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Blue
Flux Studio
Hints, tips and tricks on studio design and equipment use by Tom of
Blue Flux.
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Hardware Dynamic
Processors and FX Units
With DAW plug-ins all the rage
these days I'm sure less and less
hardware effects will find their way on to a musician's wishlist. Yet
as many of these processors now have a digital plug-in equivalent with
similar if not identical features I'll leave this section intact. See
also last paragraph for my own thoughts on the longevity of dedicated
hardware effects.
Dynamic
processors appear initially as the least
exciting boxes money can
buy, yet when you use them on a regular basis you realise what a profound
difference they can make to the overall feel of a recording.
Whereas
a reverb effect gives a very immediate and noticeable improvement, the
value of a compressor or noise gate only becomes apparent when the song
nears completion, and everything still sounds nice, crisp and noise
free.
I would argue that, after a reverb unit, the very next processor
purchase
a recording musician should make is a compressor.
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| For most microphone recordings I use a Joe Meek VC3
pre amp, with
opto-compressor and enhancer. This is a smashing little gadget, which
manages
to create a nice, warm sound with plenty of twinkle, and is ideal for
vocals
and acoustic guitar. It is also very quiet, and provides a balanced (3
pin) microphone input in case your mixer lacks one. The compressor is
easy
to set up, and is capable of some seriously tight vocals, if
required. |
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Other hardware dynamic processors I might use during
recording are the Behringer
Composer stereo compressor, the Ultrafex II enhancer, as
well as the SPL Vitalizer (left). |
Effect processors
are probably the most abundant studio gadgets on the market. Maybe
because
their instant effect on raw sound is very tangible, and well worth the
little money one needs to shell out for those magic boxes these days.
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A more recent addition to our FX rack is the Lexicon
MPX 550 - and a very smart new kid on
the
block it is indeed. |
Having always fancied a taste of that frequently
flaunted Lexicon sound, I'd had my eyes on its predecessor, the MPX
500,
for some time. But when the just-launched 550 turned out to be very
competitively
priced, there was no stopping me.
I wasn't disappointed. Its reverbs, in
particular the Halls and Plates, are extremely crisp, lush, and highly
editable to suit all needs. The Ambience programmes work exceedingly
well
in busy mixes, where they tend to add just the right amount of sheen
without
mushing out any background material. The MPX 550 also sports many
competent
delay (up to 5.5 secs), modulation and dynamic programmes, but I have
to confess they hardly ever get a look in - the 550 is permanently
hooked
up as my master reverb processor.
The only difference between the 550 and
its predecessor is that every reverb programme now sports a compressor
as part of its algorithm, useful for some applications. Its operating
system
is extremely user-friendly, and my only gripe is that when modifying
and
re-saving an existing user programme the Lex insists on adding a
consecutively
increasing number after its name, instead of just overwriting the patch
with the same name.
All in all, the MPX 550 oozes quality
and class, and I feel it'll stay top dog in the rack for years to come.
| With reverb catered for by the above,
the one box that seems to do the bulk of the modulation and delay work
is the Alesis Quadraverb 2. This is an extremely flexible piece
of kit, with 8 effect blocks that can be configured literally any way
you
want. It uses a virtual patch chord system, and once you have become
used
to their operation, patching up delays to EQs to flangers becomes very
intuitive. |
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Because of this flexibility, real off-the-wall
effects can be programmed in a few minutes - more than can be said for
many other effect units I know. From any EQ under the sun to 4 second
delays,
from ring modulation to pitch shifting, the Q2 also features some very
high-quality reverb algorithm.
Alesis stopped making the Q2 some years
ago, and I bought one of the last units on the UK market. But should
one
surface on the second hand market and you're looking for a great
all-rounder
- snap it up quick.
Other units that get a look in: The Digitech
TSR12 multi FX - another great all-rounder, and though it's getting
on a bit, the chorus and dual pitch shifter in particular still sound
extremely
pleasing. Then there's the ageing Yamaha FX500 - mainly used as
a second delay processor, though it also features some mean and
extremely
cutting digital distortion.
And yes - now that computer-based
plug-in effects are all the rage, it's hard to see where the
future for hardware boxes might lie. Personally, I'll be hanging on to
my own black boxes for quite some time yet, I guess. Especially on the
reverb front, something like a Lexicon MPX550 takes a lot of CPU-hungry
beating. Besides, with multi-channel digital interfaces now quite
affordable, there is no reason not
to incorporate some of your better effect units into the digital
recording chain. See my Digital
Studio page for more info.
