advanced effects - make music now

064 | COMPUTER MUSIC WINTER 2005 TUTORIAL

make music now Compression masterclass

CompressionFor the first in our brand new six-part effects masterclass, were getting those dynamics under control

Compression is one of those things that crops up and time and time again in cm, and with good reason. In general terms, its the most important type of processing that you can apply to a sound, which also means that its one of the worst sounding (and most difficult to undo)

when you get it wrong. In the first in this six-part series of expert tutorials, were going to show you how to get the most out of your compression plug-ins. But before we go on, lets have a little recap on the basics

Compression falls into the category of effects processors that we call

dynamic (effects that control changes in sound level). When an incoming signal exceeds a user-specifiable level, the compressor will automatically reduce the volume by a user-specified amount. It will do this at user-specified speed, and, after the incoming signal drops below the level again, it'll return the signal to its original level at another user-specified speed.

Speed of soundSo far it sounds like compressors are just glorified volume controls. And in a sense they are, but with much faster reactions than any engineer. Imagine if Clark Kent were a recording engineer by day, rather than a reporter thats the kind of reaction speed were talking about! And even hes only got two hands so could handle a stereo signal at most.

Over the years there have been numerous variations on this theme, but it's at the core of every compressor you own, so its vital that youre comfortable with the concept before you continue.

OK, with the basics out of the way, lets head over to the next page and have a look at those controls in some more detail

On the DVDTUTORIAL FILESWeve supplied some files to go with our walkthroughs (in the Tutorial Files folder), but if possible, try to use your own instead as this will give you a much better feel for how compression affects your style of production

Some different types of vintage compressorIn a horribly clinical world, all compressors would respond in exactly the same way at the same time, but thanks to the subtleties of design, the fallibility of human beings and the nature of analogue circuitry, every compressor design has slightly different qualities to the next, and these are what make the sounds of some so desirable. Now, while not everybody can afford a genuine vintage analogue compressor (or even an emulation of one), by understanding the way different types of compressors act, we can coax much more convincing emulations from even standard plug-ins. Lets have a look at a couple of types of analogue compressor

Photo-resistivePhoto-resistive gain control compressors are as ingenious as they are slow to respond. They work by displaying the signal intensity with a light bulb or LED (the stronger the signal, the brighter the light) and using a photo-sensitive receptor to respond to it and reduce the volume accordingly.

Because of the non-linear and slow response of light sources (particularly the bulbs used in early devices, for example), the response of the compressor is much slower than that of modern plug-ins, and can easily miss fast transients altogether, making for some rather interesting results. So, to get that vintage photo-compression sound from your software, all you need to do is use much slower attack and release times than you normally would. And interestingly, because photo-receptive designs essentially just reduce the volume, theres no distortion introduced, so you neednt worry about adding any

ValvesProbably the earliest type of compression circuitry was built around valves. Valve compression is famously non-linear. In other words, the amount of gain reduction applied when the incoming signal first

exceeds the threshold is not proportional to the amount applied when the signal far exceeds the threshold proportionally less is usually applied the more the signal exceeds the threshold. Valves also cant react quickly enough for very sharp transients, but this is compensated for by the inherent limiting of valve circuitry. This limiting also gives rise to one of the nicest side effects subtle, warm distortion.

To recreate the effect of valve compression you can try using the following chain: compression (with the attack set above 10ms or so and any look-ahead function disabled) followed by some gentle limiting and a very small amount of overdrive.

1Valves: warmth through imperfection

PRO TIPMany producers like to place some gentle compression on the output of their mixer to help the different channels gel. If so, you should try inserting it before setting the levels, as it will affect the relative balance of the parts when applied.

PART 1

ADVANCEDEFFECTS

NEXT MONTHREVERB

CMU93.t_fx 064CMU93.t_fx 064 7/10/05 7:03:45 pm7/10/05 7:03:45 pm

TUTORIAL WINTER 2005 COMPUTER MUSIC | 065

Q&A focusmake music nowCompression masterclass

01 THRESHOLD As with most threshold controls on audio equipment, this rather unsexy knob simply tells the compressor at what point it should start to take effect. Setting the threshold is a bit of a black art, and potentially the subject of its own tutorial check the boxout on p66 for more)

02 RATIO The most misunderstood of compressor controls. Everybody loves to play around with it, but few people understand what it actually does. In reality, its a very simple device that controls how much volume attenuation (reduction) is applied to the signal. So, for example, a ratio of 4:1 will mean that any signal that exceeds the threshold by 4dB will only be output at 1dB above the threshold. The greater

the ratio, the more squashed the dynamics become.

03 ATTACK Attack is a critical parameter with the power to completely change the character of a sound. Very fast and the compressor will squash your signal; longer and the crack of any sharp transients will slip through.

04 RELEASE The release control simply tells the compressor how quickly to bring the signal level back up after compression has been applied. This can either be instantaneous or very slow indeed. The effect the release has varies wildly depending on what the source material is. Try manipulating it on a grouped drum track and then a complete track or bassline.

05 MAKE-UP GAIN Because, by nature, compressors reduce the volume level overall, its important that the final output signal is raised, and for this we use a simple gain control at the output stage (some designs even include one at the input stage too).

06 KNEE Another much misunderstood compression control is the knee. Knee is usually measured rather scientifically from soft to hard. On a compressor with no knee control (or one set to hard) the compression doesnt begin until the signal reaches the exact threshold. This can result in rather dramatic and obvious dynamic changes that sound great on punchy drums, but like a pile of steaming used grass in a cow field when applied to a complete

mix. The knee control compensates for this by gradually applying compression to signals approaching the threshold until the ratio reaches the defined amount just as the signal hits the threshold. The resulting compression is therefore no less determined, but much more subtle.

07 BYPASS (Not shown) One of the most vital buttons on your compressor, this enables you to actually hear what the compression is doing to the sound. If it sounds better bypassed then it is! Ignore this at your peril

08 SIDECHAIN (Not shown) A compressors action can often be triggered via a separate signal (such as a kick drum), rather than the incoming audio.

THE ANATOMY OF A COMPRESSORLOOK-AHEAD Look-ahead is a means of dealing with very short-lived, fast transients. It does exactly what it says on the tin ie, it looks at the signal to be played before it's sent to the gain control stage. In hardware this is done by delaying the signal by a few milliseconds before sending it to the gain control stage, but in software it sometimes involves sneaking a peak at the audio file before it's played. This digital versatility means you'll normally only find look-ahead on plug-ins.

STEREO LINK Stereo linking is vital if youre applying compression to a finished mix, as without it sharp transients in one stereo channel might trigger noticeable compression in that channel but not the other.

SIDECHAIN EQ Some modern compressors now offer the ability to exclude certain frequencies prior to compression (high frequencies, for example), which helps avoid audible pumping effects.

PEAK/RMS Most compressors respond to sharp transients in much the same way as the human ear, meaning loud but short transients arent perceived as being as high volume as more prolonged sounds at exactly the same level. This is called RMS (Root Mean Squared dont ask) operation, and allows short transients through for a more natural sound. It's not so appropriate for applying pre-AD converters, where even short peaks above 0dB cause clipping.




Get your compression inserted correctly and all kinds of great things can happen

Sticking it in the right place

C ompression is generally most efficacious as an insert effect. That is to say, its placed between the input to a channel and that channels fader, so that only the processed signal is heard. But in these days of near-limitless plug-ins on every channel, most stuff tends to end up inserted, including delays and reverb,

which were traditionally used as send/return effects. Consequently, compression in the DAW age is interacting with our other plug-ins in new and unexpected ways, meaning that compressors can now play a much more creative role in the use of other effects. You can see what we mean in the walkthrough below

One of the main uses for compression is controlling the dynamics of a signal, thus achieving a louder sound overall. In such cases, the most critical control will be threshold ideally, the threshold setting should be just above the average signal level. But how do you know where to set it? Well, in much the same way as one exaggerates EQ gain and uses a narrow Q setting when sweeping for the right frequency to treat with an equaliser, extreme values are often the order of the day when searching for the right compression settings.

If you want to know what the best threshold setting is for your signal, try using an extremely short attack and release with a very high ratio and then sweeping the threshold until you hear it starting to kick in from time to time during louder bursts. From there you should first reduce the ratio setting to something more sensible, then begin increasing the attack and release times and adjusting the other parameters.

This technique neednt be limited to controlling peaks. Whatever your use for

Finding the right settings Doing it in the right orderJust as compression can have a huge impact on other effects in an insert chain, there are some processes that can affect a compressors performance, most notably EQ. Anybody whos been knocked off their feet by a bass-bin at the Notting Hill Carnival will tell you it takes more energy to produce bass sounds than anything else, so it stands to reason that by boosting the bass, youre also

substantially boosting the level. Consequently, any bass gain applied pre-compression will cause the compressor to kick in sooner, specifically when the signal youve just tried to boost kicks in. At best this can undo much of our careful EQing, and at worst itll ruin our signal completely. So its usually best to apply EQ after compression!

compression, threshold will be critical, and careful setting essential. (Most of the time, when signals are over-compressed, its down to the fact that thresholds have been poorly set.)

A methodical approach becomes even more vital when we move into the murky world of multiband compression (see p68).

7Apply compression like you would any other vital process: be methodical!

3 Reduce the reverb and delay feedback settings to their previous levels and insert another compressor, this time with more gentle settings, after the reverb and delay. By playing with the Threshold and Ratio settings, you can increase the volume of the effects without intensifying them.

STEP BY STEP Using compression in an insert chain

1 First, load a track or loop youve made with a simple synth or percussive pattern anything will do, just as long as the sounds are quite distinct (piano-style envelopes not strings). Solo the synth and insert a compressor with 3-6ms Attack and 70-100ms Release. >>

2 Insert a simple delay (preferably a tempo delay, but make sure it sounds in time!) and a short reverb. Keep the delay feedback level low at first, then, using the reverb time and delay feedback controls, fill out the keyboard pattern. Doesn't sound too great, huh? Have faith >>

PRO TIPGood compression isnt necessarily the loudest, the most transparent or the fastest its the most appropriate. Acoustic or orchestral music will need less compression than bangin hard house, so check with pro productions in your genre.

