Not too long ago, ToneHammer was featured on the site and made quite an impression on yours truly (link HERE.) Well they’re back and funnier than ever giving all of you a chance to get away with almost a grand in sound libraries for free, but this time they require your dignity. I LOVE IT!
Now this is my type of people. I give up my dignity all the time and NEVER get rewarded. Like one time, I was meeting my cousin’s fiance for the first time and I was told to be on my best behavior. THATS BORING, so as soon as I got to the front door, I dropped trou and made a B-line straight for him doing that scoot walk one has to do when his pants are at his ankles. But that’s not all, after I finally made it to him, I gave him an uncomfortably long bro hug. This probably infuriated my parents, but if you’re going to be in my family, you’re gonna have to be ok with a little embarrassment. Isn’t that right Zach? Oh little side story, This Thanksgiving, I had to be away from home so they put me on Skype cam to say hi to everyone so I mooned him this time, and then he MOONED back. See people… dignity… overated… case closed.
The gnomes are known for their outrageous generosity and we about to take it to a whole new level of intensity. We want you to post your most sh**ty (Editor’s note: NO OBSCENITIES ON THIS SITE NO MATTER HOW CHARMING OR FUNNY YOU ARE), shameful, lackluster, humiliating and embarrassing piece of music. It doesn’t matter whether its that poor rejected dance remix you did of Depeche Mode, that condom commercial you never told anybody about, that poor orchestration you were so proud of in 2006, that oh-so-emotional midi piano piece for ur ex girlfriend or your ill-destined attempt at making old Taiko samples sound good with EQ/compression.
The most important thing is that you shame yourself to the max and for that we will reward you handsomely.
Well you can thank my good friend Jackie for this one. This is Kitara and it seems pretty cool. Although you don’t get the satisfaction of building true finger strength and it still doesn’t sound like a real guitar, it looks like it would be really fun to do Muse sounding guitar synth riffs with it. Although it will still make you feel empty inside because Matt Bellamy can do all of this with a REAL guitar, it should spark some form of creativity. The guitarist in me does have to say tisk tisk to this because it doesn’t have strings and I won’t call it an instrument. I’ll just say its what an iPad is to a Computer, a fun toy that can ALMOST do what the big boys can.
The digital party has been going on for some time.
The studio engineers were invited. The keyboard players were invited. Even those damn drummers were invited. While the guitarists have stood waiting for the call.
We all know the reasons. Those pesky strings are tough to digitize. MIDI guitars are too temperamental. If guitars were really meant to be digital, they’d have buttons instead of strings.
No argument here.
That’s exactly why we created Kitara.™
Kitara is the stringless guitar. Your ticket to a world of digital sound and effects. Easy to pick up, very tough to put down. Stage or studio, simply plug in and play.
Here’s a video of some headless dude playing it. Impressive! I can’t even play with my eyes closed. And sorry ladies, I see a ring on his finger, so that dream of marrying a guy who can’t talk back is dashed.
Its not out yet but to pre-order, click HERE. $850.00?!!!!! I cant get an American Special Strat for that!!! This thing better be good.
For more info, click HERE
I’ve played around with quite a bit of dynamics processing plug-ins in my day and my conclusion is always the same. Sure they accomplish the same basic overall goal that their outboard versions do, but there’s something lacking from it. Get a hold of an actual Urei 1176 and put it on one of two identical tracks. Then put the software version on the other. Now set the two at the exact same levels and A/B them; and for fun, go ahead and max out the settings on both. You’re going to hear a somewhat noticeable difference, even with the Waves Brand of the 1176 version and especially when maxing the two out. It’s just inherent in audio that, no matter how hard companies try, they’re not going to get it to sound like the analog version of the piece of hardware they’re trying to emulate…
or can they?
Elysia is a fairly new company to the scene but have already made some serious contributions to the recording studio industry. One of the founders of this company, Ruben Tilgner, previously worked for SPL and was the mastermind behind one of the most remarkable dynamics processors in the industry which I have featured on this site before, The Transient Designer. The fact that before they founded Elysia, they were behind the Transient Designer, the Mix Dream, and the Gain Station proves they’ve got some heavy firepower. If you don’t believe me, watch a few YouTube videos of those products in action.
