Pro Tools 10- My thoughts.

First let me preface this by saying that although I have made the rounds through many recording programs, I have always had my hand in Pro Tools in one form or another clear back to Sound Designer days. I even remember Masterlist CD! So, I’m not really a new comer when it come to dealing with Pro Tools, it was just never my first choice to work with. Now all that has changed.

I believe that Avid really has change their attitude toward the Pro Tools customers. They’re listening and implementing many features requested by users and are working on a lot more. They’ve freed Pro Tools from being locked to Avid hardware. They now offer all features across both HD and standard programs. Many more changes done all within a little over a year, and now we have Pro Tools 10 that has added a new mix engine and even more features plus, preparing us for 11 and that will be a true game changer.

I admit I was pretty much turned off by Pro Tools because they were dumbing down the trade…I mean they were selling gear in Toys R Us for crying out loud. But that has changed as well. It looks to me like Avid is refocusing on the Professional Studio market again instead of toy stores.

With all of the changes Avid has taken Pro Tools through within the last 15 months, I’ve now completely gone Avid in all my Pro Audio work and use Pro Tools now almost exclusively.

So with all that being said, here are some of my thoughts on Pro Tools 10.

CLIP GAIN.

There are a lot of people saying Pro Tools clip gain is amazing followed quickly by others stating that DAWs have had it for years. Samplitude, Nuendo, Reaper are just a few that have already implemented Clip Gain in one form or another.

What makes Pro Tools clip gain amazing is that Avid never just copies a feature, they take it to another level. Other DAWs gain the whole clip, in Pro Tools you can draw whatever type of gain you want meaning the gain can change up down all around within the clip. Then if you like, you can actually convert it to automation. Pretty cool stuff.

AVID CHANNEL STRIP

When I heard that Avid had purchased Euphonix, I new that good things were in store and not just in the realm of Eucon control either.

The first of what I hope to be many integrations of Euphonix technology is the Avid channel strip, based on the Euphonix S5.

The channel strip in is well worth the update price for that alone. It's very musical and a breeze to use. Love that there is a polarity reverse on it as well as gain. The compression not only sounds nice and smooth, but it's the first GUI that's actually made sense visually to me. The EQ is musical without being bitey on the highs. It's nice that you can also arrange the modules of the plugin to pretty much any arrangement you want. I know it's Euphonix technology, but Avid did a great job porting it into a plugin. This is my new go to, unless I'm looking for something very colored. With the new channel strip, I feel like I have something better than any SSL emulation out there.

These are just a couple thoughts, I’ll have more. But I want to end by saying that with all these changes, Avid has really boosted my confidence in their product and I’m looking forward to what’s coming next.

Summer so far....

 This summer I've kept pretty busy. I finished my course at Berklee music with an A- in mixing. I am volunteering at my local AES as the event committee chairman, if you haven't become involved in your local AES chapter I encourage you to do so. Most importantly I have formed an alliance with a couple of friends a recording co-op of sorts. One friend has space but no gear, I have gear but no space and the other friend is a producer. We are bringing our strengths together and a combined total of over 50 years of experience to create for our clients the best possible product their money can buy.
 The vision of this recording co-op is to help not only each other but the artist achieve more than we can individually and to provide a better product than a bedroom recording. The idea behind it is to form partnerships with individuals that have a talent or equipment that they are willing to rent out....yes we will get paid, it is not a charity organization.
 Let's say I have a project that I need to record drums, I go to the co-op and find a good drum recording room and book the time, then I may need drum mics, so I go back and find a co-op member that has drum mics that suite my needs. I bring my gear and record the drums, client is happy...we get paid.
 I believe that for these times, this is a better way for guys like me to operate, it draws on the strengths of others and instead of needing to go out and buy a bunch a cheap mics I may never need again, I can rent them from other members of the co-op and concentrate on buying gear that suites my strengths. We don't share clients, just resources, knowledge and strengths.
 I know this kind of thing already exists in free form, you find a client, you book the studio and you rent what you need but I think having a pool a resources to draw from that doesn't cost a whole lot so we can be value oriented to our clients. In other words, co-op members won't charge each other an arm and a leg for services but will still make money.
  The whole plan is still in it's infancy and I welcome ideas, If you are interested in being a part, let me know.

Best kept secret?

