Back in the day before MP3s and CD burners, coming across new good music was a hard thing to accomplish. Radio spoiled early our ability to mindlessly enjoy depthless pop music, and then we grew up to spend countless summers watching the same numbing rotation of mass-produced musi-tainment on MTV. We watched as the independent rock stations in our city got swallowed by Clear Channel hell bent on making all music mediocre and safe for the masses. We just begged for something listenable to make its way to the airwaves, which it never did, so instead we spent our time in the wrong parts of town at the best CD stores rifling through the collections in search of buried treasure. Sometimes we might have heard snippets of an album, or seen a stellar performance on second stage somewhere, and we'd search the racks hoping we might find the CD of that band that nobody's ever heard of. But even if we fount it, making that purchase was always a gamble. We risked forking over our last 15 bucks for a CD that might be half rotten.
Those were the days when kids still ripped tapes for one another to pass along music that hadn't made the mainstream. Here was music on the cutting edge: dynamic, creative, interpretive, raw, and without the glitz image, just a sound. Music that took the last 30 years of innovation as its roots and transformed their sounds into true examples of musical evolution. Not flat, postmodern disruptions of old paradigms, but instead articulate responses to the past presented in new, edgier formats. "Undiscovered" bands really lived the music because the money hadn't had a chance to corrupt their aesthetic standards yet. The underground, liminal areas are always the staging points of innovation, but a place where the profit motive of the culture industries have not yet penetrated, so good music without a mass distribution deal spread by second and third generation tapes.
My high school buddy lived in Florida and came across a tape of band called Kilgore Smudge and passed it along to me. I listened to that tape until it broke. I searched high and low for the CD version but even the stores that catered to more independent tastes didn't have it and couldn't manage to special order it. It wasn't until years later when the band got picked up by Warner Brothers and released a second album under the name Kilgore that I finally found a used copy of their first CD. Their second album, naturally to an old fan, didn't have the same feel that I heard off of that second-generation tape; maybe it was a combination of the hiss and odd pitch warbling from the tape medium mixed with the sounds of a smaller productions budget that made the first release seem authentically untouched by mass culture. Still, their second album was leagues ahead of what got airplay at the time, but as most bands capable of becoming legends do, they faded into obscurity for reasons of their own.
Flash forward to today-- in a bout of nostalgia I went out on the internet looking for Kilgore's second album, because after loaning my original CD to several friends it finally disappeared before I had a chance to rip it to MP3. I'm not feeling very warm to paying $15 bucks for a used CD, because I don't even own a conventional CD player any more. Furthermore, I already went through two hard copies of the CD and I'm not buying the third on principle, especially because the original members of the band will never see any of that cash. In any case, I feel like I already own stock in this band I never even got a chance to see live, just because I tried to keep their music going by passing it on to others who had never had the luck to hear them. Hell, I would pay for some DRM-free MP3s, but after a quick search on the net, I find not a lot, and even the *cough* less legal avenues turn up nothing. R.I.P. ONIK: I would have liked to known ya, but I was just a kid...
Although I didn't find the album I was looking for I did find a lovely time capsule of obscure band trivia (thanks to our cultural pillars of information, Myspace and YouTube). Heres an eye-rolling, forehead slapping example of the worst reporting that the mainstream media has to offer. Straight from the unforgiving desert, Wyoming's very own sorry excuse for a news channel K2 interviews Kilgore and tries to paint them as the shocking, bad influences they never were:
And since I can't currently find their album, here's a live song off of their first album, with a grit and intensity I haven't seen for a while. How I'd love to get my hands on a couple of bootlegs, but the internet isn't quite yet the library I'd like it to be...
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Guitar Mic Techniques for Guerrilla Recording
As another addition for your guerrilla field manual, several short video tutorials on the basics of recording guitars. CHiTT Productions weighs in with other insights after the jump.
Recording guitars on fly? The slightest microphone adjustments, not to mention the microphone you pick for the job, can be the difference between a full bodied sound or weak tracks. Remember, isolation is key in guerrilla recording, because your room might not be ideal. The best and clearest recordings most often come by capturing a faithful representation of the source material without a lot of unnecessary coloration or haphazard experimentation. You want your tools to be as transparent as possible, only adding that coveted "character" (whether from a mic or an effect) only when it's necessary.
