SOVL Report: Start Thinking Outside the Box and Go Back To Basics ⁉️, More Mix Tips
Part of my mission is to help poeple,.. straight up.I've done enough bad in my life that i WANT to actually do good an dhelp people out.. Especially with things in the creative realm.
What Up Forum,
Just want to give you a quick end-of-April / Welcome to Substack update,...
I try to get these emails out to you every two to four days, however, I've been working through some limitations which have not only taken some of my time,
but also inspired me to deliver to you some of the solutions I've found.
We’ve moved to Substack.. right, that's for a reason.
Part of my mission is to help people,.. straight up. I've done enough bad in my life that I WANT to actually do good and help people out. Especially with things in the creative realm.
however, we do live in a capitalist society .. so though altruistic my mission, doing it on a platform meant for commerce is a whole nother thing.
Apparently in order to email over 100 subscribers I need to have sold over $100 in products... 🙄
So here is the update, come and get it while its fresh, cus the cow only sells cold milk…
Get it?
You benefit because I’ll be able to diversify the type of content I can deliver from video to audio and file download right inside of the blog.
and just like any magazine you’ll have to pay for the bonus content once the issue is archived.
helps to support the writers lol
plus I could sit here and say we’re dropping everything like sample packs, one shot, MIDI’s, blah blah blah. z
Yeah, i’m doing that.. you’ll get it if you want it.. not my concern.
what I really want to do is give you some inspiration.
To bring some light fun back into this game.
I’m delivering you drum and sample kits that your kids can have with them and make you smile.
Or annoy you cuz they want to hog the machine now.
Dt you can make your own samples with the game on how to do that and get more sync placements with sample-type beats.
was a good reminder for me that music is a business. smh. But
Gotta be crafty.. which brings me to my second point.
The Second is To Try to Think Outside Of The Box With Your Entire Approach and go back to basics...
So the AIR plugin suite in combination with the Akai plugins is definitely one of the best out there for sure, HOWEVER,
Their straightforward 'just make it sound good' approach may be overlooked by some in this day in age.
we get so used to bells and whistles or 'accurate analog modeling madness that we spend more time thinking about what the plugin is doing to the audio (IE Sound design) rather than making dope sounding stuff (Producing or mixing)
Okay so let me explain what i’m talking about exactly.
Lets talk compression 😱 Or compressors .. or both..
Ok not like that,... Im just using it as an example. We'll talk "Tricks and Fundamentals" then I'll give you "Some Game" ok?
if you're coming from anywhere OUTSIDE of the Akai ecosystem you're probably used to these "Tricks"... that happen when you grab your favourite gear.
A. your goto compressor coloring the sound in some sort of way
B. each device/plugin offers some sort of 'unique' either GUI, combination of functions but no explanation of its optimal input level etc.
Outside of the era where people cared about the analog gear they crafted, most of that is what we call 'pro sumer' audio marketing bullish.... ok?
So at its core, compression is really about leveling everything and controlling dynamics...
Yes, some sought-after compressors had some specific coloration, but that was due to their component parts in a combination of the METHOD of compression.
We won't talk about compression types today we’re just looking at stuff ., however,
you just want your compressor to discretely level eveything out and glue everything together while keeping clarity and punch.
That's pretty much what it's for.
Then the Akai Bus compressor is probably one of THE most transparent compressors I've ever heard, and its controls make absolutely ZERO sense.. but it works...
Let's compare some compressors...
TRICKS
So above are three different compressors, Superdriver, Air Compressor, and Bus Compressor.
(if you’re on Force or MPC standalone you cannot use superCharger but it’s just here for example)
If you're used to grabbing a compressor like SuperCharger, or FL Limiter (ill get there in a second).
you'll be struggling in the Akai Ecosystem when you grab ANY of the compressors that come bundled with the programs.
Why? Like I said before, Bus Compressor is doing its job MASTERFULLY as it seems to be a compressor that is just compressing.
Plus its controls are ‘dumbed down’ to percentages maybe for those who have ZERO ideas about compression or just quick results.
Air Compressor is also doing a GREAT job at being just a compressor.
So If you're grabbing these compressors for Punch and grit or some type of character, you're going to be lost in the sauce.
This is what I see so many people (not engineers) doing on youtube.
You've probably been using compression wrong for a while...
Try grabbing an EQ First and sweeping a bell or shelving filter to add the punch you’re looking for.
Then there's fruity limiter.
SOOOO many people talk about the 'sound' of FL studio..
But IMHO, what they're really talking about is the sound of FL limiter when they drive it pretty hard.
But in all actuality, this is just their compressor/limiter + distortion algorithm which is nothing magical
(if you look at the specs they added some community-based open-source distortion algorithms).
Any time you add distortion there is a slight compression effect, combining the two effects can improve the compression ‘effect’ making the mix sound better. .
