nwten audio blog

Auto Filter, Audio Effects Rack – Boreta (Glitch Mob +)

2011-04-01T13:08:00.002+11:00

http://blog.dubspot.com/ableton-tutorials-week-8-auto-filter-audio-effects-rack-boreta/

e Minor & A7 Chord Inversion Forum Tips

2011-03-22T17:12:00.002+11:00

http://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/comping-chords-chord-progressions/12915-eminor-a7-chord-inversions.html#post132056

Playing Melodies with Vocal Samples

2011-03-22T10:08:00.000+11:00

In this tutorial, producer/DJ and Dubspot Senior Logic Instructor Matt Shadetek shows you how to manipulate, re-pitch, and process vocal samples using Logic Pro 9’s ESX24 Sampler and Pitch Correction plug-in. Utilizing one of the vocal samples that comes with Logic, Shadetek slices each individual note of the sample, converts them into a sampler instrument. Shadetek delves into the ESX24 Instrument Editor, in order to re-pitch the vocal samples and make them playable across the keyboard. He then utilizes Logic’s Pitch Correction plug-in (similar to Antares Auto-tune), which he uses to refine the pitch of the re-pitched notes. At the end of the tutorial, you should have a strong grasp of how to take a sample and play your own melody with it in Logic’s EXS24 sampler.

http://blog.dubspot.com/logic-pro-video-tutorial-vocal-samples/

Mid-Side EQ

2011-03-22T09:56:00.000+11:00

http://www.anthonyarroyodotcom.com/theabletoncookbook/2010/11/16/free-ableton-tutorial-on-mid-side-eq/

How to Add Interest to Your Chord Progression

2011-03-22T00:04:00.000+11:00

Twice a month we revisit some of our reader favorite posts from throughout the history of Audiotuts+. This tutorial was first published in August 2008.
Sometimes we spend hours, days, even months, struggling to find the perfect chord progression to suit the lyrics we’ve written. And then we find it, only to get bored sick of the same chords being repeated over, and over, and over again.

If you listen to some of the great songwriters, you’ll notice that the chorus progressions, if not all progressions in the song, are constantly being varied in both subtle and obvious ways. This tutorial will take you through a bunch of ways to vary up your chord progressions to retain not only your own interest, but your listeners’ interest as well.

Note: this tutorial contains embedded audio that will not display in a feed reader. Click back to the site to read the tutorial with audio or download the Play Pack at the end of the tut.

Step 1

The first thing to do is get an initial chorus chord progression going. I’ve whipped something up here; nothing too fancy, just a few simple chords, but enough for the purposes of this tutorial. I added some bass and drums just so you don’t fall asleep listening!
This is a standard C – F – C – G progression.

AudioPlayer.embed("audioplayer_1", { soundFile: "http://d3vvl31cy8gagb.cloudfront.net/41_interestingprogressions/1MainProgression.mp3", titles: "Main Progression" });
Main Progression

Step 2

Try an inversion on a repeating chord. In this progression, C major is played twice, so we use a 1^st inversion by switching the order of the notes played from C – E – G to E – G – C. You can hear the added interest in the clip below.

AudioPlayer.embed("audioplayer_2", { soundFile: "http://d3vvl31cy8gagb.cloudfront.net/41_interestingprogressions/2Added1stInversionC.mp3", titles: "1st Inversion" });
1st Inversion

Step 3

Adding a 7^th to one of the chords can add interest. Frequently, musicians add a seventh to the final chord in the progression so that the transition back to the root chord is smoother. In this example, however, I added a 7^th to the second chord, the F.

AudioPlayer.embed("audioplayer_3", { soundFile: "http://d3vvl31cy8gagb.cloudfront.net/41_interestingprogressions/3Adda7th.mp3", titles: "Add a 7th" });
Add a 7th

Step 4

You can extend the chords beyond the intervals within the octave in order to add some higher pitches to the mix. Those intervals that sound terrible when played as a harmony, like the root note and the second, can often sound good when the minor second is lifted by an octave.
I’ve added some ninths; pay attention to the difference between the first C maj chord and the second. Because the second is a 1^st inversion, the extension isn’t so far away from the rest of the chord and sits in better. There’s also an extended note in the F maj.

AudioPlayer.embed("audioplayer_4", { soundFile: "http://d3vvl31cy8gagb.cloudfront.net/41_interestingprogressions/4ExtendingChordsBeyondtheOctave.mp3", titles: "Extending Chords" });
Extending Chords

Step 5

Altering the bass note can add some interest. When you’re using keys, it can be the bass note of the chord on the piano itself along with the bass guitar, though in guitar-driven music it tends to be just the bass guitar.
In this example I’m going to use both. You can hear it on the G maj at the end of the progression where I’ve used the major 3^rd, a B, as the bass note.

AudioPlayer.embed("audioplayer_5", { soundFile: "http://d3vvl31cy8gagb.cloudfront.net/41_interestingprogressions/5ShiftBassNote.mp3", titles: "Shift Bass Note" });
Shift Bass Note

Step 6

Use a pad to fill out the progression, in this case, strings, since this allows you to build on the notes in the chord progression without adding even more to the piano, which is getting crowded. The root notes of the piano chords are really only used in the bassy bottom notes of the triads, so we can counter-act this emphasis this by using thirds on bottom and the root on top in the strings to fill out the higher frequencies.
However, because the second C maj is an inversion, the root note is actually on top, so I’ve used the root note on bottom with a third on top in the violin arrangement.
When I say “bottom” I’m talking about duplicates around C3 and C4 and the “top” is around C5, so we’re really focusing on the higher pitches that have largely been neglected until now.

AudioPlayer.embed("audioplayer_6", { soundFile: "http://d3vvl31cy8gagb.cloudfront.net/41_interestingprogressions/6PadtheTopEnd.mp3", titles: "Pad the Top End" });
Pad the Top End

Step 7

A fairly common method of shaking up a repetitive chord progression is to throw in a suspended chord. A suspended chord is one where the third has been lowered to a major second, or pushed up to a perfect fourth.
In our example, I’ve suspended the thirds in our G chord to become perfect fourths.