PRO TIPMost software compressors come with a variety of presets and enable you to save your own. These are usually labelled for different types of instruments, so try them out and save any modifications you make as a new preset.


TUTORIAL WINTER 2005 COMPUTER MUSIC | 067

Q&A focusmake music nowCompression masterclass

3 This technique can have many effects slow attack and high ratios can reduce the sound of unwanted transients, like a guitar pick, while low threshold and high ratios on vocals can make them sound more breathy and intimate. Just don't forget to use a noise gate!

1 Sometimes a good pumping sound is just what the doctor ordered (check out the strings on Eric Prydz Call On Me to hear what we mean), but what if you want to control when the pumps occur? Well, set up three channels in your softwares mixer and well show you how its done. >>

1 Another use for compressors is to flatten the level of wildly fluctuating signals, and nowhere are these more common than in real-world recordings. Record something into a microphone and listen back to it. >>

2 The volume level of your voice or instrument will almost certainly be all over the place. Now insert a compressor with quite a low ratio and moderate Attack and Release settings. Lower the Threshold slowly and the level should start to settle. >>

3 After a certain point, the sound will become duller and flatter, as the ratio starts to take its toll. To counter this, increase the Attack time slowly to no greater than 8ms. As this is increased, the attack portion of the drums will become more pronounced, breathing life back into them.

2 On channel 3, set up a kick drum on every beat; on channel 1, any track with a kick on every beat; and on channel 2, a string pad playing a solid note or chord. Insert a sidechain-equipped compressor into channels 2 and 3, and disable the audio output of 1. >>

1 If compressing real world recordings is all about preserving their natural sound, compressing drums is the opposite. Drums just sound better processed than they ever do in real life! Load up an unprocessed acoustic drum loop and insert a compressor. >>

2 Play back the loop clean to begin with, and then add the compression. Have the Attack set to 0ms, initially, and set the Release to 50ms. Set the Threshold to about -20dB and try raising the Ratio. As this comes up, you should notice the weight of the kick increase considerably. >>

3 Finally, set the sidechain inputs on both compressors to receive their input from channel 1. Audition channels 2 and 3 separately and youll hear a pumping effect on the offbeat. Used overtly, this breathes rhythm into solid strings; used subtly, it gives life to dull mixes.

STEP BY STEP Pump it up

STEP BY STEP Keeping it close and clean

STEP BY STEP Make it bangin




ACOUSTIC GUITARAttack: 1msRelease: 98msRatio: 6:1Threshold: -18dBSoft Knee, RMS

DRUMSAttack: 0msRelease: 90msRatio: 4:1Threshold: -18dBSoft Knee, Peak

VOCALSAttack: 1msRelease: 120msRatio: 6:1Threshold: -17dBSoft Knee, RMS

ELECTRIC BASSAttack: 19.5msRelease: 130msRatio: 6:1Threshold: -18dBSoft Knee, Peak

COMPLETE TRACKAttack: 26msRelease: 29msRatio: 3:1Threshold: -14dBSoft Knee, Peak

PUMPINGAttack: 6.5msRelease: 2msRatio: 9:1Threshold: -35dBHard Knee, Peak

Why have one compressor when you can have, er, loads?! Learn how multiband compression can help you master your mix

Mastering (with)multiband compression

A s great as compressors are, they do have their limitations. Weve already talked about controlling the peaks of a final mix with compression, but we can do much more than that with a multiband compressor. This is essentially multiple compressors in one, each affecting a different frequency band. Why is this useful? Well, just remember the two main uses for compressors: taming peaks and raising the overall loudness. If our track happens to be heavy in the bass section, then any compression applied will be consistently triggered by the strongest signal the bass. But the signal attenuation will be applied to the entire mix, creating noticeable dips and pumping in the treble part, resulting in a dull and unpleasant mix. With this in mind, a multiband compressor enables us to compress only the parts of the mix that need it, so we can increase the overall level of the bass, but leave the upper range intact. The advantages of multiband compression are obvious, but getting to grips with it can be tricky

Getting startedOur best advice is to start simply. Multiband compression usually comes in three bands, so bypass two of them and concentrate on the area that needs work (after all, if you find every band needs heavy compression, perhaps you should rethink the mix first!). If, for example, the mids and uppers sound OK and you apply compression to only the low band, then suddenly find that

the upper band needs processing, dont un-bypass them straight away chances are youve just overcompensated and turned the bass up too high. Try to fix that first.

Once youve mastered the art of selective frequency compression, then you can start applying what youve

learned and refine each band individually. But dont rush it, as each band added does far more than double the learning curve.

Picking your rangeThe last critical controls to master on a multiband compressor are the band

crossover points in other words, the ranges to be processed. While these will vary to some degree, there are some common ranges. But these wont always be applicable, and will depend on the types of instruments you're using (low guitar notes may fall into the range of the low compressor, while high piano patterns might not), so repeat our more general advice and start a band at a time. If you're processing the bass but you feel too much of the mid is being affected, sweep down the range until only the desired range is processed. Its also worth noting the extreme setting technique once again at this point. The easiest way to find out where to set the band range for compression is to whack your ratio up, with nice fast attack and release times. Once youve found the frequency to be affected, you can use the same techniques as for any type of compression.

Easy does itIf we make all this sound simple, thats because it is. But simple doesnt mean easy, so just remember to take things step by step, and youll find that it's much less impenetrable than you might have at first thought. cm

DONT RUSH IT, AS EACH BAND ADDED DOES FAR MORE THAN DOUBLE THE LEARNING CURVE

Taking it to the limitNo discussion of compression would be complete without mentioning limiting, but rather than go over the same old ground, wed like to dispel an important myth. Its popularly accepted wisdom to describe limiting as compression with an infinite ratio ie, it attenuates any signal above the threshold completely. Now, while this is true in theory, in practice, compressors usually arent designed to work that way and will almost always have the

potential to allow some transients through. Its a bit like bouncers on the door of a nightclub: a limiter is the seven-foot Neanderthal blocking the door, while a compressor is the type of doorman who wont notice you slip by if youre small and can move quickly.

Unfortunately, in the digital age, even small transients can be enough to cause noticeable signal clipping, so in practice, don't send a doorman to do a bouncers work

Some typical compression settings

1Know your limit: limiters are the big, bad bouncers of the music-making world. Apparently


060 | COMPUTER MUSIC DECEMBER 2005 TUTORIAL

make music now FX masterclass

ReverbFor a quality mix, reverb is essential. Get to grips with this effect and itll transform your sounds

What can we say about reverb that hasnt already been said?Well, plenty, hopefully, or weve all got a very dull four pages ahead of us! Before we start, though, a brief recap on the basics

Reverb is the product of sound interacting with nature. Every time we make a noise, its transmitted as waves of vibration through the air. These waves ricochet off every surface they encounter, before finding their way to the listeners ears. Because were so used to hearing these sonic reflections, any situation in which theres nothing

for the sound to bounce off sounds unnatural. With this in mind, successive generations of music productions have used a variety of ingenious processes to recreate these reflections, culminating (for most of us) in digital reverb units in the shape of plug-ins.

Theres never been a better time to explore the possibilities your reverb plug-ins throw up, which makes it all the

more surprising that the vast majority of us do little more than call up our favourite reverb and insert it into any channel we need. If were feeling adventurous, we might even alter the reverb time

All of this is a real shame, as almost every space you encounter will have a distinct sonic character. Some of these are suited to vocals, drums, or even complete tracks. Clever use of reverb techniques can transform your mix from a lifeless lump of deadwood to a vibrant masterpiece. Dont believe us? Well then, read-on cm

On the DVDTUTORIAL FILESYou'll find our reverb loop in the Tutorial Files folder

Common types of reverb SPRING

In the pre-digital age, the only way to achieve the sound of reverberation was by mechanical means, and this generally meant spring or plate reverb. Spring reverb is a simple concept: usually found inside analogue guitar amps, it involves suspending springs between pairs of transducers with vibrations being generated at one end and received at the other. The effect, while interesting and often useful, is fairly unrealistic, and the vast amount of gain required to boost the received signal makes it prone to extreme signal noise.

PLATE

Plate reverb is similar in principle to spring reverb, in that real vibrations are induced in a real piece of metal by a driver and then picked up by microphones. The difference is in the quality of results plate reverbs can sound absolutely lush albeit in a not-quite-natural way. Originally the preserve of top-end studios, theyre surprisingly cheap and easy to build, although with an average size of 4x6, they arent exactly practical.

DIGITAL

At the risk of oversimplifying things, lets just say that digital reverb is usually achieved with a combination of very fast delay algorithms and filters. And if youve ever wondered why reverbs are among the most processor-intensive effects you can use, then you must not know that to create even a modest sounding digital reverb, said algorithms must churn out anywhere from 1000 to 3000 delays every second. And they must impart clever randomisations of timing between each one so that the effect isnt completely unnatural.

CONVOLUTION

The daddy of modern digital reverbs, the convolution reverb uses painstakingly accurate sonic models of a specific and real acoustic space, so that any sound to which its applied appears to be playing in that environment. For example, in the room youre currently sitting in, a series of specialised sounds would be played and recorded with a variety of mics. Using clever calculations and deductions, a sonic blueprint (called an impulse response, or IR) would be made so that any sound fed into it would appear to be interacting with exactly the same environment, taking into account every table, chair, window, sofa even you, if you happened to be in there when they took the blueprint.

7There are many types of reverb so do play the field with your plug-ins

ADVANCEDEFFECTS

PART 2


TUTORIAL DECEMBER 2005 COMPUTER MUSIC | 061

Q&A focusmake music nowFX masterclass

01 WET/DRY This specifies the amount of clean signal versus effected. If youre using your reverb as an insert, this will be used to control the intensity of the effect, but in a send/return loop, the normal setting will be 100% wet, with the send level of each track determining the intensity and amount of reverb on each.

