Organizing Drum Samples with Maschine

With so much sound content available these days, it can be difficult to keep up with the vast amount of sounds available to us home studio recording musicians.  This is especially true with drum samples.  Most drum sample libraries contain hundreds if not thousands of one-shot samples, and getting quick access to your sounds during the creative process is critical.  Well NI Maschine offers a few intuitive ways to organize your drum samples either as drum kits or as drum banks (drum menus).

DRUM KITS

Organizing your drum samples as drum kits is the most common method and involves saving a different drum sound type (ex. kick, snare, hi-hat, etc.) onto each drum pad of Maschine.  A drum pad on Maschine is called a “sound” by the way.

DRUM BANKS

Organizing your drum samples as drum banks in Maschine using only the Maschine or Maschine Mikro controllers, involves saving a single drum type (ex. kick drums) onto each of Maschine’s 16 drum pads.  This is easily accomplished in Maschine by dragging and dropping drum samples from Maschine’s browser onto sound slots 1 through 16, and saving the group as a single drum bank.

DRUM BANKS w/ EXTERNAL MIDI KEYBOARD

If you have an external MIDI keyboard, you can also organize your drum samples as drum banks that are mapped to individual notes across the keyboard.  So if you have a 61-key controller, you can map 61 different kick samples to the individual keys on the keyboard and save this to one pad (or sound) in Maschine.

Organizing Drum Samples with Maschine

In the video below, I demonstrate how you can organize your drum samples into drum banks using Maschine and a MIDI keyboard.  Organizing and saving drum banks in this way allows you to have more of your favorite drum samples available as a “super kit” ready to record into Maschine or directly into a DAW such as Cubase, Pro Tools, Logic or Ableton Live.

With Maschine, this “super kit” can also include drum kits and drum banks from your favorite VST and AU plug-ins since Maschine is a plug-in host as well.  You can even instansiate reverb and other effect units on one of Maschine’s 16 drum pads, and send an AUX signal from your drum samples to this effect.  This means you can save your drum banks with effects as a self-contained group.

Organizing Drum Samples with Maschine

Check out Virtual Drums That Rock! – NI Maschine to read more about Maschine by Native Instruments.

Maschine is a great tools for organizing your drum samples and VST / AU plug-ins into drum banks or “super kits” to super-charge your creative flow.

iPad Integrated Music Production Hardware

If there was one repeated theme at NAMM 2012, it was that the iPad as a music production tool is here and kicking.  iPad integrated music production hardware is quickly catching on with many music hardware manufacturers as they all attempt to harness the power and popularity device.  And what god timing.  With the release of Apple’s third-generation iPad, music hardware manufacturers are able to take advantage of the new iPad’s 2048 x 1536 retina display resolution and its quad-core A5x chip.

So what’s currently available or in the pipeline?   Let’s take a look at some of the next-generation iPad integrated music production hardwarethat are currently in development, soon to be released, or recently released.

iPad Integrated Music Production Hardware

iPAD INTEGRATED MIXERS

Behringer (Behringer.com) announced three new mixers with iPad integration added to its XENYX line.  The XENYX iX1642USB, iX2442USB, and the iX3242USB (currently not available as ofthis writing) feature 16-inputs, 24-inputs and 32-inputs respectively with XENYX Mic Preamps, one-knob compression, built-in USB audio interface, free audio recording software, plus150 instrument/effects plug-ins, and “wireless ready” digital system.

According to Behringer:

All iX mixers include the new dual-engine KLARK-TEKNIK FX processor with 32 editable, studio-grade presets such as reverb, chorus, flange, delay, pitch shifter and multi-effects. In addition to literally thousands of apps, the iX mixers use the iPad to control the new KLARK-TEKNIK FX Processor App, enhancing the mix by allowing the user deep control of EQ’s, compressors and reverbs and a full spectrum analyzer.

Mackie (Mackie.com)  announced the DL1608 Digital Live Mixer with iPad Control.  This mixer combines 16 high-quality Onyx preamps with the ease and mobility of the iPad.  The DL1608 with iPad allows for complete wireless mixing along with other goodies such as: built-in DSP processing for EQ, compression, limiter, gate reverb and  delay effects; support for up to 10 iPads, snapshot recall, iPad recording, iPad music app integration, and iPad locking for theft prevention.

