
Analogue Solutions drum synth
UK you can get hands-on before you buy. In their words, “we have a purpose-designed building modules.
with demo facilities, office and two stores.”
Format: Eurorack.
Sockets: 3.5mm.
Web: www.analoguesystems.com
Analogue Solutions
The similarly-named Analogue Solutions are also British. They’re perhaps best known for their Concussor system, which specialises in
percussion synthesis. Featuring modules such as the BD88 (TR808-flavour kick), BD99 (TR909-flavour kick) and many others, the
Concussor will let you recreate those classic analogue drum-machine sounds without using up half your modular. But it’s not just drum
synths: Analogue Solutions also manufacture oscillators, filters and sequencer modules, so it’s possible to build a very powerful modular
with their gear.
Format: Eurorack.
Sockets: 3.5mm.
Web: www.analoguesolutions.com
Future Sound Systems
Another British company, FSS will make you any of their five modules in whatever format you
require. And they’re very affordable! Due to the small range, you’ll have to mix and match with
other manufacturers’ gear but, like The Harvestman and Tiptop, they provide modules I’ve not
seen elsewhere. I’m fascinated by the DC1 Decade Counter which, “takes a clock pulse (usually
from a square-wave LFO) and shares the clock to 10 outputs, sequentially counting through
them.” Handy for rhythmic mayhem...
Format: You choose.
Technosaurus system in characteristic
Sockets: You choose. black and blue livery.
Web: www.futuresoundsystems.co.nr
Technosaurus
I was eager to find out about this Swiss company because, as their name implies, they make some monster systems. The System D
features six VCOs, four Octal Subharmonic Oscillators, three VCFs, three Dual ENVs, two Triple Resonators, four LFOs and four VCAs,
and weighs 70kg! One of Technosaurus’s distinguishing design features is the placement of all the jack connections: separate from the
knobby bits. Whether this is tidier or feels counter-intuitive is, of course, down to you, but it is different.
Format: Own.
Web: www.technosaurus.ch
PAiA
If you’re feeling adventurous and are capable of handling a soldering iron, you may want to save
yourself a bit of money by rolling your own modules. In that case, meet US company PAiA. PAiA
(pronounced ‘pie-ya’) have been in the synth business since 1967 and have a long pedigree of
innovation (they made the first programmable drum machine) coupled with affordability. Their
current P9700 Series modular system packs a lot of power into a small space, and at a tasty A selection of PAiA modules.
price. If you can solder Also remember to budget for a UK power supply.
Format: Frac.
Sockets: 3.5mm.
Web: www.paia.com
Plan B
American manufacturers Plan B produce a huge range of modules, all in Eurorack format. As well
as offering their own take on oscillators and filters (the Model 15 VCO being particularly highly
regarded amongst modular heads I talked with), they also provide a lot of more esoteric modules,
such as the Model 26, which apparently includes Boolean gate functions! Gnarly!
Format: Eurorack.
Sockets: 3.5mm. Plan B modules and sequencer.
Web: www.ear-group.net Photo: Robert Pluma
Buchla
Don Buchla is, of course, one of the godfathers of synthesis (sorry). His pioneering work on the 1963 Buchla Music Box kick-started electro-
acoustic music and opened non-academic ears, too. Buchla gear has always tended towards the wild side of synthesis and the current
modular, the 200e, continues that tradition. As Gordon Reid said in his review, “It’s not a modular synthesizer as you would normally use
that expression, nor is it an integrated synth, nor is it semi-normalled in any conventional sense. It’s a hybrid, but not in the same way as
other hybrid analogue/digital synths. Confused? I don’t blame you.” (www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec05/articles/buchla200e.htm).
Format: Proprietary.
Sockets: Banana for CV, 3.5mm for audio.
Web: www.buchla.com
Now I’m Really Confused...

If you’ve made it this far, there’s a chance that you’ve been put off the whole modular synth idea. But don’t be! You don’t have to be a
modular expert to dip your toe in the water, as all the manufacturers and distributors I talked to are supremely helpful, friendly people.
In the course of researching this article, I fired off the same general inquiry to all the firms above and I was very chuffed to get replies from
(nearly) every company within a couple of days. I’m not famous and I didn’t mention that I was writing about modulars for Sound On Sound,
so I don’t think I was receiving a special level of customer care. I think the modular firms genuinely try hard to help newbies like me.
