Ken

Giveaway Of Softube Modular Synthesizer At Eric's Plugins

July 12, 2016 by Ken Leave a Comment

This month, Eric’s Plugins is giving away the Softube Modular virtual synthesizer. Modular is the virtual version of the classic hardware Doepfer Eurorack synthesizer modules. It has 6 Doepfer modules and 20 utility modules to get you going. Then you can tweak and trigger to your heart’s content to create more modules of your own.

If you are into synthesizers, you’ll love the Softube Modular, which – as the name suggests – is a modular synth, but in software format.

You can enter to win Modular at Eric’s Plugins by CLICKING HERE. You can even enter once per day to increase your chances of winning this cool synth.

Good luck!

A Cool And Easy Way To Learn About Frequency And EQ

July 11, 2016 by Ken Leave a Comment

Equalization – or “EQ” for short – is an extremely useful audio editing tool. In a way it’s sort of like Photoshop-for-audio. But instead of colors and brightness, etc. EQ adjusts frequency. I know! Just stay with me:).
It helps a lot to understand at least a little about what we mean by “frequency” so that you’ll have a better idea of what is happening when you use the controls on an EQ or EQ plugin. The concepts are actually pretty easy to understand. But the terminology typically used to explain them are often very “techie” sounding and confusing.
In our beginner course – The Newbies Guide To Audio Recording Awesomeness 1: The Free Recording Studio – I devoted one lesson to simply explaining frequency in a way that anybody can understand it. You can see that video below:

So What Is The “Cool And Easy” Way to Learn This Stuff?

Okay, So my wife found this site called myNoise^tm.net that plays background noise that is designed to help you relax, focus, sleep better, etc. But rather than just a single volume control for white noise (or whatever kind of sounds on offer on other such sites), myNoise offers something called “custom-shaped” noise machines. And by “custom-shaped,” they mean you get to control several different frequencies to tailor the sound.
If you watched the above video, you’ll have an idea what I mean when I talk about segments of the frequency spectrum using terms like “lows” or “bass,” “mids” and “highs.” Well myNoise.net lets you control (with what is basically a “graphic EQ” control) 10 such segments of the frequency spectrum for each of its noises as follows:

Sub-bass: This is the really really low frequencies (approximately 30-40 Hz) that we almost feel more than we hear – like on a dance floor at a night club, say.
Low bass (around 60 Hz)
Bass (around 125 Hz)
High bass (around 250 Hz)
Low mids (around 500 Hz)
Mids (around 1,000 Hz or 1KHz)
High mids (around 2 KHz)
Low treble (or low highs – around 4 KHz)
Treble (highs – around 8 Khz, sometimes just referred to as “presence” range)
High treble (high highs – around 10KHz and higher, sometimes called the “brilliance” range)

Usually the tone controls on your car’s audio system only lets you control JUST the high/treble and the low/bass – just 2 frequency controls. With 10, not only can you start to really understand what those frequency bands/segments, sound like. Ironically, hearing how one of the noises on the myNoise site respond to boosting or lowering any of those 10 frequency controls will allow you to better understand how those same frequencies apply to your music or voice. And that helps to really learn what a “low mid” or a “bass,” etc. frequency sounds like in general.

Other Awesome Stuff You Can Do

myNoise.net is incredible because not only can you use it as a fun way to learn about EQ and frequencies, they offer tons of different Noise Generators from Rain on a Tent, Ocean Waves and Cat Purr to atmospheres like Church and Nocturnal Garden. And each noise has icons next to it telling you what that particular sound is good for, such as “meditation,” “noise blocker,” and “sound therapy.”
So while you are learning about audio, you are also able to use the power of audio to improve your day:). Oh, and the best part? It’s free! And they have a free iOS app. They say Android is on the way. Though they do offer an incredible, potentially life changing tool for you, they also have a way for you to donate via PayPal, Stripe or bitcoin. This would help them keep the site running and growing without ads or paid subscriptions. Plus they offer some extra deals for donating visitors.
So go check them out at myNoise^tm.net immediately. And set some time aside because you’ll almost certainly want to stay and play around for awhile.
Cheers!
Ken