Often we choose to record with one mic as the "transparent" mic in a close-mic position (with as little room sound as possible, positioned at the "sweet spot" of the instrument/speaker). If we've got extra tracks to play with, then we'll add another mic for experimentation, maybe off axis or placed further back in the recording space. Once the mix is sounding pretty balanced in its later stages with just the dry mics laying the foundation of the mix, then we add the tracks with more daring mic positions to spice the overall flavor or character. We might even choose later on to swap out the experimental track for the conventionally mic'ed one if it sounds good, but we'd hate to be trapped down the road with a mix full of experimental mic positions that can't be used because we weren't hearing something right at the time. While and entirely close-mic'ed mix will sound, well, like a closely mic'ed mix, unless you're recording in the Taj Mahal of locations, you're probably better off letting digital reverb liven up a mix while guerrilla recording.
The quickest and truest way to get awesome tracks while guerrilla recording (since in the field we don't have the luxury of a sonically balanced mix station/control room) is to get a pair of Extreme Isolation headphones and a 30-50 ft. headphone extension cable. Get right up in the thick of it with your isolation headphones on and solo the channel of instrument in question and move the mic around until you get that sound. What's that sound? Shoot for what you imagine it would sound like if you took your headphones off and stuck your ear right close to the speaker or instrument (pain threshold notwithstanding). Let the music be as dirty as it wants to be, but good guerrilla recordings come from being as clean as possible right up front (i.e. good gain structure, isolation, conservative mic placements, etc.). We experiment in the field when time and tracks permit, but save most of the fun for the non-destructive mixdown stage.
Since guerrilla recording is often without a budget, chances are you're not going to have golden mics at your disposal. Never fear, budget mics still can kick some serious burgeios butt, and you'll never end up missing the cash you would've spent.
For electric guitar speaker cabinets, the Shure SM57 obviously ranks as the most accessible and time-tested solution for close mic'ing speakers. The best part of this mic is that it still turns up in yard sales, 18 years old, dented and still working; still a perfect addition to the mic stash, and it can mic just about anything else in a pinch. But for ~about~ the same store price as the 57 the Sennheiser e609 wins the day for guerrilla recording, even if it is just a little too pretty. It makes close-mic'ing a breeze because it hugs the grill and its supercardioid pattern rejects bleed from other instruments in your small recording space or live situation (works great for toms too!).
For acoustic guitars you've got to go condenser. The SM57 sounds too "rugged" and unintentionally lo-fi in most applications (although there are times it can actually clean up some really bad sounding instruments). Ideally we'd love to use condensers with crystalline rapport-- of course, everyone would, but they're hard to come by on a beer budget. Rode mics, such as the NT-5, seem to be the mid-pro level choice for honest and accurate mic'ing, but for the price, we've never laid our hands on a pair so we can't vouch for its authority (any donations?). More modestly priced are the awkwardly vessel-like AKG C-1000s. Nice presence with clarity, but enough bottom end to feel the wood of the guitar. If you're recording in a suitably vibrant room with little extraneous noise, the standard cardioid pickup pattern will pick up a nice amount of room sound. If not, the hypercardioid capsule will tighten the pickup pattern without sacrificing too much range.
On even more of a budget? The AT2021 is a versitile small diaphragm condenser that just works. Although it's a little active and bright in the high end while still managing to be less articulate with the high-mids, its still a reasonably impressive and budget-minded choice for recording detailed instruments. The selling point is that the AT2021 comes only with the AT2020, its side-adress bigger brother, sold as the AT2041 package. With a little searching you might find both for lower than its minimum advertised price, costing only about as much as a new SM57 in a store. Both mics share the same capsule design, take high SPLs and are very versitile, whether overheads, vocals or instruments, without adding too much flamboyant color.
Recording guitars on fly? The slightest microphone adjustments, not to mention the microphone you pick for the job, can be the difference between a full bodied sound or weak tracks. Remember, isolation is key in guerrilla recording, because your room might not be ideal. The best and clearest recordings most often come by capturing a faithful representation of the source material without a lot of unnecessary coloration or haphazard experimentation. You want your tools to be as transparent as possible, only adding that coveted "character" (whether from a mic or an effect) only when it's necessary.