So if you’re worried that you won’t know what goes with what, what fits in where, what power supply works with what modules, remember
Douglas Adams’ words: DON’T PANIC. A few phone calls or emails and you’ll find people only too happy to help you through the whole
process.
Now: let’s move on to how I chose my own modular system!
Size Does Matter

Like most 21st century shoppers, I did my modular research on-line. I lurked in many forums
watching the often ribald exchanges between modular gearhounds, folks far, far more
knowledgeable than me. The forum I found the most helpful and least macho was www.electro-
music.com, so much so that I even de-lurked and asked a lot of modular newbie questions.
I also spent hours scouring manufacturers’ web sites, peering at JPEGs of shiny wonder and
listening to sound clips. To be honest, the sound clips didn’t help much, as every company serves
up an equally impressive array of bleeps, squawks and bloops. Far more useful were the pics of
assembled systems, particularly if there was a human in the shot to give a sense of scale. And
then I realised something: money wasn’t my uppermost concern!
I didn’t have an unlimited budget. But more importantly, I didn’t have unlimited space either.
Some of the Synthesizers.com-sized modular systems I’d been gazing at for hours on-line simply wouldn’t fit into my humble studio space,
even if I could afford them. So, with not a little regret, I crossed the Moog-sized modulars off my list.
So how about one of the Frac rack-based systems? They’re smaller, and there are a few
manufacturers doing them too: Blacet, Metalbox and others. But the longer I spent looking around,
the more I decided that if I went Frac, I’d miss out on some esoteric modules: The Harvestman
and Tiptop in particular. And they were Eurorack!
Looking at Eurorack systems, the biggest manufacturer is Doepfer, so I naturally gravitated
towards them. At the same time, I was asking a lot of questions on net forums about Doepfer and
I was slightly surprised at some of the reactions I got. There seems to be a degree of snobbery in
the modular world against Doepfer, perhaps because they’re so large, perhaps because they
don’t have the indie cachet of the tiny, shed-based companies. However, I also found many
experienced modular users on-line who rated Doepfer highly, particularly for beginners like me. If
I went with a Doepfer-based setup, I could start off with a simple system and then add modules
from The Harvestman, Tiptop, Analogue Systems, Analogue Solutions, Cwejman and Livewire.
Of course, I could have gone for a Eurorack system from Analogue Systems, Cwejman or
Analogue Solutions but, being a nervous beginner, I was very attracted to the massive Doepfer
range. I knew I could assemble an entire modular just from one manufacturer, including a
reasonably priced case. Where I’d go from there, who knows?
Decision Time
I thought that deciding on the base system would be a major milestone in my modular journey. I
was wrong. As soon as I’d decided, I was faced with the next step: which modules for this initial
base system? I went back to my non-modular synths to help work this out. First of all, I’d need:
Some sound sources: oscillators, and perhaps a noise generator, to
synthesize percussive noises. Or, er, wind.
Filters to change the tone of the sources.
Envelopes to shape the sound, in terms of at least amplitude and tone.
Finally, some form of modulation with which to swirl everything about: low
frequency oscillators.
I sketched all this out on a piece of paper, just the skeleton of a very basic system. This was my
old-school way of working out what I needed in terms of a minimal starter system. It appears that
my 2HB and paper has now been rendered obsolete by web sites such as
http://mega.modularplanner.co.uk, where you can drag and drop various modules around to your
heart’s desire. The virtual systems you can assemble via the slick interface would make even
Wendy Carlos drool! There’s a very similar planner on the Doepfer site itself, and that’s where I
went after my initial wobbly sketches.
I spent hour upon hour configuring systems via the Doepfer planner. I went mad and built
systems I couldn’t possibly afford (or house). They were the work of a madman, modular
monsters from the id. Then I got scared and tried to build tiny systems around Doepfer’s smallest
housings. They would have been less powerful and flexible than some of my existing non-
modulars!