 I started my career behind a large MCI console with a 2" 24 track tape machine and a few racks of out board gear. Now, I have a DAW, a control surface and too many plugins. Don't worry, this is not going to be yet another analog versus digital debate. Sometimes though, I can't help wonder how well I would be able to mix on that old MCI today with all of the limitations compared to using a modern DAW. I also wonder how well my mixes would sound now on the MCI/tape combo with all the knowledge and experience I've gained since my time using them, but.... would the limitations of the work flow, VCA automation only, out board gear limits, input limits all hinder the creative flow?
 Engineers then had preferred consoles much like they have preferred DAW systems. The sound of the console had a lot to do with it, but so did the work flow.  Mixing truly is a right brained experience and removing stuff that gets us out of that mode is a huge plus to creating a creative mixing environment.  Back in the MCI days, if I wanted to try something creative that stretched the limits of the console, I had to disengage from the mix, figure out how to do it...patch it in....figure out why it wasn't working....fix it...try again..back to mixing. Having to jump in and out of the creative flow could not have been good for the continuity of a mix.
 Could this be one of the best kept secrets of the uber-successful mix engineers? Entrench yourself into a studio so the environment never changes, hire a second to do all the non-musical thinking and stay engaged in the mix without distractions.
 I believe that the less we have to use the left side of the brain the better. I've even switched DAWs before because I felt one had me thinking about how to use it too much thus hindering the creative flow. Now, I've even gotten to the point where I turn off the computer monitor when I mix. For me it does make a difference., the less distractions the better.Some engineers even prefer the room to be completely dark when mixing.
 I know that when I have a chance to ask a successful engineers questions about their work, they are usually about gear and techniques. Next time I have that chance again my questions will be about workflow, the best kept secret.
 As for the old MCI...it would be nice to visit, but I like where I am now.

Religion, Politics and Plug ins.

Just this week a major developer of plug ins announced another line that instead of enhancing our craft of mixing, dumbs it down. First there was the plug in that will ride the fader for you when you get tired. Now, it’s a series of one control to mix certain specific problems in a mix in case you get tired of tweaking.
I spoke out against the company because I felt that the direction they are heading takes away from the craft. It used to mean something to be an audio engineer. Study, practice and application, failures and discoveries. Now, all Billy has to do is download some software and just like instant pudding…*Poof* he’s a recording engineer.
I don’t really care about the fact that he’s recording his buddy’s band for twenty bucks. I wouldn’t want to work with that any way. What I do care about is how the perception of a craft that I spent and continue to spend a lifetime learning is being so marketed and stripped down to the point that there is no art in it anymore.
Where is the joy of discovery? Where is the development of your own skills. That doesn’t happen with one shot fix all software. I used spend hours working on drum sounds, and now the clients are very happy that I did that because I’ve developed a skill to get great drum sounds.
I’m not trying to discourage bedroom musicians from recording and producing their stuff, on the contrary I think we could really use an infusion of great indie music. I’m not even trying to discourage people from using quick fix plug ins. What I am trying to discourage is engineers becoming lazy and relying on quick fix single shot plug ins to develop their sound. The field is over saturated with people who want to mix the next Grammy winning album.You won’t get there from here. It’s going to take education on how real processing works, education on proper recording techniques (they can most certainly be done at home) and most of all experience. Serious clients pay for experience. They can get the tools anywhere but it is your EXPERIENCE that makes you unique! Develop your skills and apply them and you will get far!
 It was interesting to me the reaction I received after my rant. I some church tech people send me nasty DM’s on Twitter, but I had nothing but support from the pro audio community working in studios every day. It’s all in perspective, like I said.
They say never mix religion and politics, but I’ve learned never to mix religion and plug ins too.

Thinking out of the box

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There is an old saying, “what comes around goes around” that I’ve heard applied to many things. Fashion, cars, whatever you can think of has a trend and then disappears for a while, then comes back sometimes in better form, sometimes not.

I’m noticing a lot of software manufacturers releasing plugins that emulate and model vintage gear. These plugins go for a premium price because of the gear that the tend to try and copy. But I’ve been noticing a quiet revolution of sorts….

