Compression has always been one of the key elements of audio production, from recording to mixing to mastering, the appropriate use of dynamic tools is a very big part of the “sound” of modern recordings. At their most basic, compressors tighten up the dynamics of instrument and vocal tracks, but they’re also used for effect.
Archives for November 2016
Logic Pro X Tutorial – Stem Mixing
What are stems? Stems are simply elements of a final mix that have been isolated as their own stereo mix. These stems can then be combined in parallel, using the same starting point, to create a similar version of the main stereo mix but with slight changes as needed. Stems are elements of the final mix broken out into various subgroups. Dialog, music, sound effects, background sounds and such are all submixed into surround or stereo tracks for ease of final film audio mixing. This allows for control over the sound without having to monitor hundreds, or thousands, of tracks.
Key Takeaways:
- When considering how you want to divide and organise your mix, do not balancing too many stems against too few by seperating the principle instrument groups off key parts of the track.
- Remember to stay within the confines of the stem and decide whether to pack the reverb into the same Track Stack or keep the reverbs and delays running free from the folder
- We want is a means of exporting the mix in one pass, but rather than creating a single stereo file we need the mix rendered as a series of files
“For the application of effects, you need to remember to stay within the confines of the stem. So, rather than having a single reverb for the whole mix routed to the stereo outputs, you’ll need an individual reverb instance for each stem, itself routed to the corresponding stem bus.”
Pinterest update gives users a new way to Explore
Joining other apps on pushing curated content, Pinterest, with the latest update last week, keeps the users interested with Explore. Aside from giving you posts that interests you, Explore will give you daily recommendations of what to view and what’s currently trending on Pinterest. The update also supports auto-playing videos which comes in handy to advertisers promoting their products.
Read more here: https://www.engadget.com/2016/11/16/pinterest-explore-update/
Introducing Vinci – The First Smart & and 3D Headphones
Introducing VINCI the smart headphone that actually understands you. In this era of Siri and Alexa in your phones and your gadgets comes a headphone that does not need a phone. It is a stand-alone gadget that can do just about anything your smartphone does. Of course, it is mainly for playing music but with Vinci around, you can do just about anything.
Vinci can track your activities, give you directions, record your fitness programs, even read back text messages without connecting to your phone.
Vinci plans to understand or behaviors as well pretty soon he will be able to tell if you will be late for work.
Read more here: https://www.engadget.com/2016/11/15/vinci-smart-headphones/
3 Rules of Using Saturation Effectively In Your Mix
In the Mixing With 5 Plug-ins course, the last section is on the different ways you can use saturation apps to create and layer musical effects. There are pros and cons to these and the author will discuss them, as well as some general tips to increase musical texture without sacraficing quality of sound.
Key Takeaways:
- Three different saturation plugins are useful in audio mixing, as per the author’s list.
- Some audio effects, like scraping, need some discernment to use well. Always review mixes for gain-staging.
- There is a community referenced that aids in mixing using specific plugins soliciting new membership.
“The Kramer Tape also adds a cool delay element so you can create cool slap echo tones the Saturn doesn’t do.”
http://www.audio-issues.com/music-mixing/3-rules-of-using-saturation-effectively-in-your-mix/