Q. How can I salvage my ‘spiky’ guitar track?

I recently recorded a steel-strung, finger-picked acoustic guitar track. The problem is that it sounds very ‘spiky’ and I’m having to use a lot of compression. The track is for an acoustic song with a single guitar and a single vocal. Do you have any tips on how I can bring it ‘under control’ without making it sound too compressed?

Specialised processors might be needed to deal with an over-spiky acoustic guitar recording. Suitable examples include multiband transient processors such as Waves’ Trans-X Multi and dynamic equalisers such as the Platinum Ears IQ4.

Via SOS web site

SOS contributor Mike Senior replies: 

If it’s sounding too spiky, that’ll probably be because you put the mic too close to the instrument, in general, and too close to the sound hole, in particular. This tends to capture the instrument’s picking transients more prominently than its overall tone, so, on the recording side, I’d try to back the mic off a bit. The mechanical noises, in particular, won’t travel as well as the more resonant components of the sound and you should get something a bit smoother. A more distanced positioning will probably give you a sound that is more appropriate for the genre, too, as it’ll catch the instrument in a more natural perspective.

Regarding dealing with this problem after the fact, you’re right to say that straightforward compression probably isn’t what you’re looking for here. If the spikiness you’re hearing is mostly down to pick noise, this is likely to be concentrated mostly in the high-frequency region of the audio spectrum, in which case some kind of frequency-selective dynamics processing will make a better job of things, because it’ll be able to target only the troublesome frequency region, thereby reducing the processing artifacts. The top band of a fully-featured multi-band compressor would do the trick here, if you set the high crossover to maybe 2-3kHz. My first instinct would be to go for a fairly high ratio (perhaps 8:1) with fast attack and release times (around the 1ms and 10ms marks respectively) and then try to set the band’s threshold so that it just reins in the spiky peaks. A dynamic EQ (such as the freeware Platinum Ears IQ4 VST plug-in) could be set up to very similar effect, too and, in some cases, a vocal de-esser may be able to achieve similar results. Some dedicated de-essers are based around a similar kind of high-frequency dynamic EQ.

If the spikiness is more than just pick noise, you could also try using a dedicated threshold-independent transient processor (such as SPL’s Transient Designer). Some such designs may be better at dealing with the problem than others, as each has its own attack and release characteristics. So, if you have more than one such processor available to you, do try them all to find which one works best. Waves even do a multi-band model, Trans-X Multi, which is a phenomenally powerful salvage tool if set up with care.

If none of those suggestions work well enough, a final suggestion would be to try some kind of mastering limiter. Mastering limiters specialise in the transparent reduction of level peaks, and often operate on them in much more complex ways than traditional dynamics processors do. Again, though, if you have more than one limiter available to you, try them all, as they all seem to have their own individual character, in my experience.

Published in SOS April 2010

The Korg MS-20 Mini Part 9- The External Signal Processor

Jordan (New Age Music)

Hi everyone!
Thanks for listening to "Majestic" and "Rescue Me" on Radio Airplay (Jango) and making our "Solace" album popular worldwide.

Right now the featured song being played on Radio Airplay (Jango) is "Majestic".

If you would like another music track played on Radio Airplay (Jango)  from the Jordan (New Age Music)  "Solace" Album, please send a comment of the music track you would like to hear.  You can listen to more samples by clicking the link below:

CD Baby

Send us a comment of which music track you would like to hear next from the "Solace" Album and we will have it played on the Radio.

We look forward to hearing from you,

-No Limit Sound Productions


Jordan "Solace" Album
Like his page on Facebook "Jordan Music" for a chance to WIN the CD Solace Album.
(Link below)
Facebook

Also available on

iTunes 

Amazon

Spotify

ReverbNation 

Nimbit Music  

Jango Radio

Q. Do my gain settings have to be matched?

The way I mic up drum-kit overheads normally means that there is a slight level difference between the left and right gain settings. It’s not more than 10dB at peaks, but it is noticeable. I’m using a pair of AKG C414 XLS microphones that are perfectly matched for any other work I do with them, so I don’t think they’re at fault, and I’ve also used my tape measure to check that the overheads are equidistant from the snare and kick. It’s really odd because, sonically, the overheads sound the same; neither one is more bassy than the other, which might have suggested a boundary effect. I’ve not always got both mics pointing at the snare, though, so this may account for some level difference, and one of the mics is closer to the wall than the other (about 1m away), which might also be a factor, although that mic is pointing away from the wall.

This is the rear side of the AKG C414 XLS microphone, showing two of its three rocker switches. These are quite easily adjusted inadvertently when positioning the mic, so it’s worth double-checking the LED settings before you hit Record.