02 REVERB TIME Its hard to say at what point reverberations actually stop, so the reverb time (aka decay time) is accepted as being the time it takes for the reverberations to decay by 60dB. Longer equals bigger sounding with normal rooms in the 1-3 second range, and huge spaces like cathedrals dishing out ten seconds or more.

03 EARLY REFLECTIONS When a sound is produced, theres a slight delay (perceptible or not) before it encounters a reflective surface. Consequently, smaller rooms will generate early reflections that are audible before being lost in the reverberant mush that follows. The brain makes an educated guess as to the size of a space based on these early reflections.

04 PRE-DELAY The amount of time between the original sound and the early reflections. Too short and you lose definition, too long and theres an audible gap (such as in a very large space), generating an echoing effect. As a rule of thumb, try to achieve the longest pre-delay time you can without an audible gap.

05 ROOM SHAPE Many reverb units include a room shape option, usually determining the number of walls, but sometimes also their placement.

06 STEREO BASE Some reverb designs enable you to simulate the placement of stereo microphones. To accurately mimic the perception of a real room, try placing them around the same distance apart as your ears.

07 INITIAL DELAY This is the elapsed time between the original signal and the main diffused reverb effect. The diffused reverb should flow on from the early reflections, and again, a good technique is usually to have the longest initial delay without an audible gap between the early reflections and the diffuse reverb.

08 CROSSOVER Because bass reverb can overpower a track quickly, some reverbs enable you to set the bass and mid/treble reverb times independently the crossover setting in this type of reverb will determine at what point the signal is split.

09 LOW RATIO The low ratio control is essentially a reverb time control for the bass end in this case expressed as a percentage of the main reverb time.

10 LOW LEVEL If your reverb enables you to split its action, it will usually have a low level control so that you can set the level of the low reverb effect independently in this case, a setting of 0dB means the levels of both the high and low bands are equal.

11 DENSITY This controls the amount of reflection, and essentially sets the thickness of the reverb. This should normally be as high as possible without colouring the sound.

12 DIFFUSION Diffusion controls alter the regularity of the individual reverb delays (of which weve established there are thousands per second). High

diffusion values mean more irregularity and, therefore, greater realism.

13 HIGH CUT High frequencies tend to get absorbed much more quickly than low frequencies, so in nature reverb tends to lose top end much faster than bottom (except in stone or other highly reflective environments). A high-cut (also known as damping in many units) filter simulates this effect.

14 SPREAD Natural reverb is an unnatural and unruly thing, so it can be very difficult to detect much in the way of direction from it. Nevertheless, clever algorithms that offset the early reflections and longer reverberations as they play through the left and right channels can be used to add stereo width to even a mono signal. Some convolution reverbs, such as WizooVerb W5, can accurately model three-dimensional spaces in glorious 5.1 surround!

15 ROOM SIZE Determines the size of the virtual space created by your reverb plug-in. Obviously.

THE ANATOMY OF A REVERB


062 | COMPUTER MUSIC DECEMBER 2005 TUTORIAL

make music now FX masterclass

Some tasty tricks with reverberation

FOR A BIG room sound, try using a hall setting on your reverb and adding some pre-delay, but avoid adding too much of the effect to your kicks and toms, as pre-delay and long-reverb times will fill your mix much faster than an orchestra paid by the note

TOMS GENERALLY DONT NEED much reverb as their natural envelope has a pretty extended sustain, but if you do want to add some presence and a sense of scale, try using quite short settings

and be sure to remove the bass from the wet signal.

SNARE DRUMS ARE very bright and so can sound tasty with most types of reverb it all depends on the effect youre after. For punch, try a plate style reverb, as this has a fast, clean envelope.

APPLYING REVERB TO kicks can be troublesome, as the low frequencies generated can really muddy your mix. Shorter, ambient settings are better for

real kick drums, but for electronic kick drums its best to avoid standard reverb.

IF YOU ABSOLUTELY must apply reverb to your electronic kicks, try playing around with some gated reverb settings or reverse reverb. Beware, though: these are both very bold effects so make sure the result sounds absolutely mint!

TRY TO AVOID long reverb tails on hi-hats unless youre doing it for specific effect, as these can sound quite

distracting and unnatural, and will really muddy up the top-end of your track. For most purposes, shorter but bright reverbs add a sense of size and space without being overly intrusive.

FOR A REALISTIC live sound, you can still apply different reverb settings to each drum sound, but try sending the individually processed sounds to a sub-mix and then applying some subtle ambience reverb to them as a complete drum kit.

3 Try recording a few different speaker and mic placements, then unmute the recordings and play them quietly behind your original source. For a nice stereo effect, feed one recording to the left channel and another to the right. And there you go an easy, effective and natural reverb effect thats great for any occasion.

STEP BY STEP Natures way

1 Ambient mics are often used to capture the sound of a real room when recording drums, but a similar process can be used with any signal. Start by setting up a speaker in the space you want to capture or perhaps even in an adjoining room with the door open. Then place a microphone in the space to be captured facing away from the sound source. >>

2Make sure the mic is a good distance away from the speaker and adjust the playback volume until youre fully aware of the natural reverberations. Be sure to mute the output of the microphone channel, so as to avoid any feedback. Then simply play back the source be it a vocal track, instrumental part or complete mixdown and record the reverberations. >>

3 If all is well, the reverb should sound like its running in a large circle in front of you. So far this effect is pretty severe, so to moderate it slightly, simply ease back the extreme pan values, and lessen the volume range. To really add some dynamism, try applying the exact opposite automation to the audio loop.

STEP BY STEP Reverb 3D

1 Reverb can be used to add more than just stereo width. Armed with nothing more than two ears, we can easily detect direction with sound, so theres no reason why we shouldnt use stereo reverb to equal effect. Start by placing our two-bar Reverb Loop (on the DVD) onto a new track, and a reverb unit (set to 100% wet) on a bus. Send the output of the track to the reverb bus. >>

2 Now, use automation to lower the volume of the reverb bus from a high point of your choice to a low point of your choice and back up again, with the lowest point exactly halfway through two bars. Next, automate the pan from centred to fully left and back to centre over one bar, then fully right and back to centre over the second bar. >>

Tips on adding reverb to drums


make music now

TUTORIAL DECEMBER 2005 COMPUTER MUSIC | 063

FX masterclass

General reverb tipsTRY USING DIFFERENT TYPES of reverb on one track. In days gone by,

reverb was expensive and limited, so it was placed on busses, but high quality plug-ins and fast processors let you use multiple reverbs as inserts for total control.

REMEMBER THAT IN most cases, slower, sparser tracks can accommodate longer reverb times than quicker and thicker mixes without making them messy.

FOR A REALISTIC live sound, as you increase the reverb time you should also reduce the wet signal using the wet/dry balance, and as you shorten the reverb time you should increase the wet signal.

USE REVERB TOimpart a sense of three dimensional space rather than just width. For example, if a sound has a large amount of reverb, it gives a feeling of distance, just as the sound of somebody singing at the other end of a room is heavily mingled with the reverberations.

TRY USING DIFFERENT reverb effects on the left and right channels. This can be quite fiddly on individual tracks, but can be done much more easily for a

global reverb send/receive setup.

IT SOUNDS OBVIOUS, but dont forget that all the flexibility of modern digital reverb is wasted if the source material is a reverberating mess to begin with. Were not saying you shouldnt take advantage of natural reverb (check our walkthrough), but if you plan to add any kind of processed reverberations, the cleaner and dryer the source material, the better!

REMEMBER THE BLUES Brothers scene where Jake says to Elwood, How often does the train go by?', to which Elwood replies, So often you wont even notice'? Well, its true we humans notice change more than consistency,

so don't be afraid to muck about with reverb lengths and parameters throughout a track!

WHEN THICKENING SOUNDS, try applying chorus or flanging to the reverb signal. Alternatively, if youre using your effects in an insert chain, try applying reverb before any modulation effects (though for a more natural and subtle effect, the first technique is probably the better option).

DONT OVERLOOK THE power of compression on reverb, particularly reverb used as a track insert. For a

spectacular pumping reverb effect, try running your kick drum into the compressors sidechain.

IF YOU PLACE a gate in the signal path before a reverb, you can adjust it so that only the louder signals make it through and generate reverb. Or by still allowing a small amount of signal through when the gate is closed, you generate more reverb for louder sounds this works especially well on vocals, but be sure not to over-compress the source signal or the effect will be lost.

IF YOURE USING heavily panned sounds, try applying mono reverbs panned to the same sides as the panned sounds to emphasise their positions in the mix.

TO FILL OUT a sparse mix, try using a combination of delay and reverb, but with one panned mostly (or completely) left and the other right. For even more of a sense of movement, trying sweeping these effects so that as the delays move right, the reverb moves left.

1Logics Space Designer is one of the most powerful convolution reverbs on the market. It deserves to be fed only the cleanest signals!

Tips for addingreverb to vocals and guitars

signal by a few dB when the vocal's playing. If you dont have a gate with a ducker, try applying a compressor to the reverb signal and send the vocal signal to its sidechain.

ELECTRIC GUITAR PARTS (especially those of the chord-driven, wall-of-sound persuasion) are already very full, so be careful with your reverb lengths. Spring reverb patches are traditional and sound the part (bright and clean), but dont be afraid to try out something a little different.

GATED AND REVERSE reverb can sound excellent on guitar parts, as they fill out the sound without swamping it, and won't result in the obvious and clichd sound that they can produce on drum parts.

1Logics Enverb is just the thing for reverse and gated reverb effects

WHEN RECORDING VOCALS, be sure to add some reverb to the singers monitoring channel (even if its only a lower quality one) to ensure smooth playback. The reverb tail extends after the singer finishes singing, so many singers will use this to reference their pitch accuracy.

IF YOUR VOCAL line is suffering from too much sibilance, try adding a de-esser to the reverb rather than the original signal. De-essers can sound a little unnatural sometimes, and this technique can often provide less obtrusive but nonetheless highly effective results.