Synthetics
Before the advent of
samplers and esotheric signal processors, synthesizers were really the
only way to obtain fresh, unique sounds. Some would argue they still
are. And with the recent synth resurgence, fuelled by the sheer
affordability and accessibility of their PC-hosted clones, it looks
like the market has prooved them right.
I've owned quite a number of synths over the years. Some finally went
the way of all inanimate objects (Ebay) to make room for others.
But here are those that I feel have the right
stuff to endure in our studio:
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The Yamaha TG33 is, in my view,
a much overlooked classic synth. When Sequential, an American
synthesizer
company, went into receivership, some of their brightest engineers fled
to Yamaha. They took with them their Vector Synthesis method, already
implemented
in their ill-fated Sequential synths, and applied it to good effect to
the TG22, and its keyboardless brother, the TG33.
The joystick gives the game away - vector
synthesis permits fading between the 4 voices that make up the patch,
either
in real time, or as recorded data file that is saved with the patch. |
The voice architecture of the TG33 is quite
basic, but that also makes it very easy to edit. It is capable of very
convincing analogue emulations, great bass lines, and very atmospheric
pads. First released in 1990, these can still be snapped
up second hand.
Probably for a bargain price, too, given their other-worldly design and
the instant-street-cred vector joystick
| Small world - after
the Sequential engineers
spent a year with Yamaha, they jumped ship and joined Korg (no
surprise,
perhaps, since I recently learned that Yamaha hold a majority share in
Korg), where they also had a hand in the design of their Wavestation
synth. |
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This is probably the most important synth
I ever bought, because the sound-shaping potential it has to offer is
virtually limitless. It may be a bit complex to program, but well
worth the effort. Even today, a more than a decade after its first
release, one can still recognise some of the Wavestations signature
patches used
in
TV commercials and sound tracks - talk about longevity. And now that
Korg have re-released the Wavestation as part of their Legacy Synths
plug-in, this baby is going to be with us for a good while longer yet.
| During the recording of our
all-guitar album "Sugarbeat" in 2001, synths never got a look-in. That
was the deal I made with myself, and the discipline paid off - no
keyboard
playing meant pinpoint focus on guitar performance. But as confessed to
on the Making of Sugarbeat page - my
fingers
were itching for some ten-digit exercise at the end of it. |
Korg Triton LE
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Barely 2 weeks after the release of Sugarbeat,
that
thin piece of plastic got the better of me, and I found myself in the
local
music shop pumping the keys of that Silver Dream Machine above - the Korg
Triton LE. Fatal move! 30 minutes later my car boot snapped shut
with
a satisfied clonk - Triton on board!
The Korg Triton is one of the pinnacles
of performance-oriented synthesis in a workstation box. It's got a bit
of everything, without being shallow in any department. Knobs,
sequencer,
dual arpeggiator (fantastic!), effects, and sounds that make your
nostrils
flare like railway tunnels. The Korg Triton LE is the economy version
of
the Triton, but all that's missing is the sampler (though available as
a retrofit option), 6 separate outputs (you still get 4 outs), and the
touch screen. The latter is not really missed, since the 8 function
buttons
beneath that pretty blue screen of the LE are very functional, and the
menu is quite intuitive. My only gripe is that the buttons in general
are
a bit clickety clackety, which may be useful for positive feedback to
the
user, but I'd have preferred a softer touch. Many buttons are backlit
in
the "on" position, which is nice.
The arpeggiator is the jewel in the Triton
crown - especially since you get two of them. Setting up a new arpeggio
from scratch is dead simple, and many presets can easily provide a
useful
starting point for new ideas. It took me a while to realise that the
arpeggiator
output is recorded as MIDI note data to the sequencer. Although this
means
that data recorded thus is not easily modified (Arp Gate & Arp
Velocity
will have no effect after recording), it also means that there is no
limit
to the number of different arpeggiator patterns one can record into a
song.
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The Korg Triton LEs Realtime Controls.
Some are
fixed, others can be
assigned to any desired parameter. All movement is recordable to MIDI.
To the right - play mode buttons, with
sampling
mode select, if installed.
