Go check out their now, 3 different stations!
http://intergalacticfm.com/
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Intergalactic FM
Previously the Cybernetic Broadcasting System, Intergalactic FM is one of the best Radio stations on the net.
Go check out their now, 3 different stations!
http://intergalacticfm.com/
Go check out their now, 3 different stations!
http://intergalacticfm.com/
Friday, February 13, 2009
How to Make Your Speakers Dead
IK multimedia ARC with Audyssey technology. It is a software/mic package plugin that I was able to try it out today. ARC attempts to flatten all of the natural forming room frequency spikes with software EQ processing.
It really makes it super flat. Too flat.
I don't quite buy into it. There is absolutely no way I would listen to music with it on full time. It seems to suck the life out of most recordings. The processing removes a good deal of bass and you lose that feeling that the sound is in the room with you. It feels like the music is being kept behind a screen door or metal fence, where you can peer in to see the ugliness if you get close enough with a flashlight. I felt the color of my music change to grey.
Its possible I did not set it up perfectly. But I don't really care.
The system does have some uses.
Pros
1. I was able to isolate some "hidden" sounds in the stereo image I could normally not hear at all, and fix them before I started the mastering process. It was like looking at all the bugs in my recording
2. The stereo width field felt more true allowing me to properly pan sounds
3. Adjusting the relative sound levels of tracks was slightly easier.
4. Its a completely different experience
Cons:
1. Feels soul-less.
2. Not for daily playback.
Overall I can 100% recommend it for trouble shooting your mixes like some kind of swiss army knife. It will make your mixing go faster. You won't have to take your music from system to system to compare. I do recommend trying it out. It is not the end all and be all of sound fixes.
Alternatives:
On the flipside, using a a couple regular EQs on my receiever, and taking tedious frequency snapshots in the application Fuzzmeasure, until the signal looked "more flat" I was able to get a much more enjoyable, crisp, sound without out all the deadening effects of ARC.
I will probably try to use ARC again, but only as an occasional reference.
It really makes it super flat. Too flat.
I don't quite buy into it. There is absolutely no way I would listen to music with it on full time. It seems to suck the life out of most recordings. The processing removes a good deal of bass and you lose that feeling that the sound is in the room with you. It feels like the music is being kept behind a screen door or metal fence, where you can peer in to see the ugliness if you get close enough with a flashlight. I felt the color of my music change to grey.
Its possible I did not set it up perfectly. But I don't really care.
The system does have some uses.
Pros
1. I was able to isolate some "hidden" sounds in the stereo image I could normally not hear at all, and fix them before I started the mastering process. It was like looking at all the bugs in my recording
2. The stereo width field felt more true allowing me to properly pan sounds
3. Adjusting the relative sound levels of tracks was slightly easier.
4. Its a completely different experience
Cons:
1. Feels soul-less.
2. Not for daily playback.
Overall I can 100% recommend it for trouble shooting your mixes like some kind of swiss army knife. It will make your mixing go faster. You won't have to take your music from system to system to compare. I do recommend trying it out. It is not the end all and be all of sound fixes.
Alternatives:
On the flipside, using a a couple regular EQs on my receiever, and taking tedious frequency snapshots in the application Fuzzmeasure, until the signal looked "more flat" I was able to get a much more enjoyable, crisp, sound without out all the deadening effects of ARC.
I will probably try to use ARC again, but only as an occasional reference.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Side Chaining In Logic & Cubase
If you have competing sounds in the same frequency space, maybe you need sidechaining compression!
Side Chaining in Logic Pro
What Does Sidechaining Do?
Side Chaining in Logic Pro
What Does Sidechaining Do?
Sidechaining takes one sound and uses it to manipulate another sound. Most often you will see it on compressors, gates, limiters, and expanders. However, it can also be found on vocoders, synthesizers, and other effects. It is a really, really useful feature on compressors and gates because it allows you to place multiple instruments in the same frequency range without clashing. Or, more succinctly, it can make your mix sound really good.
Advanced EQ Ducking Technique in Logic Pro
Ever wanted to bring out a voice in your mix without using compression? Try this EQ ducking technique which subtracts frequencies from the offending audio. There are simpler way to do this, but this time we will use the Match EQ and Ducking using a side-chain bus for the most versatility later on.
So If you ever wondered just how they made a vocal track so crystal clear against a wall of distortion, take notice!