I’m just trying to ascertain whether my mic positioning is awry or whether it’s normal to have overheads with different average levels like this. So when I’m setting up the preamps for my cardioid drum-overhead mics, should the gain settings be matched or should the peak level be the same, even if that means I have different gain settings?

Via SOS web site

SOS contributor Mike Senior replies: 

A level difference of 10dB between the snare peaks in each overhead mic is quite a lot so, to be honest, I smell a rat here on the technical side. Without knowing the specifics of your mic placement, I think it’s unlikely that the low-level mic’s polar pattern is having that large an effect. You’d only expect a 6dB attenuation even for sounds 90 degrees off-axis so, unless you’ve got the arse end of the mic pointing at the snare, I can’t see that being the culprit. If you do have one mic pointing completely away from the snare and the other pointing directly at it, I’d instinctively raise an eyebrow anyway, as the tonal differences this would create between snare sounds on each channel would probably sound a bit odd in stereo. However, the proof is in the pudding, and if an unorthodox mic position such as this produces the goods for you then, by all means, just match the snare levels by mismatching the gain controls.

The room might be having some effect but, again, I’d be surprised if it was an effect of that magnitude, so I can’t truthfully say I’d look there for answers, especially given that the tone between the mics seems fairly consistent to you. Perhaps if the room is fairly dead-sounding and the drummer is blocking the sight-line between the low-level mic and the snare, you might expect some level loss, and this could conspire with the mic’s polar pattern to achieve that kind of level difference, but I’m still suspicious that there’s simply something technical amiss.

First off, I’d check filter or pad switch settings on the mics or preamps. Those new AKG mics have a lot of switch settings, and their rocker design makes them prone to inadvertent adjustment during normal handling. You also need to look quite carefully at the LED status indicators to check that the settings are as you expect them to be. My best guess is that you’ve put your thumb on the pad selector switch and knocked it down 6dB, at which point an additional 4dB level change is much more likely to be arising from your microphone positioning.

My other idea would be that maybe something is awry with a balanced cable or socket somewhere, because unbalancing a balanced line can lose you 6dB in some instances too. It’s easy enough to check for this, though, as it’s just standard studio troubleshooting. Try swapping individual components between the two analogue signal paths and if the level difference migrates between them, also, you can point the finger of blame at whatever it is you’ve just swapped over.  

Published in SOS April 2010

The Korg MS-20 Mini- Part 8 Sample and Hold

Q. What factors should I consider when buying a PC laptop?

I’d like to buy a fairly inexpensive PC laptop for production when I’m on the move. Having never used a laptop for audio before, I’d like some advice on the main factors to consider. I’ve had lots of advice on which brands to avoid, but I’m still concerned that I will end up making a costly mistake.

Paying a little extra for a custom-built audio laptop from a specialist company (like this one from Rain Recording) can help you avoid expensive mistakes.

Via SOS web site

ASOS columnist Martin Walker replies: 

It’s always sensible to get advice from other laptop users. However, you still have to be very careful when buying a PC laptop ‘blind’, if you want to avoid a very expensive mistake: while you can fairly easily replace or bypass any desktop PC component that causes problems with audio software and hardware, this is rarely an option with a laptop. I discussed the various pitfalls in some depth in SOS August 2008 (www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug08/articles/budgetpc.htm). However, here’s a handy checklist of the main points, in order of importance:

Throttling/Fans: Very important factors to consider are the processor throttling and fan cooling regimes. Throttling ramps the CPU clock speed up or down automatically to suit processor demands, with the aim of extending battery life, while the fan speed gets adjusted automatically, to ensure the CPU remains at a safe temperature at all times but noise levels are minimised. Unfortunately, some laptop models suffer from short audio drop-outs each time either of these speeds gets changed and you may not be able to disable such features. Each laptop manufacturer tends to offer a range of models — some may cause throttling/fan glitches and some may not — making it impossible to generalise about which brands to avoid.

Overheating: Musicians are rare among computer users in frequently running their processors continuously at near 100 percent load, which in turn raises the CPU temperature beyond the norm. It’s not unknown for the occasional laptop model to shut itself down due to excessive temperatures if you attempt to run it ‘flat out’ for more than a few minutes (which its manufacturer may assure you is a highly unusual practice). You should avoid such models as well.

Resource hogs: Various laptop components, or their drivers, may periodically take more than their fair share of resources, once again disturbing the smooth flow of audio. The worst offenders tend to be Wi-Fi networks, which can normally be disabled while you work on music, but some interruptions can only be resolved by changes to BIOS settings, which may not be available on a particular laptop.

