SOS NAMM: Alesis SR-18

SOS NAMM: Prism Sound Orpheus

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: SSL Duende PCIe

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: SM Pro Audio V-Box

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: SM Pro Audio V-Pedal

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Celemony Direct Note Access

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Blue Coconut

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Thermionic Culture - The Rooster

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Thermionic Culture - Fat Bustard

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: SSL Matrix

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Edirol P-10 & V-8

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Edirol R-09 HR

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Focusrite Liquid Mix 16

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Edirol R-44

NOW AVAILABLE! 20 Year Anniversary Special Edition 1994-2014

NOW AVAILABLE!

No Limit to the Skies*

20th Anniversary Album Single by Jordan

 Where Jordan got his start and where we got our company (No Limit Sound Productions) name. These are some of his original concepts. The album single was not released until now. (*Album Single Special Edition 1994-2014) for a limited time, at a low introductory price.

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Mackie U420 Series

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Mackie Hotwire VT-12

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Sontronics Sonora

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Sontronics Chimera

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Audio Technica 2020USB

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Universal Audio UAD

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Allen & Heath Z Series Mixers

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Soundfield DSF-3

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Drawmer A2D2

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: HHB UPD-89

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Drawmer M-Clocks

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Drawmer S2

Q. What’s the best way to mount my speakers?

I have a set of Atacama SE1000 speaker stands, but at one metre, they're just a tad too high. I've used Blu-Tack on my current speakers to secure them to the tops of the stands, but would very much like to tilt them so that they fire downwards a little bit. Is there some simple and ingenious method to use, or should I go out and buy 90cm high stands? Also, just to be sure, my ears need to be level with the tweeters, right? I read somewhere that they should be level with a point midway between woofer and tweeter, in which case, I won't need to do any tilting.




There's no particular reason not to tilt your speakers to make sure the tweeters are aimed towards your ears, but bear in mind that some speakers are designed to beam sound either up or down from the horizontal axis, so experiment with the sound, rather that just looking at where the tweeter is pointed! A good option for safe tilting is Auralex's Mo-Pads, as seen here.There's no particular reason not to tilt your speakers to make sure the tweeters are aimed towards your ears, but bear in mind that some speakers are designed to beam sound either up or down from the horizontal axis, so experiment with the sound, rather that just looking at where the tweeter is pointed! A good option for safe tilting is Auralex's Mo-Pads, as seen here.



Via SOS web site



SOS Technical Editor Hugh Robjohns replies: The optimal acoustic axis of most speakers is indeed a point somewhere between the woofer and tweeter, usually just about on the top edge of the woofer, directly below the tweeter. So, ideally, your ears should be level with that point. However, people naturally move around, sitting taller one minute and slouching the next, so I wouldn't worry about being too precise. Also, most speakers are balanced so that the optimum frequency response is obtained with the tweeters aimed directly towards the ears, but again this varies with different designs. Some are balanced to sound best with the axes from the tweeters of the two speakers arranged to cross as much as a metre behind the normal listening position (ie. the speakers should be 'toed out'). Always read the speaker's handbook to see what the manufacturer recommends.



There's nothing wrong with tilting a speaker down to aim the tweeters more towards the ears if it ends up being mounted high for some reason. Auralex Mo-Pads (and several other similar isolation mounts) are supplied with wedge sections to arrange a modest tilt up/down. Alternatively, you could cut a suitable piece of wood to length and and Blu-Tack that under the rear of the speaker to achieve the required tilt angle.



It is worth noting that many speakers are designed deliberately to 'beam' the most balanced sound slightly up or down from the horizontal axis. This is because of the way the two drive units interact through the crossover region and the phase alignment of the crossover, so some experimentation is always a good idea. This might appear a silly ritual dance to an onlooker, but try temporarily mounting the speaker so that the tweeter is around chest height, and then stand a metre or two in front of it and listen initially with the tweeter well below your ears. When you are familiar with the tonality, bend your knees to dip down, moving your ears level with the tweeter, and then below the tweeter. In this way you will hear any comb-filtering problems caused by the interaction of the two drive units, and you'll also quickly discover if the sound is more balanced above, below, or on the level with the tweeters. You will then know how to best to mount them for your normal listening position.     .

