Posts Tagged ‘mastering’

Plugin Review for the Bedroom Producer

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

Producing your own tunes in your bedroom on a computer has never been so popular, so with that in mind, SoundFreak is bringing you a review of some current plugins to enable you get better results from your set-up.

Most computer music programmes come with a host of powerful synths, effects units and sequencers that enable the bedroom producer to produce professional sounding music using that package alone. But there are lots of additional instruments and effects out there that you can use to build your virtual studio, providing new sources of sound and inspiration. Vintage synthesizers, virtual analogue compressors, glitchy effects units and classic instrument emulators are amongst the many kinds of plugins that you can add to your library. Before purchasing any additional plugins that take your fancy, I would strongly recommend trying their demo versions first. Here are just a few of my current favourites, all of which are available for both Mac and Windows.

Sampletron

“Tron” instruments first appeared on the commercial market in the 1950’s, and peaked with the Melotron 400 in the 1970’s. You will have heard their use on many famous recordings, the most famous example being the opening few bars on the Beatles Strawberry Fields. This is the classic tron flute, which is still being used by many artists today, over a wide range of genres. Tron instruments are rare and in extremely high demand, so will be in the price range of only the most die hard enthusiasts. But now IK Multimedia and Sonic Reality have created the Sampletron, which combines authentic sounds such as Mellotrons, Chamberlins, and Optigans with its powerful SampleTank engine which will allow you to sonically take these instruments into worlds they have not seen.

The Sampletron comes with over 600 presets from 17 rare and vintage Mellotrons providing a superb edition to any music producers library. You can then time stretch, resample, pitch shift and add effects (chorus, flange, phase, distortion), giving you further options on its sound design that simply weren’t possible with the original instruments.

With over 7Gb of samples that go with it, including drum and musical loops, it is possible to create a full tune using this plugin alone. It is a multimbral instrument, meaning that you assign a different MIDI channel on your DAW to each of the 16 channels of the Sampletron. You can then split your keyboard with the different sounds or layer them on top of each other using their intuitive interface.

The authentic sounds it is capable of producing are extremely impressive. You can hear the tape hissing, and even the odd bummed note on some of the instruments, but this is what gives the tron instruments their character. From film scoring, to hip hop and electronica, this plugin is a must for those looking to add some vintage sounds to their productions. The Sampletron can be purchased online for around £164.

Minimonsta

This virtual vintage keyboard is an emulation of the Minimoog (an analogue synthesizer produced between 1971 and 1982), but with a few additional features that make it a much more powerful synth. If you are looking for that classic analogue synth sound, I can’t recommend this plugin enough. Artists such as Herbie Hancock, Air and Bootsy Collins all used the original Minimoog in their music. This plugin does a great job of emulating the warm sound of that classic synth, and the numerous presets that it includes show off the sounds that this is capable of. Here you can select the original Minimoog patches, as well as some great bass, lead and poly sounds. There is even a selection of Rick Wakeman patches for you to choose from, if that’s what you’re after.

It has all the usual features and more that you would find on the Minimoog – 3 oscillators, a filter and mixer section, LFOs, 10 waveforms to choose from, as well as envelopes and a delay function. They are laid out in the same way as the original, making it easy and intuitive to use once you have a basic understanding of analogue synthesis. But G Force have taken this Minimoog emulator even further, giving the user the option to create sounds that were not possible with the original. You can assign a separate LFO and envelope to almost any of its parameters with just a few clicks of a mouse, allowing you to take your sound design a step further. All the settings can be assigned to a MIDI controller giving you complete control over its sound. The Minimoog became a hugely popular synth not only because of the great sounds that it can produce, but also because of its simple layout, which was easy to understand, and it shaped the way future synths have been designed. The Minimonsta has retained this simple and intuitive layout, but thrown in some extra features, making it a beast of a synth, and one that is practically limitless when it comes to virtual analogue sound design. No wonder their creators describe it as a Minimoog emulator on steroids. The Minimonsta by G Force can be purchased for around £100 incl VAT online.