Often we choose to record with one mic as the "transparent" mic in a close-mic position (with as little room sound as possible, positioned at the "sweet spot" of the instrument/speaker). If we've got extra tracks to play with, then we'll add another mic for experimentation, maybe off axis or placed further back in the recording space. Once the mix is sounding pretty balanced in its later stages with just the dry mics laying the foundation of the mix, then we add the tracks with more daring mic positions to spice the overall flavor or character. We might even choose later on to swap out the experimental track for the conventionally mic'ed one if it sounds good, but we'd hate to be trapped down the road with a mix full of experimental mic positions that can't be used because we weren't hearing something right at the time. While and entirely close-mic'ed mix will sound, well, like a closely mic'ed mix, unless you're recording in the Taj Mahal of locations, you're probably better off letting digital reverb liven up a mix while guerrilla recording.
The quickest and truest way to get awesome tracks while guerrilla recording (since in the field we don't have the luxury of a sonically balanced mix station/control room) is to get a pair of Extreme Isolation headphones and a 30-50 ft. headphone extension cable. Get right up in the thick of it with your isolation headphones on and solo the channel of instrument in question and move the mic around until you get that sound. What's that sound? Shoot for what you imagine it would sound like if you took your headphones off and stuck your ear right close to the speaker or instrument (pain threshold notwithstanding). Let the music be as dirty as it wants to be, but good guerrilla recordings come from being as clean as possible right up front (i.e. good gain structure, isolation, conservative mic placements, etc.). We experiment in the field when time and tracks permit, but save most of the fun for the non-destructive mixdown stage.
Since guerrilla recording is often without a budget, chances are you're not going to have golden mics at your disposal. Never fear, budget mics still can kick some serious burgeios butt, and you'll never end up missing the cash you would've spent.
For electric guitar speaker cabinets, the Shure SM57 obviously ranks as the most accessible and time-tested solution for close mic'ing speakers. The best part of this mic is that it still turns up in yard sales, 18 years old, dented and still working; still a perfect addition to the mic stash, and it can mic just about anything else in a pinch. But for ~about~ the same store price as the 57 the Sennheiser e609 wins the day for guerrilla recording, even if it is just a little too pretty. It makes close-mic'ing a breeze because it hugs the grill and its supercardioid pattern rejects bleed from other instruments in your small recording space or live situation (works great for toms too!).
For acoustic guitars you've got to go condenser. The SM57 sounds too "rugged" and unintentionally lo-fi in most applications (although there are times it can actually clean up some really bad sounding instruments). Ideally we'd love to use condensers with crystalline rapport-- of course, everyone would, but they're hard to come by on a beer budget. Rode mics, such as the NT-5, seem to be the mid-pro level choice for honest and accurate mic'ing, but for the price, we've never laid our hands on a pair so we can't vouch for its authority (any donations?). More modestly priced are the awkwardly vessel-like AKG C-1000s. Nice presence with clarity, but enough bottom end to feel the wood of the guitar. If you're recording in a suitably vibrant room with little extraneous noise, the standard cardioid pickup pattern will pick up a nice amount of room sound. If not, the hypercardioid capsule will tighten the pickup pattern without sacrificing too much range.
On even more of a budget? The AT2021 is a versitile small diaphragm condenser that just works. Although it's a little active and bright in the high end while still managing to be less articulate with the high-mids, its still a reasonably impressive and budget-minded choice for recording detailed instruments. The selling point is that the AT2021 comes only with the AT2020, its side-adress bigger brother, sold as the AT2041 package. With a little searching you might find both for lower than its minimum advertised price, costing only about as much as a new SM57 in a store. Both mics share the same capsule design, take high SPLs and are very versitile, whether overheads, vocals or instruments, without adding too much flamboyant color.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Audio Recording Services, Guerrilla Style
In times such as these, artists and thinking people must fully embrace the tactics of the guerrilla in order to survive. Organize in small bands, know your master plan and create backups, always stay on the move, strike quickly and with vision in order to take advantage of the adversary's inefficiency and immobility.
Guerrillas thrive on the unknown and use it to their advantage, turning the flaws of the system into opportunities for upheaval. While bureaucrats spend time trying to maintain control of territory and capital with tired old traditions, guerrillas know that the true prize is in the heart of the people, and only through unconventional exploration can this gem be revealed.
In keeping with this rich and empowering tradition, CHiTT Productions practices the art of guerrilla recording. The adversary is the big-business culture industry, with its spit-shined factory lineup featuring uninspiring permutations of the same product asking extortion prices. The revolutionary goal, therefore, is to produce an entirely different form of culture which rivals the methods and productions standards of the mainstream without compromising our underground ethics or driving us into serfdom. In this mission we understand we are the underdogs and our tools aren't nearly as pretty as the bourgeois elite, but underneath the grit in our work there's an authenticity all the money and studio "magic" in the world couldn't buy.