Published in SOS November 2012

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Rycote INV-1, INV-2 & INV-3

Sex, Lies & Gaffer Tape

How To Become A Pro Live Sound Engineer

Live-sound employment is now more competitive than ever, so how can you stand out from the crowd? We asked some of the leading teachers and employers in the industry for their advice.




Jon Burton



Sex, Lies & Gaffer TapePhoto: Ville Hyvönen



As a live-sound engineer, the question I am most asked, and the one I hate to try and answer, is: "How do I get a foot in the door?” It's many years since I started in the business. At school, I had an idea I wanted to be a sound engineer, but received no useful responses from my careers advice teacher: it was up to me to investigate the options, and the only obvious career path for me at the time was the BBC. I duly applied to join as a trainee and was invited up to London for an interview, finding myself at the impressive and daunting marble-columned façade of Bush House. I immediately turned around and went to BHS to buy a smarter tie.



Unfortunately, I was ill-prepared and, despite getting through the first interview, my lack of A-level physics curtailed my BBC career. Undeterred, I continued playing in bands and engineering with my own small PA system, before I finally started working for a local sound company. After many years, I had a reasonable amount of experience and started getting my own gigs and touring full time. It was a long, hard slog: a mixture of apprenticeship with equipment rental and operator company Tiger Hire, and finding things out for myself.



For many of my contemporaries, this is a familiar route: playing in a band, hanging around the local sound company or music venue, helping out and gradually getting more and more involved. So what has changed since my day? I decided to ask around for a few opinions, and to find out how best to get that important first break.

Meet The Experts



Phil Laycock, owner of Yorkshire-based sound and lighting company P&L.Phil Laycock, owner of Yorkshire-based sound and lighting company P&L.Photo: Jon Burton



As it happens, I was due to take my son to a gig at a local open-air venue, where the sound was being provided by a local sound company, P&L, with mixing desks being provided by Liverpool's Adlib. These two companies in many ways represent the extremes of the sound rental business: P&L operate a small family-run lighting, sound and disco equipment business on the East coast, while Adlib are now a major company in the touring and installation market, employing over 80 people at their base in Speke, near Liverpool. I took the opportunity to talk to the bosses of both companies, Phil Laycock from P&L, and Andy Dockerty, MD of Adlib Audio Ltd, to find out more.



Education is now a major presence in the music business, with many universities, colleges and schools offering a variety of related degrees, so I decided to also get some opinions from my old mentor from Tiger Hire, Jim Parsons, who is now a course leader at Plymouth's DBS Music, as well as the forthright Darryn De La Soul from London's Alchemea, a popular training ground for a lot of up-and-coming young engineers. She also runs a company called SoulSound, a sound-engineer agency through which events organisers can hire engineers, and which helps young engineers gain employment and advance their careers. To balance the North/South divide, I also spoke to David Anderson, whom I first met at Newcastle college and who now teaches in Gateshead.



For a student perspective, I took advantage of bumping into Richy Nicholson, who was looking after things for Adlib, and local lad Mike Hanson, who has recently graduated and, after much searching, has just found his first job in audio. This is only a small-cross section of the industry, but I was keen to poll them all for their thoughts.

Educating The Masses



Hire company Adlib's warehouse in Speke, Liverpool.Hire company Adlib's warehouse in Speke, Liverpool.Photo: Phil Kielty



I first asked the educators how they prepared their students for future employment. All had a slightly different slant that was in some ways reflective of the area of teaching they were involved. As Darryn put it, "The subject of live sound is, by its nature, neither particularly academic nor set in stone. Every situation is different and the skills that are really required to be successful are adaptability, and the means to make the best of a bad job and still put on a show with half a microphone and three bits of gaffer tape. So while we at Alchemea do our fair share of classroom teaching, we also get students out into the real world, getting experience at real gigs.”