USE REVERB TO increase the separation between vocals. Backing vocals should be just that, so try adding plenty of early reflection and longer reverb tails to push them back in the mix. Conversely, lead vocals can sound a little distant with longer settings.

EARLY REFLECTIONS CAN add a sense of intimacy to a signal, particularly with acoustic sounds like guitars and vocals the bright, quick reflections sound like a small room or venue. For this effect try using nothing but ambience settings initially, and then add a more conventional reverb setting slowly afterwards (or not at all).

A GOOD WAY TO stop reverb dominating your vocal tracks is to use a ducking gate to lower the reverb

IF YOUR VOCAL LINE IS SUFFERING FROM TOO MUCH SIBILANCE, TRY A DE-ESSER

5Spring reverb: perfect for guitars, and on the cm DVD in the shape of SpringVerb


` '31498)6197-'.%29%6=89836-%0

MAKE MUSIC NOW ;MbVhiZgXaVhh

9ZaVn6hdcZd[i]ZbdhikZghVi^aZZ[[ZXihi]ZgZ^h!lZh]dlndj]dlidbV`ZWZiiZgjhZd[YZaVn^cndjgegdYjXi^dch

4SJEVMRXLMWWIVMIW[IZIPSSOIHEXXLIFVIEHERHFYXXIVSJTVSHYGXMSRIJJIGXWGSQTVIWWMSRERHVIZIVF*VSQLIVISRMRLS[IZIVXLIXSSPW[IPPFIGSZIVMRKEVIQIERXXSFIYWIHERHEFYWIHXSWXEQT]SYVEYXLSVMX]ERHGVIEXMZMX]EPPSZIV]SYVTVSHYGXMSRW8LMWQSRXL[IVIPSSOMRKEXHIPE]4YXWMQTP]HIPE]MWXLIVITIXMXMSRSJ

EWSYRH-XWYWYEPP]XEOIRXSQIERHMWXMRGXP]EYHMFPIVITIXMXMSRWSJXLIX]TI

QSWXRSRTVSHYGIVWGEPPIGLSIWFYXMRJEGXQYGLJEWXIVVITIXMXMSRWEVIEPWSXIGLRMGEPP]HIPE]WXSSMXWNYWXXLEXEJXIVEGIVXEMRTSMRX[IWXEVXGEPPMRKXLIQVIZIVFSVJPERKMRKSV[LEXIZIV.YWXPMOIVIZIVFIVEXMSRHIPE]MWWSQYGLETEVXSJREXYVEPWSYRHXLEXXLMRKWWSYRHWXVERKI[MXLSYXMX&YXYRPMOIVIZIVFIVEXMSRHIPE]GERFIEJERXEWXMGEPP]YRREXYVEPWSYRHMRKXSSPERHMWKVIEXJSVGVIEXMRKWSYRHWERH

KVSSZIWXLEX]SYWMQTP][SRXIRGSYRXIVMRREXYVI-XGERIZIRFIYWIHXSTVSHYGITWIYHSEVTIKKMSGLSVYWTLEWMRKJPERKMRKERHVIZIVFIJJIGXW-RXLMWVIWTIGXHIPE]MWTIVLETWXLIQSWXZIVWEXMPIX]TISJTVSGIWWMRK]SYPPIRGSYRXIV&YXLS[HS[ISFXEMRMX#8LIVILEZISRP]IZIVVIEPP]FIIR

XLVIIXIGLRMUYIWYWIHXSGVIEXIHIPE]WEREPSKYIXETIHMKMXEPLEVH[EVIERHTPYKMRW0IXWXEOIEPSSOXb

0OUIF%7%IJIDG>6A;>A:H%PPXLIPSSTWVIJIVVIHXSMRXLMWXYXSVMEPGERFIJSYRHMRXLI8YXSVMEP*MPIWJSPHIV

8dbbdcineZhd[YZaVnI6E:8LSYKLMXXSSOXLIEHZIRXSJHMKMXEPXIGLRSPSK]XSVIEPP]XYVRXLIGSVRIVMRWXYHMSVIZIVFWSQIVEXLIVXEWX]HIPE]YRMXWLEHFIIREZEMPEFPIPSRKFIJSVIXLEX8LIVI[IVIEZEVMIX]SJTVSHYGXMSRQSHIPWXLI;EXOMRW'STMGEXERH6SPERH7TEGI)GLSFIMRKXLIX[SQSWXVIGSKRMWEFPIPMRIWERHER]RYQFIVSJGYWXSQYRMXWFYXXLIFEWMGGSRGITX[EWWMQTPI%PSSTSJXETI[SYPHTPE]MRRSXWYVTVMWMRKP]EPSST%WMXHMHMX[SYPHTEWWERIVEWILIEH

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

XLI[LSPIW]WXIQ[EWI\TIRWMZIERHGYQFIVWSQI7SXLEXPIHXS

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

&41W]RGMRKZME1-(-2S[[LMPIXLIVIEVIUYMXIEJI[GPEWWMGLEVH[EVIVIZIVFWXLEXWXMPPLEZIERIRZMEFPIXLSYKLRSXI\EGXP]VIEPMWXMGWSYRHXSHE]IZIR[MXLRSWXEPKMEMXWLEVHXSWIIQSWXHMKMXEPHIPE]YRMXWEWQYGLQSVIXLEREWXITXS[EVHW

EAJ

89836-%0.%29%6='31498)6197-'`

1!FOCUSMAKE MUSIC NOW;MbVhiZgXaVhh

I=:6C6IDBND;9:A6NI]ZhZYVnhi]ZgZhcdhjX]i]^c\VhVine^XVaYZaVn!hd]ZgZVgZVhZaZXi^dcd[edejaVgYZaVneaj\"^chVcYZmeaVcVi^dchd[i]Z^gkVg^djh`Zn[jcXi^dch

%&L:I$9GNB>M%W[MXLEPPIJJIGXWXLMWWIXWXLIFEPERGIFIX[IIRXLISVMKMREPERHTVSGIWWIHWMKREPW*SVXLIQSWXTEVXHIPE]TPYKMRWEVIYWIHEWMRWIVXWXLIWIHE]WFYXMJ]SY[ERXXSWIXERHGSRXVSPXLITEVEQIXIVWJSVQYPXMTPIXVEGOWSVMJ]SY[ERXXSEHHJYVXLIVTVSGIWWMRKXSXLIIJJIGXIHWMKREPMXWFIWXXSTPEGI]SYVTPYKMRSRERIJJIGXWFYW%RH[LMPIXLIVIEVIRSLEVHERHJEWXVYPIWEKSSHWXEVXMRKTPEGIMWHV]JSVMRWIVXYWEKIWERH[IXJSVHIPE]SRIJJIGXWFYWWIW

%';::9768@*IIHFEGOHIWGVMFIWXLITVSGIWWF][LMGLXLISYXTYXSJXLIHIPE]IJJIGXMWWIRXFEGOXSXLIMRTYXERHXLIPIZIPGSRXVSPWXLIWXVIRKXLSJXLIWMKREP2EXYVEPP]EWXLIHMJJIVIRXWSYRHWTMPIYTXLIVIEVIIRHPIWWZEVMEXMSRWSRXLIWSYRHWTVSHYGIH-HIEPP]JIIHFEGOWLSYPHFIWYTTPMIHJVSQXLIZIV]IRHSJXLIWMKREPGLEMR

%(9:A6NI>B:8LMWTEVEQIXIVGSRXVSPWXLIMRXIVZEPFIX[IIRXLIQSQIRXEHIPE]TVSGIWWSVVIGIMZIWEWMKREPERHXLIRWTMXWSYXEGST]SJMX-XWTSWWMFP]XLIQSWXGVMXMGEPTEVEQIXIVSREHIPE]7LSVXXMQIWTVSHYGIXLMGOIRMRKSVQSHYPEXMSRIJJIGXWPSRKIVHIPE]XMQIWTVSHYGIEYHMFPIIGLSIWMHIEPJSV&41HIPE]W(IPE]XMQIMWGSQQSRP]QIEWYVIHMRQMPPMWIGSRHWSVVL]XLQMGWXITERHRSXIZEPYIW

%)AI:G&SXLREXYVIERHSPHXETIHIPE]WMRLIVIRXP]GSRWTMVIXSEPXIVXLIJVIUYIRGMIWSJER]VITIXMXMSRW-RXLIVIEP[SVPHXLMWMWHYIXSXLI[E]WHMJJIVIRXJVIUYIRGMIWVIEGX[MXLWYVJEGIWERHMRXETIWMXWXSHS[MXLXLIPMQMXWSJXETIVIGSVHMRKERHXLIGMVGYMXV]SJXLIYRMXW8SVITVSHYGIXLIWIIJJIGXWQER]HIPE]TPYKMRWSJJIVVYHMQIRXEV])5SVLMKLERHPS[GYXJMPXIVMRKERHXLIWIEVITPEGIHFIJSVIXLIJIIHFEGOWXEKIXSIRWYVIXLIIJJIGXMWVIEPMWXMGEPP]GYQYPEXMZI

%,HNC83RISJXLIKVIEXIWXJIEXYVIWSJTPYKMRHIPE]WSZIVXETIERHIZIRQSWXSPH1-(-QSHYPIWMWXLEXXLI]SJJIVIEW]W]RGMRKSJHIPE]XMQIWXSXLITVSNIGXWLSWXXIQTS%RHMRQSWXGEWIWXLITPYKMR[MPPIZIRJSPPS[ER]XIQTSGLERKIW[MXLMREXVEGO

%-E6C4ERRMRKHIPE]W[MXLHMJJIVIRXWIXXMRKWPIJXERHVMKLXMWSRISJXLIIEWMIWX[E]WXSEHHWSQIGVIEXMZIH]REQMWQXS]SYVQM\*SVQE\MQYQIJJIGXXV]LEZMRKHMJJIVIRXHIPE]XMQIWJSVIEGLGLERRIPMXWIEWMIWXMJ]SYYWIWXITRSXIZEPYIWJSVIEGL