While the market trend is to buy these software emulations the prices on some of the real hardware is coming down below the cost of the software. For example, the Lexicon LXP plugin bundle sells for $399. You can buy a real LXP for around $150. Now, I know that there are advantages to using plugins like being able to load as many as you want, I get that. But there are advantages to hardware as well….like the sound! There are ways around the limits of hardware within in DAW as well.

There are new manufacturers that are creating NEW world class hardware now for the same cost or less than a premium plugin would cost. For example, FMR makers of the “Really Nice Compressor” and Overstayer Recording Equipment makers of the “Overstayer” compressor which is being heralded on line as the next classic to rival the 1176. Both sell way under what some of the software packages do.

Both have advantages and disadvantages that you have to weigh to figure out what works best for you. Hardware requires maintenance, software doesn’t. Software requires a license key or number, hardware does not. Those are just two small examples.

Choose what works best for you, but I invite you to think out of the box! It’s a whole new world outside.

Free tools worth having

Usually I shy away from free plugins. Most are not coded well, some just don’t work right and almost all have no support. But recently I found two gems that I must pass onto you. I just used these both on a session and am very happy with the results I got.
The first is from my friend “Leftover Lasagne”. It’s a Pultec type EQ called “Pushtec”.

If you don’t already have a Pultec type EQ, I want to encourage you to snap this up! It sounds beautiful, works well and for me, really helped the mix come to life. This is a rare free plugin that could do very well commercially. I used it on everything from drums to vocals to mix bus and it made a better difference each and every time. From adding punch, to just enough crispness to help a vocal cut through. Using this EQ, you can really shape your tones by using the “push” to boost, and then using the “pull” to cut and really sculpt the sound. The frequencies are pre-set but have a few choices to select from so it’s not like a typical parametric EQ.  I’m very glad to have found “Pushtec”. It’s made a difference in my mix.
Next up from “Variety of Sound” we have “Rescue”

The best way I can describe “Rescue” is an enhancer with a Mid-Side processor. There is another anniversary edition that adds a limiter, but I just use the standard version.
Adding Rescue to a mix really helps tighten up the low end using the punch feature and gives the mix a great sense of space with the MS feature. There is an ‘analog” switch at the output to add harmonics into the mix. It’s easy to get carried away and add too much because it sounds so good, but the key to success is subtlety and moderation. They both go a long way. Just add a little in and hit the bypass switch, you’ll see what I mean.
I used both on a project I just did, and was able to get very precise with the Eq, adding just enough punch and snap on the drums. I was able to bring out the vocals a little better and give them a little shine. Overall taking the mix to another level sonically.
Special thanks to both developers for taking the time to create these special tools and for offering them for free!

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Monitor Mayhem and Frequency Foolery.

All my career I have mixed using Genelec monitors and more specifically, the 1031a.  I don’t use them because they have a special Mojo that other monitors don’t. I use them because they are what I started on, grown accustomed to and know very well. Or so I thought…

One day, I decided to turn a room in the house into a special mix room where I could take on mixing projects and edit my daughter’s figure skating music. My choice for the room was the Genelec 1030a because of the size of the room and my familiarity with the Genelec sound I thought the smaller 1030a would be a good fit. 

I did some treatment to help deaden the room and keep unwanted reflections down. So I’m good to go.

Up until recently every mix project I did was mastered by someone else, so I would mix and ship the files off not knowing what anything sounded like outside my room. I mean I’m mixing on Genelec’s there’s no problem…right?  Some time later, a shiny new cd comes back sounding all nice and polished and perfect. Magic.

Last December I took on a project for a friend, Matt Swaringim. You can read more about that on my page called “Remixing 101”. I wrote about how great the project was turning out, using new software and how great I thought the record was turning out. It sounded really good! I was proud of my work. Then came mastering time. Because of budget I agreed that I would master the project myself. That was a big mistake that I’m glad happened.

With the mixes all leveled and tonally balanced I took a cd out to my car and went for a drive, popped my cd in and WAIT!!! There’s something wrong with the stereo! What’s with all the low mid stuff…are the tweeters blown?? I checked the cars EQ, everything looked fine there, put in another cd and that one sounded good. I even sent a song to a friend for him to check out at his place, yep…mud. Uh, oh. Great, there something wrong with the speakers! Now I’m going to have to compensate for the speaker’s anomalies.