In the end, I boiled it down to what I thought was a pretty reasonable system so, trembling, I
emailed EMIS, the UK distributor of Doepfer, to see if I had chosen well. After exchanging a few
emails, I phoned Andy at EMIS, who was so friendly and helpful that he made the whole process
completely painless. I’d gone a little wild with a couple of my choices and lacked some bread-and-
butter modules (multiples!), which would hobble my patchwork. Andy soon set me straight and,
with his guidance, my modular was configured!
My Modular!
Here’s what I chose:
A100 Low Cost Case: I went for two of these wooden cases to house my system as they’re
considerably cheaper than Doepfer’s normal cases. I think they look nicer too.
A107 Multi-type Morphing Filter: This was an expensive module but I was attracted to it because it
features 36 different types of filter in the one module! And it can morph between them. Of course,
functions like morph time and filter selection can be controlled by external sources.
A110 Standard VCO: I went for just two oscillators to start with, planning to maybe add more by
Cwejman or other manufacturers as funds permitted.
A114 Dual Ring Modulator: You really can’t have a modular synth without a ring modulator. How
else are you going to impress your friends with your Dalek impression?
A115 Audio Divider: This module produces up to four sub-octaves from whatever you feed it.
A116 Waveform Processor: Quite a strange module that took me a while to get my head around,
the A116 takes existing waveforms and changes them with clipping and asymmetrical
amplification. All of this shape-changing can be modulated, of course!
A118 Noise/Random: A noise generator plus a random voltage generator, all in the one module,
which is pretty handy.
A102 Diode Low Pass VCF: A filter that uses diodes to produce some very non-linear (i.e cool)
results. Great sounds!
A120 24db VCF (Moog): A very Moogy-sounding filter: basic equipment.
A130 VCA (Linear): A simple amplifier recommended for control voltages (though you don’t have
to use it for that alone).
A131 VCA (Logarithmic): A simple amplifier recommended for audio, although, again, you can
always stick whatever through it and see what happens.
A132 Dual VCA: A small module featuring two simple amps. Not as flexible as the A130 or A131
but very handy.
A134 VC Pan: A voltage-controlled panning module or crossfader, depending how you hook it up.
A135 VC Mixer: A mixer that can handle up to four mono audio inputs. The voltage control means
you can modulate the levels of the inputs in quite bizarre ways.
A143-2 Quad ADSR: I had to get this module: four envelope generators in a very space-saving module. A plus for me is that you can trigger
each envelope individually or simultaneously from one gate.
A143-3 Quad LFO: Can you tell I love cheap, multi-unit modules? Couldn’t resist this one: it
crams four low frequency oscillators into one module.
A148 Dual S&H: This doodad samples what you feed into it and generates a voltage from that. So
if you feed in noise, you get randomness, if you feed in an LFO you can get rising and falling
bloops.
A150 Dual VC Switch: Two switches you can control with external voltage. With each switch, you
could flip between the two inputs using an LFO, or whatever you like.
A160 Clock Divider & A161 Clock Sequencer: These two modules were recommended by Andy
at EMIS, and I’m so glad I followed his suggestion. Basically, using just these two small modules
you can set up rhythmic patterns. I thought I had to invest in one of the more expensive
sequencer modules to do that, but these two modules do the job of providing simple rhythms.
A162 Dual Trigger Delay: Another twofer. Each delay can, er, delay a trigger and even change its
length.
A170 Dual Slew Limiter: Sounds more complex than it is: the classic effect a slew limiter can
produce is portamento. You press two different notes and the module smoothly slides from one to
the other.
A180 & A181 Multiples: These are helper modules. Want to have white noise going to three
VCAs? Or send the same LFO output to more than one VCO? That’s what multiples are for.
A185 Bus Access Module: This module can reduce patch-lead spaghetti because it accesses the
Doepfer bus and can feed one input gate/CV to any other modules on the same bus. So instead
of having separate leads all feeding your oscillators the same pitch, this module can do that
without any leads.
A199 Spring Reverb: I love spring reverbs. I love the way they sound on synths and drum
machines, and that marvellous sproingy noise they make when you hit them. So what could be
better than a modular spring reverb?
The First Steps

The morning my modular arrived, it was like being a kid at Christmas again. I carefully un-boxed
my new baby, took some pics and then just gazed at it for a while. It was so... shiny! So many
knobs and patch sockets. Andy at EMIS had shipped my modular with the modules all installed,
partially so he could test them, and also because it was the most secure way to ship the modules.