Automaton

Audiodamage have produced a number of effects plugins, which are great for the dance or experimental music producer who is looking to add that glitchy effect to their music. Their Automaton is my particular favourite. This is a tough effects plugin to describe, as it is based on a mathematical construction called cellular automaton, but the result is an effects processor that harnesses a mixture of chaos and predictability into your music. The principle behind this plugin involves a grid of cells that are in one of two states – dead or alive – and which change in population depending on the rules that you apply. These cells evolve in synch to your host DAW, and trigger effects such as stuttering, bitcrushing, modulation and replicating. The result produces effects patterns that form and dissolve, turn to chaos and back to order, and are constantly evolving.

For stuttering, glitchy beats, I have found this a particularly useful effects unit. By simply inserting this plugin to your drum track, and going through some of the presets, you will see what great constantly evolving effects you can get. Although you may enjoy its unpredictability, it is possible to have more control over when the effects are triggered, using its sequencer. What I love about this is its uniqueness, and the way it can be used subtly in triggering an extra hihat for example, or you can take it to the extreme and generate random IDM madness. You can pick up the Automaton for $49 dollars from the Audiodamage website.

PSP Vintage Warmer 2

This is a high quality digital simulation of an analogue style single/multiband compressor/limiter. If you are looking to add warmth to your recordings with the saturation effect you would expect when recording to tape, I would strongly recommend this plugin. It is also great for finalising a mix and mastering your tracks, and is very easy to use. The presets include those for bass, lead guitar, drum kicks and snare, final mixes and also a mastering first aid setting. Just finding the right preset and tweaking it to your liking can add some real punch to your music. I have always been advised that after you have mixed your track, the mastering should then be done by a professional – a fresh set of ears, and someone who is trained to identify problem frequencies and correct them. But not all bedroom producers can afford to do this, and for me, using the mastering preset on this vintage compressor/limiter and making some fine adjustments can do a pretty convincing job.

The Vintage Warmer has all the usual controls you would expect on an analogue compressor – Attack, Release, Knee control, limiter ceiling and multiband frequency controllers – so if you know your way around a compressor, you will be able to achieve your desired sound easily. This is one of those magical plugins that seems to make it all sound better, even on its default setting and is an invaluable edition to your virtual studio. The PSP Vintage Warmer 2 can be bought online for around $149.

There are thousands of other VST and AU instruments available, offering numerous ways to add some spice and inspiration into your music. If you’re tired of using the same instruments with your computer software then its well worth trying out some third party plugins.

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HOW TO… Record

Thursday, April 13th, 2006

Home recording, software, choosing a studio/engineer, find a producer, production deals, choose which tracks, preparing for the studio, in the recording studio, mastering.

When you want to record your music it’s worth considering a few points. Firstly, whether you’re going to record a demo or something good enough to release, remember that you will get much better results if you’ve already performed the material live. Lots of people make the mistake of recording first and then discover that the arrangement can be improved upon after gigging it a few times, or that a song you thought was amazing isn’t working live. Acts often try to record songs before they’ve put the live band together and then find that the musicians they are using live are fine-honing their parts and could have done a better job in the studio.

The next thing you need to consider is whether to go into a proper recording studio or to do some home recording, or indeed, a combination of both. With current computer technology, its possible to get good results at home as long as you have professional standard microphones (shure sm57 and sm58 mics are a good place to start), decent amps and a good mixer (the price of an adequate mixer eg. a soundcraft spirit starts at around £200).

Software like logic, pro-tools and cubase have already become industry standards and are now used in most studios; if you’re going to invest in software to record at home it’s a good idea to get logic or pro-tools as you’ll be able to work on stuff at home that you recorded in a studio and vice versa. If you want to record live drums you probably need to find a recording studio with a ‘live’ room that has good acoustics so you can get some ambient drum sounds. Then if you’re on a tight budget, do the rest of your track laying and mixing at home. The advantage of going to a recording studio is that as well as a live room, they will have a greater selection of professional microphones and some ‘outboard’ gear such as vintage effects units which can help to get more interesting sounds.

When choosing a studio and engineer, word of mouth is the best way to find out whether they’d be the right ones for you. If you don’t know anyone who can recommend a place, most studios and engineers will be able to play you a showreel of material they’ve recorded to give you an idea of what they’re capable of. Cheaper recording studios will charge between £100 and £500 per day which usually includes the services of an engineer. You’ll need a minimum of 2 days to record and mix 2 or 3 songs to a good standard.