Ruben and Dominik have a very specific goal in building studio gear. Instead of providing a different version of a product you already have, they want to provide you with a completely innovative, easy to use product that enhances the sound AND visual portion of the mixing experience. These guys truly care about every single facet of audio engineering and it shows. We’ve established that the hardware these guys make is phenomenal, but that’s not what this review is about.
Elysia has just released a software version of it’s mastering compressor, the Alpha Compressor. What gives me hope that these guys have a shot at truly getting the analog feel of a software compressor is the fact that they started out with the hardware first. The problem is, a great deal… make that almost ALL of the plug-in manufacturers do not offer hardware. They simply take a piece of hardware, spec it, then emulate it. I have to admit, it seems like extremely hard work but the end result usually winds up with a good piece of software, but not a great piece of software.
So this brings us here: The interface
Just look at all of those knobs and buttons! To the beginner this may look like some sort of beautiful blue nightmare, but I assure you, it is a lot easier to operate than you would think. Lets break this down. This is a stereo master compressor, so each side has the exact same controls. See!! its already getting easier AND if you use this plug-in on a mono channel it becomes a scaled down version of the mastering plug-in. Even easier! So from left to right on top we have the basic compressor controls with the threshold, attack, release, and ratio. Now what sets these basic functions apart from all of the other compressors out here are those three buttons in between the knobs. The threshold has a feed forward button that acts a little edgier than when it is in normal or feed back mode. Feed forward sounds very similar to an API compressor.
Now the other two buttons… Remember when I said Ruben made the Transient Designer? Well this is him putting his signature touch to this compressor. This is an ingenious feature that allows the compression to breathe a little. It’s basically and auto-pilot that knows exactly when to react with attack or gain, depending on which you have enabled. These buttons are heaven-sent for drums because they do all of the work for you with attack, sustain, or even both at the same time. It’s also great to make the mix breathe a little easier when you start digging into the threshold.
Now below the top knobs is where it can get fun. Here we have a slant range EQ. Using this is easy too. Simply press the “On” button and you’re ready to go. The gain works as either a shelf boost or a shelf cut of the frequency selected. Picture the gain knob as a control for one of those scales that they used way back in history… you know… the ones that you put something on each side and the heavier thing goes lower… ok ok or a see saw and the frequency you selected is the middle point. If you turn the gain knob right, this is raising the highs, therefore the low frequencies go down and if you turn it left, the low frequencies go up but the highs go down. All of this is done in a linear fashion so for how much you boost, you will lose the same amount of the opposite side of the spectrum of frequencies. Oh did I mention the choice of frequencies is HUGE. You can go from 20Hz to 2kHz with the 10x switch off, and from 2kHz to 20kHz when the 10x switch is on. The possibilities are endless with the tilt EQ. Now when I’m using this feature, I do suggest subscribing to the “use in moderation” theory and normally stay around .75 – 1.5 in the gain tilt, but you can go nuts with this thing and it still sounds great. Even just by simply enabling this tilt eq you get a slight active EQ.
Next to that is the side chain. The side chain allows you to grab specific frequencies and let others go through. Perfect for taming just the bass or pulling some of the highs out to soften the mix.
To top this immensely hot rodded compressor, we have the bottom row which has knobs to control your mix between the dry and compressed signal, the gain compensation which is standard for all compressors, and a soft clip limiter which beefs up transients that usually would get drowned out in loud mixes. The dry / compressed mix knob is a rarity and is ideal for blending your dry with the processed signal to get that perfect balance. The buttons on both sides of the mix can either solo out or mute your direct or compressed signal. This makes mixing immensely easier by allowing you to A/B the two signals. This works especially well when you’re in MS Mode, which we’ll talk about here shortly.
In between the gain and soft clip, we have a warm button which emulates the hardware version of this compressor’s transformer and softens the signal to give it that warm thick tone, perfect for giving the mix that little extra push it needs.
In the middle of this unit we have the buttons on the bottom which enable MS mode, Make the compressor active, and link the two sets of controls on either side. MS mode is the fun part. This is where the compressor flexes it’s muscles and really starts to show off. MS stands for Mid-Side mode and what this does is separate the middle signal from the stereo field. This is how you make your stereo field sound a great deal wider and fill the mix up. When enabled, the left side controls your middle compression so you can tighten up those vocals and make them sound more forward in the mix. Then the right side controls your sides of your mix. I use this a lot with the tilt EQ to put most of the bass in the stereo field and take some out of the center to widen up and make the mix sound broader.