%.9G>K:8LIREXYVEPIJJIGXSJLMKLJIIHFEGOWIXXMRKWSRSPHXETIHIPE]W[EWXSGVIEXII\XVIQIXETIWEXYVEXMSR[LMGLWSYRHIHUYMXIRMGI&YXSRHMKMXEPTPYKMRWXLIIJJIGXSJSZIVPSEHMRKMWRXUYMXIWSW[IIXWSWSQIJIEXYVIEHVMZIGSRXVSPXSEHHXLIWQSSXLIVWSYRHSJI\GIWWXSXLISYXTYXWMKREP

EHE+%-

Ad\^XIVeZ9ZaVn

8jWVhZ9djWaZ9ZaVn

` '31498)6197-'.%29%6=89836-%0


89836-%0.%29%6='31498)6197-'`

1!FOCUSMAKE MUSIC NOW;MbVhiZgXaVhh

IV`^c\i]ZcZmiXgZVi^kZhiZe

%FPIXSR0MZISJJIVWRSPIWWXLERJMZIHMJJIVIRXHIPE]TPYKMRW

8LMWIJJIGXMWGVIEXIHF]LEZMRKWIPIGXIHFIEXWHSMRKHSYFPILMXWFYXEWXLIJMVWXLMXGSQIWIEVP]XLIWIGSRHERHQSWXP]YRLIEVHXVEGOQYWXFII\EGXP]ERIMKLXLRSXIELIEH*SVXLMWVIEWSRMXWMQTVEGXMGEPXSLEZIXLIIJJIGXSRXLIJMVWXFEVSJEXVEGOWSQEOIWSQIGSTMIWSJXLIPSSTSRIEGLXVEGOWSXLEXMXI\XIRHWJSVEXPIEWXFEVW

HI:E7NHI:E8gZVi^c\YZaVnhl^i]djiYZaVn

(IPE]WEVIYWYEPP]EWWSGMEXIH[MXLIGLSIWFYX[LEXMJXLIVITIEXGSQIWFIJSVIXLISVMKMREP#%R]FSH][LSWLIEVHEHIGIRXLMTLST(.KSMRKXSXS[R[MXLX[SGSTMIWSJEVIGSVH[MPPORS[XLMWXVMGOXLSYKLQE]FIRSXLS[MXWHSRI7XEVXF]PSEHMRKYTXLIEYHMSJMPI(.MRKXVMGOPSSTMRXS]SYV(%;SJGLSMGI;IVIYWMRK%FPIXSR0MZI

=SYRIIHX[SGSTMIWSJXLIPSSTWSHVEKERHGST]XLIPSSTTEVXXSERSXLIVXVEGOMJ]SYVWIUYIRGIVLEWXVSYFPIYWMRKXLIWEQIJMPISRX[SXVEGOWQEOIEGST]SJXLIEYHMSJMPIERHYWIXLEXSRIJSVXLISXLIVXVEGO-J]SYVI[SVOMRKMR0MZIEWWMKRXVEGOXSGVSWWJEHIVWMHI%ERHXVEGOXSWMHI&ERHXLIRTYWLXLIGVSWWJEHIVPIJX%PWSWIXXLITVSNIGXXIQTSXSFTQ

-J]SYVIYWMRK0MZIPIXXLITVSNIGXTPE]FYXEWTPMXWIGSRHFIJSVIFEVI\EGXP]SRIIMKLXLRSXIFIJSVIFEVTYWLXLIGVSWWJEHIVEPPXLI[E]VMKLXERHXLIRTYPPMXFEGOEKEMREWTPMXWIGSRHFIJSVIXLIWXEVXSJFEV-J]SYVIRSXYWMRK0MZIMXWIZIRWMQTPIVWMQTP]GLSTXLIWIGSRHPSSTYTMRXSWIKQIRXWERHQYXIXLITEVXW]SYHSRXRIIHJSVXLIIJJIGX

(IPIXIXLIJMVWXRMRIFEVWJVSQXVEGOERHXLIRWLMJXXLIPSSTTEVXSRXLMWXVEGOWPMKLXP]XSXLIPIJXWSXLEXMXWTPE]MRKI\EGXP]ERIMKLXLRSXIFIJSVIXVEGO2S[PIXFSXLTPE]XSKIXLIVERHVEMWIXLIZSPYQISRXVEGOYRXMP]SYGERLIEVXLIIJJIGXIEGLFIEXSJXLIPSSTWLSYPHFIHSYFPIHYTQEOMRKMXWSYRHPMOIXLIXIQTSMWX[MGIEWJEWX

2S[]SYORS[XLIKIRIVEPIJJIGX[IVIKSMRKJSVMXWXMQIXSXYVRMXMRXSWSQIXLMRK[SVOEFPI-J]SYVIYWMRK0MZI]SYGERHS[LEXXLI(.WHSERHYWIXLIGVSWWJEHIVXSQEOIWYVIXLEXSRP]SRISJXLIXVEGOWTPE]WEXEXMQI-J]SYVI[SVOMRKMRWSQIXLMRKIPWI]SYPPRIIHXSYWIERSXLIVXIGLRMUYIXSEPXIVREXI1EOIWYVIXLIZSPYQIWXLIWEQISRXVEGOWERH

%PXLSYKLHIPE]MWEFSYXVIGSVHMRKERHVITPE]MRKWQEPPGLYROWSJEYHMS]SYHSRXEP[E]WLEZIXSYWIETPYKMRXSGVIEXIXLIIJJIGXXLIVIEVIEPPWSVXWSJ[E]WXSTVSHYGIWMQMPEVVIWYPXW.YWXVIQIQFIVXLEXWXYHMSHIPE]RIIHRX

RIGIWWEVMP]FIEFSYXWSYRHWFIMRKVIGSVHIHERHVITPE]IHEXHMJJIVIRXMRXIVZEPW(IPE]MWEFSYXVITIXMXMSRERHXLIVIEVIEPPWSVXWSJGVIEXMZIQIXLSHWSJHSMRKXLMW[MXLHMKMXEPEYHMS8LIOI]MWWMQTP]FSXLIVMRKXSXV]

;MXLXLMWMRQMRHFIJSVI[IJMRMWLSYVPSSOEXHIPE]LIVIWERI\EQTPISJNYWXSRISJXLIQER]XVMGOW]SYGERYWI%TTPMIHWTEVMRKP]MXWERMRGVIHMFP]GSSPIJJIGXMZIERHEHETXEFPIXIGLRMUYI[LMGLGERFIYWIHSREPQSWXER]OMRH

SJQYWMG-XWETEVXMGYPEVJEZSYVMXISJWOMPPIHLMTLST(.WFYXMJ]SY[ERXXSLIEVMXMRIJJIGXSREGLEVXWXSVQMRKHERGIXVEGOKIXLSPHSJEGST]SJ7EPWSYP2YKKIX-J9;ERREF]174VIWIRXW8LI+MVP2I\X(SSV


` '31498)6197-'.%29%6=89836-%0

9ZaVnedlZgi^eh;,)297-2+()0%=SVMRHIIHER]IJJIGXMREWIRHVIXYVRGSRJMKYVEXMSRXLIQERYEPWE]W]SYWLSYPHLEZIXLEXIJJIGXW[IXHV]QM\WIXXSJYPP][IXFYXHSRXFIPMIZIIZIV]XLMRK]SYVIEH8V]EHHMRKWSQISJXLIHV]WMKREPXSXLIIJJIGXWFYWXSS(ITIRHMRKSR]SYVLSWXTPYKMRERHXLIGSQTPI\MX]SJ]SYVEVVERKIQIRXXLMWGERGEYWIGSSPTLEWMRKGLSVYWSVXLMGOIRMRKIJJIGXW

-*=396409+-2IREFPIW]SYXSEPXIVXLIXMQMRKSJ]SYVHIPE]WXSHSXXIHERHXVMTPIXMRXIVZEPW]SYGERHSMXQERYEPP][MXLER]TPYKMR[MXLXLIVMKLXHIPE]XMQIWIXXMRKFIWYVIXSXV]MXSYXEWXLIIJJIGXWGERFIQYGLJYROMIVXLERWXVEMKLXHIPE]W.YWXFII\XVEWYVIXS)5SYXXLIFSXXSQMJMXRIIHWMXEWXLMWOMRHSJIJJIGXGERKIXEFMXQIWW][LIRETTPMIHXSFEWWLIEZ]WMKREPW

8)143%2(8%4)78=0)HIPE]WGERW[EQTEXVEGOMJ]SYVIRSXGEVIJYPGYXXMRKSYXXLIFSXXSQERHSVXSTIRHGERLIPTGPIEVXLMRKWYT-J]SYHSRXLEZILMKLERHPS[GYXGSRXVSPWSR]SYVTPYKMRXV]YWMRKXLIHIPE]SRERWIRHVIXYVRFYWVEXLIVXLEREWERMRWIVXXLIRWMQTP]ETTP])5XSXLIFYW

*3640)28=3*)

make music now Modulation FX masterclass

048 | COMPUTER MUSIC FEBRUARY 2006 TUTORIAL

ModulationDiscover what modulations all about and how you can incorporate its family of effects into your tracks

This month in our Advanced FX series were looking at the class of processing tools and techniques known as modulation effects. This is a bit of a strange one, as unlike reverb and delay effects (all the respective types of which are merely variations on a theme), modulation effects are connected in the sense that they all share a common element

namely, they involve some type of modulation. In other ways, many modulation effects can be quite different. So whats it all about?

Well, modulation, in production terms, simply means using one

parameter to control another. In practice, with effects, this almost always involves using a Low Frequency Oscillator to exercise said control, although there are some exceptions. But never mind that for now: if modulation effects is simply an umbrella term for a variety of different effect types, wed better have a go at explaining the main ones cm

On the DVDTUTORIAL FILESThe audio files used in the walkthrough on p51 can be found in the Tutorial Files folder on the DVD

Modulation typesCHORUS

Legend has it that chorus was invented by Roland in their Jazz Chorus amplifier. The amp sent a dry signal to one amp and speaker, and the same signal was delayed, modulated and sent to another amplifier and speaker within the same cabinet. This is a good explanation of how chorus works except that instead of feeding two amps, in a modern plug-in the two signals are combined. The second, modulated signal is not only delayed but also pitchshifted slightly, and an LFO controls the modulation of this pitch and thus the character of the effect. Originally intended to simulate the sound of more than one instrument or vocal part, it soon became apparent

that it didnt, and now chorus is simply used as a creative effect.