So I carried both cases into my studio, connected up the audio outs and patched my first sound:
a very simple VCO going into a low-pass filter. As I turned up the cutoff frequency, the sound of
my oscillator started appearing. It was so exciting!
Next, I hooked up my old Moog Rogue (my first synthesizer) to the modular so that I could
actually play it musically. This was a real blast from the past; I couldn’t remember the last time I’d
used CV/Gate leads. Once I got everything working, I spent a good few hours just creating very
basic synth sounds and getting into the patching.
The surprising part of this period is that I’d expected modular patching to be a cerebral process.
I thought that creating a patch would be a very logical, dispassionate journey, entailing many
stops and starts in order to figure out how to achieve each element. I couldn’t have been more
wrong. That first day and in the months since, I’ve kept returning to my modular, as it is, without
any equivocation, the most fun synth to use I’ve ever owned.
But my first modular steps weren’t all trouble-free. The A107 morphing filter refused to make a
predictable sound no matter how I hooked it up. It buzzed and distorted in a pleasing but
unalterable manner. As a newbie, I thought it must be something I was doing, so I kept tinkering
with it. Finally, I bit the bullet, phoned up Andy at EMIS and he told me to return it and he’d give it
an experienced once-over. Once he’d done this, he confirmed that it wasn’t my inexperience, the
unit was faulty. Within a week, I had a flawless morphing filter that sounded absolutely stunning.
I could have saved myself a lot of time if I’d simply phoned Andy as soon as I had a problem,
but because I’m a modular beginner, I felt embarrassed. The moral is: do not be afraid to ask for
help. Even if you’ve been playing synths for over 25 years, as I have, you can’t be expected to
magically be an expert on modular synthesis. In fact, the longer your experience, the more you
may have to un-learn from years of using permanently configured synths.
Modular Myths
Finally, I want to try to dispel some common misconceptions about Modular Synths.
Modular Myth 1: they’re too geeky — and you have to be a proper synth geek just to use one. I
now believe the opposite. In fact, I would say that if you wanted to learn about synthesis from first
elements in the easiest, most enjoyable way possible, modular synthesis is for you. I would
definitely recommend modulars to absolute synth beginners.
The essence of the modular synth is improvisation and speed. When I’m patching, I’m not even
thinking consciously about what I’m doing. I’m just plugging things in all over the place, listening
to what happens (which is often not what I expected) and then building on that. The sheer joy of
modular systems is that pretty much anything can go into anything. On conventional, non-modular
synths, this is untrue.
Modular Myth 2: they’re too expensive. So many people said this to me when I was researching
which system to buy. My system cost around $4000, which, yes, could be called expensive. But
for that money, I’ve got a powerful true analogue synthesizer that is also capable of extensive
sound processing. The irony is that some virtual analogue synthesizers cost far more than my real
one! They may have the edge in outrageous polyphony, shedloads of effects and patch recall, but
The finished system in action in my
I believe my system has the edge in tone. It sounds wonderful. And the quality of that sound is studio — and with plenty of space left to
inspirational, far more than any VA or soft synth. add more modules in the future...
Modular Myth 3: they’re only for prog-heads. I find this the most bizarre modular myth. Just
because quite a few prog rockers have embraced modular synthesis, I can’t see how that makes
them off-limits to hip-hop, indie or pop artists. But I guess the image of a hippy worshipping at a
modular shrine, LEDs blinking away, is a hard one to shake. Which is a shame, because if you’re
a musician working in any modern electronic musical genre, modular synthesis is for you. The
palette of new sounds, new processing techniques and serendipitous discoveries simply cannot
be matched by non-modular synthesizers.
Go Modular!
If this article makes me sound like I’ve become a modular synthesis evangelist, that’s because I
have. What started as a risky experiment for me has become one of the most enjoyable parts of
my musical life. I can lose hours patching sounds on my little system. And I still have some spare
space for new modules — who knows what capabilities they’ll add?
In a relatively small space, I have an immensely flexible, inspiring audio tool and musical
instrument. If you’re a keyboardist, a synthesist or simply interested in the possibilities of sound generation and processing, there has never
been a better time to go modular! Do it!