Jim from DBS Music adds: "If you start by designing a course that has useful, up-to-date and relevant subjects in the curriculum, you need to find a way to deliver the subject in an interesting way, and of course to assess the depth of understanding that the student has gained. So it all follows from a good understanding of the industry and what types of competencies are required.”



All courses are not equal, though, and Dave was keen to dispel any thoughts that a short, easy media course was always a good option. "Foundation degree/HND and BA students have a realistic approach to applying and achieving employment within the industry. However, expecting a Level 3 National Diploma student to work straight after their course is very unrealistic. Although some Level 3 students can go directly into employment, they are almost always mature students with employment history. Level 4, 5 and 6 students tend to have made a conscious effort and financial commitment to gain a place in the industry.”



Jim adds: "If you have two candidates for the post and one has a formal qualification but in other respects they are equal, then the academic skills of self-organisation, criticism and analysis should make the degree student a more rounded and capable candidate.”



There are several 'sound engineering and media' type courses around at the moment, but several people I spoke to recommended doing a more traditional degree, such as physics or engineering. I have to agree: I now wish I had spent more time studying acoustics and physics, which now occupy more of my time than I would ever have considered when I was at school.

Are You Experienced?



I asked Andy what route, from his industry perspective, he would recommend: "The area of the industry that we describe as 'live production' unfortunately does not recognise most of the qualifications out there,” he said. "The theatre sector, however, does, as most of the courses originate from that area.”



But what could be done to help those already in courses? "In a nutshell, better advice given to youngsters before leaving school, and a bit more understanding of this industry from career advisers. We at Adlib have managed, over a period of years, to convince the colleges that we were the specialists in the creative field, and to please leave us to teach that”



But is there an educational route that he would recommend? "We firmly believe that a day release course as an electrical engineer provides a far better foundation for any sound engineer and lighting designer, and it also provides two choices in life. If, at the end of the apprenticeship, they don't make the grade as a sound or lighting person, at least they have a qualification that means they can go out and earn a living — not something that is likely with a theatre studies qualification.”

Starting Young



As well as teaching at London audio college Alchemea, Darryn De La Soul runs an agency for live-sound engineers, called SoulSound.As well as teaching at London audio college Alchemea, Darryn De La Soul runs an agency for live-sound engineers, called SoulSound.



I knew that Adlib had always been very pro-active in recruiting young people into the industry. I have worked with many of their trainees at various gigs around Liverpool, and many of them, like Richy Nicholson, have now moved up the ladder and are respected engineers in their own right. I asked Richy about his start.



"I was hoping to get into the business to actually play in bands. I was brought up playing music from an early age and loved it. At the age of 18, I was offered the opportunity to work in the warehouse of an audio company and tag along to various gigs to learn what the live industry actually involved. At the time, I was able to work alongside playing in the band that I'd been in through school, but eventually, as I progressed, I became too busy and had to choose between the two.”



I also asked him what training he'd had prior to starting at Adlib. "I studied music and science until I was 18, up to A-levels. The school I was in purchased a PA system, and that was generally left with myself and some other students to operate for the various ambitious theatre or panto shows they put on each year.”



So how did working at Adlib help? "I was able to learn from many of the engineers at the time. Anything from learning about the amplifiers and cabling systems that I was checking or cleaning, to how the various speakers we owned actually worked together. If it wasn't for the open and helpful nature of the staff at Adlib, and their willingness to educate the younger staff, I'd never have learned everything I think I know at the minute! I genuinely believe that what companies like Adlib are doing with younger up-and-coming engineers is the way forward to securing a future. If there were some higher-education courses that could offer a better mix of practical experience with real technical knowledge, I think that would be of great benefit.”

Skills To Pay The Bills



Adlib's Richy Nicholson at the Liverpool Echo Arena.Adlib's Richy Nicholson at the Liverpool Echo Arena.Photo: Phil Kielty



It's important to note that employers like Adlib tend to train staff to fill numerous roles, which will usually encompass all aspects of the job, from the bottom up. They tend not to be looking specifically for great engineers, rather good all-rounders with a broad set of skills. The combination of working in the industry to learn some of those skills while going to college part time seems to me like a good way forward, then. So is such a system available?