7 Chorus sounds particularly good on pads and guitar riffs

PHASING AND FLANGING

The terms phasing and flanging have become confusing over the years, largely because the effect we now call flanging was originally called phasing and the effect we now call phasing is rather similar to flanging. The concept of flanging stems from running two synced tape machines (playing the same signal) and manually slowing one with your finger (and then the other). This created a distinctive whooshing sound. Phasing, on the other hand, is similar, but without the fast changes and whooshes. In both cases, as the two signals move closer (phasing) and further (flanging) apart, some interesting frequency cancellations occur as similar or identical frequencies cancel each other out or build on each other. Dynamic variation to these effects can be produced with an LFO controlling the timing and intensity of the modulation, and in the case of flanging, the effect is intensified by feeding some of the wet signal back into the equation.

RING MODULATION

Ring modulators are tricky to understand, but very simple to use, fortunately. The basic concept is that two signals are brought together and then the sum and difference of the frequencies of both are generated, while the rest of the signal is removed. So if you had a 500Hz sine wave and an 800Hz sine wave, the output would feature tones at both 1300Hz and 300Hz. Of course, real sounds are much more complicated than that, and it would make your head explode to figure out on paper what this actually produces when two complex signals are combined. To summarise the effect, it can sound an awful lot like the Daleks talking.

VIBRATO/TREMOLO/PANNER

If you reduce the delay time in modulation effects down to 10ms or less, it's difficult to distinguish between the original and delayed signal, and so you can then get on with the business of creating tremolo and vibrato. Variations on a theme, the basic difference is that the latter involves modulating the pitch of a sound, the former the volume. Things get a bit more interesting when you offset the left and right channels of a tremolo

so that as one peaks the others at its lowest point, thus generating either synced or LFO-driven panning, the use of which should be self-explanatory!

7 Tremolo is an endlessly useful volume-related effect

ADVANCEDEFFECTS

PART 4

CMU96.t_fx 048CMU96.t_fx 048 22/12/05 11:24:27 am22/12/05 11:24:27 am

TUTORIAL FEBRUARY 2006 COMPUTER MUSIC | 049

Q&A focusmake music nowModulation FX masterclass

THE ANATOMY OF MODULATION EFFECTSDiscover the inner workings of some popular modulation effects. The ones shown are from Cubase, but your software will probably have equivalentsChorus

Flanger

Ring modulator

FREQUENCYThis sets the speed of the modulation effect

SHAPEEnables you to choose the modulating waveform type

DELAYSets the delay time of the repetition(s)

STAGESThis adds additional voices (up to three more), for an ultra-thick sound

MIXControls the balance between the wet and dry signals

TEMPO SYNCDoes what it says on the very handy tin

RATEIn sync mode, this determines the note value for the modulation; otherwise you can set it freely

DEPTHSets the depth of the modulation sweeps

STEREO BASISOffers a choice between mono, normal and enhanced stereo operation

FEEDBACKGreater feedback settings produce a distinctive metallic effect

OSCILLATOR RANGESets the oscillators frequency range

OSCILLATOR LFO AMOUNTControls the effect of the LFO on the oscillator frequency

OSCILLATOR ENVELOPE AMOUNTControls the effect of the envelope (generated by the incoming signal) on the oscillator frequency

OSCILLATOR WAVEDetermines the oscillator wave type (square, sine, etc)

OSCILLATOR FREQUENCYControls the oscillator frequency to between plus or minus two octaves, within the selected range

ROLL-OFFA low pass filter for smoothing the oscillator waveform

INVERT STEREOInverts the LFO for the right-hand channel, creating a stereo effect


050 | COMPUTER MUSIC FEBRUARY 2006 TUTORIAL

make music now Modulation FX masterclass

MODULATION EFFECTS WILL almost always take away from the sense of presence of a sound at the same time as they give it size and space, so be careful what you use them on. Used on lead elements theyll detract from energy and prominence in most mixes.

TO COUNTER THE tendency of chorus to push sounds into the background, try applying it only to the reverb send signal or insert it into the reverb bus itself. This gives some lush thickness to the sound, but will allow you to keep the main sound upfront.

IF YOUR PHASER or flanger enables you to sync its modulation action to track tempo, be sure to do so, as you can set up some nice cyclic patterns (over eight bars, for example), which make the effect much more useable and easy to manage when mixing your track.

The thing about modulation effects is that they have almost no parallels in nature. In fact, the closest approximation to flanging in the real world is a low-flying jet aeroplane skimming a concrete jungle (so much so that almost every single explanation of flanging youll ever read uses this example), and thats about as close to natural as any of these effects really

come! Consequently, they fall into the category of effects that we like to call special. Why? Because, with a very few exceptions, any time you use them they will be very apparent and are nearly always meant to be noticed (there are very few reasons you might add them to impart realism and subtlety). As with any such effect, they can become tiresome very quickly, so restraint is the name of

the game. We wouldnt recommend you try all of the forthcoming suggestions and techniques in one track, but dont let that put you off trying them all at some point and coming up with some of your own. With that in mind, weve put together a selection of tips to get you thinking about some creative (or useful) applications for these potentially extreme effects

Special effects

TRY PLAYING WITH the modulation rate on your phaser. Slow speeds create nice long sweeps, while much faster speeds can have a great old-school rotary cabinet effect. You can even alternate between the two, or have one panned left and the other right

IF YOURE AFTER a classic ensemble effect, take a leaf from the synth programmers book and use a pitchshifter in detune mode to generate another version of your signal, slightly detuned from the original. This avoids the distinctive cycling of the LFO.

THE SOUND OF the electric guitar is, quite simply, the sound of the effects being used on it, and some of the most enduringly popular are chorus, phasing and flanging. So if youre ever working with an electric guitar riff, youd be crazy not to at least try one or all of them.

MODULATION EFFECTS ALL rely on a very critical wet/dry balance, so its generally more convenient to use them as insert effects rather than as part of a send and receive effects loop. They should also usually come near the end of an effects chain (ideally, penultimate).

A GREAT WAY to get more useable and musical results from the unpredictable and usually severe sounding ring modulator is to mix in some (or loads!) of the unprocessed main signal. Taken to the opposite extreme, the ring modulator output can be used as nothing more than a backing layer.

PERCUSSION LOOPS AND individual drum hits can sound fantastic when run through ring modulators. Try combining snares, hats and cymbals for some very electronic and bizarre techno percussion sounds

Modulation tips

Use them onThere are no hard and fast rules as to what you can and cant use modulation effects on, but here are some suggestions based on the most popular uses.

CHORUSBacking vocals, pads, backing guitars, strings

VIBRATO, TREMOLOPads, vocals, percussion, loops

RING MODULATIONSpecial vocal effects, drum loops, edits

PHASING AND FLANGINGGuitars, lead synths, drum loops, edits

1Some chorus effects offer multiple delays for an even thicker sound

3If your modulation effects offer tempo sync, use it!

3Try a straight pitchshifter to avoid obvious LFO cycling


TUTORIAL FEBRUARY 2006 COMPUTER MUSIC | 051

Q&A focusmake music nowModulation FX masterclass

MOST MODULATION EFFECTS (particularly phasers) will create significant fluctuations in the signal level of any channel to which theyre applied. To counter this, add a compressor immediately after the inserted modulation effect, thus flattening the level slightly.

RING MODULATION EFFECTS REQUIRE simultaneous signals to generate any noise whatsoever, so if your ring modulator accepts two external signals you might want to add a compressor to each, just to be sure of constant sound output.

PHASING CAN BE just the ticket for taking the edge off harsh sounds and frequencies. Try some subtle phasing on your lead synths and guitars it can soften them up and help them fit into a mix. Its also great for softening distortion effects.

FOR CLASSIC CHORUS, flanging and phasing effects, the best initial wet/dry balance is 50/50. Using this as your starting point, try shifting the balance, and youll find that you usually end up back on the halfway line

SOME PHASERS ENABLE you to set a frequency floor and ceiling, above and below which the phasing of frequencies

is disabled. If yours does, try narrowing the range to around 300Hz-5KHz, as this will offer the greatest audible effect without significant volume fluctuation.

ALMOST ANY MODULATION plug-in can be used as a stereo width effect, simply by offsetting the modulation of the left and right channels. As one peak is reached, the other side is in the trough just as with tremolo.

DONT FORGET TO automate your controls. By their nature, modulation effects are very in-your-face, so listeners can get tired of them pretty quickly. Turn this to your advantage and only use them at certain times or at least lessen their effect in parts.

IF YOUR FLANGING is more like a windy fart than an Airbus test-flight, try whacking the feedback up nice and high this will intensify the whooshing

effect that we all know and love (blame Van Halen for that one )

IF YOUR PHASER enables you to set the delay time manually, you can use this to shape the sound. Shorter delay times make for more high frequency action and a thinner sound. Lengthen them and the sound is fatter and more focused on the lower frequencies.

YOU CAN USE chorus and other modulation effects to generate some fantastic stereo effects by panning the dry signal to one side and the effected signal to the other side. The resulting effect can be used to give width to a sound, to help it blend into a mix, or to add dynamic excitement. To find out how, follow the walkthrough on the right cm

IF YOUR FLANGING IS MORE LIKE A WINDY FART THAN AN AIRBUS TEST FLIGHT, WHACK UP THE FEEDBACK

STEP BY STEP Using chorusto create stereo width

3 Finally, insert the chorus plug-in of your choice into the auxiliary channel (if it has a wet/dry control, set it to fully wet). You may need to tweak the left and right balance again. Also, if the effect is too obvious, try some less extreme panning.