Semi-modulars
Just to confuse matters further, there are now very respected semi-modular analogue synths like the Macbeth M5 and Cwejman S1
MkII, both of which have been reviewed in SOS. These are far more patchable than non-modular synths but unlike true modulars, you
can’t swap out or change the basic circuits of the synthesizer. However, the power these synths offer should not be underestimated
simply because they are inherently less configurable.
In a mad, mad corner all of its own, we have the Metasonix S1000 Wretch Machine (reviewed in the July 2008 issue of SOS). It’s
definitely semi-modular and it’s definitely a synthesizer, but this valve-based monster is also definitely not for the faint-hearted and it
perhaps isn’t the synth to go for if you’re a beginner at modulars. Metasonix have also just announced three Eurorack modules at the
January NAMM Show.
I personally would also class Synthetic Music Systems’ MARS and P7 (reviewed in June 2007’s SOS) as semi-modular, but this is far
more arguable, as the units are pretty unique, based on discrete sections each incorporated into a 19-inch rack unit complete with power
supply. However, the flexibility of a true modular in terms of range and possible combinations of modules (particularly from other
manufacturers) isn’t comparable. But, as I said, it’s debatable and plenty of people would class the SMS as a proper modular system.
Modular Madness: The Fat Bastard Modular

If you want an example of what can happen when someone falls totally in love with modular synthesis, meet Lester Barnes’ Fat Bastard.
In Lester’s own words: “In my big system, I wanted a setup that could be as powerful and wide-ranging in sound as possible and be
used in many different ways: thus 50 dedicated VCOs, 24 channels of MIDI-CV, six sequencers, digital modules, many filters, with about
30 different designs, and so on.”
I met Lester on www.electro-music.com, and that was where I first saw the pictures of his awesome modular system. But Barnes isn’t
simply a fetishist for electro gear: he’s a successful working composer, arranger and producer with many TV and advertising credits to
his name. I asked him for any advice he could give me, a total beginner, about modular synthesis and these are his tips:
Don’t expect a modular system to be polyphonic, because it’s not a viable option: they work best doing monophonic lines.
Take time to learn and understand signal flow and about CV/gates and how they work (SOS’s ‘Synth Secrets’ series is your friend!).
Some of the manufacturers differ in the time they take to get your module to you. This can vary from days to years! Ask around.
Finally, I asked him why, as a musician, he valued modular synthesis enough to construct such a gargantuan system. He replied, “It’s a
unique and open-ended way to make complex sounds and process audio with the best-sounding results.” So the next time someone tries
to tell you that modular synthesis is only for prog rockers or electro geeks, point them Lester’s way: www.lesterbarnes.com.
MOTU Volta
The breaking news as I was writing this article was from MOTU. Their new plug-in, Volta, basically turns any compatible audio interface
into a MIDI to CV/Gate converter. You open the plug-in as you would a normal soft synth, send it MIDI notes or CC data and then, by
assigning the relevant outputs on your interface, get handy CV voltages to drive your analogue gear. As a bonus, Volta will also
apparently calibrate your wobbly-pitched gear in a one-button operation. You can also run multiple instances of Volta, and each features
tempo-synced LFOs, pattern and trigger sequencers. If Volta delivers everything it promises, it’s going to make bridging the modern
DAW world and the analogue domain much easier, perhaps encouraging more people to investigate modular synthesis. www.motu.com
CV/Gate & Keyboard Control

Most modular synths are based around CV/Gate. If you want to trigger an envelope, you send it a gate pulse. If you want to get a pitch
out of an oscillator, you send it a control voltage. But you can also send a control voltage to a filter, making the cutoff frequency slide up
and down (basically like turning a tone control up and down). Or maybe you’ll use a gate to step through filters in a Doepfer A107
morphing filter? That’s the beauty of modulars: you decide where you’ll stick your CVs and gates, you decide what they control.
For simply playing a modular, you’ve got three options. First, you could buy a keyboard that sends out CV/Gate, like the Doepfer
A100CGK or Analogue Systems Sorceror. Plug in the leads and you’re set. Or you could buy a MIDI to CV/Gate converter like the
Kenton Pro Solo or Encore Expressionist. That would let you hook up your favourite MIDI controller keyboard to your modular, with the
converter between the two. Finally, you could install a dedicated MIDI to CV/Gate module in your system, such as the Analogue Systems
RS140, and then plug your MIDI keyboard straight into that. I went for the external converter option, as I wanted to save my modular
rack-space for noisemaking!