Firewire: If you intend to use a Firewire audio interface, you will need to check which Firewire controller chips are the most compatible to partner it. If your laptop has a different one on its motherboard you may, once again, suffer from audio clicks and pops. Buying a Firewire card adaptor may solve the problem, but it’s safer to buy a laptop that’s already compatible with your interface.

Ground loops: Finally, many laptop users hear background hums and whistles in their audio, which are related to mouse, graphics or hard-drive activity. This is a result of a ground loop created when the laptop power supply is earthed and the laptop is connected, via audio cables, to an earthed mixer or active monitors. Such loops can be broken either with a replacement double-insulated laptop power supply, balanced audio cabling or a suitable line-level DI box. Again, buying a recommended laptop model may avoid this extra hassle.

When short-listing PC laptop models, you therefore need to do some detective work on the above points. Only trust recommendations from people who actually use that make and model (you can find a useful thread related to exactly this point on the SOS web site at www.soundonsound.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=414373&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1#414373) and, if at all possible, try out that model before parting with any cash. One SOS forum user found this out the hard way, ending up with an expensive laptop that had an unfixable BIOS problem rendering it unusable.  

Published in SOS April 2010

Q. Can my monitors go on their sides?

As the positioning of my workstation is a bit awkward, it would be great if I could place my KRK VXT8 monitors horizontally. Apart from stereo imaging, are there any reasons why these monitors should not be placed on their sides?

There are many reasons why speakers designed to be used in the conventional upright position, as above, should not be positioned on their sides. Amongst other effects, your stereo image will suffer, your sound is likely to become more coloured and less accurate, and surface reflections may increase.

Via SOS web site

SOS Technical Editor Hugh Robjohns replies: 

There are several technical reasons why turning monitor speakers on their sides isn’t generally a good idea, although some speakers are designed to be usable in this way (usually involving turning the tweeter waveguide around, and various other tweaks). The primary aspect is the stereo imaging, as you say. Conventionally, the tweeter and bass driver are aligned vertically so that the sounds from each arrive at the listener at the same time. Turning the speaker on its side will result in sounds from the two drivers arriving at different times. This usually results in a strange, unstable and disconnected stereo image, where the different frequency components of a specific sound source will appear to come from a different place. Generally, you won’t be able to reproduce a stable centre phantom image with the speakers configured in this way.

Worse than that, however, through the crossover region where both drivers are trying to reproduce the same signals, the different path lengths from each driver to the listener will result in a comb-filtering effect due to phase cancellation — and the sound will become coloured and inaccurate. This is certainly not what the designer intended, and it significantly reduces the usefulness of the speakers as a reliable, accurate monitoring tool. The colouration will also vary dramatically as you move left and right from the central listening position.

Most speakers are designed to have a very wide horizontal dispersion angle to maximise the stereo image width and ‘sweet spot’ listening area. But to try to minimise the problems of reflections off the console or work surface and ceiling, most also have a relatively narrow vertical dispersion. This dispersion is often controlled by a ‘waveguide’ built into the baffle around the tweeter, or (less effectively) by the placement of the tweeter relative to the edges of the front baffle of the speaker. By turning the speaker on its side, you reverse the dispersion characteristics, resulting in a narrower than intended ‘sweet spot’ and stereo image and much worse surface reflections, resulting, yet again, in more colouration, comb filtering and other unwanted effects.

Another issue to consider is that, in most cases, the bass driver is mounted some way away from the bottom of the cabinet, and if you place the speaker on its side the bass driver will usually end up much closer to the mounting surface than was intended in the original design. Depending on exactly how the speaker is supported, this could well result in changes to the frequency response through the bass region, moving the performance of the speaker away once again from what the designer intended.

Another potential practical issue is cooling. Many powered monitors have finned cooling heatsinks on the rear panel that work by channelling cold air up the vertical fins, like a chimney. Turning the speaker on its side means that the cooling air flow is disrupted and becomes turbulent, significantly reducing cooling efficiency and potentially resulting in the speaker overheating, which could cause protection shut-downs in the short term, and premature component failure in the longer term. Finally, in the case of the VXT8, the curved sides will make it unstable if mounted on its side without some form of cradle to support it properly.

So, stability, cooling, frequency response anomalies, surface reflections, crossover colouration and stereo imaging are all affected to some extent. Consequently, I wouldn’t recommend mounting your speakers on their sides if you can possibly avoid it. There is usually an alternative solution, such as mounting the speakers on higher stands further back and tilting them downwards towards the listener.  

Published in SOS March 2010