AudioPlayer.embed("audioplayer_7", { soundFile: "http://d3vvl31cy8gagb.cloudfront.net/41_interestingprogressions/7SuspendaThird.mp3", titles: "Suspend a Chord" });
Suspend a Chord

Step 8

What I hope you’ve noticed is that the example file is now sounding pretty busy and over-the-top. The trick to making a chord progression interesting is to use a couple of these tricks here and there and changing them up each time the progression repeats. If you make the same adjustments the whole way through the progression each time it plays, not only does it sound terribly busy, it’s just as boring because these tricks work by creating variations.
Always remember that these tricks are to be used only to add interest, not to become the foundation of the chord progression.
I’ll leave you with the before and after: our plain, vanilla progression that we started with, followed by the combination of our modifications.

AudioPlayer.embed("audioplayer_8", { soundFile: "http://d3vvl31cy8gagb.cloudfront.net/41_interestingprogressions/8BeforeAfter.mp3", titles: "Before and After" });
Before and After

Download the Play Pack for this tutorial (11.5MB)
Contents

WAV Example Audio
Printable PDF tutorial

SOURCE: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/audiotuts/~3/F5VAyxxRfz8/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

10 ways to make your lead guitar tone cut through the mix

2011-03-21T20:14:00.002+11:00

Make your solos heard live with these top tips

http://www.musicradar.com/tuition/guitars/10-sure-fire-ways-to-make-your-lead-guitar-tone-cut-through-the-mix-389164?cpn=RSS&source=MRTUIT

Ableton Mid-Side EQ

2011-03-21T12:58:00.002+11:00

This is a technique that will allow you to add punch and clarity to your mixes without paying for someone to master them for you. The way that this is done is by separating the middle of the stereo signal from the sides and EQing them separately so that you take advantage of the whole stereo range. While nothing can take the place of professional mastering, it is nice to be able to play your tracks out without worrying if they are going to get clobbered next to a professionally mastered track.

Quotes

Q. Do you use this always on your tracks?

A. Yup! Unless, of course, I am going for a more muddy sound (sometimes I do that for effect).

Q. surprised you advocate using Ableton’s equalizers to BOOST signals at the mastering levels… most mastering engineers would tell you that that you should always CUT content at the eq level, and then boost the track gain to make up for lost volume. this is a good way–especially on computers–of avoiding that “digital harshness” that has everyone running for analog equipment.

A. That is a great question! Here is my (somewhat half-brained) logic:

1) I’m trying to give people a way to do everything, literally everything, “In the box.” I would love to get every single clip I play out mastered by some NY bigshot masterer (word?) but the way that my workflow works doesn’t permit this. I am assuming others have a similar problem.

2) Whatever algorithm Ableton uses to raise gain is going to be the same throughout the program, I think, so it won’t matter if it is done in the EQ or by a Utility, or whatever.

3) When we talk about analog warmth, aren’t we really talking about distortion being added at certain frequency ranges? Different pieces of analog gear distort the sound at different frequency ranges, giving them a certain “color.” If this is the case, I would rather add the distortion by myself at some point.
Of course, everything I know about engineering I learned by messing a million things up, so I could be wrong.

SOURCE: http://www.anthonyarroyodotcom.com/theabletoncookbook/2010/11/16/free-ableton-tutorial-on-mid-side-eq/

Audio Metering Introduction

2011-03-21T12:35:00.000+11:00

A while ago James commented on the podcast and asked for a segment explaining some of the metering tools we have available in DAWs. If you follow the podcast you may have already heard this info.
Before we get into the DAW let’s briefly go over the way analog equipment is calibrated.

VU
Mic preamps, converters, hardware effect processors are all designed to work optimally at 0 VU. They can usually handle more than that before distorting, but 0 VU is where the signal to noise is best. VU stands for Volume Unit and is the oldest analog metering system. VU meters are relatively slow moving with at 300ms response time. This slow response of a VU meter better represents an averaged volume level close to how our hears work. 0VU is equal to +4dBu or professional line level.

dBu
The dBu scale measures the analog voltage level in our equipment with 0dBu calibrated to about 0.775 Volts. The u in dBu stands for ‘unloaded’ which means that the voltage is measured with a zero resistance load. Again, 0VU or +4dBu is the ideal constant voltage of all your analog components in the recording and monitoring chain.
Here’s an example chain – microphone, mic preamp, compressor, audio interface line input, Analog to digital converter, recording software.
The microphone signal gets boosted up to line level by the preamp. Line level goes into and out of the compressor into the audio interface. The analog to digital converter assigns bits representing the voltage coming in and sends the data to your DAW.

Digital Meters
Once it’s in your DAW the level you see will not be 0 on your track meters, it will actually be closer to -18dBfs depending on the calibration. This may seem like a really low level but this is actually the optimal level that all the analog components that come before it.
Once you build up your song with several other tracks, you’ll be happy you have that extra headroom and lower noisefloor.

0VU = +4dBu = -18dBFS

This is the only thing you need to remember

dBFS

The dBFS meters show Decibels relative to full scale. Instantaneous digital levels below the 0dBFS absolute peak. When 3 consecutive samples pass 0 the clip light will come on.

dB RMS
Now what’s left is RMS metering. Some DAWs have this in addition to Peak metering on the master. Similar to how VU meters work, RMS meters show an average level. The RMS value relates to how loud a sound is perceived.

These days all music is mastered to peak just below 0dBFS, the unwritten standard is -0.3, but the song with the higher RMS level will appear to be louder.

There isn’t a widespread calibration standard for RMS metering so you’ll have to compare values from a few references to what you’re working on.

I recommend everyone get the free TT Dynamics Range meter. This is an extra large Peak and RMS meter in all plugin formats. I put this meter on my master right away and keep it open so I can always keep an eye on levels as I build the mix.

If you’re interested in this stuff, dig into this site for much more detail.

SOURCE: http://audiogeekzine.com/2011/02/audio-metering-introduction/#comment-1404

5 Tips for a Great Acoustic Guitar Recording

2011-03-21T12:32:00.002+11:00

Here are 5 tips for getting great acoustic guitar recordings in your home studio.

1 – Guitar Selection: Every brand and style of guitar has a different sound. Yamaha or Martin, a full size Dreadnought or a smaller Parlor style. They all sound different, your favorite or most expensive guitar may not be the best for every situation. Having a few choices available will help you get a lot closer to the sound that’s right for any song.

2 – Tuning and New strings: It’s very simple but often overlooked. Before an important recording session, put new strings on your guitar. Before every take make sure it’s perfectly tuned. If you use a capo remember to compensate with your tuning.