Pro Tools Notes & Techniques Buy PDF
Technique : Pro Tools Notes
One of the major new features in Pro Tools 8 is a system for easily assembling comp tracks
from multiple takes. We explain how it all works.
Mike Thornton
B ack in April 2005, I described the two main techniques that Pro Tools editors typically use for ‘comping’ a vocal or other track from
multiple takes (www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr05/articles/protoolsnotes.htm). Many changes have happened to Pro Tools in the
meantime, but it’s only with the release of Pro Tools 8 that we have new tools dedicated to this function.
The screenshot above shows how I used to comp up a vocal. I would record a number of takes
and then pull them out onto separate tracks, then route all these tracks to an Aux track so I could
audition them all through the same processing chain. I would then cut and paste the best bits onto
a ‘master’ track to create the finished vocal comp. The other main technique used by many
people is to keep the separate takes as Playlists on a single track, and copy the best bits to a new
Playlist on that track to create a comp. This had some advantages, such as not forcing you to
mute and unmute individual tracks manually, but had the big disadvantage that you could only
see one Playlist at once.
The new comping feature in Pro Tools 8 allows us to combine the best of both techniques,
because you can now display each Playlist on a track in its own separate lane. You will find a
new option in the track display drop-down menu called Playlist . When you select this view, Pro
Tools will display the most recent Playlist on the main track, and the previous takes on ‘sub-
tracks’, or as Digidesign call them, ‘comp lanes’ . (You can see which are comp lanes, as they are
inset on the Edit window.) As before, all Playlists on a track share the same voice, so you can
only listen to one comp lane at a time. The Edit window’s Show/Hide list displays the Playlists on
a track inset below the track itself, so you can show or hide the complete set by selecting the
track, but also show and hide individual comp lanes .
Each comp lane has a solo button that enables you to hear that take (unlike a normal solo Once you have made a selection within
button, this button leaves all the other tracks in the Session playing; you are simply soloing that a Region on a comp lane (left), the
individual take), or you can place your cursor on a track and use the shortcut Shift-S to achieve ‘Copy Selection to Main Playlist’ button
the same thing. (This also works on normal tracks and for recording: Shift-R puts the track with and corresponding shortcut ‘promote’ it
the cursor on into Record Ready mode, Shift-M will mute the track, and with HD rigs Shift-I will put to the master Playlist for that track.
that track into Input Monitor mode.)
The other button that appears on each comp lane is an upward-facing arrow. This is the
‘elevate’ or, to give it its official title, ‘Copy Selection on the Main Playlist’ option, and is at the
core of the new comping feature. Make a selection on a comp lane track, and this button will
become active. If you click it, the selection you made will be ‘elevated’ or ‘promoted’ to the master
Playlist for that track (above) , so you can progressively work your way through your vocal takes
choosing the best bits and elevating them to the main Playlist . You don’t even need to separate
the Regions first — just highlight the section you want to elevate, click the button and up it goes!
Notice how the colour of each of the comp lanes transfers to the main Playlist too, so you can see
where each Region has come from. There is a keyboard shortcut equivalent for the button, which
is Ctrl-Option-V for Mac and Start-Alt-V for Windows. (At the time of writing, this is incorrectly
listed in the Pro Tools Reference Guide as being all three modifiers plus ‘V’.)
As well as the Copy to Main Playlist option, Digidesign have provided two further copy options,
Copy to Alternate Playlist and Copy to New Playlist. These are accessible from the Edit menu,
and unfortunately lack shortcuts, but do enable you to create multiple or alternate comps if you
need to.
Regions comped to the master Playlist
To further help in the comping process, Digidesign have added a new feature that is hidden
retain the colour of their source comp
away in the Preferences. At the bottom of the Record section of the Operations tab there is a new lane so you can see where they came
option called Automatically Create New Playlists When Loop Recording. With this option ticked, from.
Pro Tools automatically creates a new Playlist each time it loops round when loop recording, so
that when you go into the Playlist comping mode, there are all the takes ready to go.