All of these compressors above are using Tricks to affect the overall compression effect and doing these tricks adds character AND punch BUT can cause issues for your mastering engineer (or the mastering process) that you MAY not desire in the long run.
FUNDAMENTALS
With Akai, the things that are doing what they are supposed to do, are doing so in the EXACT way they are supposed to, why because they are LITERALLY PRO tools!!!
You really don’t want to hear your limiter or compressor working.. and if you hear distortion in this area it is typically a BAD thing.
(unless for sound design)
inside the Akai ecosystem, we're working at 32 bit, they are transparently leveling because contrary to popular belief Akai as a company has been about sound quality for some time.
(*** When people talk about the legendary MPC sound they are really talking about other gear that was either triggered by an MPC like an s950, or the sound of Delta-Sigma modulation used in the DACs in the Roger Linn MPCs.. you can either buy an old MPC for a few thousand dollars to get that sound OR you can learn more about signal flow, DSP and filtering and be able to craft any signature sound you want to imprint on your audio.. )
if you want to dive into the depths of despair about this crap i mean subject then I cover it here….
Aigh.. I digress…
Let’s look at the three MAIN compressors inside of the ecosystem (there are other algos but since they are modeling FET, OPTO, and 'TUBE' compression I opted not to include them due to their compression types)
If you look at the controls of each, you can see there is ample room to dial in relatively accurate attack, release, and ratio settings.
Each compressor is just compressing with maybe ONE added compression-related feature like a gate and EQ OR sidechain...
NO distortion, no punch (transient shaping), no compressor limiter combo (though you can use each one of these compressors like a limiter)
SOME GAME # 1
So in most cases, you want to use compression gently, AND you'll need to accurately hear what’s happening when you compress inside of a mix.
NOT to make something stick out or 'pop' or get wider etc
Distortion is a great way of making something sit in a mix, get wider or stand out, so you might need THAT instead of a compressor.
If that is still not getting the result you want, then wait before you do anything else..(next slide) ⏭️
SOME GAME # 2
…The LAST thing you want to do is distort IE ADD harmonic frequency and have ANY out-of-control low end right before your compression.. That’s just going to cause issues and prevent your mix from getting louder or wider and keeping clarity..
So you'll need to eq that out before adding distortion and compression, OR sidechain any incoming low end like a kick so you're not clashing and cause clipping on the 2-bus
So use a tool that can solve those problems in that scenario either a channel strip or a sidechain compressor.
SOME GAME #3
If you want more punch or more tail, etc, try using a transient shaper in place of a compressor.. it’s still a form of dynamics control, however, it’s like having a compressor that can go in 'reverse' if you will... This is where you will get the 'punch you want to punch, with a little distortion AND to control the dynamics then reach for AIR transient shaper.. (even serial with Akai's is better), THIS is essentially FL Limiter but in a pro engineer way vs pro producer way.
Its adding a bit of distortion AND also giving you the option to expand AND limit the dynamics of the signal.
SOME GAME # 4
So if you tried the Transient shaper and drove the output a bit with the LIMIT function on you'll see how it colors the sound like a distortion would AND it's essentially brick wall limiting..
Try driving the AIR limiter with the same exact sound (808s work great for this)
AIR Limiter sounds like it is trying to maintain the sonic integrity of the sound while pushing it against the ceiling. It kind of sounds like there's a soft knee (for transparency)
So try THIS approach on your 2 Bus.. Use the most transparent compressor IE the Akai Bus Compressor, then Add some harmonic distortion POST compression ( this is the PRO method lol)
But you can be crafty
The cool thing about the AIR transient shaper is that you can literally use it for its intended purpose AND its unintended purpose. It has pleasant distortion, ‘expanding’, AND limiting capabilities.
So if you've been trying to get that ‘FL’ or ‘modern’ sound out of your MPC/Force.. you can just drive the transient shaper like you would the FL limiter or any other.
THEN you can also add some punch to the sound without clipping by adjusting the attack
ULTIMATE GAME
In the film, before you invest in a good camera, get GREAT lighting..
In audio... before you invest in ANY plugins equipment.. get GREAT monitors
Now this has nothing to do with compression. But ONE of the toughest and most time-consuming things is getting your mix to sound good, AND do so on all systems.
Unfortunately for me some years back I sold my GREAT monitors and have yet to replace them. SO budget man has spent the past few weeks testing out tools I could use to get better mixes.. and finally took the plunge and committed.
I started using Logic Pro just to get back into using a good DAW and realized there were a bunch of useful tools for getting a mix right.. but three in particular that you'll need to monitor into
1. an analyzer is good just to reference where everything is hitting on the frequency spectrum
2. a Phase Correlation meter will help you see if everything is in phase meaning it will translate well
3. a calibration tool to make sure what you're hearing is accurate