3 – Listening: Instead of just putting the mic where you think it will sound good, actually get up and walk around and listen to the tonal changes in each part of the guitar. When you find a favorite spot, put your mic there. This is a great starting point for a mono (single mic) recording as well as a good warm-up for your ears. If the song calls for a stereo acoustic guitar part, you still need to find the sweet spot for the mics. How high or low, close or far, you don’t know until you take the time to listen.

4 – Mic Choices and Position: In the studio it is unlikely you will prefer the sound of a dynamic mic on acoustic guitar compared to a condenser, but if you’ve never heard it, by all means try it, try all your mics. Large diaphragm condensers and small diaphragm condensers are the most common choices for acoustic guitar recording. Again, listen to the differences between mics and where you place them. The closer the mic is to the instrument the more ‘Proximity Effect’ (an exaggerated low frequency boost in the mic) there will be. Avoid using mics that might exaggerate lows, mids or highs in an already too dark, middy or bright guitar. Pick a mic that complements or balances the sound, dark mic on a too bright guitar for example.

5 – Processing: After you’ve done your best capturing the guitar right, you still may need to do some work to get it playing nice with all the instruments. In the mix you’ll usually need a bit of processing to make room for other instruments, control dynamics, among other things. Generally you need to: cut the very low frequencies, shape the mids to make room for vocals, compress a few dB to even out the performance and add a little reverb to give it space.

SOURCE: http://audiogeekzine.com/2011/02/5-tips-for-a-great-acoustic-guitar-recording/

5 tips for recording great Electric Guitars with amps

2011-03-21T12:31:00.000+11:00

Recording guitars can either be a lot of fun, or a lot of frustration. Here are a few tips for recording electric guitars in your home studio.

1 – Guitar and amp selection – All guitars sound different. A telecaster will never sound like a Les Paul, no amount of processing will change that. So if you need the sound of a Les Paul for this recording, your best bet is to have one available. There are some amps that do well in many recording situations but forcing your amp to sound like something it’s not will just lead to frustration. Both a Fender Twin and Vox AC30 sound great for clean tones, but they are drastically different sounds. Using the same guitar and amp for every part of every song gets kinda boring, have a few options available and choose what’s best in that situation.

2- Consider the room – Don’t underestimate the impact the room has on amps. Generally speaking, you want the amp well away from walls and up off the floor a little. If a small amp doesn’t sound big enough, try putting it in a corner to get more bass. A carpet in front of the amp will help keep reflections from getting into the mic.
3- Tuning, new strings and intonation – I mentioned this in the article about Acoustic Guitars, and it is just as important for Electrics. A properly set up guitar with new strings will allow you to play optimally with every note in tune. A guitar should be set up each season as humidity and temperature can really have an impact. Check the intonation whenever you change strings.

4- Mic selection and position – For electric guitar amps the two most often used mic types are dynamic and large diaphragm condenser. The dynamic mic will shape the sound somewhat and the condenser will be more true to the source, not always what you want (too much fizz?). Distance, angle and position across the speaker greatly affect what the mic picks up. Take the time to experiment and get it right, don’t just put the mic where it looks like it should be or the place that worked last time, always listen. Adding a second mic is another challenge but can be very interesting.

5- Double track – Record a double of each rhythm part. A double is the same part performed as closely as possible to the original. Every strum and chug in unison. The original is panned left, the double to the right. When recording doubled guitars you can dial the gain back a bit for each. You can leave the guitar, pickup, amp and mic selection the same, or change it up a little, not too much.

SOURCE: http://audiogeekzine.com/2011/03/5-tips-for-recording-great-electric-guitars-with-amps/

How to Process and Improve Home Recorded Vocals

2011-03-21T01:14:00.002+11:00

http://audio.tutsplus.com/tutorials/mixing-mastering/powerful-vocal-processing-for-the-home-recording-musician/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+audiotuts+%28Audiotuts%2B%29

6 Different Frequencies and How to Spot Them

2011-03-21T00:38:00.000+11:00

Frequency 1 – Thickness/Muddiness
The low mids, around 200 Hz are a good area to check for any unwanted muddiness or boominess in your mixes.

Frequency 2 – Boxiness
If you are struggling with boxiness then the frequency area around 3–600 Hz should be your hunting ground.

Frequency 3 – The Cheap Sound
The mids around 800 Hz have this characteristic that makes the acoustic guitar sound a little cheap.

Frequency 4 – Nasal Sound
Nasally or tinny sound can be a product of too much of 1–1.2 kHz.

Frequency 5 – Presence
Whether you need to put some make-up on a dull vocal or bring out the bite on the electric guitar, 5 kHz just really makes it all shine.

Frequency 6 – Air
14 kHz or so onward can be used to subtly brightening things up that aren’t necessarily dull but might need a little….well, air, to make them stand out.

FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://audio.tutsplus.com/tutorials/mixing-mastering/6-different-frequencies-and-how-to-spot-them/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+audiotuts+%28Audiotuts%2B%29

Connecting A Verse to a Chorus, and Back Again

2011-01-26T14:24:00.000+11:00

The way we describe the successful relationship between verse and chorus in songwriting is to say that a good verse “begs for” a chorus. In other words, it’s not enough to simply work out a nice verse melody and follow it with a nice chorus melody. Melodies, on their own, can be beautiful, but you might be unintentionally avoiding a crucial part of successful writing: song energy (i.e., momentum). So how do you end a verse in such a way that it makes the chorus sound like the next logical step?

The trick is to use an open cadence. A cadence, in music, is the end of a musical phrase. A closed cadence is one that sounds final, by which we usually mean that we use the tonic chord as a final harmony. Here’s a progression that ends in a closed cadence:

C F Am F Dm G C

The problem with closed cadences is that musical energy usually dissipates. Closed cadences have a sense of finality, of causing the forward motion of the song to slow up.
The best way to end a verse is to end it with an open cadence. An open cadence uses a chord that feels that it needs more.

Specifically in the case of songwriting, you want a verse to end with a chord other than the tonic chord. Since most choruses begin with a tonic chord, ending the verse with something other than that tonic makes the start of the chorus sound necessary.

And that’s exactly the effect you should be looking for.

Here’s an example of a progression that ends on an open cadence:

C F Am F

You can use the same technique at the end of your chorus. Ending the chorus on a IV-chord or V-chord makes the first chord of the verse sound welcome, and so open cadences are a great way to seamlessly connect verses to choruses, and then back again.