The tactic of guerrilla recording is to travel lightly and with purpose; bring only the things you need to get the job done right, know your tools, move into the new environment quickly, take stock of your resources, setup operations, and roll the tape to capture the vibrancy and spirit of the creative process as faithfully as possible.
CHiTT Productions specializes in multitracking live band setups-- this means that each element of the band is individually recorded on its own track, up to 12 tracks at a time and up to 48 tracks total, so each instrument can be fine-tuned afterwards for the perfect mix. The recording process is simple-- we come into your home territory with our laptop and DAW and size up the acoustical situation. You jam in a small basement? An aluminum storage shed? A cardboard box? Not a problem. We can make the trickiest recording environments produce quality recordings. We'll arrange our instruments and mics for optimal acoustic isolation and setup shop in a flash. After a quick but organized line & monitor check, and a quick playback test to see how the situation sounds, the band is ready to record.
In order to get the best out of your guerrilla recording, your group should be aware of the following suggestions and tips:
Guerrillas thrive on the unknown and use it to their advantage, turning the flaws of the system into opportunities for upheaval. While bureaucrats spend time trying to maintain control of territory and capital with tired old traditions, guerrillas know that the true prize is in the heart of the people, and only through unconventional exploration can this gem be revealed.
In keeping with this rich and empowering tradition, CHiTT Productions practices the art of guerrilla recording. The adversary is the big-business culture industry, with its spit-shined factory lineup featuring uninspiring permutations of the same product asking extortion prices. The revolutionary goal, therefore, is to produce an entirely different form of culture which rivals the methods and productions standards of the mainstream without compromising our underground ethics or driving us into serfdom. In this mission we understand we are the underdogs and our tools aren't nearly as pretty as the bourgeois elite, but underneath the grit in our work there's an authenticity all the money and studio "magic" in the world couldn't buy.
The tactic of guerrilla recording is to travel lightly and with purpose; bring only the things you need to get the job done right, know your tools, move into the new environment quickly, take stock of your resources, setup operations, and roll the tape to capture the vibrancy and spirit of the creative process as faithfully as possible.
CHiTT Productions specializes in multitracking live band setups-- this means that each element of the band is individually recorded on its own track, up to 12 tracks at a time and up to 48 tracks total, so each instrument can be fine-tuned afterwards for the perfect mix. The recording process is simple-- we come into your home territory with our laptop and DAW and size up the acoustical situation. You jam in a small basement? An aluminum storage shed? A cardboard box? Not a problem. We can make the trickiest recording environments produce quality recordings. We'll arrange our instruments and mics for optimal acoustic isolation and setup shop in a flash. After a quick but organized line & monitor check, and a quick playback test to see how the situation sounds, the band is ready to record.
In order to get the best out of your guerrilla recording, your group should be aware of the following suggestions and tips:
- Practice, practice, practice. Often bands don't realize that their material is a bit rusty or "unsure" until they hear their recordings played back to them. Spend the time to really listen to your music (turn the volume down for starters, or play acoustically if you have to). Sit down with your band mates to hash out the dirty details of each song's arrangement, dynamics, tempo, notes, etc. Unsure of what your mates are doing during a particular part of a song? Figure it out before your scheduled day to record, because all the inconsistencies will appear later on the tape for everyone to hear in high fidelity. You don't really want to waste your time (or ours) fixing problems with overdubs later, do you?
- Toubleshoot sonic problems before your day to record. What's that ringing when the drummer hits the toms? Why doesn't the kick drum have any "oomph?" What's that noise coming out of the guitar players speakers? Buzzing frets? Loud ventilation system/roommates, etc.? The list of potential problems is endless. It's always best to give us your sweetest sounds from the beginning, and weed out the bugs beforehand, because if it sounds bad going in, it's going to sound bad coming out. Be eternally picky; this is your art.
- Tune, tune, tune. The dustbins of audio history are filled with otherwise great performances ruined by out-of-tune instruments. Tune often and with great care, as if the lives of your loved ones depended on it. Every time the recording stops or a song ends, every tunable instrument should resynchronize to its glorious tonic calibration. Unless you are certifiably blessed with perfect pitch, you should own an electronic tuner and make sure that it is perfectly matched to every other tuner in use during recording. If your instrument cannot stay in tune, borrow one that can. Your listeners will thank you later.
