Category: Practice

MusicProductionTips (@MgntcSound) | Twitter

MusicProductionTips (@MgntcSound) | Twitter:

Vocal contrast: give the vocals a 1⁄4 note or an 1/8 note delay. When the chorus hits, change it to a 1⁄2 note delay and turn up the feedback a little bit. The vocal will have more depth in the chorus. Back off the high end with an EQ to create depth without the obvious echos.

These are handy tips. I like them. I keep them in a collection on the twitter…

Scrivener | Literature & Latte

Scrivener | Literature & Latte:

Research within reach Need to refer to research? In Scrivener, your background material is always at hand, and you can open it right next to your work. Write a description based on a photograph. Transcribe an interview. Take notes about a PDF file or web page. Or check for consistency by referencing an earlier chapter alongside the one in progress.

I should provide this link 😉

Compression — Expansion — and those other things

Today I want to dig in to compression and expansion. I understand compression. I am starting to understand expansion. I really don’t understand the difference between “downward compression” (the typical) and “upward compression” (not so typical).

Waves has a plugin — MV2 — that combines an upward compressor and a downward compressor. Warren Huart (Produce Like A Pro Academy) thinks highly of it.

I am confident that the iZotope Neutron 2 processor can function similarly to the MV2. There are 2 compressors, both of which can do downward compression (positive ratios) and upward compression (negative ratios).

Set Compressor 1 to the negative ratio and “upward” threshold, set Compressor 2 to the positive ration and “downward” threshold. Use the output gain control to adjust.

Now we get to try it in practice.

Expanding on Compression: 3 Overlooked Techniques for Improving Dynamic Range

Expanding on Compression: 3 Overlooked Techniques for Improving Dynamic Range:

“When many engineers say ‘compression’, what they mean is “downward compression.” In other words, bringing down the level of the signal above the threshold that you set on your compressor, to make louder things quieter. But all too often, we forget about upward compression, where quieter sounds are brought up to the threshold point; this technique can be quite handy in certain situations for a more transparent effect (it can also be approximated with parallel compression, if you don’t have an upward-compressor on hand).

Reference pointer for my Compression post coming up.