A few examples of this are currently topping the Billboard Hot 100. Avril Levigne’s “What the Hell” uses the IV-chord as a connector from verse to chorus and again from chorus back to verse.
Pink uses that same IV-chord connector in “Raise Your Glass”, and “Hey Baby (Drop it to the Floor)” by Pitbull featuring T-Pain uses the dominant (V) chord as the link.

What you’ll notice is that since most songs tend to use similar verse and chorus progressions, they’ll also tend to use the same connecting harmony to get from verse to chorus, and then back again.
So remember that creating great melodies is no guarantee that you’ll have people sticking with them. One melody needs to end in such a way that people feel they must hear the next one. And one of the best ways to do that is to end your melodies with open cadences.

SOURCE: http://garyewer.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/connecting-a-verse-to-a-chorus-and-back-again/

25 Websites That Will Make You A Better Songwriter

2011-01-26T13:49:00.002+11:00

http://servethesong.net/25-websites-that-will-make-you-a-better-songwriter/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+servethesong+%28Serve+The+Song%29

How to Build Tracks So That Instruments Relate to Each Other

2011-01-08T12:55:00.000+11:00

Great tutorial from my favorite Audio Tutorial website:

http://audio.tutsplus.com/tutorials/production/how-to-build-tracks-so-that-instruments-relate-to-each-other/

Tips on How to Keep Organized in Ableton Live

2011-01-05T16:44:00.000+11:00

I like this site, steps 4 & 5 are simple ideas but when are more beneficial than they seem. People like familiarity ;)

Step 1: The More Returns the Better

When you open up Ableton Live you will be give a blank canvas to start off with. The first thing you should do is create returns for the individual instruments you will be using.
Like I said in my last tip, doing this will help keep your CPU down and will help with experimenting with different effects. The return you use for the drums you could route to be used for the bass and you might come up with something unusual but something very interesting.

Step 2: Keep Things Simple

Over the years I have produced I’ve recorded up to 30 channels in one arrangement and that I find is a bit much if you want to perform your tracks within Ableton. If you want to just press play and let the song play like a DJ that’s fine, but if you want to be able to trigger each clip then keeping things simple is the best thing you could do. I’ve now got a template where I have only five channels, with each one layered within the channels. I find it a hell of a lot easier to perform with five channels as opposed to 30 channels.

Step 3: Layering and Arranging your Key Zones

When you’ve got your instruments layered with your favorite instruments, mess around with your key zones to find the best key range for each instrument. For my bass part I have three different bass instruments within a channel layered, and assigned each instrument a key range. You have to spend the time finding the right instruments, which sound good for the high, mid, and low octaves. Also layer the instruments within the key zone so you can have many different layers for your sound.

Step 4: Make a Folder for Your “Go To” Instruments

I’m guilty of not doing this, but I’ve changed my ways and started to save every instrument I create. This is important so you can have a distinctive sound in your music. If you don’t save your instruments you forget how you got that sound and each track you make will sound different and you won’t have a flowing album.

Step 5: Keep a Designated Drum Rack

At the start of your template I feel having a designated drum rack to be very important. It keeps every track sounding similar and the listener will feel more grounded when listening to your album. Every artist has a sound that they call they’re own and it should be no different to you. I have a drum rack which has all my drum sounds that I want within it, so I can have a distinct sound with my drums and a sound everyone will remember as being me.
So there we go everyone, some quick tips on how to stay more organized when writing and performing your tracks. I hope you enjoy reading it and get inspired and have more fun writing your tracks.
The most important thing I’ve learned is to keep organization and creativity apart because it can interrupt your writing process. So take care and I look forward to writing another quick tip page for you.

Note Pitch vs Frequency Chart

2011-01-01T22:16:00.002+11:00

http://home.zipworld.com.au/~wyse/awedomain/freq.html

Mid-Side EQ in Ableton

2010-12-29T22:21:00.000+11:00

For a good Ableton Mid-Side EQ tutorial search for "The Ableton Cookbook" in iTunes or click on the link below. I like this guy. Nice website too

http://www.anthonyarroyodotcom.com/theabletoncookbook/2010/11/16/free-ableton-tutorial-on-mid-side-eq/

More Autotune Tips...

2010-08-24T12:59:00.000+10:00

The Auto-Tune Vocal Effect - What it is. How it's done.This month's Newsletter is going to be a bit different, as we're going to focus on one main subject, the Auto-Tune Vocal Effect (i.e., the Cher/T-Pain-style effect).

Unless you happened to stop listening to any pop music back in '97 (and if so, check out the YouTube links at the end of this article), you are no doubt aware that in addition to its adoption as the worldwide standard in professional pitch correction, Auto-Tune has also gained renown as the tool of choice for what has become one of the signature vocal sounds of our time.
First heard on Cher’s 1998 mega-hit “Believe,” variations of the Auto-Tune Vocal Effect have gone on to appear on songs from a huge variety of artists. Most recently, its use by T-Pain (and many others in the pop, R&B and hip-hop communities) has rekindled intense interest in it. Since there seems to be a lot of mythology about how it’s accomplished, we thought the time was right to provide the official Antares version. So, here it is.
What is it?
Quite simply, the Auto-Tune Vocal Effect is what is technically known as “pitch quantization.” That is, instead of allowing all of the small variations in pitch and the gradual transitions between notes that are a normal part of singing (and speaking, for that matter), the Auto-Tune Vocal Effect limits each note to its exact target pitch, stripping out any variation, as well as forcing instantaneous transitions between notes.
How to do it
There are basically two key elements to producing the Auto-Tune Vocal Effect:

Retune Speed = 0

Pick the right scale

That’s pretty much it. Really.
There are, however, some possible variations in approach, depending mainly on whether you want to use Automatic Mode or Graphical Mode. Here're the details:
Automatic Mode

As we already mentioned, start by setting Retune Speed to 0.
Set the Key and Scale to the key and scale of your track. (If you don't know the key of your track, trial-and-error works pretty well. Start by setting Major or Minor and then just trying one Key after another until one sounds good.)
Play your track. If you like the result, you’re done.
If you’re not happy with the result, try one or more of the following:
- Edit the scale notes. Depending on the specific vocal line, adding or removing scale notes can give you distinctly different effects.
- Try a different key and/or scale.
- Try the chromatic scale (although our experience is that if you’re going for the classic effect, chromatic rarely provides it).
- Try a Retune Speed of 1 or 2 or a bit slower. This will allow slight pitch variations and slightly less instant note transitions, but may result in the right effect for a particular performance.
Don’t forget your host’s Bypass function. Limiting the Auto-Tune Vocal Effect just to specific phrases can provide sonic contrast in your song.