- Know what you want to accomplish with your recording session beforehand. What songs are you going to record? Do you want to play the songs straight through like a live show, or do you want to work on one song at a time until every element is layered and nuanced? Do you want to experiment with your sounds, or do know exactly what sound you're after? Keeping a clear aim of what you want to accomplish keeps the process running efficiently, since both time and money are limited resources.
- Communicate effectively with the recording engineer. Need some more of an instrument in your headphones? Not pleased with the sound of that reverb? Too much guitars in the mix? Just say so, because we're not clairvoyant and it's not going to hurt our feelings. We'll work with you to make sure you get the sound you're after.
- Be patient. Audio recording is a laborious process to get right. While we've got the process down to a quasi-science and move pretty quickly, setup and tweaks take a little time. The more everyone can stay focused on the process and not get sidetracked, the more time can be spent recording.
CHiTT Goes Guerrilla with Neo-Nostalgics
CHiTT rolled in to the Neo-Nostalgics' practice space to do some on-site guerrilla recording Tuesday.Gear setup went quickly and seamlessly until we ran into a nasty electrical buzz, which is a common malady in many home-based electrical situations. After tracking down the buzz and eliminating it with a trusty $0.69 ground lift adapter, the Neo-Nostalgics rolled through their songs in two easy sets. Drums were multitracked with a mic and a track for each piece in the drum set, a Shure Beta 52 on kick, Sennheisers on the snare and toms, and AT2020s for stereo overheads. Keys and bass were recorded direct, and the guitar cab was recorded using a Sennheiser e609, isolated in a separate room in the basement.
All in all, we've got 8 tracks spanning 9 or so songs, with vocal tracks anticipated to be completed in an upcoming session. Mixdowns will come soon afterwards, so we'll keep you posted on the developments.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Where has D. Neal Gone???
We just got an update as to where Dustin Neal has been for the last 5 days. Stricken ill with salmonella poisoning, that's where. But that's not all. He was later seen wandering the tracks north of Casper with a jar of moonshine accompanied by an unidentified individual. It is speculation that it was a member from The Last Coyote. This part is not confirmed as of now, however, the Carpet Tunnel Studio doors have been closed for 5 days and there have been reports of The Last Coyote seen stumbling around down there. A note was found in a whiskey bottle reading delusional ramblings of a man with salmonella poisoning, new tracks coming out, and a possible, Last Coyote/John Posten Project split.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Drum Mic Techniques from Various Sources
Drummers: can't live with them, can't really jam without them. For as much as they're the bane of the rest of the band's existence, they're the life and soul of rock n' roll. As a sound engineer, you're better off learning how to best capture the sonic onslaught they give you, and leave the rhythm (and the excuses) to the "experts."
Recording drums is one of the hardest tasks to accomplish properly. In between all the incessant noise there's a lot of nuanced soundsmithing going on (no shit!), so the sooner you learn how to best capture the character of the percussion (no matter the inherent deficiencies of the drummer) the better your mixes will sound. The following are several introductions compiled (pilfered) from the web.
Probably the simplest method that delivers surprisingly good results is the Recorderman method and only requires 2 condenser microphones to capture the whole kit.
For a little more complete mic'ing setups check out the following:
And for a discussion of the finer nuances of capturing the drums as a complete instrument:
Recording drums is one of the hardest tasks to accomplish properly. In between all the incessant noise there's a lot of nuanced soundsmithing going on (no shit!), so the sooner you learn how to best capture the character of the percussion (no matter the inherent deficiencies of the drummer) the better your mixes will sound. The following are several introductions compiled (pilfered) from the web.
Probably the simplest method that delivers surprisingly good results is the Recorderman method and only requires 2 condenser microphones to capture the whole kit.
For a little more complete mic'ing setups check out the following:
And for a discussion of the finer nuances of capturing the drums as a complete instrument:
Free 31-band Tones for Reference
I created these tones as a reference for live sound engineers who need a little help finding and remembering those pesky feedback frequencies. Broken down by the frequencies you'd find on on a 31-band EQ, the frequencies below 50 Hz are sine waves, and the rest are squared sine waves up to about 10,000 Hz (10 kHz), above that the tones go back to being sine waves. The choice to make the tone a sine wave or a squared sine wave was purely aesthetic on my part.