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In Combi (Multi) Mode, the Korg Triton
is an absolute MONSTER. I guarantee hours of bliss to anyone playing a
Triton in
Combi Mode for the first time, followed by zillions of ideas for future
songs. A word of caution, though - the onboard effect are heavily drawn
upon to make Combies sound as good as they do. If you intend to isolate
some voices to use in your composition, they really need the effects to
sound ace. Powerful and flexible as the onboard Triton effects are,
there
are still limitations. Best to select the pivotal voice you want in a
song,
and copy it with its respective effects into the Sequencer (Multi Mode)
setup. Additional Triton voices could then be sent to the two
individual
outputs, and treated with external effects, or routed through
individual
components (say reverb only) of the selected on-board master effects.
Note: Korg have released at least one new operating system for this
synth, perhaps even more by the time you read this. I have installed
version 1.5, and found many of the improvements well worth having.
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Sampling - Hardware vs Software
And welcome to another blast from the past (cue drum roll): my trusty old EMU ESi32.
This was, and still is,
a fine machine with superb editing facilities for its age (I know I
know - I'll get to that in the next paragraph). I had it
fitted
with 32 MB of sample RAM, partnered with a 2 GB external hard drive. An
upgrade
to OS 3.02 just before the ESi32 was discontinued has proved a cheap
way
to get extra features, which included loads of new filters. As part of
Blue Flux's set up the ESi32 supplies many percussive sounds,
orchestral
samples,
and wacky effects, most of which I've sampled myself off just about any
conceivable source. I have also been known to record some of my own
guitar playing, which I then chop
up,
re-order and process, to yield rhythmical phrases and sequences.
EMU ESi32 sampler
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Alright - so with
Sonar as my new studio hub, the option of using a software-based
sampler has clearly not escaped me. Yes, the EMU ESi32 has a friendly and
reliable face which I
would genuinely miss in the studio. It's also very immediate when it
comes to recording and mapping my own sounds. I don't even find its
meagre 32MB RAM too limiting. But when it comes to compatibility with
modern sample libraries, the poor ESi can only look on in geriatric
bemusement.
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Samplebase Satellite
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So Blue Flux goes forth, bathed in the crackling white torchlight of progress and technology, and after some research plumps for Samplebase.
I'm the first to admit that, with a rammed selection of software
samplers out there, my deliberations were somewhat brief - suck it and
see seems to be the best approach in these free-trial-download days.
However, the fact that I feature Samplebase on this page will already tell
you that, perhaps by luck alone, my choice wasn't that poor.
Satellite Free,
Samplebase's fully functional free player,
installed with ease and worked right off the bat within my Sonar
set-up. I
immediately liked the interface, particularly the simplicitiy with
which every
channel's knobs and fader can be linked to any Midi controller. Once I
got used to treating Satellite as the self-contained submixer it is I
had little problems getting it to
do what I wanted. Changing the settings in its Details tab at first
seemed impossible until I realised that all I had to do was to click
and drag on each parameter - Duh! Actually, Samplebase have put
together a bunch of useful tutorials which I'd advise any noob to watch. The pdf manual is also very helpful if a tad on the lengthy side.
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What
I like best of all about
Samplebase though is their sample library retail approach. You can
choose from a very decent range of instruments or construction sets,
each of which is called a "Soundblock" containing up to a hundred or
more patches (multi-sampled voices) which, for convenience, come
pre-arranged in Multis, ie. sets of related patches mapped over a
number of keys so that you can get creative straightaway. Each
Soundblock can be downloaded for a (IMO) very reasonable price that
seems fair given the high quality sounds you get in return. So if your
song requires some blues guitar riffs, say, go audition what's on
offer, pay, download, and you're away. Easy peasy.
From what I've tried this far, loop points and tempo accuracy are
spot-on, and time-stretching is also handled with aplomb. One thing to
note is that Satellite Free withholds access to more detailed Patch and
Effects editing. For full functionality Samplebase invite you to
purchase the retail version, Satellite Pro. To date I don't feel too
restricted by Satellite Free, hence cannot comment on the additional
benefits of the Pro version. I would however recommend any new users to
also download Samplebase's free Ignition soundblock, a juicy 70MB
showreel of many of their retail Soundblocks that's very usable indeed.
Now that I've found out that I can also import my own samples (as .wav)
into Satellite I'm fast becoming a convert to Samplebase's
uncomplicated creative process. I'm also happy to report that, despite
running Sonar 4 on an ageing W2K op sys 1GB RAM laptop, Satellite's
processing draw is frugal - even with up to 10 Midi channels firing
from within Satellite my overall CPU load only increased by about 10 to
15%.