Graphical Mode

Start by setting the Graphical Mode's Retune Speed to 0.
Switch to Auto Mode and select any Chromatic Scale (the Key doesn't matter).
Return to Graphical Mode and track your audio.
Select the Line Tool and click the Snap To Note button (if it's not already on).
Draw individual lines for each note you want to appear in the melody. To ensure instantaneous transitions between notes, be sure that each line butts up against its neighbors. (You could also draw the entire melody as one interconnected line object, but using one line per note makes subsequent editing a lot easier.)
Play your track. If you like the result, you’re done.
If you’re not happy with the result, simply select the Arrow Tool and experiment with changing the pitch or length of individual lines. The beauty of using Lines in Graphical Mode is that you can literally sculpt any melodic contour to get exactly the effect you desire.

Either way, have fun!
As promised back at the start of this article, here are links to a variety of artists using the Auto-Tune Vocal Effect:

Cher - Believe (the one that started it all)
T-Pain - Bartender
Akon - I Can't Wait
Snoop Dogg - Sexual Seduction
Lil Wayne - Lollipop
Akon Calls T-Pain
Introduction to Voice Thing! on YouTube
For those of you who haven't yet checked out Voice Thing!, we've created a brief overview of what it's about (and what it sounds like).
Check it out here.

Thanks for reading!

- The Whole Antares Crew.

[SOURCE: Antares: http://forum.producersedgemagazine.com/Topic762-7-1.aspx]

The Classic Rhodes Effect

2010-06-02T01:23:00.000+10:00

The piano's clean tone is what you hear on many essential Fender Rhodes recordings, but definitely not all of them. Like an electric guitar, the Rhodes sounds even better with the right amp and effects.

http://www.fenderrhodes.com/history/effects.php

How to Mix the Bass Guitar

2010-05-17T23:11:00.000+10:00

The Basix

http://audio.tutsplus.com/tutorials/mixing-mastering/how-to-mix-the-bass-guitar-%E2%80%93-basix/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+audiotuts+%28AUDIOTUTS%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Synth Noise Effects (FX)

2010-05-17T23:08:00.002+10:00

Very nice.. Needs Logic

http://audio.tutsplus.com/tutorials/production/essential-synthesis-part-1-synth-noise-effects/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+audiotuts+%28AUDIOTUTS%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

How to Record Bass Guitar in your Home Studio

2010-05-09T17:45:00.000+10:00

In this second video in the series entitled, “How to record Bass Guitar in your Home Studio”, Mykie C goes over the best way to setup your own studio in order to get the most out of recording your bass guitar. The video’s content starts at the 00:15 mark after a short intro music and title series. The video itself is aimed primarily at those creating their own home studio and discusses a lot of the pros and cons of the choices that we all make when assembling our studio. The video is put together well and is direct and to the point.

http://proaudio.ytreview.com/

6 Tips For More Efficient MIDI Note Editing

2010-05-08T22:06:00.000+10:00

Double Click To Draw And Erase Notes

A few people overlook this one (including myself for awhile). In Live’s MIDI Editor instead of entering “Draw Mode”, double click to draw in notes in a desired area. Double click the note to erase it.

Hold Shift+Up Or Down Arrow To Change Octaves

While your note(s) are selected, hold down the shift button and press the up or down arrow key will automatically shift an octave up (up arrow) or down (down arrow).

Use Ctrl+1 And Ctrl+2 For Grid Changes

If you’re set to a fixed grid, Ctrl+1 can shrink your Grid Snap all the way to the point of it being turned off. Live has the unbelievable ability to shrink the grid all the way to 16,384 notes per measure!

Change Velocity By Holding Alt

Change the velocity of notes quickly by holding Alt while clicking on the note and either drag up or down with your mouse. This is a great way to quickly add a human feel to programmed MIDI notes.

Quick Change To Triplet Mode With Ctrl+3

Great for changing your grid quickly back and forth between triplet and and standard grids. I like to program drums in fixed 1/16 or 1/8 grid mode, and mess with triplet options for some pretty interesting rhythmic patterns.

[SOURCE: http://abletonlife.com/6-tips-for-more-efficient-midi-note-editing]

Rock School Vol 3 - Part 2 of 8 - Funk Guitar & Bass

2010-05-08T19:06:00.000+10:00

This whole series is great. There is no better

Home Recording Essentials (Video)

2010-03-20T15:54:00.000+11:00

Robbie Buchanan
Robbie Buchanan is a producer, arranger, and pianist. He has recorded on dozens of albums with artist such as Bette Midler, Cher, Neil Diamond and Whitney Houston.

http://www.artistshousemusic.org/videos/home+recording+essentials

What Makes a Good Arranger and Producer (Video)

2010-03-20T15:48:00.002+11:00

IR Library (Impulse Response)

2010-03-14T19:59:00.001+11:00

http://irlibrary.org/

Impulse Responses and Convolution

An Impulse Response (IR) is an audio recording used to recreate the acoustic characteristics of a specific environment or filter. Recording a gunshot or a balloon pop provides a good approximation of a space's impulse response. More accurate measurement techniques use swept sine waves or other specially encoded signals to minimize unwanted noise.

Whether depicting a real space (such as a church with lots of echo), or a specific piece of audio gear (such as a classic tape machine), an impulse response allows one to digitally apply the sound captured by the IR.

Convolution

Convolution is the process of applying the audio characteristics of an impulse response to another audio signal. The impulse response is 'convolved' with an incoming signal, say a vocal or guitar track, creating the effect of playing the unprocessed audio in the same environment in which the impulse response was recorded. For a precise mathematical definition, see Convolution - from Wolfram MathWorld.

Impulse Tips

2010-03-14T01:24:00.002+11:00

Generally you can use everything, all these amp sims, just like you setup a chain with hardware stuff (real amps, real stompboxes, real cabinets etc). For example, if I'm drunk, I can set up a chain with these plug ins: TSS (tubescreamer plug in)-----> ATmetal (only the amp is on, everything else is switched off)------>Guitar Rig 2 (I have only the cab simulation on....O M G)------>Revalver III (only delay and compressor).