Now you can use those solo buttons I talked about earlier to their full potential. Go nuts!! Solo the side signal, tweak it till your hearts content. Then move over and solo the center and set it just right… Then… make sure you’re braced because if you turned those knobs just right, the sound coming out will be too much to take. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you might even lose control of you bodily functions… I’m just warning you so it doesn’t happen to you too!! Oh did I mention when you buy this, you get a more scaled down mono version of this plug-in for individual tracks? Oh I already did? Well you do and what it basically does is take one side of the compressor, eliminates the tilt EQ and the knobs you don’t need and allows you to use it on just about anything.
Operation:
With so many features at your disposal, its tough to even say where to begin. The interface looks great, almost exact to it’s hardware version. The guys teamed up with Brainworx to make this and they did a spectacular job. I do have to say the physical rack mount version of this is a lot prettier with it’s glowing knobs and sleek, clean surface but if they went too far on the look of this, you would wake up at night with the sounds of your computer weeping from being pushed too hard. So they had to balance. However, this plug-in can bog a system down if you don’t watch out, but doesn’t necessarily do anymore than any of the other mastering plug-ins, plus it has more features so that’s even more impressive. One of my favorite parts about it is that you can use the mouse scroll to adjust the knobs. Its great!! You just mouse over the one you want and wheel away. I think this feature is spoiling me a bit because I’m starting to do it with all of my other plug-ins so umm… other companies… you might want to take note of this.
You would think with so many knobs and buttons that it would be very easy to screw up a mix… Think again. I let a buddy of mine try to make a crappy sounding compression and he really tried hard, but other than him cranking every knob to 10, he couldn’t really destroy the mix too bad. So that’s a feather in their cap for usability.
Lets Put This Thing To Use Shall We?
I know this has been a lengthy bit of text to read so I’m going to make it up to you by accepting a challenge they put out there when describing this plug-in. They said it was so good that you will want to put it on every track you have. So I, being a daring young man with stars in his eyes, set out to accept that challenge, and give you sound comparable samples of everything including a final version of the song. Lets see if this software compressor can give an analog piece of hardware a run for it’s money in character and sound quality; or see if it won’t add any noticeable difference at all. The results might surprise you.
I took a session I did a while back with a buddy of mine named John Garrett. He wrote the song and I just played the instruments, while he did the vocals. If you want to hear more of his stuff, you can find him on Facebook or Twitter. Yay Plugs! Now on to the mix.
Everything was tracked using a Focusrite ISA one, Rode NTK, and Audio Technica 3035 into a Pro Tools 003 console.
Drums:
First lets play with the drums. I know they sound OK on their own but I’m a drummer at heart so I want an aggressive kit… almost to point where it even clips a little. So I take all of the drum tracks, bus them over to a stereo track and add the stereo version of the Alpha Mix. I leave the channels linked because I’ll use MS mode on the master track. So I start turning knobs. Like I said before, I want this track to be very in your face and aggressive so I enable feed forward mode, crank the threshold and enable the auto fast release. I even put some soft clip into the mix, but not a lot.
Here’s the before sample of the drums.
ATC Drums Before Alpha by Everything Recorded
They’re not bad right? But I still wanted more edge out of them so here’s the result after the Alpha
ATC Drums After Alpha by Everything Recorded
Now I know there’s a little bit of clipping going on with the kick but the master compressor will smooth that out in the end. Pretty Noticeable difference if you ask me. My only real issue is that it took a second for the compressor to kick in and it missed that first shot of the kick.
Bass:
You always want the bass to cut through the mix but not to the point where it makes everything muddy. So you want the compressor to give it just a little boost and smooth it out. What I did here was engage feed forward, leave the threshold and attack around 12 o’clock and set the release on auto fast and set it at 300. Now with the ratio set at 1.8 and warm mode enabled for added depth, we’re good to go. You might need headphones to hear the difference on this one especially if you’re using small computer speakers.
Here’s the before sample:
ATC Bass Before Alpha by Everything Recorded
The before sample sounds good, but I know this compressor can get more out of the track.
