Effects

Tips: Mastering Audio and Music FAQ. What is mastering? Mastering is the final step in the recording process, where all the songs are checked for errors and the album is prepared for retail sale. This preparation can include a number of things, but usually involves some sort of additional processing (or "sweetening" as many places like to call it) in order to make songs sound clearer and better.

There are a great deal of personal tricks used by various mastering engineers which in part contributes to some of the mystique surrounding their practices. Processing is almost always done on the final mixes, not individual tracks. An example of said processing would be running a song through a powerful and transparent equalizer in order to properly balance the track. Oftentimes, additional compression and limiting is applied to the final mixes in order to give them a more "commercial" sound.

What do I bring to mastering? NOTE: If you do plan on sending your songs to outside mastering, do NOT: How much does mastering cost? Pq Coding. Compression - WikiRecording. How to Use a Compressor. Compression - WikiRecording. Understanding Compressors and Compression. Jan 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Barry Rudolph Compression is one of the most common processes in all audio work, yet the compressor is one of the least understood and most misused processors. Compressed audio is an everyday fact of modern life, with the sound of records, telephones, TV, radios and public address systems all undergoing some type of mandatory dynamic range modification.

The use of compressors can make pop recordings or live sound mixes sound musically better by controlling maximum levels and maintaining higher average loudness. It is the intent of this article to explain compressors and the process of compression so that you can use this powerful process in a more creative and deliberate way. Compressors and limiters are specialized amplifiers used to reduce dynamic range-the span between the softest and loudest sounds. THE BASICS There are four basic parameters on all compressors: compression ratio, threshold level, attack time and release time. Acceptable Use Policy MixLine. Page 1 GEO - upper link to effects info. Comb filter. In signal processing, a comb filter adds a delayed version of a signal to itself, causing constructive and destructive interference. The frequency response of a comb filter consists of a series of regularly spaced spikes, giving the appearance of a comb. Applications[edit] Comb filters are used in a variety of signal processing applications.

These include: In acoustics, comb filtering can arise in some unwanted ways. Technical discussion[edit] Comb filters exist in two different forms, feedforward and feedback; the names refer to the direction in which signals are delayed before they are added to the input. Comb filters may be implemented in discrete time or continuous time; this article will focus on discrete-time implementations; the properties of the continuous-time comb filter are very similar.

Feedforward form[edit] Feedforward comb filter structure The general structure of a feedforward comb filter is shown on the right. Where is the delay length (measured in samples), and. . . , giving . . Hendrix flange - rec.audio.pro. Flanging. Origin[edit] As an audio effect, a listener hears a "drainpipe" or "swoosh" or "jet plane" sweeping effect as shifting sum-and-difference harmonics are created analogous to use of a variable notch filter. The term "flanging" comes from one of the early methods of producing the effect. The finished music track is recorded simultaneously to two matching tape machines, then replayed with both decks in sync. The playback-head output from the two recorders is mixed to a third recorder. The engineer slows down one recorder by lightly pressing a finger on the flange (rim) of one of the playout reels. Despite subsequent claims over who originated flanging, Les Paul discovered the effect in the late 1940s and 1950s, however, he did most of his early phasing experiments with acetate disks on variable-speed record players.

Others have attributed it to George Chkiantz, an engineer at Olympic Studios in Barnes, London. Kendrick's setup to control flanging Artificial flanging[edit] See also[edit] The technology of Phase Shifters and Flangers. Copyright 1999 R.G.Keen. All rights reserved. No portion of these materials may be reproduced without written permission of the author. The technology of phase shifters and flangers Practically every guitarist has heard the swirling, spacey sounds characteristic of a phaser or its cousin, the flanger.

These boxes have a unique sound that is immediately recognizable to us in rock and processed acoustic music. Unfortunately these effects are not the easiest effects to understand in terms of how that odd tone is made. What is phase shift? There is only a little electronics knowledge needed here. If we have another sine wave that is the same size and frequency but has different zero crossing times, it is said to be shifted in phase relative to the first wave. If we have a situation where two waves of the same frequency, perhaps the same wave, but one image delayed a tiny bit of time, are added together somehow, they may reinforce one another or partially cancel one another.

Phase up to it... Phaser (effect) A phaser is an electronic sound processor used to filter a signal by creating a series of peaks and troughs in the frequency spectrum. The position of the peaks and troughs is typically modulated so that they vary over time, creating a sweeping effect. For this purpose, phasers usually include a low-frequency oscillator. Spectrogram of an 8-stage phaser modulated by a sine LFO applied to white noise. The electronic phasing effect is created by splitting an audio signal into two paths. The definition of phaser typically excludes such devices where the all-pass section is a delay line; such a device is called a flanger.[1] Using a delay line creates an unlimited series of equally spaced notches and peaks.

The number of all-pass filters (usually called stages) varies with different models, some analog phasers offer 4, 6, 8 or 12 stages. Additionally, the output can be fed back to the input for a more intense effect, creating a resonant effect by emphasizing frequencies between notches. What is a Chorus Effect? | TestTone.com. A chorus (or ensemble) is a modulation effect used to create a richer, thicker sound and add subtle movement.

The effect roughly simulates the slight variations in pitch and timing that occur when multiple performers sing or play the same part. Chorus is a common guitar pedal effect that gives a clean electric guitar a "dreamy" quality. It's also widely used on acoustic guitar, electric piano, and clavinet. On strings and synth pads, chorus creates a richer, more complex sound. Stereo chorus effects also can be used to widen a stereo image. How does it work? The chorus effect is based upon a short delay. To add movement, chorus effects slowly modulate the delay time with a low-frequency oscillator (LFO). Principal controls Most chorus effects include knobs to adjust the LFO speed (a.k.a. rate or period) and depth (a.k.a. amplitude or intensity).