If you wanna use impulses you don't have to use Revalver to load them. There are many plug ins, some are free others are not, that use impulses. I use Voxengo Pristine Space (it's fucking great because you can use two or more impulses simultaneously, like using two or more different cabinets in parallel connection=good metal tone). There are others too, Kefir, Voxengo Boogex, I don't remember others.

So you put Amplitube first in the chain (the amp is on the Cab is OFF), then you load any plug in that supports impulse use after Amplitube. If you only have Revalver, put it after Ampiltube and just load the RIR module. Hit the input and output "learn" buttons to adjust your input output volume.

SOURCE: http://www.guitarampmodeling.com/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=2452&start=25#p20604

Revolverb - loads impulse responses also

2010-03-14T01:04:00.000+11:00

http://revolverb.hostrocket.com/

RedStateSound RevolVerb Lite is a real time, convolution based reverberator, designed to operate at sampling rates ranging from 44.1 to 192kHz . The plug-in (VST for PC) provides fast algorithm to implement true convolution operations (without combo filter, hybrid optimization that would affect output quality).

keFIR - loadas impulse responses

2010-03-14T00:53:00.000+11:00

http://habib.webhost.pl/vst_keFIR.php

"keFIR" is a VST, zero latency, FIR filter based on impulse responses loaded from wave files

What is an Impulse Response?

2010-03-14T00:49:00.000+11:00

http://www.guitarampmodeling.com/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=2452

Booty's Basic Funk Formula

2010-02-24T21:54:00.002+11:00

Simple as this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHE6hZU72A4&feature=player_embedded

How Music Works (4 part series)

2010-02-22T12:19:00.001+11:00

UK's Channel 4 brings us this fascinating doco: "How Music Works"

Part 1: Melody
http://repka.tv/video/36536/

Part 2: Rhythm
http://repka.tv/video/36537/

Part 3: Harmony
http://repka.tv/video/36538/

Part 4: Bass
http://repka.tv/video/36539/

SOURCE: http://www.soundpunk.com/index.php?topic=2379.0

How to use Autotune

2010-02-13T21:10:00.001+11:00

Find out what key the singing is in, set the retune to fast, turn the tracking all the way down to relaxed. Important things to remember are: Finding out what key the song is in is very important. You must choose the correct scale and select if its major or minor in the main window of the plugin. Once you do all of this you're done. If you set a setting wrong u will be able to tell quickly

And the infamous T-Pain effect...

T-Pain Vocal Effect on Antares Autotune

Key - C
Scale - Major

Retune - 0
Tracking - 75

Rate - 0.1
Variation - 0
Onset Delay - 0
Onset Rate - 0
Pitch - 0
Amplitude - 30
Formant - 100

[SOURCE: http://www.futureproducers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=217277]

Why delay is good for you (and how to set delay times)

2010-02-11T15:09:00.000+11:00

We have so many exotic plug-ins these days that the simpler ones tend to get ignored. And you can't get much simpler than delay. Take a signal, delay it in time, lower it in level, and add it back to the original. Suddenly everything is just that little bit more sparkly.

You can even feed the delay back into itself and get a repeating, decaying echo. In the 'good old days' of audio this was sometimes called spin echo.

In those 'good old days', delay was created using a spare stereo tape recorder, often a Revox A77 or B77. You can record and play back at the same time, but there is a delay created by the distance between the record and playback heads. You could get as many different delay times as the tape recorder had speeds, often just two.

Or if the tape recorder had a variable speed facility, you could get a wider range, which was simply set by ear.

Delay times these days can be set by ear, but you won't be able to resist looking at the milliseconds display. Or you can often just tap the tempo. Both methods are good.

Or you can, if you wish, calculate the delay time. Here's how to do it...

First start with the magic number, 60,000.

Next, divide the tempo of the song in beats per minute into 60,000. So if the song runs at 120 BPM, the result will be 500.

So you can set a delay time of 500 milliseconds, and the delays will correspond exactly to whole beats.
But often this doesn't sound too good as the delay gets confused with the original signal. But if you divide 500 by 2, or 3 or 4, or maybe even 5, you will get a range of delay times that will give interesting effects that are related to the tempo. Dividing by three for example will give you 167 milliseconds, which will give you a delay that is in triplets.

Or multiply 167 (Actually 166.6666 recurring) by two to give 333 ms and you will have yet another tempo-related delay.

But where does the magic number of 60,000 come from?

The answer is simply that it is the number of milliseconds in a second (1000) multiplied by the number of seconds in a minute (60).

Of course, you don't have to set delay times like this, but it is an experiment that every musician/engineer should try out at least once in their career.

[SOURCE: http://www.recordproducer.com/?a=17]

How to remove Vocals in Ableton

2010-01-13T13:29:00.000+11:00

There are two ways, 1st is to use the 'Utility Instrument' using the preset 'difference', the second is to use 'EQ8's' preset 'centre kill'. The results are different, so use them seperately or both together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QilcEDRtRU

Thanks to innerstatejt for youtubing this!

10 Things You Should Know About Recording Vocals For Beginners

2009-12-27T20:42:00.001+11:00

Everyone is doing their own demos these days. I personally think this is one of the greatest things to happen to record making, the one problem I have is that often can barely understand or listen to the vocals recorded on many GarageBand or cheaply done demos. After the jump I will give you ten quick pointers that you may have missed that can help your vocals greatly, making it easier for all of us to listen to your demo.