ATC Bass After Alpha by Everything Recorded
Depending on your speakers that might have distorted a little, I proofed all of these mixes on a bunch of speakers and some distorted a little, but the end will determine the means on this one, trust me.
Acoustic Guitar:
This track just needed to be a little more pronounced so I used the compressor to boost the body of the track and used a little bit of side-chain EQ.
The before track:
ATC AGT Before Alpha by Everything Recorded
With the slight boost:
ATC AGT After Alpha by Everything Recorded
Now there’s a little more punch to the track to bring out more emphasis on the strumming but not so much that it squashes the rest.
Electric Guitars: Same concept as the acoustic guitars, but this time I want a little more sustain and a wider feel to them so I bus the electric tracks into one stereo bus and play in MS mode to make them sound further on the sides.
Before track:
ATC EGT Before Alpha by Everything Recorded
Now with the Alpha Compressor
ATC EGT After Alpha by Everything Recorded
Notice the way it jumps out just a little bit more and sounds spaced out a bit?
Piano: Piano didn’t do too much of a difference with the compressor. It was pretty much at the point it needed to be but here’s the samples anyway. I didn’t do much compression but I did add the warm button. See if you can hear it.
Before:
ATC Piano Before Alpha by Everything Recorded
And the after:
ATC Piano After Alpha by Everything Recorded
That warm button is pretty impressive huh?
Vocals: I wanted a the main vocal dead center of the mix and the backgrounds thrown as far to the sides as I could so I bussed the vocals and tried MS mode just for fun.
Before: ATC Vox Before Alpha 1 by Everything Recorded
And the after:
ATC Vox After Alpha 1 by Everything Recorded
Something unexpected happened. Obviously, it did the job great on spreading the vocals, but it also did something very hard for a piece of software to do. If you listen carefully to the second track, it almost created the same effect that the “silk” knob does on a Neve preamp. It gives you this saturated distortion that is hard to characterize. I call it a burning sound in the track but I don’t know what the technical term is for it. I did this to show you that when this compressor is pushed, it doesn’t give you that horrible crackling sound most software compressors give. It saturates the tone instead of destroying it. Elysia just might have accomplished the challenge at hand for making a software compressor that has an analog soul to it.
Now for the grand finale.
Here is the result of putting the alpha on every single track in the mix and using it as a mastering compressor at the same time.
Before the Alpha was applied:
ATC Complete Before Alpha by Everything Recorded
And finally the complete song with the Alpha applied to all tracks and master bus.
ATC Complete After Alpha by Everything Recorded
I don’t even need to summarize this review. The audio files speak for themselves here. Did this plug-in accomplish the task at hand in acting like it’s analog brother? Well in my opinion it definitely did, but what are your thoughts on this? Go get a trial version of this, apply it to your own tracks and find out personally. Rating: 5 out of 5
Interface: 5
Ease of use: 5
Features: 5
Value for money: 5
For more info on Elysia and to buy this incredible plug-in, click HERE
Seen here in Pretty Pretty Princess Pink (My Favorite!!) we have the studio projects LSM mic which stands for little square mic… uhh Mic. Seems a bit redundant to put Mic after already having mic in the name. What sets Mic Mic here apart from all of the others is that it has a normal XLR jack AND a USB jack to go in the computer too. I can vouch for Studio Projects because I use their C4 matched pair for overheads on drums and they hold their own so I have no doubts this is no different. At $179, its a bit more than most other USB mics but this one can transition into your setup when it expands to a new pre-amp or console.
Studio Projects announces the release of its latest studio condenser microphone, the LSM (Little Square Mic). Featuring dual outputs, analog mini-XLR and USB, the LSM is as versatile as it is great-sounding.
Boasting a 34mm Von Braun- muhl and Weber-style transducer coupled to a discrete Class-A JFET impedance converter, the Studio Projects LSM has excellent off-axis rejection and easily handles high SPLs beyond 130dB! By virtue of its classic capsule design, discrete electronics and robust build quality, the LSM is geared towards professional recording, but its clever design allows seamless integration into your DDE (Digital Desktop Ensemble) whether for Skype, iChat, podcasting, or video conferencing. The LSM features a compact, thin profile with an integrated, folding yoke that permits the mic to sit on a flat surface freely, or mount onto a mic stand. Equally at home in the studio, or concert hall, the LSM is portable and easy to set up. The XLR output, with supplied cable, is a standard +48v solid state, Class A discrete signal path, while the USB output allows direct connection to Windows or Mac based systems with ease. Choose from four different colors to best suit your tastes and enjoy the sonic flavor of an LSM today!
