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Archive for the ‘Software’ Category
Tuesday, June 21st, 2011
I’ve been using Gobbler for a couple weeks now. I primarily use it to back up the sample libraries I’m creating.
So far I’m impressed. It’s very simple to use and seems to be fast enough for what I need it for. Gobbler is different from Dropbox or other backup and sharing services, it’s just audio,
I’m very impressed by their support. I asked a few questions on Twitter and they responded immediately. They assured me that unlike Time Machine and other backup software, Gobbler doesn’t get in the way of your DAW. Backups happen in the background but only when your DAW is inactive or if Gobbler is the active window. Smart.
Compatible with most major DAW software and file types
- AVID PRO TOOLS
- APPLE LOGIC
- ABLETON LIVE
- STEINBERG NUENDO
- STEINBERG CUBASE
- PROPELLERHEAD REASON
- PROPELLERHEAD RECORD
- PRESONUS STUDIO ONE
- COCKOS REAPER
- APPLE GARAGEBAND
If you sign up now you get 50GB free. It’s very easy to get an extra 10GB just by using Gobbler. After June 27th the new signups will only get 25GB free (which is still very generous). When the beta program ends you get to keep your 50GB and affordable paid subscriptions for much more space will be available.
Use this link to sign up which will get me more space. http://www.gobbler.com/i/YggCH2
It’s Mac only at the moment but the PC version is coming soon. Sign up now to ensure your 50GB. Give it a try, you will like it.
Posted in File Sharing, Software | 1 Comment »
Friday, June 3rd, 2011
Below you will find a comparison of 7 10 popular brickwall limiters with similar settings. I’m not comparing which gets loudest, I’m comparing which can cleanly take a few dB off the top.
Which one sounds the best or has the least artifacts?
The source is a MIDI pattern played through Steven Slate Drums. 24 bit, 44.1kHz. A different limiter plugin was applied with both threshold and ceiling set to -6.5dBFS. Note that Ozone does not allow a ceiling below -5dBFS.
You can download the files. Images can be enlarged.
(more…)
Posted in Mastering, Plugins, Software, Virtual Effect | 11 Comments »
Wednesday, June 1st, 2011
Quiztones, the awesome ear training web app from quiztones.net, is now available for your idevice.
Created by Dan Comerchero and distributed by Audiofile Engineering, the Quiztones app is a frequency identification ear training app for amateur and professional audio engineers and musicians. Quiztones uses frequency-altered tones, noise and musical loops to train your ears and help develop more acute listening and frequency recognition skills.
Quiztones costs only $2.99. If you work with audio or would like to improve your hearing, check this out!
Quiztones will…
- Sharpen your ears & frequency recognition skills
- Improve your mixing and EQ chops
- Prevent noise buildup in your mixes & recordings
- Eliminate the need to sweep for frequencies
Quiztones cleverly uses quizzes to engage users in training exercises. Quizzes included in version 1:
- Pink Noise
- Drums
- Acoustic Guitar
- Female Vocals
Get the Quiztones App on iTunes
Posted in iPhone, Software | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
Head over to HERE and grab the POD Farm 2.5 trial. The trial version gives you a taste of what POD Farm can do with a great assortment of amps and effects. When you install you get POD Farm you get the standalone version, plugin with everything and POD Farm Elements which is an individual plugin for distortions, amps, reverbs etc. Great for mixing.
Included with Line 6 POD Farm Free
- Guitar Amps
- 1964 Blackface ‘Lux
- Brit J 800
- Power Amp
- Bass Amps
- 1989 Eighties
- 1968 Flip Top
- Cabinets
- 1×12 Blackface ‘Lux
- 4×12 Brit Celest T-75s
- 1×15 Flip Top
- 4×10 Silvercone
- Preamps
- Distortions
- Dynamics
- Compressor
- Noise Gate
- Vetta Comp
- Volume Pedal
- Filters
- Modulations
- Delays
- Analog Delay w/Modulation
- Digital Delay
- Reverbs
- Cavernous
- Standard Spring
- Wahs
As you can see, you get a lot to play with. Additionally, you can insert these effects in any order in the chain as well as multiples of most up to 20 fx. When you buy POD Farm or POD Farm Platinum you get a ton more toys to play with.
Get POD Farm 2.5 Free Version
Formats: Mac/PC, VST, RTAS, AU, Standalone
Posted in Free Plugin Of The Week, Plugins, Software, Virtual Effect | 1 Comment »
Thursday, May 12th, 2011
This week I checked out the latest tutorial from Groove 3, Programming Rock Drums in Pro Tools and I thought I’d write a short review.