Scenario:
Track 5 contains distorted guitars that run the full spectrum but Track 8 contains a synthesizer that gets lost in the mix
The Setup: Audio 1 was our original guitar part, but we cut it, dragged it down into a new track below (audio 5) for processing when our synth line came in (audio 8).
1. Cut your track that you want processed. With the scissors tool, cut your lead sound (Track 5) during the duration that track 8 takes place and place it on a seperate track. Since the effect is temporary and not dynamic it is necessary to do this.
2. In the mixer window, set up your two tracks (5 & 8 in this situation) like below.
Explanation:
We are sent our guitar part to bus 1 and shutoff its output.
We also deleted the output of track 8.
3. Create a Match EQ and then a Duck EQ in that order on Bus 1
4. Put your Match EQ's sidechain on Audio 8 (the synth or voice) in the upper right corner of the plugin. Hit learn and play your audio. The plugin is capturing the EQ balance of your synth. When you press match, and subtract with the apply slider, the guitar part will be properly processed for when the synth line plays and fills that frequency void.
5. The problem we have now is that the synth line is not playing. We can either reactivate it it's original track, or using the Ducking plugin on Bus 1 if we want a further decrease in overall gain (like a compressor).
Confused? Copy the settings in the picture below.
On the left is the match EQ is sidechained which is applied to the guitar (Bus1). We have used moderate EQ subtraction and filtered out the extreme frequences, an option in match EQ.
On the Right we have the Ducking plugin which brings in our synth line on the same Bus1. Using Ducking we can bring down the audio level of the guitar dynamically as our synth line plays each note. You can copy these settings and modify to taste if you like.
Overall we precicely subtracted some EQ out of one track when another track was playing and took priority.
This is a slightly advanced technique, while not quite easy or dynamic, it got the job done and did not screwing with perceived volume, which is often very noticeable. If you listen to your favourite recordings you just might hear something similiar as different melodies come and go throughout the mix, especially in heavy, full, music.
So If you ever wondered just how they made a vocal track so crystal clear against a wall of distortion, take notice!
Scenario:
Track 5 contains distorted guitars that run the full spectrum but Track 8 contains a synthesizer that gets lost in the mix
The Setup: Audio 1 was our original guitar part, but we cut it, dragged it down into a new track below (audio 5) for processing when our synth line came in (audio 8).
1. Cut your track that you want processed. With the scissors tool, cut your lead sound (Track 5) during the duration that track 8 takes place and place it on a seperate track. Since the effect is temporary and not dynamic it is necessary to do this.
2. In the mixer window, set up your two tracks (5 & 8 in this situation) like below.
Explanation:
We are sent our guitar part to bus 1 and shutoff its output.
We also deleted the output of track 8.
3. Create a Match EQ and then a Duck EQ in that order on Bus 1
4. Put your Match EQ's sidechain on Audio 8 (the synth or voice) in the upper right corner of the plugin. Hit learn and play your audio. The plugin is capturing the EQ balance of your synth. When you press match, and subtract with the apply slider, the guitar part will be properly processed for when the synth line plays and fills that frequency void.
5. The problem we have now is that the synth line is not playing. We can either reactivate it it's original track, or using the Ducking plugin on Bus 1 if we want a further decrease in overall gain (like a compressor).
Confused? Copy the settings in the picture below.
On the left is the match EQ is sidechained which is applied to the guitar (Bus1). We have used moderate EQ subtraction and filtered out the extreme frequences, an option in match EQ.
On the Right we have the Ducking plugin which brings in our synth line on the same Bus1. Using Ducking we can bring down the audio level of the guitar dynamically as our synth line plays each note. You can copy these settings and modify to taste if you like.
Overall we precicely subtracted some EQ out of one track when another track was playing and took priority.
This is a slightly advanced technique, while not quite easy or dynamic, it got the job done and did not screwing with perceived volume, which is often very noticeable. If you listen to your favourite recordings you just might hear something similiar as different melodies come and go throughout the mix, especially in heavy, full, music.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Wacky Pill (mp3)
Need some inspiration?
http://www.myspace.com/stealthgear
Wacky Pill by Stealthgear!!
And more music on the profile...thx.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
IOSYS
Overdrive!
and
Time for some Lunatic Princess!
The visuals on this game are insane.
http://www.audio-surf.com/
Roland SH-101 With Black Keys
Link to the auction
Roland sh-101 Nova Mod in very good condition.
Bought it from a guy on ebay few months ago. 100% fully functional.
VCF FM : Amazing new sounds are now added through this feature. Six FM sources are available
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