Be really careful sampling frequencies below 50 Hz, because if you don't have speakers that can push that low, it's going to sound really bad and might send your speakers into a tizzy. If you can't hear the frequencies above 16 kHz, your speakers might not push that high or you've got hearing loss similar to mine.
Frequency tones are encoded in MP3 at 160 kbs, peaking at -3 dBs. Click the link below, click "continue," then click "download" for the free 6.4 MB download and unzip.
Free 31-Band Reference Tones Download
Be really careful sampling frequencies below 50 Hz, because if you don't have speakers that can push that low, it's going to sound really bad and might send your speakers into a tizzy. If you can't hear the frequencies above 16 kHz, your speakers might not push that high or you've got hearing loss similar to mine.
Frequency tones are encoded in MP3 at 160 kbs, peaking at -3 dBs. Click the link below, click "continue," then click "download" for the free 6.4 MB download and unzip.
Free 31-Band Reference Tones Download
Monday, November 5, 2007
Essential Free VST Dynamics Plugins for Powerful Processing
The key to a full mix is to control your program material. Tame your transients, add more punch in just the right doses and cut the bleed from unwanted audio leakage. Dynamics processing can be the hardest thing to get right, but if you harness the basic elements, go easy at first and follow your ears, you can do wonders to an otherwise uninspiring mix. The following is a list of essential free plugins for the VST host application of your choice. Enjoy, and remember to support the developers.
Compressors/Limiters/Gates:
GComp Compressor | Windows VST
Probably the best sounding and prettiest free compressor I've used so far. Controls are extensive for a simple compressor: input/output gain, RMS/Peak, Attack/Release, threshold for the compressor and a limiter with softener. Best of all, it provides a waveform view to preview how your audio is getting chopped when you set the controls. But don't forget to use your ears. The GMulti is basically the same as the GComp, but with multiband capabilities and stereo enhancers. Both plugins would be the go-to compressors in most cases if they included a gate/expander, but to compensate they can be used in conjunction with GGate or substituted with GComp2.
BuzzComp Free Series | Windows VST
Less refined than the GComp plugins, the BuzzComp series still finds its uses in many mixes. The GeneComp plugins in the Buzz pack don't seem in my opinion to be very useful due to a lack of any metering capabilities which allow you to see what the compressor is doing. The GranComp hard compressors however include both a single band and multiband compressor with meters which are far more mix-friendly. I've used the multiband compressor for general mix "fattening" and it includes several presets to get you started.
Fish Filets Channel Insert Package: | Windows, Mac 9 and OSX VSTs
Includes a compressor, de-esser, and a gate/expander. While the processors are not always as transparent as they could be, there are times when it's good to have a little "bite." When bite isn't what you're looking for, it's got a soft-knee switch to smooth things out. The gate/expander I've found to be especially useful on kick, snare and toms for getting rid of leaks from other instruments and pumping up the volume.
BuzzMaxi 3 Brickwall Limiter/Maximizer | Windows
For controlling those transient peaks that clip an otherwise consistent mix, I'll place BuzzMaxi last in the chain on the master channel, with its output ceiling set to a safe -0.3 dBs on "aggressive" mode. For a quick overall raise in loudness for scratch mixdowns (for preview purposes), I'll switch the mode to its softer setting, lower the ceiling to maybe -0.5 and crank up the "makeup" volume a couple of dBs for fairly transparent results. You don't really want to use just a limiter to raise the loudness of your material (that's a job better suited for a multiband compressor) but when in a pinch or a hurry, this plugin can help acheive greater stature in the loudness war. Apologies to Bob Katz.
And a final note on dynamics processing, a video examining the plight of the loudness war and why you should use care when messing with compressors:
Compressors/Limiters/Gates:
GComp Compressor | Windows VST
Probably the best sounding and prettiest free compressor I've used so far. Controls are extensive for a simple compressor: input/output gain, RMS/Peak, Attack/Release, threshold for the compressor and a limiter with softener. Best of all, it provides a waveform view to preview how your audio is getting chopped when you set the controls. But don't forget to use your ears. The GMulti is basically the same as the GComp, but with multiband capabilities and stereo enhancers. Both plugins would be the go-to compressors in most cases if they included a gate/expander, but to compensate they can be used in conjunction with GGate or substituted with GComp2.