If you’re really broke or on a tight budget, look in your area for colleges that teach studio engineering; they will often have a fully equipped studio and students that need bands to practice recording with. You may not get releasable results but you should get a reasonable demo at least.

Another option is to try and find a producer to record your stuff. The difference between a producer and an engineer can be a bit of a grey area; some people call themselves producers when really they are just good engineers, and some engineers are able to make good suggestions for production. The main distinction should be that an engineer is a technician who will enable you to get the sounds you want whereas a producer will have an overall direction and style in mind and may make changes to arrangements and parts of a song. Producers are expensive but if you can find one that likes your stuff, they may be prepared to work for nothing provided they are re-imbursed should their recording make you any money in the future. If you are working with a producer they will probably have a preferred studio where they are familiar with the engineer and equipment. Producers can be instrumental in getting you a record deal; many have established relationships with record companies and can introduce you to an appropriate label.

Some producers, recording studios and management companies offer production deals where they will work with you for free provided that you sign some sort of contract with them, guaranteeing them a share of your future earnings and some rights to your recordings. They can help to promote your band and get your music to the right people BUT be careful and never sign anything without legal advice as this type of deal can sometimes have hidden penalties.

Assuming you’re ready to record, the next thing to do is to choose which tracks will best represent you on a demo, or which songs would be best to release. A general guideline is to attempt to record 2 or 3 songs in one session; 2 should be your catchiest songs which are typical of your style and that go down well live. The 3rd should provide a degree of contrast, eg. a ballad or slower song to show your diversity. Even if you want to record a whole album, it’s best to start with 2 or 3 songs; you’ll learn so much from the first session that you’ll be really on the case next time.

The more time you spend preparing for the studio, the less time, money and patience you’ll waste when you get there. Spend a couple of rehearsals trying different arrangements and working out parts for things like guitar overdubs and vocal harmonies. Take as many different instruments and amps with you to the session as possible so you have lots of flexibility when you’re getting sounds. Take spares of everything with you so you don’t have to waste half your recording time going to a music shop to get stuff during the session. Try and write down all your ideas for a track including how you want the overall sound to be and what parts you want to put on it. Take cd’s of other bands that have sounds you like to the studio for comparison. Write out the lyrics for each track; this will be useful if you need to ‘comp’ the vocal (edit several takes into one rather then do a whole live take). Invite the engineer or producer who is going to be working with you to a rehearsal so they’re familiar with your live sound before they record you.

When you’re actually in the recording studio, allocate your time in advance; for example, if you have 2 days for 3 songs, allow half a day for drums, half for bass and guitars, half for extras and vocals and half for mixing. Stick to this like glue, otherwise you can end up spending a whole day perfecting a guitar solo and run out of time! Most things can be fixed in the mix if you’re using logic or pro-tools and it’s amazing how insignificant a tiny mistake can seem when all the parts are completed. In other words, don’t sacrifice the whole for the sake of a minor detail. If your band is tight enough, try and record bass and drums at the same time so you get a bit of a vibe on the recording. Generally you’ll notice there’s a difference between the take with the vibe and the one that’s technically perfect but has no vibe.

Double-tracking the guitars (where you record the same part twice) can help to make a big sound; double tracking vocals will smooth out the tone and help with tuning imperfections. If you’re a guitar band, try not to load up your song with too many obvious parts that can’t be replicated live so people aren’t disappointed when they see you after hearing the recording. Finally, try and avoid the tendancy to demand ‘more me’ in the mix; listen to the overall sound rather than just your own part or you’ll end up confusing the engineer, fighting with your band and coming away with a bad mix!

If you’re intending to release your recording yourself, you’ll first need to get it mastered. Mastering is basically applying equalisation and compression to the finished stereo mix, to make the overall level equivalent to other released cd’s. It irons out any odd frequencies and make the whole thing sound louder and clearer. Entire studios and engineers are dedicated to the process of mastering and you can spend lots of time and money on it if you’re a perfectionist. However, there is now affordable mastering software available so you can get passable results at the recording studio or at home. If you’re doing the mastering yourself or at the end of a studio session rather than at a designated mastering studio, always use a favourite or appropriate cd as a comparison to check that your eq is well balanced.

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