Programming Rock Drums in Pro Tools is presented by Travis Brown and runs about two hours, fifteen minutes. This is shorter than many of the other Groove3 titles which run three to six hours, but it is $10 cheaper than the others. Regardless of the length, there is plenty of content in this tutorial.
Travis uses Pro Tools for the tutorial but I wouldn’t say there is anything Pro Tools specific about the lesson, you should be able to apply the info to your DAW of choice. He also uses Steven Slate Drums EX but again any modern virtual drum package can be used in the same way.
This tutorial is aimed at beginners. Travis did an outstanding job of presenting the information in a way that will get beginners up to speed, but without dumbing it down too much for the intermediate viewer. I’ve been programming drums for years and I took a way a trick or three from this video.
Travis came up with a great beat for each section of the song, starting with a basic foundation, then making each part special, then working on humanizing. This is a great strategy that I’m going to adopt as I tend to spend far too long worrying about all the details before I’ve got the big picture and the full song laid out.
Mixing and processing drums is not covered in this tutorial beyond balancing the kit, just FYI.
The only criticism I have is some of the Pro Tools specific things that the average viewer may not notice. One was that he was switching tools all the time. Pencil tool to insert notes, grabber tool to move notes and selector tool to choose where to play from, rather than using the smart tool and modifier keys as necessary. This is just a personal issue for me and for the beginner, using a specific tool for each task is probably the better way to teach, but is really inefficient. The other is that the main ruler was on Samples instead of Bars|Beats so when he switched to slip mode the gridlines changed to samples. He even commented on that. Again, not something terribly important, just a little nitpick.
Groove3 sets and maintains the standard for software video tutorials. This video met the high level of quality I’ve come to expect from Groove3. Worth checking out.
You can get Programming Rock Drums In Pro Tools here: Groove3 The smartest option is the All-Access pass which let’s you watch the entire Groove3 library, hundreds of hours whenever you want.
Posted in Pro Tools, Review, Tutorial, Video | 1 Comment »
Monday, April 18th, 2011
I wrote this article for the latest Revolution Audio newsletter. Check them out if you’re looking for recording gear in Canada.
Vocal Processing And Mixing Tips
Last time I shared some tips for recording great vocals, now lets get them sitting right with the rest of the track.
Cleanup – Before anything, clean up the vocal tracks. Go through and trim the silence around each phrase. Remove any noise, thumps, clicks, pops and gasps. Fade in or out on each edit.
Pitch Correction – Gentle pitch correction with software like Melodyne is a big part in getting that professional sounding vocal we all strive for in our home studio productions. Be careful with this! Doing it right takes time and practice. Over tuned vocals are about as bad as out of tune vocals (you can hear both on American Idol).
EQ – There are no rules and every voice is different but here are some starting points. A high-pass filter (low cut) can be used to clean up the very lows (below 100Hz). 200-600Hz can be gently boosted or cut depending on the voice to add thickness or compensate for proximity. 1kHz-3kHz is usually where the clarity of the vocals is. Above that is brightness, bite, air but look out for sibilance. How much you can boost here depends on the song.
Compression – When it comes to controlling vocal dynamics, using two compressors doing less individually often yields the most transparent result. Use a compressor with fast attack and high ratio (10:1) working just on the peaks, ignoring everything else. The second compressor is set with a 4:1 ratio, a slower attack and release and threshold set so it is always compressing about 2-4dB.
Reverb – Reverb is an effect you’ll want on a separate channel (aux track in Pro Tools, FX Channel in Cubase) rather than having it right on the vocal track. Use a send to add the reverb to the vocals. The reverb time should be related to the tempo of the song, it can really clutter the mix if it’s not. Hall and Plate are the most common types of reverb for vocals. Shaping the reverb sound with EQ is recommended.
Automation – Automating the volume level of the vocals is absolutely essential to getting the vocal to sit right where you want it throughout the song. Automating the reverb send for the vocal will allow you to have just the right amount at any time. You can also automate effects like chorus and delays for the vocals to keep things interesting through the song.
iZotope Nectar – A great all-in-one tool for vocal processing is iZotope Nectar. Eleven effects in one plugin including EQ, Compression, Auto and Manual Pitch Correction, reverb, delay and more.
Posted in Mixing, Plugins, Techniques, Virtual Effect | 1 Comment »