David Anderson has been running university courses with strong industry ties for many years, and is quite outspoken on the relevance of university courses to the industry. "I saw my course as a guided first year in the industry, as opposed to just the last year of college, and it has seen some very successful graduates. Unfortunately, one of the reasons I left my former college was the lowering of academic standards and a reduction in the practical bias, creating a booklet-based course.



"Places like Alchemea and SAE have great industry respect due to their low student numbers and high teaching quality. They are independent and are capable of expansion and re-investment, yet retain the quality. This is the model the industry should push colleges towards. Education seems to currently operate a sausage-factory mentality with little regard to the future vocational options for its specialist graduates.”



I thought this was a harsh comment, but then I have also witnessed courses that seem to have been designed just to attract students, with little attention to content. So how does Darryn see things from her perspective at Alchemea? ”Firstly, we never, ever lie to the students about what their career prospects are. Even before they sign up for the course, I make sure they are aware that they will be starting at the bottom of the ladder, and earning a pittance for the first year or more of their careers.



If you plan on taking the education route into the live-sound industry, it's important to choose a course that offers plenty of hands-on training.If you plan on taking the education route into the live-sound industry, it's important to choose a course that offers plenty of hands-on training.Photo: Jim Parsons"Managing expectations is important, and it also means that prospective students can make informed decisions about whether they are going in the right direction. Anyone who goes into live sound for the money is likely to be sorely disappointed.



"Secondly, we get our students out on real gigs, both big and small, working alongside older engineers. Not only does this build their confidence and experience, but it also gets them networking and meeting the people they need to meet in order to build a career. Over the past few years of running a live-sound diploma, I have found that young engineers still need a couple of older guys to take them under their wing, and give them opportunities they would not have been able to find on their own. Just like in the old days.”



Jim at DBS Music adds: "One thing that we are trying is the idea of accelerated, fast-track courses, which mean students save time and money and get out into the marketplace sooner. We also have outside 'real-world' gig experiences for our students, because understanding how the classroom theory relates to the hard graft and tough time schedules of commercial shows is an essential component of the learning process”

On The Job Training



Mike Hanson opted for a Creative Music Technology degree at Hull University. He now works as a sound and lighting engineer at a local venue, and is also in the process of setting up a commercial recording studioMike Hanson opted for a Creative Music Technology degree at Hull University. He now works as a sound and lighting engineer at a local venue, and is also in the process of setting up a commercial recording studioPhoto: David Ruston



Obviously there's a benefit in training for businesses as well as colleges, but as Andy Dockerty says, there is very little even companies the size of AdLib can do, due to the financial cost of taking on trainees.



"The industry is under-resourced, and most businesses are busy looking after themselves, but I believe that businesses could potentially offer more work experience opportunities to young people prior to them leaving school. This should be initiated by the schools, via government. The colleges are also businesses, and attracting young people onto glamorous music-tech-based courses is quite easy for them. They need the time and resources from local government to be able to present the truth and research the industry more. If they act today, it will still take them two years, minimum, to do anything, obviously putting them two years behind... Work-based training is the answer.”



Phil backed this up: "We are only a small company with just three full-time staff and six regular freelancers. We just don't have the resources to train people on a full- or even part-time basis. However, if someone does show an interest they can come and get a bit of experience on a voluntary basis.



"I look for a few different things in potential employees. They have to be keen and interested in the business, and equally they have to be punctual and reliable, and turn up looking presentable. We are a small company and a lot of our work is seasonal, so we can't maintain a large staff, but freelancers still need to represent the company in the right way, and that means working hard and having a good attitude. If the government were to help then we would love to be able to offer more help to students, but until then it just isn't viable.”

A Good Impression



It seems there's still lots to be done to provide proper training and education that will lead into employment in the industry. What can people do themselves to try to get experience and eventual employment? I pressed everyone for a few home truths. "Be aware of the industry you are coming into, and if you are not 100 percent committed, go and do something else,” says Andy. "The youngsters who succeed generally know they want to do this before leaving school — those who are introduced to it as a glamorous option tend to move into other areas — so be focused, show passion and desire. Try to work as early as possible with local venues or rental companies. Experience in this industry, as it currently stands, outweighs the average qualifications.”