Look lets face it, you’re going to order pink so HERE’s the link
Does your significant other record a lot and you have to put up with vocals like THIS but don’t have the money for auto-tune or hospital bills from stabbing yourself in the ears? Well Melodyne is here to save your sanity. Lets face it, even I need pitch correction and I’m a modern day Luther Vandross wrapped in Jared Leto’s body complete with Shakira’s dancing abilities. So why wouldn’t you or any loved one you have that claims to be the next big thing need pitch correction too? Now Melodyne is offering their Essential “tell me about it” package to ease your woes. and its only $69!!
The Best Technology, the Best Sound
Melodyne essential is the most affordable point of entry into the incomparable world of Melodyne. Correct and optimize monophonic or rhythmic audio material in the manner only Melodyne allows. Perfect the intonation and timing via macro or in a more targeted way by hand. Transpose, move or erase notes and copy individual notes or entire passages to different locations. Quickly to Hand
Melodyne essential operates directly within your audio workstation. You hear all edits in the context of the other tracks of your project and can use as many instances as you wish and your computer will allow. And for the swift editing of a sample between times, you can open Melodyne essential in stand-alone mode without having to start up your audio workstation first.
Open For Upgrades
Melodyne essential offers you a great deal of functionality for very little money. And this investment makes still more sense if you wish to upgrade to Melodyne assistant (additional tools and functions), Melodyne editor (also polyphonic material) or Melodyne studio (multi-track) at a later date. Attractive upgrade options are available to all editions. So you can’t lose by entering here. The small step to Melodyne essential could become a giant leap in the future.
To buy this groundbreaking piece of software, click HERE
Its been a while since I’ve featured a 500 Series module and what better module to show off to all of you than this, the APA Leviathan Opto Compressor. Seems to be a combo of an LA-2A and an LA-3A and even features a vintage “auto” mode that gives you that smooth rounded compression. It also has a sidechained punch button that will supplement lows in the lower transients. I really think this would shine through incredibly on an acoustic guitar track or vocal. They say it has the same affect as riding the faders, so it seems very well balanced with the dynamics. You can even stereo link a pair of these with the link button.
500 series lovers, your wish has come true. APA’s new Leviathan compressor is the perfect synthesis of vintage and modern technology. Inspired by both the La-3a AND La-2a ‘set and forget’ program dependent compression with the Leviathan’s VINTAGE auto mode, the APA Leviathan is very smooth in every sense of the word. We’ve set the VINTAGE mode’s attack to be approximately in between the La-2a and La-3a so the source is natural but with enough control to keep things in check. Being a discrete Class A single ended design with iron core transformers on input and output, the perfect balance of coloration and detail is achieved with a solid midrange, airy top and just the right amount of even order harmonic distortion. The Leviathan’s smooth compression is similar to ‘riding the fader’.
In addition to having the VINTAGE auto mode, the Leviathan has fully featured modern features such as variable attack, variable release, variable ratio, PUNCH low frequency side chain for keeping your tracks fat in the low end. These modern features make it far more flexible than any vintage based design in the 500 format. Because it can be closely stereo matched and stereo linked it can used with great effect on master bus, sub bus, vocals, acoustic guitars, bass, drum overheads, synths, electric guitars, and more.
Look at that adorable mug!! That was the moment I realized that at 28, I was gonna start a site about recording gear. Well it was either that or I was just crapping my diaper. Not sure about that but I sure look happy either way.
And just to think not too long ago, I was constantly having to resort to nonsense and fart jokes to keep you on this site. who am I kidding? I did that for me and I still do it, and will continue to do it because this is MY SITE and no one (except my mommy) tells me what to do. Well now we keep growing at exponential rates and have quite a bit you returning day to day to read this compilation of psychobabble and genius recording products. Its not a bad combo huh? So in order to keep improving, I will be doing some contests and promotions very soon and the more people that show up, the more prizes I give away. So start telling your friends so you can win some great gear and keep checking back.