1. Less Bass, Not More Treble - A general rule that everyone can follow for any voice of any type is that before you add any treble make sure that you have taken away all the bass that you don't need in the mix. When the vocal starts to sound to thin than you have gone too far. Only after you have gotten rid of all of the bass that you do not need should you even consider turning up the treble on your vocal.
2. If You Recorded With A Cheap Condenser, You Probably Don't Need To Add Treble - We have all heard demos with ear biting treble on the vocal. The fact is most cheap condenser mics are designed with a HUGE treble boost. Just like I advised above, get rid of all of the bass first and be extremely cautious adding any treble if you used a Condenser priced under $500, since most of them have a great amount of high end hype.
3. Turn The Reverb Decay Down - One of the biggest annoyances in demos that I get is a reverb that is so long it sounds like you recorded it in a cathedral. Most reverb programs have a decay knob, play with it a bit. Always go with shorter than longer when making a mix decision, we will all thank you for this later.
4. Turn The Reverb Down As Low As You Can Take It - I know in some indie rock circles everyone is falling in love with reverb but unless you are cranking up the verb as an aesthetic, err on the side of having it to loud rather than too loud.
5. Unless You Are Going For The T-Pain Sound Use Auto-Tune In Graphical Mode - I have news for you, it takes about an hour or two of reading or watching YouTubes to learn how to use AutoTune decently. If you want your vocals to not sound like every hip-hop song on the radio today, please switch to graphical mode and take one hour to learn how to use it.
6. Pop Filters Aren't Always Enough - Even when you buy some of the super expensive pop filters out there it does not mean that all your pop will be cured. Vocalists can still pop P's and kill our ears when we listen to your demo. If you turn down the bass on the vocal and have already applied a HPF to the vocal and you are still hearing a huge P, please punch it in.
7. Keep Your Mic Pre Gain Low - Unless you are going for a distorted gritty sound don't aim to get the waveform and level high. Keep it as low as possible and adjust it later with compression and fader volume. This will keep your vocal clear and from picking up lots of noise in your room.
8. Reverb Isn't The Only Effect - Try slapback delays, and quiet delays for giving your vocal some ambiance. As well reverb settings with really short decay times (150-350 ms) can do a great deal for keeping a vocal dry and up front without it sounding dry and cold.
9. If You Can't Hit The Notes Program A MIDI Track To Sing Along To - Keep in mind demos are often practice to get good at singing in the studio. If you are having trouble hitting notes, singing along to a keyboard playing their melody can do worlds of good for your pitch and intonation. It only takes a few minutes to play your melody in and have a great pitch reference.
10. When Tweaking The Mix Keep In Mind That You May Need To Tweak The Other Instruments To Make The Vocal Work - I probably spend most of my time mixing getting the other instruments out of the way of the vocal. Keep in mind the sound of the vocal is very much determined by what is eating it up in the mix. If you are having trouble with your vocal sound try EQing and changing levels on other instruments.

[SOURCE: http://musformation.com/2009/12/10-things-you-should-know-about-recording-vocals-for-beginners.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+musformation%2FEquX+%28Musformation%29&utm_content=Google+Reader]

28 Ableton Live tricks you didn't (might not!...) know

2009-12-27T20:34:00.000+11:00

Some of these are good: Winner is "Ctrl&L to set loop markers"

http://www.musicradar.com/tuition/tech/28-ableton-live-tricks-you-didnt-know-229245

How to avoid over-compressing your mix (Dynamic Range Meter)

2009-12-13T21:14:00.001+11:00

Knowing how loud is too loud has always been difficult - but now, everything has been made far easier.

http://productionadvice.co.uk/how-to-avoid-over-compressing-your-mix/

TouchOSC, iPhone , Puredata, Ableton

2009-12-07T10:43:00.000+11:00

TouchOSC is an iPhone / iPod Touch application that lets you send and receive Open Sound Control messages over a Wi-Fi network using the UDP protocol.

TouchOSC Website: http://hexler.net/software/touchosc

How to: http://www.gadgetcracker.com/2009/06/how-to-iphone-touchosc-pure-data-ableton-live/

My problem resolved: http://www.gadgetcracker.com/2009/06/how-to-iphone-touchosc-pure-data-ableton-live/

MIDIoverLAN CP

2009-12-04T08:17:00.001+11:00

Ever wished you could flow MIDI streams over the local network without torturous setups of MIDI interfaces and cables? Want to get a fast MIDI connection between different applications in your computer?

Receive/transmit MIDI events from/to remote computers via local network
Synchronize sequencers or play MIDI over local network
Run your favorite softsynths on dedicated computer
Combine the best of all MIDI programs

http://www.musiclab.com/products/rpl_info.htm

No-brainer version of the XILS 3 for $20

2009-12-02T18:42:00.001+11:00

The XILS 3 is an exciting new matrix style virtual modular synthesizer.

" XILS 3 is a terrific synthesizer that sound gorgeous and is great fun to program " Computer music

The Music software market is changing and so is our pricing : to be in tune with the changing times, XILS 3 is now 139Eu, or about $199 USD

XILS-lab in association with audiomidi.com releases a no-brainer version of the XILS 3 at a very attractive price of $20 (available only at the audiomidi.com shop from December the first)

http://www.xils-lab.com/

Open Sound Control

2009-12-02T17:50:00.001+11:00

http://opensoundcontrol.org/

Open Sound Control (OSC) is a protocol for communication among computers, sound synthesizers, and other multimedia devices that is optimized for modern networking technology. Bringing the benefits of modern networking technology to the world of electronic musical instruments, OSC's advantages include interoperability, accuracy, flexibility, and enhanced organization and documentation.

There are dozens of implementations of OSC, including real-time sound and media processing environments, web interactivity tools, software synthesizers, a large variety programming languages, and hardware devices for sensor measurement. OSC has achieved wide use in fields including computer-based new interfaces for musical expression, wide-area and local-area networked distributed music systems, inter-process communication, and even within a single application.

Wieland Samolak Wisdom

2009-12-01T10:18:00.001+11:00

I really like what Wieland said here. I'm assuming that Monolake (Robert Henk) was inspired by this thinking:

When I was a teenager I used to sit on an empty field listening for hours to the sounds of distant cars, railroads, helicopters, and other motorized objects. These sounds, which are very rough and noisy when they are near, attracted me from the distance because they had merged and diffused into a continuum when they reached my ears.

By this experience it came to my mind that it is more satisfying for me to listen to continuous changes within one sound than to the combinations of discreet sonic events usually found in music.