Darryn is even more forthright: "Say 'yes' to every opportunity that comes your way. Work for free if you have to; you never know who you might meet at that voluntary gig. Watching Cash In The Attic is no way to get your phone to ring. There are various venues where you can volunteer to engineer (try your local jazz club, for example), which keeps your hand in, keeps you meeting people and puts your energy out into the world. The more energy you put into finding work, the more likely you are to find it. Simple, I know, but so many people make the mistake of not making an effort. Like with all aspects of life, the more you put in, the more you get out.



"Have a good Internet presence. Privatise your Facebook photos of drunk nights out, and present a more professional self. Join LinkedIn. Get a professional email address: Hotmail is for kids and inevitably ends up with you spamming everyone in your address book, so switch to something more professional. Buy your own name as a domain. It's cheap enough and looks better on a business card. Have attractive business cards made and always have them to hand. If someone takes your number on their phone, they're likely to forget your name by morning, and then you're just one of the many numbers on their phone that they have no idea who they are.



"Impress people. Volunteer to do the shitty jobs: the guy you're trying to impress will really appreciate it. Make them remember you as someone they'd actually like to work with again. Always be prepared to work at the last minute. Much work that goes to young 'uns goes to them because all the more experienced guys are unavailable. Whatever you're doing, if they need someone on the other side of town in the next half hour, say 'yes' and get there as fast as you possibly can. Never be snobby about what work you take: club nights might be long and a touch on the boring side, but they pay the rent. You have to take the bad gigs with the good, especially when you're starting out.”



Jim adds: "Collaborate, network and keep up to date with new developments. Be keen, take every opportunity that you are offered and be flexible in what you are prepared to do.”

Case Study



Perttu Korteniemi drove all the way from Finland to ask for a job at SSE in 2009. He now regularly works at serious high-profile events, such as this Blink 182 concert in the Nimes Coliseum in France.Perttu Korteniemi drove all the way from Finland to ask for a job at SSE in 2009. He now regularly works at serious high-profile events, such as this Blink 182 concert in the Nimes Coliseum in France.



As an example of youthful keenness, I was recently introduced to a local 24-year-old engineer who politely pestered me for advice, work and help. In many ways, Mike Hanson exemplified a lot of the right ways to get into the business, so I quizzed him on his background.



"I chose music technology as an extra subject at sixth form college, as I initially wanted to be an architect,” Mike told me. "I was going to drop music technology after the first year, but I enjoyed the lessons so much that I decided to alter my career path and follow the music-tech route into university instead. At Hull University, I chose to do Creative Music Technology, and I thoroughly enjoyed the course, as there was so much variety between the modules. I covered different areas of expertise, such as live sound, studio production, radio and songwriting, and I ended up achieving a BA Hons.



"At university, I did feel I learned a lot in the various areas that music tech covers, especially in live sound. However, there was a lack of advice on how to further your career after university, and there were no schemes to give you work experience at professional venues, studios or radio stations — you were left to fend for yourself once the course had finished. But then a couple of positions became available at a local venue, the Spa Theatre, which were advertised online.” Luckily, Mike got the job thanks to a good interview and, I am sure, the strength of his personality, as well as his academic grounding. "It was the first opportunity I had working in the industry, three years after I had completed university. I am now working at the Spa as a lighting and sound engineer, playing guitar in local rock band Lazlo, and am in the process of setting up a local recording studio called Skarthi Studios.



"In terms of experience of live sound, I first started playing in bands from the age of 14 at local venues. I would always get involved in setting up all the gear, the mics, the amps, and so on, and spoke to the engineers to gather more information on how to achieve a better sound. If you feel this is an area you want to study and make a career out of, choose the appropriate courses and try to do volunteer work in a venue, studio or radio station. If I had a chance to go back to being 16 or 18, I think I would have done more volunteer work, as it gives you a taste of how the industry really works.”