Some plugins include control of the wet/dry mix. Common variations Mono, stereo, and surround chorus Single and multi-voice chorus Complex LFOs. Understanding Compressors and Compression. Audio Processing. How to Use a Compressor. Audio Expansion. Audio expansion means to expand the dynamic range of a signal. It is basically the opposite of audio compression. Like compressors and limiters, an audio expander has an adjustable threshold and ratio. Whereas compression and limiting take effect whenever the signal goes above the threshold, expansion effects signal levels below the threshold.

Any signal below the threshold is expanded downwards by the specified ratio. For example, if the ratio is 2:1 and the signal drops 3dB below the threshold, the signal level will be reduced to 6dB below the threshold. The following graph illustrates two different expansion ratios — 2:1 and the more severe 10:1. Input Level vs Output Level With Expansion An extreme form of expander is the noise gate, in which lower signal levels are reduced severely or eliminated altogether. Note: Some people also use the term audio expansion to refer to the process of decompressing previously-compressed audio data.

See also: Audio Limiters. A limiter is a type of compressor designed for a specific purpose — to limit the level of a signal to a certain threshold. Whereas a compressor will begin smoothly reducing the gain above the threshold, a limiter will almost completely prevent any additional gain above the threshold. A limiter is like a compressor set to a very high compression ratio (at least 10:1, more commonly 20:1 or more). The graph below shows a limiting ratio of infinity to one, i.e. there is no gain at all above a the threshold. Input Level vs Output Level With Limiting Threshold Limiters are used as a safeguard against signal peaking (clipping).

They prevent occasional signal peaks which would be too loud or distorted. See also: EMusicTips. Elements of Home Studio Mastering. Though the picture shows Logic setup for mastering, you can achieve this with Cubase, Sonar, Performer or others just as easily. Everyonewants thebest sound quality.

That is perhaps one of the only statements we can make about "everyone" involved in music production that always holds true. Think about all the issues we have covered: 16 vs. 24 bit, digital audio converters, analog vs. digital, which monitors? Mics? Let me say up front that I am not a mastering engineer. Mastering, or finalizing, is the last stage of the process of making audio. But for many of us who have yet to discover our magnum opus, we may want to try our own hand at it, to make the cd for friends sound better, or to make the demos we hand out sound great. Getting Started You may already be doing your own form of home mastering.

Develop 2 listening environments. Software file formats Your mix should have ended with an uncompressed stereo file, ideally at high resolution, without any dither. Loudness Not so easy. Tweak. ADVANCED COMPRESSION TECHNIQUES. Technique : Effects / Processing Part 2: Paul White further explores the secrets of successful compression, and explains how to use advanced techniques for mastering your mixes.

This is the last article in a two-part series. Read Part 1. In this second installment, I'll be covering compression in mastering and multi-band compression. But first I'd like to take a closer look at the main ways in which a full-band compressor can be used — after all, if you are going to set the appropriate controls correctly, you have to know what you are trying to achieve. I like to simplify things by defining two main types of jobs you might want a compressor to do — the effects of these two approaches can be seen on the waveforms in Figure 1 (right).

Double Vision It is sometimes easier to set up the threshold control using a high ratio along with fast attack and release settings, as the gain-reduction meters will kick in very obviously whenever a signal peak exceeds the threshold. Mastering The Art. EQ: How & When To Use It. Tips & Techniques Technique : Effects / Processing Equalisation is one of the most powerful tools in your sonic toolkit and can be your greatest enemy or your greatest ally in the battle for the perfect sound.

DAVID MELLOR gives advice on how and when best to use it. The next time you make a recording, as an experiment set all the EQ controls of your mixing console to their centre positions and leave them there until you have finished the final mix. Don't be satisfied with anything less than perfection, and don't give yourself the excuse that you can't get a good sound because you were not able to use the EQ. EQ is a very powerful and effective item in your sonic toolkit, not unlike a circular saw in fact!

It is always best to ensure that you get as good a sound as possible from the microphone, synth or sampler coming into the mixing console. "Graphics are great for EQing an entire mix so that you can shape the sound as a whole, even after you have processed the individual elements. " Understanding Audio Compressors and Audio Compression. Compression is one of the most common processes in all audio work, yet the compressor is one of the least understood and most misused audio processors. Compressed audio is an everyday fact of modern life, with the sound of records, telephones, TV, radios and public address systems all undergoing some type of mandatory dynamic range modification.

Tips: How to use an Audio Compressor. The audio compressor, is a pretty useful item, and one which you need to add to your system at some point if you are recording any type of audio, especially vocals. The audio compressor automatically adjusts and maintains the signal levels as they go to H/Disk or Tape to be recorded. This compression evens out the distance between loud & quiet parts, by crushing the audio if it gets too loud, and raising the audio in the quiet sections. Compressors also can radically beef up a synth bass sound for example, making it sound tight 'n' punchy. So all in all it's something to get although you should probably get a Delay & Reverb unit first.

There are different types of compressor, but these are some of the basic controls you'll find on a unit.... INPUT........To set the level in. THRESHOLD........This sets how high the signal must reach before the compressor kicks in. Ok.... Some units such as the Alesis compressor, allow you to switch between a Hard & Soft Knee function..... AUTO-MODE... Effects Design.