All in all then a big thumbs-up to Samplebase for ease of use,
flexibility and control, and a kick-ass sample library sold in convenient and
affordable chunks.
Mastering
it All
For Blue Flux at least,
mastering became the first studio activity carried out with the aid of
a computer. I've used Cool Edit 2000 (CE2K)
for many years, and considering its modest price tag this package has
proved extremely solid and versatile. It even sports a recovery file
option which
permits
automatic retrieval of an unsaved session in the unlikely event of a
crash -
brilliant!
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The main screen of
Cool Edit 2000 - uncluttered, yet extremely
versatile |
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| Frequency Analysis window
in CE2K |
Spectrogram, a stand alone
spectral analysis program which reveals at what frequency range your
song's energy does, or does not, reside in. |
With Cool Edit capable of hosting DX
plug-ins (and VST plug-ins, if wrapper installed),
here are the main tools
I currently use for post-processing our final mix:
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Izotope
Ozone 2 Mastering Tools -
Para EQ, Mastering Reverb, Loudness Maximizer,
Multiband Harmonic Exciter, Multiband Dynamics,
Multiband Stereo Imaging
www.izotope.com
Excellent
mastering tool, though learning curve a bit steep.
Multiband (up to 4) Exciter and Dynamics especially useful.
Comes with many helpful presets, and an informative manual. |
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Voxengo Elephant
Mastering Limiter v2.5
"The most remarkable feature of this brickwall
limiter is its ultimate
transparency. Unlike many existing limiters, it does not adjust
the
dynamic structure of the processed audio material, but instead brings
sound limiting and loudness maximization without any audible 'pumping'
effects."
www.voxengo.com
Just the ticket to tighten up a ready-mastered song and boost it by
those vital few extra dB's. This limiter really is quite transparent
(source material dependent, of course, and up to a point), and most
importantly, it's easy to use.
The Agenda
was at the Elephant's receiving end, and came out crisp and strapping.
Thumbs up!
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Ultrafunk Multi
FXs - Compressor, EQ, Reverb, Phaser, Modulator, Surround, Wha
Wha
www.ultrafunk.com
Good selection of standard FXs.
EQ, auto-wah wah and reverb especially noteworthy. |
Plug-ins are available from countless manufacturers,
and even more locations on the web. http://www.hitsquad.com/
, http://www.fxpansion.com/index1.html
and http://www.thedirectxfiles.com/
are three good starting points.
Monitor Matters
Let's not forget the most important mastering
tool - our ears. In the end, every decision on how much EQ, what level
of compression, and which type of reverb, has to be ratified by our
humble
lugs. If it sounds right, it is right, right? Well, no. Every studio
owner
will have a story or six to tell about that fantastic mix that just
fell
to pieces on the family hifi.
Obviously, neutrality is the name of the
game here. The less colouring imparted on a mix by over-ambitious
studio
speakers, the higher the chance of your masterpiece still sounding
reasonably
true to its original intent on those dreaded Argos speakers suspended
from
your aunt's living room ceiling.
The types of studio monitor most home and
project studio owners will be interested in are near-field and mid-range
monitors. The former, as suggested by the name, tend to sit close to
the
listener's head, typically between 1 - 2 meters. The advantage here is
that any offending room acoustics have less of a bearing on the
perceived
sound accuracy. The obvious drawback is the near-field's limited bass
response,
which is why they are frequently augmented by a sub-woofer. As for
mid-range monitors, the above rationale begins to reverse itself. Bass
response, by virtue of their chunkier dimensions, becomes more natural
and effortless. But control room properties, particularly any untoward
resonant frequencies and unwanted early reflections, require a
significant
amount of attention.
Just to complete the picture, there are
of course full-range monitors. But given their
four-figure-upwards
price range, I shan't dwell on them here. Other than to say that
they're very
expensive...
| My longstanding mid-range (although some
would still call them near-field) monitors are made by Richard Allan, a
company no longer in existence. I doubt they'd deserve a 5-star rating
from distinguished studio owners, but I have latched on to their open
and
unfatiguing sound. As you can see, they are intended for sideways
mounting,
although I find their treble and bass homology suffers a little as a
result.
A passive design, they are driven by my separate Rotel amp. They are
wall
mounted on adjustable wall brackets from Argos - yes sir! |
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I am occasionally
prone to taking a dose of my own medicine. What with my stern words at
the start of this section about ears being the most essential recording
tool, I did in the end decide to walk the talk, got hold of a sack
trolley,
and
carted a pair of active Genelec 1029A monitors into Groundhog
Studio.