Richy adds: ”If you are switched on and enthusiastic about learning and working hard, you have every chance of making it in this industry. And although it's very important, in my eyes, to get hands-on experience if you really want to learn how to mix bands or set up PA systems, it's equally important in this day and age to know the physics and electronics behind that. If you're able to get both of these things, whether from a college or an audio company, then you're very lucky!”



Andy adds: "Students are not generally taught how to work, so after intensive health and safety talks, and making sure mobile phones stay in pockets, they are quickly taught that if they believe this is a glamour industry, they should leave straight away. Our preparation is usually to find students who are genuinely interested and have an understanding of what they are entering into. We try not to take just any youngster who may think 'I'll give it a go'.”

Outside The Box



Jim pointed out that one of the most common misconceptions in the industry is that the only jobs in live sound are for sound engineers. "There are a lot of jobs and roles within the industry, and most new students do not understand this. It's not surprising, really, as being a radio technician, mains power specialist or a distributed speech system installer are a bit specialised. I always have to point out to students that the more areas they get experience and competence in, the more useful and employable they will be. Legendary engineer Pete 'Skan' Howard once asked during an interview: 'Can you drive a truck and do you have a passport?' Not quite the questions that the prospective FOH engineer at Wembley Arena will be expecting!”



This is very true. In my career, the ability to fill many roles has been crucial in keeping me working and paying the rent. I myself have worked in many roles, as FOH sound engineer, monitor engineer, system technician, and even, on one tour, selling T- shirts!



So is it a business you want to get into? Are the years of struggle and working for little or no wages worth it? From my perspective, I still look forward to work every day, and that is not something that most people can say! I still get excited by working with new bands, and every show is different. I travel internationally, meeting interesting and inspiring people.



I do get fed up with being away from home, I miss my family, I hate the logistics of getting from A to B, the flights and the early starts. As Andy puts it: "This is the most sociable unsociable business you could possibly be in.” But I also love doing shows all over the world, and do feel truly privileged to do my job. I firmly believe that if you have the aptitude and are willing to work hard, you will succeed in this industry. Ability is soon recognised and you can rise through the ranks, like Richy, to become one of the country's top engineers relatively quickly.     Published in SOS November 2012

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Beyerdynamic TG-X 930

Q. Should I include breath sounds when doing vocal pitch-correction?

When I'm doing vocal pitch-correction, should I include breath sounds if I'm trying to get the sound to be realistic? I'm trying to figure out whether to include the breath sounds with my segments in Steinberg Cubase's VariAudio or not. I listened so hard I couldn't exactly tell what I was hearing in the end!




Adjusting the pitch 'blobs' in Cubase's VariAudio editing screen such that they don't extend over noisy sounds such as sibilants or breaths (as in this screenshot showing the lyric "it's the last time”) can improve the naturalness of the processing.Adjusting the pitch 'blobs' in Cubase's VariAudio editing screen such that they don't extend over noisy sounds such as sibilants or breaths (as in this screenshot showing the lyric "it's the last time”) can improve the naturalness of the processing.



Via SOS web site



SOS contributor Mike Senior replies: I end up doing quite a lot of pitch-correction work with vocal tracks, what with dealing with so many Mix Rescue projects, and I'd recommend excluding not only the breaths from your pitch-processing, but also any other noise-only signals that form part of the vocal performance, sibilants in particular. The problem is that that type of spectral processing that VariAudio and many other pitch-correction utilities seem to apply in adjusting the pitch does slightly funny things to non-periodic noisy signals. The most common artifacts are a loss of high end or a rather coloured/softened tone that feels a bit like it's gone through a chorus effect.



Using Celemony's Melodyne (my own personal choice), it's pretty straightforward just to snip the breaths and sibilants into separate 'blobs' so that pitch-shifting neighbouring audio doesn't affect the noisy signal. However, the last time I used VariAudio back in version 6, noisy signals seemed to suffer the moment you encoded an audio region prior to processing, even when no pitch processing had actually been carried out. While this was a fairly subtle effect (and may have been improved upon for the latest v6.5), in Cubase you may need to snip out the breaths and sibilants as separate audio regions so that they completely bypass the VariAudio engine if you want the most transparent tone. If any clicks arise from this process, then Cubase's crossfade facility should deal with those.     .