Remembering that a few years ago I began to search for possibilites to create continuous sonic situations with controlled dramatic development that cannot be expressed in traditional terms of melody, harmony, and sound color. The five pieces collected on this compact disc are my first results.

http://monolake.de/releases/ir-01.html

Learn Live From Robert Henke (a.k.a Monolake)

2009-11-30T09:52:00.000+11:00

This video, via Tom Cosm, is of Robert Henke, aka Monolake, giving a workshop in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Topics covered include:

Ableton Live
Monodeck 2 in depth
Ableton / Cycling 74 Partnership
Surround Sound in Ableton
Explanation of the Monolake Live Setup

Get professional feedback on your recordings and mixes - for free

2009-11-30T07:42:00.004+11:00

Just send an email to free@productionadvice.co.uk and I’ll send you details of how to send me something you’re working on. I’ll take a listen and email you back with my instant reaction to your mix - the single most important thing I think you could do to improve it.

http://productionadvice.co.uk/free-trial/

10 freeLive Packs

2009-11-27T23:34:00.000+11:00

http://www.ableton.com/able10-artist-packs

10 simple but useful Ableton Live tips #1

2009-11-27T23:26:00.002+11:00

10 simple Ableton tips from Tom Cosm:

Resetting a parameter to its default value
Moving everything in the piano roll up or down an octave.
Drawing lines freehand with the pencil tool
Changing the grid size intro triplets, or off completely using key commands.
Moving just a few notes in the piano roll, select them by holding down Shift and clicking.
Playing back the audio exactly where you last stopped it.
Duplicating a loop AND it’s automation.
Consolidate chopped loops into a neatly timed loop.
Zooming everything out to 100%
Using the virtual keyboard to trigger samples in the drum rack.

http://www.cosm.co.nz/index.php/Blog/10-simple-but-useful-ableton-live-tips-1.html

W1 Limiter VST (George Yohng's)

2009-11-27T14:38:00.005+11:00

W1 Limiter is a clone of Waves L1, with identical output.

If you are unsure which release time to set, consider using the default release time. Different engineers recommend different values, the default value is chosen reasonably to provide a smooth limiting for most typical usage of the limiter.

http://www.yohng.com/w1limit.html

Sound Localization with the Haas Effect

2009-11-25T08:26:00.000+11:00

http://nickstutorials.com/archives/496

To replicate the Haas Effect: "You could simply add a few millisecond delay to one copy through your DAW, or you could put a stereo delay on a mono sound and change the delay time of only one side by a few milliseconds. The effect should be identical"

Tim Exile Vocal Acrobatics

2009-11-24T13:17:00.000+11:00

Tim Exile is pretty amazing and is a perfect view for a bit of inspiration http://productionadvice.co.uk/tim-exile/

[SOURCE: http://productionadvice.co.uk]

Processing Vocals

2009-11-19T12:16:00.000+11:00

Here's a great 6 part article from Home Studio Corner on Processing Vocals

Podcast List

2009-11-16T10:01:00.000+11:00

Here’s a roundup of the good recording and music production podcasts that I listen to regularly:

The Home Recording Show – A great weekly podcast. OK so I’m a bit biased on this one, I co-host the show, but it really is good. Hosted by 3 independent recording engineers covering wide range of topics for home and professional recordists.
Sessions With Slau - I love this one. “Slau takes you behind the scenes at BeSharp, a recording studio in New York City. Listen to excerpts from sessions, gear reviews and equipment shootouts.”
Ronan’s Recording Show – A video podcast with Ronan Chris Murphy. “Recording and Pro Audio: Behind the Scenes Interviews, Recording Studio Tours and Music Production Tips. Hosted by Producer Ronan Chris Murphy”

Inside Home Recording – Podcasting since 2005, IHR is the longest running series on home and project studio recording. Hosted by Dave Chick and Derek K. Miller.

Project Studio Network – PSN was one of my favorites monthly podcast, they post very infrequently these days but when they do it’s one of the best there is. Sessions With Slau started off as an occasional feature on PSN.
EM Cast – This podcast is produced by Electronic Musician magazine and features interviews with some big names in the recording industry.
Shure Cast – Produced to promote Shure Microphones but there is also a lot of great info in each episode.

Free Flux Bitter Sweet II

2009-11-16T09:46:00.003+11:00

Flux Bitter Sweet has been updated to version 2 (1.2.0.18). Bitter Sweet is a free dynamics processor to manage audio transients. Turning the central button on the sweet side, decreases the transients amplitude. On the bitter side, the transients amplitude is magnified. Bitter Sweet also features a control for the signal to be processed. When the main position is engaged, the process affects the stereo signal. If Center is engaged, only the M signal of the internal MS matrix is processed. If stereo is selected, only the S signal from the MS matrix is processed.

Free Analog Code Attacker!

2009-11-16T09:38:00.000+11:00

HURRY UP! http://www.spl.info/software/download/attacker4free.php

Free VST Time! (Variety of Sound)

2009-11-16T09:30:00.001+11:00

‘epicVerb’ digital reverberation simulator is very nice sounding free reverb

for more freebies go to: http://varietyofsound.wordpress.com/downloads/

Re-201 Space Echo?

2009-11-06T07:36:00.008+11:00

GS-201 Tape Echo

In 1973, Roland created the Space Echo system. Utilizing multiple play heads to create warm, highly adjustable echo effects, the Roland RE-201 Space Echo can simultaneously add wonderful tape character and/or chaos to performances and recordings. The Space Echo can be heard on numerous recordings, from 70's space rock like Pink Floyd and David Bowie, countless Reggae and Dub albums, to more recent bands like Portishead and Radiohead.

Try this: http://www.genuinesoundware.com/?a=showproduct&b=26#dl

Production Tips and Techniques

2009-11-02T09:40:00.001+11:00

Cool artice on general production tips by Pandown @ Soundpunk.com

http://www.soundpunk.com/index.php?topic=1188.0

Massive Tutorial 001

2009-11-02T09:31:00.003+11:00

Nice Massive tutorial by Spazmatron @ soundpunk.com

http://www.soundpunk.com/index.php?topic=893.0

Tutorial - Unlink and Conquer

2009-10-18T23:05:00.005+11:00

This workshop demo video is about using Live’s unique clip unlinked envelopes and Ableton’s effects to easily create elaborated sequenced sounds as well as a “how to” create a bass, a tuned bass drum, a clap and hi hats.

http://vimeo.com/5962875

By Ableton guru Gustavo Bravetti

Compress Reverb Tail

2009-10-18T14:18:00.002+11:00

To compress the reverb put a compressor on the FX returns or the reverb returns. Now compress the reverb, but trigger the compressor with the lead, vocal or whatever you put reverb on.

You can put the reverb fairly loud in the mix. When the lead plays, the reverb is at its "normal" level. As soon as the lead stops playing (or dies out) the tail of the reverb doesn't get compressed anymore as the compression fades out, so is now louder.

This a way to get very lush reverb tails without drowning the lead when it's playing. Fine tune the attack/release times and you can also create some cool effects too. While tweaking listen to how the reverb tail comes in louder each time the lead stops playing. It creates a pumping effect. But don't overuse it!