Tips For Recording Piano

July 7, 2016 by Ken Leave a Comment

Recording the piano can be tricky, but it isn’t as difficult as you may have been led to believe. Pianos offer certain challenges, to be sure. First there is the issue of variation in types of pianos: upright, baby grand, or grand. Then there is the fact that pianos produce such complex tones.
An article I just read identifies five common piano recording myths and misconceptions, then sets us straight about each. Some of the myths are not just limited to piano recording, but seem to apply to recording in general. One of those is the mistaken idea that you need really expensive high-end microphones to get a great sounding recording. I hope that after all the articles I’ve written and audio exhibitions I’ve provided to demonstrate the folly of this misconception (here is just one example: www.homebrewaudio.com/5-dollar-vs-500-dollar-mic), regular Home Brew Audio readers will know that it’s MUCH more about skill and knowledge than about the gear. Another idea challenged by Björgvin Benediktsson in his article is that you need to have a great room to get a great recording. Sure, in a perfect world we’d all have great acoustic spaces to record in. But what do you do when you don’t? Are you sunk? Of course not. This is yet another example of knowledge being the key. You can compensate for a lousy room in a number of ways, such as dampening echos with acoustic treatment or baffles, or close-miking, or a combination of both.
To read the full article, go here: http://www.audio-issues.com/recording-tips/piano-recording-myths/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AudioIssues+%28Audio+Issues%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Mixing Music Is Like Cooking

July 6, 2016 by Ken Leave a Comment

I’ve often felt that there were tons of similarities between mixing music and cooking. I’d probably see more similarities if I could create meals in the kitchen that didn’t involve a bag of some kind or a jar of peanut butter. But I get the concept.
One of the similarities that comes up a lot is how one thing can mask or overpower another thing. The best chefs use multiple flavors that complement each other. And if one ingredient is not as prominent as it should be, the right answer may not always be to “add more.” Sometimes a flavor can be coaxed out more by doing something with the heat, or adding a touch of another thing that makes the first thing stand out more.
If you followed any of that, you may sense where I’m going with this. In a music mix, if the acoustic guitar seems like it can’t be heard well enough, the amateur will immediately turn up the volume on the acoustic guitar channel. But the master will know to try more subtle moves, like maybe turning down just the middle frequencies of the piano – not the entire piano track, but maybe just a few key frequencies of the piano that may be masking the guitar (you’d use an equalizer [EQ] for this). Other things to try would be to use reverb to push something more to the back of a mix, or to use panning to help separate certain sounds.
The track volume (gain) sliders are like hammers. Beginners see them as the only tool for mixing, so every instrument is like a nail. Did I go awry with this simile? Eh, you get the idea.
Here is an article by Joe Gilder that uses this extended analogy to provide some tips on bringing focus to a music mix.
The full article is here: http://www.prosoundweb.com/article/in_the_studio_three_ways_to_find_focus_in_a_mix/

Understanding Sound and Acoustics

July 4, 2016 by Ken Leave a Comment

I am constantly saying that knowledge trumps gear when it comes to producing good sounding audio. Its actually pretty common for someone to record really bad audio using really expensive gear. That boils down to good old-fashioned not having the right knowledge. I am also always saying that you don’t need a lot of knowledge, or that the knowledge isn’t too hard for anyone to understand. I still stand by that. But that does not mean that more and deeper knowledge isn’t better. Quite the opposite.
For those who really want to dig into the fine details of audio, getting to understand the properties of sound and acoustics is an excellent thing.
This article by Neil Thompson Shade is an excellent primer on sound and acoustics. Not only does it cover some of the basics, but it also covers the myths and what Shade calls “outright errors” that pervade the audio industry.
Check out this interesting article at the link below:
http://www.prosoundweb.com/article/dbasics_acoustic_fundamentals/
Enjoy!
Ken