This week Ryan demonstrates how he uses multiple compressors when tracking and we learn all about Pro Tools 10.
Our guest this week is Russ Hughes from AIR Users Blog.
LINKS
AIR Users Blog
Pro Tools Expert
Show 26 – Interview with Russ Hughes
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Russ interviews Andy Munro on SE Egg monitors
http://youtu.be/kYXqjd9Jc3U
Pro Tools 10 Launch Meeting (parody)
I was impressed by this show! I think the examples with the guitar were excellent…BUT Ryan..you got my hopes up by talking about compressing voacls! I think you should bring somebody in, and do a show with using multiple compressor’s and different combinational order’s of the comps! Thanks Guys! HRS rocks!
The issues with my backing noise was that I forgot to bring Closed Back (Isolating) headphones into my bedroom to do the session so had to end up using an open back set.. stupid me.. So you were getting a little headphone bleed. I tried to do the session a little bit away from the mic to attempt to reduce the effect but knew it was there.
Re Quiet Voice recording.. Agree with everything you guys mentioned . Maybe also check out Izotope Nectar.. It has setting for spoken vocals that can enhance them. It can help clean up the vocals and background sounds. It also helps clean up stuff like loud breaths etc.
Wow, even more reasons not to own Pro Tools! I think I’ll stick with my 3.06GHZ quad core i7 PC with 12GBram and Sonar X-1 Producer expanded…..It costs less, the upgrades are less expensive and it is a COMPLETE DAW that does all those things PT cannot do, and does them very well, it has incredible plugins. They just FINALLY got delay compensation in Pro Tools….the new plugin format will require purchasing even more stuff, and again, it is still far behind pretty much every other DAW out there at this point. I use Sonar and am partial to it, but considering not only the quality of the sound, the almost too deep levels of tools and features, an extremely full and wide range of plugins as good as anybody’s, time stretching, pitch correction/autotuning, several dedicated channels strips for vocals, percussion, mastering, etc, an extremely high quality channel strip on every unlimited audio channel, high resolution audio to MIDI conversion, window docking that makes any module or window accessible with one click; things such as Matrix View, Tracking, Console, Synth Rack, Browser, etc., etc., etc. And I can run it all in 64bit! I can record in 64bit! I can render in 64bit! And I can do it in 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound. I can feed it all seamlessly and with latency free monitoring with my Pro 40 going ADAT into a MOTU 828mk3 Hybrid running a total of 14 inputs (limited only by my available inputs.) at 96k all day with exquisite sound quality. annot speak for Macs, but for the PC, I think Sonar is the overall best DAW out there. Pro Tools 10? Who needs it?????
PS: I know you guys are Pro Tools geeks…well sort of….Jon has been at least partially taken over to the Dark Side by Reaper….but I am sure as you are there are any number of Cubase and ACID and Nuende Ableton and Propeller, fruity loops etc that would say the exact same thing. The point being it is ultimately best to use what works for you. But really, Avid seems to be trying to price PT out of the “home/project” studio market. Yet they really don’t offer anything that sets them apart. Again, most DAWS are now at least comparable to Pro Tools and many have gone past as far as features and technology. My point is, there is nothing at this point that would make me consider all the added expense, including hardware, of switching to Pro Tools, and PT 10 gives me less reason, not more…..If I end up collaborating with a Pro Tools studio, they can either use wave stems or OMF files and we’ll have to use our own plugins….
Good serial compression segment. I have to give props to the multiple mic idea for dynamic singers and actors. This can work MUCH better and quicker than serial compression. All you do is run the far mic at a lower level (typically 10-15dB) and just cut back and forth in your DAW between the near mic for the quiet performances and the far mic for loud stuff. The mikes don’t have to be very far apart. They could even be the same distance so long as one has significantly lower gain.
I can’t believe CPTK costs $2k. The feature set listed on the website nowhere near justifies that cost. I’m not saying it isn’t worth the 330% cost increase, I’m just saying they need to explain why.
Great show once again! I would love you guys on a future show to demonstrate Randy’s multiple mic idea and compare it to serial compression.
Hi Guys, hello from England. Great show again. I really enjoyed the section on compression, and it reminded me that my RNC “Really Nice Compressor” Compressor has a mode called “Super Nice” which essentially does layered compression trick in the box. They don’t say exactly how it works but I think they are trying to do something similar to what you described Ryan, three layers of compression at different settings, but preset. Whilst using 3 different boxes with their own characteristics is probably much more flexible (and I mean to try it)if anyone is wanting a nice easy to use compressor with some unusual tweaks the RNC is a goodie.
Oh and thanks to Jon for helping me with reaper last week.
Keep up the good work.
Yes Jonathan.
I have a FMR RNC and it is quite nice lol in fact Really Nice ha ha..
I also have the FMR RNLA (Really Nice Leveling Amplifier) model – just a different type of compressor and that also adds some interesting options. FYI They are very small non-rack devices so I bought the 3rd party (Funk Logic – http://www.funklogic.com/funk-products) rack mount frame for them so I have them rack mounted which keeps them nice an tidy. Only wish they had an on and off switch on the front panel .
Steve
Hey Guys,
I have been meaning to post a comment about creating your own impulse responses. I created a YouTube tutorial on using Apple’s “Impulse Response Utility” which comes bundled with Logic Studio. The software is very easy to use. In fact, the hardest part of creating an IR with the utility is physically setting up the microphones and loudspeaker, after that the software nearly walks you through the process.
In case this helps some of my fellow Home Recording Show fans: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKqkiNo5bkw
Also here is a web page that lists MANY collections free IRs.
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/printview.php?t=62458&start=0
Thanks again for your labors in creating the show!
Pete
Hats off to you gentlemen for another great show. Best line of the show, “I know that Reaper has had this feature for a while, but PRO TOOLS 10!!!! blah Blah BLAH”
1.) I think it’s a little generous to say that Pro Tools (aka DigiDesign) single-handedly brought about the modern DAW. Yamaha invented all but invented MIDI (or MIDIs predecessors: “keycode system”); and Steinberg’s Atari-based DAW launched the same year as Sound Tools (1989). Steinberg invented (literally, not figuratively) ASIO. Steinberg invented (literally, not figuratively) VST. They’ve had clip-based gain since Cubase 4 at least (2007) that’s 3 generations of their software; same can be said for 32-bit float.
And Steinberg/Yamaha solves Avid’s not-primarily-an-audio-company problem. I’d keep an eye on Cubase. Basically the only they’re lacking is a Magic Tool of some type (I think) and a hide/disable track feature (I have to admit that’s pretty handy).
2.) I would also like to try a comparison of recording vox with 2 mics so as to bypass the need to real-time gain adjustment. My biggest problem is that I couldn’t afford matched pairs of C-800 Gs or ELA M250s. Oops, audio boner. Excuse me, gents; I need a minute alone.
Ride the Lightning,
-James
Hey Guys,
Serial Compression SAVED my life this week. Tracking an Operatic Tenor at 6 feet behind the mic. A Shure KSM27. He could destroy the circuit of my ADK A-51 before the Preamp!
I used a Behringer MIC2200 to a Composer Pro, then DBX166 before I hit my MBox Pro.
Without the Serial Compression, all the recordings would have been unusable.
Thanks for the suggestions!
Jason
It was great to hear Russ on the show–lots of good input. However, the best comment by far was the “no shit sherlock” aimed at Jon. It was funny to hear something on the podcast that I’ve yelled at my speakers so many times! But don’t you go changing though…