2 Now pan the audio channel completely left, send the output to the auxiliary channel and pan the auxiliary channel all the way to the right. Balance the levels of the left and right channels now, using the send control on the original channel and the volume on the auxiliary. >>

1 Start by creating one audio channel and one auxiliary channel in your sequencer. Set the tempo to 128bpm, add the audio file Synth Riff @ 128bpm (on the DVD) to the audio channel and set the project to loop over two bars. >>

1Lives phaser puts all the controls you need in one very clear interface

1For some serious flanging action, make sure you experiment with the feedback control

1When it comes to bundled plug-ins, Logic leads the pack, and its Phaser is quite excellent


make music now Gating FX masterclass

060 | COMPUTER MUSIC MARCH 2006 TUTORIAL

GatingYou may think you know all there is to know about gating, but theres more to this effect than meets the ear

So far in this series weve focused on processing effects that you know you may not fully understand, but that you use regularly nonetheless. This month were doing the opposite were covering a type of processor you probably think you fully understand, but that you dont often use very much. Thats right, were talking about the humble gate.

Like compressors, gates fall into the category of dynamics processors, as theyre triggered by the strength of a signal and are used to affect that signals volume. At its most basic level, a gate reads an incoming signal and, unless that signal exceeds a certain volume, stops it from passing through. In the dark ages of analogue, when just about every stage of the recording process added hum and hiss, and everything was recorded to either analogue or digital tape, the only real way to stop all this noise drowning out the sound of your music was to use a gate. This would prevent unwanted noise when no notes or other desired sounds were playing, reducing the cumulative noise level. And because you cant normally hear hiss and hum when there are other sounds going on, this was usually enough to get rid of all the perceived noise.

OK, we know what youre thinking why should you care about any of this?

The near-universal adoption of DAWs means that any analogue interference is a thing of the past, and when you do need to get rid of unwanted background noise, there are any number of intelligent noise-removal plug-ins that can learn the sound of said noise and remove it from the signal. Even if you dont have one of those, computer-based editing enables you to silence all of the sections in between the words, notes or other sounds that you actually want on your tracks.

Well, let us just set you straight right now theres a whole world of gating possibility out there still, both creative and practical. First, the practical

Gateway to heavenYes, its true that digital editing enables you to strip out unwanted audio (such as hi-hat spill in your snare drum channel), but this isn't the simplest process in the world. Some sequencers will do it for you, but you still have to set the threshold, just as you would with a gate. And as this is an offline, destructive process it can be a bit hit and miss, and often impossible to undo. So why not just use a gate? You can even employ more sophisticated gates, which give you a greater degree of control and enable you to reduce the amount of reduction rather than just having the gate entirely open or closed.

They also allow for more creative envelope shaping, all of which makes for subtle and organic noise reduction.

Because an open gate spits out the same signal it receives, theres no risk of damaging the desired sound, which can happen with noise-reduction plug-ins. So, not only can gates (whether digital or analogue) be quicker to set up than many of the more advanced DSP processes, but they can actually do a better (and safer) job.

And then theres the creative aspect. Just as compressors can be used to enhance different signals and solve various problems, so too can gates be used to alter the characteristics of a sound and even to selectively play patterns by utilising a sidechain input.

But before we have a look at these techniques, we first need to familiarise ourselves with the front-panel GUI of a modern gate plug-in, and what better than Logics trusty Noise Gate, which offers up as many parameters as youre ever likely to find on one cm

On the DVDTUTORIAL FILESThe loops used in the walkthroughs can be found in the Tutorial files folder

5 Using a gate gives you more flexibility than a noise reduction plug-in such as this

1 We love logic's Noise Gate plug-in

ADVANCEDEFFECTS

PART 5


Q&A focusmake music nowGating FX masterclass

01 THRESHOLD It helps if you think of the noise gate as being naturally closed (on a metaphorical spring). It takes a certain amount of noise pressure to push the gate open, and the threshold is where you set the springs strength. Set it too low (ie, a low level of sound) and you risk letting all of the sound push through, but set it too high and you could lose some of the sound, as the some of its not strong enough to get through. The result will be snippets of sound and loud clicks and pops as the gate repeatedly opens and slams shut.

02 REDUCTION This is where you set the amount of gain reduction applied to any signal that falls below the threshold (or how closed the gate really is, if you prefer our metaphor). When set to full, the reduction ensures total silence whenever the signal drops below the threshold. You might think full reduction sounds just the ticket, but in most practical cases its a little too extreme and results in a very noticeable and unnatural opening and closing sound (although it can be useful for creating effects). Another useful side-effect of having, for example, only -30dB reduction rather than the full cut, is that the reaction time of the gate will be faster particularly on analogue or realistic analogue modelling gates. Why? Well, quite simply, it takes time for the

gate to open, and the further it has to open, the longer it will take, so sometimes you can actually achieve punchier attacks when going from a quiet signal to a loud one than from silence to loud.

03 HYSTERESIS When signals hover around the threshold you can sometimes experience chattering (little snippets of sound slipping through as the gate opens and closes very quickly), and this is particularly true with very fast attack and release times. Hysteresis is a process whereby the threshold for the gate closing again is a few dBs lower than the threshold for the gate opening, so that once open, the gate gives fluctuating signals the benefit of the doubt, thus vastly reducing the chattering effect.

04 LOOK-AHEAD The look-ahead function on dynamic plug-ins is one of the coolest things about working with computers, as it enables the plug-in to have a little look at whats coming next and react just before it happens incredibly handy for preserving sensitive transients. With this control, you can set how far ahead the plug-in will look.

05 ATTACK As with compressors, the attack defines the speed at which

the gate will open. Depending on what you hope to achieve, you can have it vary fast for things like punchy drums, or slower for instruments with slower attack envelopes, such as bowed instruments or even voices, where abrupt bursts of sound would sound incongruous and unnatural.

06 HOLD This is another solution for unwanted chattering. As you might have guessed, the hold function is the amount of time that elapses after the signal drops beneath the threshold before the gate closes.

07 RELEASE The release control determines the speed at which the gate will close after the signal drops below the threshold and the hold period has elapsed. As with compression, its very important that you set the attack and release correctly for the purpose in hand. For transparent practical uses you want settings that complement the attack and release portion of your signals basic envelope, while more extreme settings are useful for the creative side of things.

08 SIDECHAIN As with all sidechains, this enables you to use a signal other than the original source to trigger the effect of the gate, but it also allows you

to use an adapted version of the original source signal, while the untreated version is actually processed by the gate. In essence, the incoming signal is split into two identical versions one which will be processed, and another that will trigger the processing, and which can have other things done to it first. This leads us to the high- and low-cut filters

09 HIGH-CUT If youre using the gate on a snare drum mic, for example, there might well be enough noise-spill from the hi-hats to open the gate at unwanted times, or at least make setting the threshold and envelope rather tricky. But by rolling off some of the top-end of the sidechain signal, you can alleviate this problem whilst leaving the actual signal being processed free from EQing.

10 LOW-CUT This employs exactly the same principle as the high-cut function, but is useful for rolling off the bass to stop things like kick drum spill accidentally opening up the gate.

11 MONITOR The monitor function routes the sidechain signal to the audio outputs so you can, for example, actually hear all of the high- and low-cut tweaks that youre making.

TUTORIAL MARCH 2006 COMPUTER MUSIC | 061

THE ANATOMY OF A GATE


make music now Gating FX masterclass

062 | COMPUTER MUSIC MARCH 2006 TUTORIAL

Putting gates into action

3 Use the second sound to create a rhythmic pattern the gate will open each time you press a key and stay open for as long as you hold it. When used on full tracks and instruments with normally smooth envelopes (violins, voices, etc), this is creates a great, unrealistic effect.

STEP BY STEP Giving it the chop

1 One of the coolest gating tricks is rhythmically chopping a signal. Play some long power chords on a full-fat synth patch, holding each chord for two beats or more. If you arent musical, just start with C, E, G and move your fingers to the white notes above and/or below each time. >>

2 Insert a gate with a sidechain input into the channel youve just created (set it to full gain reduction). Now create a new channel offering a loud and constant synth patch with instant attack and release, then mute the output and send the signal to your gates sidechain input. >>

Tips on adding reverb to drums

3 Insert a gate on your sine wave channel and send the kick drum signal to the gates sidechain. Set any Attack and Hold controls to zero and hit play. Your bass note should now be reinforcing your kick. Tweak your gates Release to get rid of any clicking at the end of drum hits.

STEP BY STEP Kicking it

1 Start by importing the two audio files Hip-kick loop and Hop-hat loop into your sequencer on two different audio channels. The tempo for them is 102, and you should get them to loop over the first bar. Now play them back together, so you get a feel for the sound of the kick. >>

2 Now create a new instrument channel and load up a soft synth that offers pure sine waves (were using Logics EXS24 default No instrument setting). Draw in a long note covering the whole bar (try somewhere around C1 or lower), and set the Attack to zero on your sine wave. >>

3 Set the Attack and Release times to quite fast and make sure that the gate is closing fully. Move the Threshold level until you hear the chattering effect. Now, by slowly adjusting the Hold time, you can tweak the chattering until it sounds more like distortion nice!

STEP BY STEP Roughing things up

1 Depending on the gate youre using, you can get some quite useable and musical distortion-style effects from the normally undesirable chattering phenomenon caused by audio levels hovering around the threshold point. Start by loading the loop Talk talk all day long. >>

2 Now insert a gate that enables you to alter attack, release and hold times. Were using the one in Ableton Live, set to Flip mode (this reverses the effect of the threshold so that signals below it pass through while signals above it are blocked). >>


make music now

TUTORIAL MARCH 2006 COMPUTER MUSIC | 063

Gating FX masterclass

Gating tips1Apply a gate to an unruly bassline and feed your kick drum channel into the gates sidechain input. This will ensure your bass notes and kicks trigger simultaneously for a punchy, tight, clubby sound. And with slower attack times, you can delay the sound of the bass, for a realistic live sound (people generally play a little behind the drums).