Published in SOS November 2012

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Roland Mobile Cube

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Boss Pedals

LIMS: Korg Nano Series

Summer NAMM: Neumann TLM67

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008: Presonus Studiolive 16.4.2

Summer NAMM: Toft Audio A Range

Q. Is there a better way of controlling sibilance than a de-esser?

A recording of mine is suffering from excessive sibilance, so I have tried processing it using a de-esser. The problem is that the processing seems to be having a detrimental effect on the sound of the vocal. Is there another way I can get rid of the sibilance, or something I can do differently?




Dan Simpkin via email



The vocal immediately following the Now Time marker (green line) sings 'Too late a ghost'. The 'T' of 'Too' is attenuated, after which the automation line rapidly slopes back up to reach the track's general level. The next attenuation is the 'T' in 'Late', which almost stands on its own and is easily tackled. Finally, the 'S' and 'T' at the end of 'Ghost' were reduced together.The vocal immediately following the Now Time marker (green line) sings 'Too late a ghost'. The 'T' of 'Too' is attenuated, after which the automation line rapidly slopes back up to reach the track's general level. The next attenuation is the 'T' in 'Late', which almost stands on its own and is easily tackled. Finally, the 'S' and 'T' at the end of 'Ghost' were reduced together.



SOS contributor Tom Flint replies:



Ideally, a de-esser should automatically attenuate troublesome sibilance without its actions adversely affecting the perceived quality of the audio, but the problem is that a static set of de-esser parameters often doesn't work well for an entire performance. Not all of the sibilants within a single performance will be equally objectionable, and the energy in different sounds such as 'S' and 'T' might occupy different frequency ranges. One solution is to automate the threshold and frequency parameters of your de-esser so that it only works as needed, but my feeling is that if you're going to get into using automation to control sibilance, it makes more sense to directly automate the level of the vocal track within your DAW. It can be time-consuming, but offers precise control over each individual instance of sibilance, and enables you to visualise the problem within your DAW's arrange page.



The first thing to do is to enable level automation on the vocal track, and display the volume parameter for editing with the mouse. The next thing to do is find the first problem instance of sibilance. I use the horizontal and vertical zoom controls to expand the waveform until the contours of the word containing the problem are clearly defined. It's often possible to identify the syllables in a word just by looking at it in close-up.



Once you've identified a problem sibilant, create a pair of automation nodes at either end, in effect bracketing that syllable. You can then select the two innermost nodes and drag them down to reduce that sibilant in level without affecting the rest of the track. I very occasionally find it necessary to add a few more nodes while getting the shape right, and delete those that turn out to be superfluous at the end. Having a small number of nodes is good practice as it means that level adjustments can be done quickly by moving a single line. The screen below shows a short phrase in Cakewalk's Sonar with level automation used to control sibilance in this way.



After attenuating the worst instances of sibilance, I listen through to see how natural the overall performance is sounding. It may be the case that after reducing the level of the main offenders, the ear becomes less bothered by the others and a more lenient approach can be taken thereafter. Sometimes as little as a 3 or 4 dB drop in level results in a significant improvement, but it is also very surprising how much reduction can be applied without it sounding at all odd. The most important thing to note is that although you can often identify syllables visually, only your ears can tell you how much attenuation is needed, and how much will sound natural. In other words, what sounds right is right. Manually automating the level provides an opportunity to make alterations that better suit how the brain interprets what it is hearing.



One of the great advantages of using automation to control sibilance is that you're not limited to applying it just to the level of the track. For instance, it's often the case that sibilance is exaggerated by auxiliary effects such as reverb or delay. If this is the case, try copying your automation curve to the relevant send parameters on your vocal track, then scaling it drastically so that the level of those sends is heavily attenuated for sibilants. Likewise, any high-frequency EQ boost on your vocal track can make sibilance worse, so try copying the same automation curve to the gain parameter on the relevant band of your EQ plug-in.



When the level automation is complete, overall level adjustments can be made by sending the channel to an intermediate bus and using its fader to boost or cut by the required amount, thereby leaving the sibilance control automation undisturbed.    