If you have Sessions where you didn’t, or weren’t able to, use the new Playlist creation option,
all is not lost. If there are no Playlists on a track, you’ll see a miniature empty comp lane under the
master track when you select Playlist view. You can drag audio from the Region List into this
small area under the main Playlist and Pro Tools will create a new comp lane for it. Using Ctrl-
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/pt_0409.htm[02/04/2009 12:14:57]
drag (Windows: Start-drag) makes sure each Region from the Region List lines up.
You can comp material that was not
You can resize the comp lanes and the master Playlist together by clicking on the line between originally recorded to Playlists. Where
one of the lanes and dragging it up or down. You can also click on the vertical scale in the normal there are no Playlists on a track, Playlist
place and select from the contextual menu: again, all the comp lanes and the master Playlist will view (top) displays an empty comp lane,
resize together. If you want to resize individual comp lane tracks, you can Ctrl-right-click and to which Regions can be dragged from
choose a new size from the contextual menu. the Region List.
Rate It
When auditioning each segment of each take to determine the best ones, it’s often handy to write
down a rating scheme to try and put some sort of quantitive value on each segment. Pro Tools 8
lets you do this without mucking about with paper and pencils, because Digidesign have
incorporated a rating system — which is, of course, saved with the Session. If you right-click on a
Region and select Rating from the bottom of the contextual menu, you can give it a score of
between one and five ; alternatively, choose Ratings from the Regions menu or use the shortcut
of all three modifier keys plus numbers one through five. (Digidesign haven’t decided for you
whether one or five is the best — you choose!) You can even apply a Rating on the fly during loop
recording using this shortcut, as long as you do it before the take has finished. You can also
display this rating scheme in the Regions by selecting Rating in the Regions submenu in the View
menu .
Once you’ve rated all your takes or Regions, you can choose not to see the duff ones. If you
right-click on the master Playlist track name and then select Filter Lanes, you can then choose
‘Show Only Lanes With’ and ‘Regions Rated >= 1-5’, and select a threshold number such as three
. Pro Tools will now only show comp lanes that contain at least one Region rated three or higher.
(If your rating scheme works the other way round, you can hide lanes rated higher than a
threshold value instead!)
The other filter options, Regions Within The Edit Selection and Regions Outside The Edit
Selection, are very useful if you work separately on different sections of a song. For instance, if
you loop recorded around the first verse until you were happy, then did the same for the chorus,
and so on, you might end up with lots of Playlists, most of which were empty at any given point.
Right-click, choose from a menu or use
These options allow you to see only the comp lanes that have Regions within whichever section a shortcut to apply a rating to a Region.
of the Session is defined by the edit selection.
When You’ve Finished

To hide the comp lanes away again, you can either select another track view option, such as the
Waveform view, or, alternatively, you can Command-Ctrl-click (Mac) or Ctrl-Alt-click (Windows) on
the Playlist Selector button , which toggles the lane display on and off.
All the team at Digidesign HQ have to be congratulated for developing such an excellent new
comping feature — enjoy!
Ratings can be displayed within

Regions.
You can filter what’s visible so that only

Regions rated above your chosen
threshold value are displayed.
Command-Ctrl-clicking (Windows: Ctrl-

Alt-clicking) on the Playlist selector
button toggles the lane display on and
off.
Templates In Pro Tools 8

Template Sessions have been a bit of a fiddle since OS X came along in the Mac world, and
haven’t been a bed of roses in the Windows world either — for more about templates in a pre-
Pro Tools 8 world, take a look at my article in the April 2008 issue
(www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr08/articles/ptworkshop_0408.htm). This is another area that
has been sorted out in Pro Tools 8.
Digidesign have added a Quick Start window that appears when Pro Tools has finished
booting up, and they have also consolidated the templates into a dedicated location inside the
Pro Tools folder in the Digidesign folder in your Applications folder. From the Quick Start
window, Open a Session takes you to the normal OS Open dialogue box, while Open Recent
Session brings up a list of the Sessions you have recently used. When you select Open New
Session, the window changes and offers you the usual settings to create a new Session from The new Quick Start window allows you
scratch. Configure the settings to taste, click on the OK button, and up will come a Session of to create a new Session from a
the desired flavour. template. A variety of factory templates
is supplied.