2The signal path of your effects is vital, and gates should normally go upfront. For example, if you place EQ before a gate, any subsequent EQ changes will alter the level and disrupt the gates activation. And as a compressor dynamically alters the signal, it's bound to complicate the setup of your gate settings.

3Despite what we've just said, have a go at applying a gate after any heavily delayed sound with a fast attack and use it to accentuate each of the individual hits. With the gain reduction setting fixed higher than usual, you can create a really cool volume pumping effect each time a delay sounds. Just use the attack and release controls to hone the pumping, and adapt to taste

4Just as with compressors, if youre gating a stereo signal, be sure that stereo link is switched on. This ensures that any dynamic changes applied to one side of the stereo split will be applied to the other vital if your source material has a left or right bias.

5 You neednt just sidechain elements of songs why not whole tracks? Sure, you can always chop up sections of a track, but nothing beats bashing out a pattern on your MIDI keyboard and have it open the gate applied to your whole track. Just ask Mylo!

6For an authentic 80s gated reverb sound, record some drums in a concrete stairwell or put them through a phat reverb patch. Then apply a gate with a high threshold and fast attack and release times. You can then extend the hold parameter, allowing through a burst of big sound.

If youre layering a bunch of performances, bring them together and add punch by

applying a gate to each, and then supplying their sidechains with the audio from the best take.

7

8Gating can have an extremely strong (and useful) effect on a signal, but also a destructive one, so if you do think you need to apply it to a multitrack recording session (to eliminate unwanted hiss or hum, for example) its usually better to get the recording down dry first and then apply gating at the mixing stage, where the effects can always be discarded.

9You can fatten up kicks by adding a sine wave or booming 808 kick sound, but the envelopes are usually just messy, so use a gate on each additional sine wave or low kick sample to be layered, and trigger their sidechains with the original kick. Just make sure you have fast attack times in place so that the kick layers punch in nice and quickly.

10You can create a more punchy sound on some percussion and bass notes by placing the threshold slightly higher than it need be to remove noise and setting your attack time as fast as it goes. The gate will now not open until the high threshold is reached, and when it is, the sound will explode through the gate.

1Begin by using fast attack and release settings, then tweak the threshold

11Start out with fast attack and release settings so that its clear what's happening to the signal. Then adjust the

threshold until you find the approximate level ie, the point at which the sound you want comes through, but the sound you dont doesnt. From there you can fine tune the other settings.

7Gates can be very powerful and destructive, so place them first in the signal path

3Even this basic MDA gate can add punch to your percussion


make music now EQ FX masterclass

066 | COMPUTER MUSIC APRIL 2006 TUTORIAL

EqualisationIn this, the last of our Advanced Effects tutorials, we take a look at the king of processors EQ

S o far during the course of this in-depth FX series weve looked at a variety of wild and wonderful processing techniques, designed to shape, shift and generally mangle or spangle your sounds. And for this, the last in the series, we've been saving the best, the sexiest and the sassiest thats right, its EQ!

Now, before were deafened by a chorus of disparaging coughs and sniffs, let us assure you that EQ really is the daddy of effects. More than any other

process, it can make or break your mix, even if only by omission!

The key to great production is simple take a good element and make it as good as it can be. This means choosing the right sounds for the right job. If you try to force a sound, it just wont sound nice. A great mix is about a great balance of great elements. If you compromise this philosophy at any stage it will show, believe us. But because of its overt immediacy and power, EQ is usually the first recourse of

the lazy producer trying to force a sound. Why? Simple if you boost EQ, you boost the level of a signal, and louder almost invariably sounds better at first. Whack the bass up to 11 it sounds phat. Turn up the treble it stands out a mile. And we humans are a fickle bunch.

Its for all these reasons that some engineers will tell you that you should never accentuate frequencies with EQ, only attenuate (reduce) them. But engineers are superstitious and prone to routine and habit, so its best to add at least a grain of salt to every wisdom nugget they pass your way. Before we go any further, though, lets have a brief recap on what EQ is all about.

EQ is essentially a cross between a filter and a level control. It affects only specific frequencies and is used to either boost or reduce the level of said frequencies. In times gone by, most budget EQ was very simple, and limited to three bands at least two of which were fixed-range. These days we have the facility to apply highly precise EQ to every channel, which makes it even more critical that we understand what were doing (if this were a martial arts tutorial wed remind you that, With great power comes great responsibility), so later on in this tutorial well be looking at the various different types of EQ you might encounter. cm

ADVANCEDEFFECTS

PART 6

7Old analogue desks often only had one mid-band with a frequency sweep, like this one from GarageBand


TUTORIAL APRIL 2006 COMPUTER MUSIC | 067

Q&A focusmake music nowEQ FX masterclass

THE ANATOMY OF AN EQ PLUG-IN

Parametric EQIts strange how quickly we humans adapt and forget the way things were, which is why theres not a computer musician who could function without fully parametric EQ, despite the fact that most of us had never even used one prior to 1999.

So what is it? Well, a fully parametric EQ strip will have three controls. The first is Frequency. All EQ is based around a curve, centred on a certain frequency, and the Frequency control determines this frequency. The next control is Gain (well, its probably Q, actually, but well get to that in a minute). The Gain control specifies how much the aforementioned frequency is

made louder or quieter. So if you set the Frequency control to 3kHz and apply 3dB of gain, then any frequencies at 3kHz will be boosted by exactly 3dB.

The next control and heres where it gets interesting is Q, and the Q control determines the amount of gain or attenuation applied to either side (in case youre interested, industry folklore has it that Q stands for quality). To understand the Q control, imagine a strip of rubber, pulled straight and attached at either end, with a row of pen marks at regular intervals (Blue Peter fans can actually try this out using a rubber band, a biro, two nails and a

pair of scissors). Each of the marks represents a specific frequency, and if you push any part of the rubber band up it represents gain to those frequencies, whilst pushing it down represents attenuation. The first thing you notice is that all of the notches either side of the central notch are pushed up or down too, and this is what the Q control is used for shaping the curve either side of the centre frequency.

The Q is assigned a value, and this is derived from dividing the centre frequency value by the bandwidth of the affected signal. Of course, the frequency

width is hard to define, so it's taken to mean the point on either side of the curve where the signal level drops by 3dB. High values equate to narrow frequency ranges, for precise cutting or boosting, while low values equal wide curves, for broad boost or cut.

01 EQ GRAPH A visual representation of the frequencies affected by EQ 02 SHELVING These EQs affect only frequencies above or below the cutoff frequency

03 PARAMETRIC/BAND-PASS This EQ type only affects frequencies within the specified range 04 FREQUENCY This sets either the cutoff or centre frequency to be affected

05 GAIN CONTROLS The boost or gain applied to either the shelving or parametric EQ 06 Q This specifies the width (parametric) or angle (shelving) of frequencies affected either side of the centre/cutoff frequency

1Cubase's built-in parametric EQ is a good model to get started with


068 | COMPUTER MUSIC APRIL 2006 TUTORIAL

make music now EQ FX masterclass

Weve already established that EQ is essentially a type of filtering, and this is why on a number of EQ plug-ins youll see similar controls as you would on a variable-type filter. Most notably, these have to do with shelving, cut and band-pass settings. The first of these is found at the top- or bottom-end of the frequency range, and is used for applying broad boost to all the frequencies above (if its at the treble end) or below (at the bass end), ideally with the ability to select the cutoff frequency. The second is like a basic low- or high-cut filter, cutting off everything below a certain point (although be careful, as some, such as that in Cubase SX 3, actually have a small slope, rather than an exact cut). Finally, the band-pass settings are those, such as with fully parametric EQ, where you can sweep the affected frequency range up or down, affecting only those frequencies within the range. All of these types can be useful for different purposes the trick is thinking logically about which one is best for the job.

Shelving and other sonic DIY

GRAPHIC EQThe graphic equaliser probably seems like an historical curiosity to most producers under the age of 25. The only place you seem to see them these days is on your iTunes controller or parents (or grandparents) living room hi-fi. But in the days before DAWs, the pro-quality graphic EQ was a highly valued and much sought-after final link in the mixing chain.

To understand its primary purpose, you first need to picture your mix in terms of frequencies. If you have access to a spectrum analyser, run one of your finished tracks through it now. Then, run one of your favourite mixes through. See the difference? In case you dont have a spectrum analyser, check out the screengrab at the bottom right of this boxout. See the curve and shape? Thats a graphical representation of a mix, and though you should always trust your ears first, its handy to get an objective look, especially if your ears arent very experienced yet.

A good mix should have a reasonably smooth frequency response (though not necessarily flat see boxout on p69). There might be a bias to the bass and/or treble,

depending on your genre, but generally speaking, you want to avoid too many narrow peaks.

And thats what a graphic EQ is for shaping your mix subtly. And it really does work. You should be aiming for a very decent EQ though 30-band used to be the industry standard. Essentially, this means that the entire audible frequency range (roughly 20Hz to 20kHz) has been divided up into useful frequency segments, and with a 30-band EQ each band is spaced roughly a third of an octave apart from the next. Of course, the nature of graphic EQ is that the preset Q curve of each band will also affect any surrounding bands (the effect of one slider will usually be felt on the range of the two or three above and below as well), so having boosted or cut one, youll need to be more subtle with those on either side, otherwise the effect on the crossover frequencies between them will be exaggerated.

It goes without saying that the benefits of graphic EQ are limited largely to mix shaping, and any corrective or creative EQ applied to specific sounds will benefit from the precision of a parametric EQ instead.

One of the interesting things about EQ units and plug-ins is how different they can sound, despite the fact that they all have the same theoretical effect. And one of the main causes of this is now thought to be due to the phase relationship of different frequencies. Because frequencies travel at varying speeds through analogue circuitry (even if its only that in your speaker), the exact relationship between the time that high and low frequencies hit our ears can be affected, making the sounds appear duller. Indeed, many enhancer plug-ins rely on this very principle, and offset higher or lower frequencies slightly, making the sound ultimately brighter. By the same token, different EQs can affect the phase relationship in d

advanced effects - make music now

Documents