BuzzComp Free Series | Windows VST
Less refined than the GComp plugins, the BuzzComp series still finds its uses in many mixes. The GeneComp plugins in the Buzz pack don't seem in my opinion to be very useful due to a lack of any metering capabilities which allow you to see what the compressor is doing. The GranComp hard compressors however include both a single band and multiband compressor with meters which are far more mix-friendly. I've used the multiband compressor for general mix "fattening" and it includes several presets to get you started.
Fish Filets Channel Insert Package: | Windows, Mac 9 and OSX VSTs
Includes a compressor, de-esser, and a gate/expander. While the processors are not always as transparent as they could be, there are times when it's good to have a little "bite." When bite isn't what you're looking for, it's got a soft-knee switch to smooth things out. The gate/expander I've found to be especially useful on kick, snare and toms for getting rid of leaks from other instruments and pumping up the volume.
BuzzMaxi 3 Brickwall Limiter/Maximizer | Windows
For controlling those transient peaks that clip an otherwise consistent mix, I'll place BuzzMaxi last in the chain on the master channel, with its output ceiling set to a safe -0.3 dBs on "aggressive" mode. For a quick overall raise in loudness for scratch mixdowns (for preview purposes), I'll switch the mode to its softer setting, lower the ceiling to maybe -0.5 and crank up the "makeup" volume a couple of dBs for fairly transparent results. You don't really want to use just a limiter to raise the loudness of your material (that's a job better suited for a multiband compressor) but when in a pinch or a hurry, this plugin can help acheive greater stature in the loudness war. Apologies to Bob Katz.
And a final note on dynamics processing, a video examining the plight of the loudness war and why you should use care when messing with compressors:
A TEMPEST TO STORM
John Posten came into the Carpet Tunnel studios in Casper this weekend. It was a brief session wrapping up vocals on his new track A TEMPEST TO STORM. The track is a strong song putting the listener in the middle of an acoustic storm with crashing waves and thunder from above. His melodic voice pulls you through the storm and leaves you on the rocks drenched.
He will be recording new tracks in the next few months to come. Check out his song on his myspace page or under our listed artists.
Another Documentary on Hypocritical Democracy
John Pilger's documentary The War on Democracy, since we have so much talk about instilling democracy in the world lately. Not about music, but important nonetheless.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
This is what our democracy will look like
In a move typical of military dictatorships parading as functioning democracies, our Pakistani partner in the War on Terror 6.0, has descended into martial law by decree of the president. Musharraf suspends the constitution to curb the "rise of extremism" which no doubt has risen since his ties to Washington have grown more closely. Coincidentally, of course, the suspension of the constitution prevents the Pakistani Supreme Court from ruling on the legality of Musharraf's presidency.
All of this will cause barely a hiccup in U.S./Pakistani relations since all's fair when participating in the War on Terror. Unless, no doubt, you're on the other side, then very similar political actions will be vilified as an example of the enemy's treachery.
The rules are all messed up, and the job of the referee is relegated to the biggest bully.
But this is the honest underbelly of how governments function, democracies or not, and ours will operate no differently when enough danger is presented by whatever opposition to the powers that be. The leaders know that what cannot be mollified through propaganda and bribery must be crushed.
And this is how the War on Terror becomes the Reign of Terror. Menkcken acutely understood the power dynamic when he said "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." Let's hope that Americans have not grown so complacent that martial law becomes an acceptable solution for our hobgoblins.
For an interesting glimpse into the transitory nature of political power and it's dirty tricks, the documentary The Revolution Will Not Be Televised is an invaluable perspective:
All of this will cause barely a hiccup in U.S./Pakistani relations since all's fair when participating in the War on Terror. Unless, no doubt, you're on the other side, then very similar political actions will be vilified as an example of the enemy's treachery.
The rules are all messed up, and the job of the referee is relegated to the biggest bully.
But this is the honest underbelly of how governments function, democracies or not, and ours will operate no differently when enough danger is presented by whatever opposition to the powers that be. The leaders know that what cannot be mollified through propaganda and bribery must be crushed.
And this is how the War on Terror becomes the Reign of Terror. Menkcken acutely understood the power dynamic when he said "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." Let's hope that Americans have not grown so complacent that martial law becomes an acceptable solution for our hobgoblins.
For an interesting glimpse into the transitory nature of political power and it's dirty tricks, the documentary The Revolution Will Not Be Televised is an invaluable perspective:
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