The other option is Create Session from Template. Digidesign have included a raft of
templates, which the beginner should find helpful as examples of how a Session and mixer can
be constructed, and your own templates can be added to this menu too. Open or create a Session that you want to make into a
template, and when you are happy, select Save as Template from the File menu. You have the option to include media files with a
template Session, which is great if you have standard media elements that you use in your Sessions week in, week out. Once you are
happy, hit the OK button, and the next time you want to create a Session from a template it will be there in the menu.
As I have a good number of template Sessions already created, I wondered if I could simply drop them into the Session Templates
folder. I tried it, but when I opened the appropriate folder in the Quick Start window, nothing was visible. I discovered that Pro Tools 8
templates have a new file extension — ‘.ptt’ instead of ‘.ptf’ — so I took one of my existing templates, and copied it into the template
folder, and changed the file extension to ‘.ptt’. Sure enough, Pro Tools now recognised it in the Quick Start menu and opened it fine,
except that once it had opened, it asked if I wanted to Edit the Stationery or Create New Session, just like Pro Tools used to before Pro
Tools 8. Checking the template folder again, I found that PT8 template files don’t have the Stationery Pad box ticked. So if you change
the file extension and untick the Stationery Pad option, you can copy your existing template Sessions into the Pro Tools Template folder.
This new template option is not only accessible from the Quick Start window: you can also access your templates from the New
Session window. A dialogue box now comes up giving you the option to Create Session from Template or Create Blank Session. If you
don’t want the Quick Start window to appear every time you boot Pro Tools, simply tick the box at the bottom left-hand corner and it
won’t trouble you again unless you go into the Operations tab of Preferences and reverse this — down near the bottom right hand corner
is an option you can tick to get it back.

TV Music From The Inside Buy PDF
Music Business
Your showreel can say a lot about you. And if it’s going to get you work, what it needs to say
is: trust me.
Paul Farrer
H ave you got a showreel? Well, you should have. It is the single most important,
meaningless, terrible, prejudicial, vulgar and helpful part of your promotional toolbox.
Showreels allow prospective clients the opportunity to instantly judge what kind of composer
you are. But what kind are you? What kind would you like to be?
And here’s the problem. What do you include? Do you feature the music that you are,
personally, happiest with? Music that you think your clients will appreciate the most? Music that
shows how versatile you are?
Drama Chameleon “This next reel’s from a guy called

Manson — been out of the music
Years ago I used to have a sort of floating showreel that I could adapt depending on who was
business for a while, but says he’s
asking for it. For example, anyone making a serious drama would probably be put off by the work
worked with the Beach Boys...”
I’d done for light entertainment-type shows. Similarly, anyone looking for music for a daytime chat
show would likely run a mile from a composer who waves his serious historical documentary
credentials around. So, before sending anything out, I’d try to find out as much as I could about their project and tailor a showreel to them.
Prostitutes adopt a similar tactic when they ask what you’d like their name to be.
It worked for a bit, but it does tend to take up quite a bit of time, and it certainly doesn’t score you any points on the versatility scale.
In a TV production office, a group of people usually have to assemble a creative team pretty quickly, and the auditioning process often
extends no further than “Can someone suggest a good graphics company? Who do we know who can direct? Anyone know any
composers?” You can see now why the longer you are in the industry and the more people you work for, the greater the chance that your
name will be put forward.
Or to put it another way — the more you do it, the easier it gets.
Building Trust
TV projects are eye-wateringly expensive things and there are lots of people’s jobs riding on
them. The amount of effort and expense that goes into even cheap rubbish shows would take
your breath away, and there’s little room for error. I’ve had calls in my studio for edits and tweaks
to be made to a track of mine at 9am for a show that was going out live at 11am. So think about
the kind of composer they want you to be. You’ve got to come up with the tunes, for sure, but
what they really want is to be convinced that you will be reliable, dependable, flexible and, above
all, professional in a crisis — the state most productions perpetually hover on the edge of.
So your showreel should be all about getting them to trust you — and the more they see that
other people have trusted you in the past, the easier it is for them to trust you in the future. In
other words, forget what you think about your own music, and fill your showreel with the stuff you
think they might have heard of!
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/articles/notes_0409.htm[02/04/2009 12:15:58]

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