I start shooting in the dark making EQ changes to stuff I can’t hear, taking cd’s out to the car and other places to make adjustments, because now, I can’t trust my speakers. I had felt like someone had told me there was no Santa Clause. I didn’t know who or what to trust. My confidence was shaken.

I started to bemoan the fact that I hated mastering and my speakers weren’t true an Facebook and a  popular audio engineering forum. With some good advice given from friends and colleagues I took a step back and looked at the situation. I took my speakers to another place and listened to them there. I could hear a difference.Could it be that my room is not properly treated? Could the problem lie with acoustics and not the equipment? Hmmm, time to investigate. One thing I did not do is put treatment on the wall behind the speakers because I thought because the speakers were smaller, they wouldn’t need it. My reasoning does not change the laws of physics. By blind luck the first thing I do is look at the relationship of the speaker to the back wall.

Genelec makes this really cool tool called Acoustitape. 

It’s a handy little tool that works like measuring tape but instead of inches, shows wavelength. There is a guide on the tape that shows you the quarter wavelengths where if you measure the distance form the front of your speaker to the back wall it gives you the wavelength and the quarter wave that would actually be a cancelling frequency due to reflections off the wall.

I got my handy dandy Acoustitape and measured from the front off the speaker to the back wall. The distance is exactly 800Hz, quarter wave…the frequency that will disappear… 200Hz. There’s my mud. I had too much 200 to 220 because that frequency was actually cancelling at the speaker and I couldn’t here it.

What I ended up doing was bringing the speakers closer together because they were very wide and putting treatment on the wall behind them to stop the reflections. It’s amazing how much that one little adjustment…the proper adjustment helped. The speakers now sound like I expect they should and the imaging and clarity are also improved. This is how amazing reference monitors should sound. This is what I expect from a company the caliber of Genelec.  I was doubting almost everything but how I had them set up. Some times you just can’t fight mother nature.

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Tale of 1000 DAW’s Epilogue

So I still get feedback on my “Tale of 1000 Daw’s” post. Most want to know why I tried so many different workstations and not just pick one and go with it. I’ve even tried another since writing the article but have kept with my final decision.

Here’s what it all boils down to. Workflow. I believe that since I took the time to find a DAW that fits and enhances my workflow instead of me trying to fit my workflow to a DAW, my mixes are better than they ever have been.

Is that saying that you the reader should like and use what I use. No! Try everything you can and pick what seems to enhance your work, not get in the way. That could be anything out there, what fits YOU best.

A book I’m reading talks about keeping your mind free of as many distractions as possible. Your DAW has to do that too. Does it make you think like a mixer-artist, or does it make you think like a computer programmer. Find what gets out of the way and let’s you think artistically. To me it doesn’t matter if it fits in an industry standard box. As long as I’m happy and creating great mixes for my clients, then all is good because the client is happy with the results. At the end of the day, that’s what matters because if your tools are a drag, you will not be working to your full potential.

Happy DAWing!

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The Happy Place

There are days when I question why I do what I do. Then there are days when I question how I could ever do anything else.
There is a magic in mixing music. When everything comes together in a fantastic song and it moves you in such a way that the song imbeds itself into the mind of the listener forever.  To think, I have a role in that. Incredible.
It’s so easy to get wrapped up in gear and techniques, when really…it’s all about the song. Everything else is just there to make the job easier.
There is a moment in mixing, when all of the elements have gelled together and the song seems to take on a life of it’s own. A living-breathing song that moves you. That’s the happy place. Live for it.  Do your best to connect with the music and bring out the life of every song that you are privileged to mix.

Nice EQ- free plugin!

This is a plugin based on the Nebula technology that models analog equipment. Best of all it’s free (full version is $59)!

Check out the the console strip package as well, very nicely priced for as good as it is.

"Nice EQ" VST Plug-In From CDSoundMaster

Zen and the Art of Mixing

I’m reading “Zen and the art of mixing” by…”Mixerman”. So far it’s been a full of great advice. One thing that I have already started to apply is turning the computer monitor off while I mix thus allowing no visual distraction to clutter up the mind while mixing. Great tip!

That couple with the great Advice given to me by George Massenburg “Close your eyes, grab the fader, and mix.”. Turning off the monitor and having a physical fader to move has really heightened my ability to mix. Many thanks to George and Mixerman for the simple yet helpful tips!

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