Oh and I might be on the losing end of a pact I made with a buddy a while back so you better feel special. I told him if I EVER got a twitter account that he could kick me in the gentleman’s region from behind unexpectedly 6 times. So we might not be seeing any cuter versions of the above picture due to that.
In the mean time check out my Sound Cloud Page. I will be posting audio files from all of my reviews. There’s a HUGE review coming up in the next day or so where I take on a challenge that a plug-in manufacturer threw down.
Everything Recording on SoundCloud
Here we have a perfect example of me finding sweet deals on all the great stuff you need. Go ahead, admit it. You want to go steady with me right? Ladies? Maybe. Dudes? Sorry homey I don’t roll that way but thanks for the lovely offer. I do however like dressing nice sometimes and going to World Market so we have that in common. At either rate, FXpansion is offering some Christmas cheer, (no not THIS kind) and they are hooking us up with 50% off of expansion packs as long as you have a valid FXpansion User Account which I highly recommend getting. I think you have to buy one of their pieces of software, but now would be a good time to hop on over there and get Geist. I hear its just a delightful program to work with and the sounds are amazing.
FXpansion introduce the December Half Price Sale!
For the entire month of December all FXpansion download-only expansion packs are 50% off for registered owners of BFD2, BFD Eco, DCAM: Synth Squad, GURU & Geist!
Lately, I’ve been in a musical funk. I mean, how many times can you listen to Auto-Tune infested ear molestations before you finally crack and start listening to the equally horrible Toby Keith (honestly I wouldn’t put Auto-Tune past him too. Auto-Tuned country music coming in 3..2..)
Luckily for me, one of my friends I work with showed me this group, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The group is called Killing Joke and the album is called “Absolute Dissent.” This is their 14th album they’ve release and the first to feature the original members since 1981. So basically these guys have been playing music longer than I’ve been alive. How I missed them is completely beyond me, but this is a breath of fresh air if you’re looking to mix up your music library.
Its very tough to categorize this group due to the wide variety of styles they seamlessly shift through on the CD. In most cases, a band couldn’t get away with playing this diverse of music but these guys nail it. The mix on this album takes you back to a simpler time when space was all that mattered. They bathe every track in just the right amount of reverb and keep the mix very straight forward. It is extremely raw and powerful from start to finish with Jaz Coleman’s uncanny gruff voice barking through most of the whole set, the off combination just works.
I’m not going to guarantee every one of you will love it, but if you’re bored with music and tired of being able to tell where a song is headed, then go check these guys out.
A big thanks to Jason for showing me these guys.
So go buy this, don’t steal it or I will mail you every Toby Keith CD I can find.
Its pretty cool when you get enough awesome content on your site that you can re-post it. Its perfect for those days that the bipolar recording equipment industry decides to lock itself in it’s closet and I’m stuck out here having to make excuses!!
Today’s gift idea is perfect for someone starting out and owns a mac and wants an all in one solution for recording (Yea I got REALLY specific here didn’t I.) This is the Apogee One, a very small interface with a pretty good condenser mic built into it as well as inputs for instruments or other mics. Its $249 which isn’t bad for getting something you can plug in and start recording right off the bat.
Like I have said over and over again I travel a lot and I’m constantly looking to track ideas and not have to lug a huge interface and all the bells and whistles along. This interface gives me the option to either bring the rest or leave it and still be able to lay down ideas without feeling like you’re lacking proper equipment. This interface has 44.1/48kHz, 24-bit AD/DA Conversion, a condenser mic, and even software selectable phantom power if you want to use an outboard microphone. The One even features a balanced XLR preamp with +10 to 63dB of gain and an unbalanced 1/4? high impedance instrument input, 0 to 45dB of gain, ALL IN AN INTERFACE ROUGHLY THE SIZE OF A CELL PHONE!!! If you know Apogee, you know that they don’t make crap. This company makes world class converters and equipment that is second to none and I’m sure this is no different. Now that I don’t need to use my Mbox Micro, I’m pretty sure I will be making the swap very soon. I am however very sorry if you own a PC because I’m pretty sure it only works with Mac OS X, but you know, its really your own fault for buying equipment with an operating system not worthy for such an incredible piece of gear!
Once again, here’s the tech specs:
Open For Upgrades