Yes, they most certainly are weighty, despite their diminutive size.
The
heavy duty die-cast aluminium enclosure lends them their extreme
rigidity
to coax wicked sound pressure levels from such a tiny package. It's
fair to say that as near-fields go the 1029A's are probably in a league
of their own when it comes to sound quality and bass response. They're
not cheap, but
after the first listening test I knew where my money was going. |
Bought primarily as an alternative to the perhaps less-than-neutral
Roger
Allans above, I can recommend them heartily. They feature a number of
(albeit
well hidden) dip switches to adjust bass & treble response for just
about any type of installation, and they sure look the part.
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Much as the 1029A's
bass response impresses, of late I felt that their lack of welly in the
sub-bass category (60 Hz and below) can lead to nasty suprises when
playing what sounded like well-rounded tracks on a chunky hifi system
with plenty of oomph. Unwilling to fork out the hefty sums required to
acquire Genelec's own sub woofer, I settled for a Samson Resolv Sub88 unit. This brand
has not enjoyed the best of reputations in the past, but Samson have
now re-aligned their target market to include more serious
applications, thus convincing me that their sub woofer might just be
the right compromise for me.
Turns out it was. Together with a few nice touches like balanced
connectors and a remote for sub and system mute, this baby has now
completed my near-field monitoring set-up. Don't expect
ribcage-shattering seismology. But the Resolv certainly closes the
bottom gap left ajar by the Genelecs in a convincing fashion.
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And finally on
monitor news: if anyone is on the lookout for a tiny tot of a monitor
that punches way above its weight, check out the new Genelec 6010a
range. With their lethal 1.4 kg weight packaged in Genelec's trademark
die-cast aluminium housing, these little devils - and they are little,
at181 x 121 x 114 mm - amaze with their sheer authority. Coupled with a subwoofer
they'd make a fine near-field monitoring system for those with very
limited space. I now use them as speakers with my desktop (non-studio)
PC to provide reliable monitoring for off-studio audio edits, sample
previews and even just as a serious alternative audio system to assess
new Blue Flux mixes.
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Genelec 6010a
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| Heads
Up
Especially when performing tricky edits,
it's vital to be able to discern every tiny glitch, click or mismatch.
Obviously a good pair of studio monitors are essential, but the volume
levels required during edits can be quite fatiguing.
I never used to like headphones as an
alternative, since their aural sound distribution always sounded wrong,
or at least artificial - the sound seemed to come from inside your
head,
and mixes sounding great on headphones usually disappointed when played
through loudspeakers.
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By chance I came across the AKG HEARO 888
chordless headphones in a hifi shop, claiming to generate a full
spatial
sound distribution equivalent to that experienced by loudspeakers. This
I had
to check out! And right enough, the "sound in your head" syndrome is
gone.
As a result, you forget you even have headphones on, a perception
further aided by their chordless design. You can wander around
the
house, listening to your latest mix in the kitchen - quite an
experience.
Their range is quoted as 50 meters (through walls), though
realistically,
after more than about 20 meters from base the odd
drop-out occurs.
The sound quality is excellent, and the AKGs speaker simulation (called
IVA - Individual Virtual Acoustics) can be set to Stereo or Surround,
and
the Panorama (i.e. the distance between your virtual speakers) can be
adjusted.
The AKG HEARO 888s are very well made, comfortable to
wear,
and extremely revealing. They will not replace the need for good
monitors, but I can
thoroughly
recommend them as a 'second opinion' sound source for editing and
mastering
of most material. They are of course equally useful as a pair of
quality headphones for recording in general.
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And
Finally ...
For the recording musician,
the studio must fulfil many functions. But for me, the most important
requirement
is that it works the way it should. And that is synonymous with saying
- keep it simple, stupid!
Hassle in the studio means no output,
days of aggro and endless telephone calls, and probably the loss of
many
a good idea. A studio that works well should not be
touched, modified or upgraded unless there is a real creative
or qualitative benefit to
be had. Many commercial studios must of course sport all the latest
gear to
attract
customers to pay their high rates. But lucky home studio owners need
not fall into that trap. It takes time and effort to
get
a studio to run smoothly, to optimise ergonomics,
to get used to equipment, even to give the place a pleasant ambience.
Once happy
with it, all the time should be spent on using the studio for what it
was
built for - making music.
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To
hear the music
of
Blue Flux,
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Copyright Enthalpy Publications 2009
         
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