Published in SOS February 2013

Summer NAMM: Joe Meek Floor Q

Q. Can you help me with drum editing in Cubase 5?

I have to edit eight tracks of drums on six songs. Generally there are four to six takes. I'm using Cubase 5 and would like to know the easiest way to edit the tracks. Obviously I'm using the 'lanes fixed' option for the kick, snare, hi-hat and overheads, but it will take forever to solo each take. Any ideas on how I can make the process easier? Any help would be greatly appreciated.




Via SOS web site



In Cubase 6.5, Steinberg greatly improved their comping tools, making it much easier to edit together the best sections of a multi-take, multitrack recording.In Cubase 6.5, Steinberg greatly improved their comping tools, making it much easier to edit together the best sections of a multi-take, multitrack recording.



SOS Reviews Editor Matt Houghton replies: In all honesty, I found this sort of work to be a royal pain in the posterior in Cubase 5, so the first thing I'll recommend is that if you're planning to do this sort of work a lot, it would be well worth you upgrading to the latest version of Cubase (v6.5 at the time of writing, but check our Cubase 7 review on page 20!), assuming your computer and OS are up to the task. Among many other features that have been added or refined, the multitrack, multitake editing functions have been overhauled specifically in 6.5 to make the task you describe much easier, and along the way they've added more useful tools. Read our reviews of Cubase 6 (/sos/apr11/articles/cubase-6.htm) and Cubase 6.5 (/sos/jun12/articles/cubase-6-5.htm) and you'll soon see what I mean!



If you prefer to stay within Cubase 5, the best I can suggest is a workaround. When making edits to multitrack drums, you'll want to select all tracks at the same time for each take. There's no sense just punching in a different section of the snare mic, for example, as any spill from other instruments will cause problems with the other tracks, and you'll still have the original snare in the other mics, potentially causing phase-relationship problems with the punched-in part. Personally, I'd create a folder track to house the multiple tracks for each take, so that you have four to six folders — one for each take — and eight tracks within each folder. The reasons for this are twofold. Firstly, it enables you to use the solo button on each folder to instantly audition the desired take; secondly, it allows you to use scissors on the folder to edit all tracks for a take in one action, and to use the mute tool to silence the other takes at that point. When you then come to comping your take you can have a master folder with eight tracks on to which you can drag and drop the relevant takes. As I said, it's an onerous process, and although there are other ways to skin this cat, they're equally burdensome in my opinion. So if you're doing any amount of multitrack, multi-take editing, it would be well worth updating to the latest version of Cubase (and of course you'll get many more features into the bargain).    

Published in SOS February 2013

Summer NAMM: Roland GW-8

Summer NAMM: Belkin GoStudio

Q. When was the click invented?

I've been wondering: when was recording to a click first used? And when did it start to become widely used? Did they used to record to metronomes before the advent of MIDI? I've tried searching the Internet for answers to these questions but haven't found any answers.




Via SOS web site



We owe a lot to Disney's production of Fantasia, which, among other things, introduced the method of using a click track.We owe a lot to Disney's production of Fantasia, which, among other things, introduced the method of using a click track.Q. When was the click invented?



SOS Technical Editor Hugh Robjohns replies: I'm sure people must have recorded using metronomes in the early days but, as far as I'm aware, the first documented use of a 'click track' in the modern understanding of the term was by Walt Disney's team for the Fantasia film soundtrack back in 1940. The requirement was to be able to pan different orchestral sections around the auditorium via six speaker arrays: three across the front and three across the back. To do that, they needed to record the sections to separate tracks (remember this was in the days of mono optical film audio machines locked together with chains and sprockets!) and so they used a click track to keep the sections in time on each take.



The Fantasia project introduced a lot of things we take for granted today such as click tracks, pan-pots, VCA level automation, multitrack recording, overdubbing, surround sound and more besides!



However, the Second World War took the focus away from sophisticated surround-sound cinema productions, and the click-track idea didn't really surface again until MIDI sequencing and quantising became commonplace in the 1980s.    

Published in SOS February 2013