Alesis (Alesis.com) has announced the iO Mix 4-channel Mixer/Recorder for iPad.  While the Behringer and Mackie mixers are designed for live performance use with iPad enhanced features, the Alesis iO Mix focuses on the ability to record up to four inputs into existing iPad applications such as Garage Band.  It houses four combo XLR-1/4″ input channels and two balanced stereo 1/4″ output channels in the rear of the unit.  It also features per channel trim, gain, pan, high and low EQ controls, phantom power for use with a condenser mic, and push button high-pass filters to eliminate low-frequency interference in live mixing and recording situations.  Lastly there’s an analog RCA video output that can be plugged into a TV or projector.

iAXE GUITAR FOR iPAD

Behringer also announced the iAxe Guitar for iPad (currently not available as of this writing) to compliment its iAxe USB Guitar line.  This guitar houses the iPad in the main body of the instrument and also has an iPod/iPhone dock on the guitar headstock to read music or lyrics.  The iAxe ships with a range of free apps allowing a user to learn to play guitar, add percussion, add bass along with other features.  iAxe for iPad is based on Behringer’s concept of “progressive discovery” and looks to be a cross between a game controller and an entry-level guitar learning tool.

iPAD STUDIO DOCKING STATIONS

Other iPad integrated music production hardware include iPad docking stations the likes of the Alesis iO Dock.  Alesis beefed up it’s iO line with the additions of the DM Dock and the Amp Dock (both currently not available as of this writing).

DM DOCK & AMP DOCK

DM Dock is an iPad integrated drum module that connects with any of the Alesis DM electronic drum kits such as the DM8 and DM10, and electronic drums from other manufacturers.  It allows you to use the iPad’s touch screen to select and switch out drum kits without the need to fish through long menus.  It comes with 13 individual 1/4″ TRS inputs for connecting drum and cymbal pads and other triggers.   Along with the docking hardware, the DM Dock comes with the soon to be released DM Touch iPad app.  DM Dock can also be used to trigger drums from other iOS apps such as Garage Band, making this iPad integrated music production hardware flexible across applications.

If the DM Dock is a treat for electronic drummers, then Alesis’ Amp Dock may be pure candy for guitarists.  Amp Dock comes with both   iPad docking hardware and a separate pedalboard controller and works with any iOS audio or CoreMIDI app such as JamUp or Amplitube.  Amp Dock features one guitar input, and one switchable Mic/Line input; 1/4″ outputs with guitar/line switch for connecting to either a physical guitar amp or a mixer.  This looks to be a great application if you have a favorite iPad guitar amp app and want an easier way to get the sounds in and out professionally with the added bonus of the pedalboard controller.

OTHER iPAD STUDIO DOCKS

Griffen (Griffen.com) enters into the iPad music studio fray with the StudioConnect.  StudioConnect features a built-in MIDI interface with MIDI in and out, 1/4″ mono input, stereo mini input and stereo RCA phono outputs.  Unlike other studio docking stations, StudioConnect has a simple iPad “stand” design versus a full encasement and houses a large volume control knob on the front of the dock.

Behringer’s entry in this category is the iStudio.  iStudio features two combination XLR-1/4″ inputs with switchable phantom power and a Hi-Z switch; stereo AUX input for line level sources and an analog video output.  It works with any CoreAudio or MIDI iOS application.

iPad Integrated Music Production Hardware

iDJ Pro

If you’re a DJ there’s great iPad integrated music production hardware for you too.   Numark (Numark.com) has released the iDJ Pro.  Welcome to the digital era where you don’t need crates of albums, folders of CD… you don’t even need a laptop anymore.  Now your entire collection is housed on your iPad.  Pop it into the iDJ Pro, and you’re ready to rock the house.  This creature of beauty seamlessly integrates with Algoriddim’s djay for iPad. The hardware controller features dual touch-sensitive platters, large die-cast aluminum volume knobs, a dedicated music-library scroll knob, hot cues, looping, pitch and effect controls. Once your iPad is docked, a latching door provides total, seamless integration.  iDJ Pro is ready to interface with your audio gear with professional microphone and external device inputs as well as balanced XLR master outputs.

MPC Fly

From iPad DJ to iPad music producer, Akai (Akaipro.com) has got you covered with the new MPC Fly (currently not available as of this writing).  Building on the popularity of Akai’s legendary samplers and taking the idea into the next generation, the MPC Fly is an integrated hardware controller and app for iPad.  It features 16 real MPC pads, note repeat, swing, and the ability to sample music straight from your iPad’s music library.  The double-hinged encasing looks to be solid and closes shut like a clamshell to protect your iPad.  The MPC Fly only works with the iPad 2 and since the New iPad is similar in size, I’m guessing it will fit the new iPad as well (but don’t quote me on this).  I have to say the MPC Fly looks very interesting and I can’t wait to see what it ends up like once released.

SYNTHSTATION49

Akai also announced the Synthstation49 which is the follow-up to the Synthstation25.  Akai took notes and listened to customer feedback regarding some of the limitations of the Synthstation25, and it appears this new incarnation steps up to the plate. The Synthstation49, as the name suggests, is a 49 key MIDI keyboard controller with integrated iPad docking.  The iPad dock is angled and adjustable to your desired viewing angle.  The soon to be released iPad app looks to be a considerable improvement over its predecessor and features an array of synth patches, drum kits as well as sequencing capability.  The keyboard controller features 49 velocity-sensitive keys, nine velocity-sensitive MPC style drum pads, USB port for receiving power and controlling MIDI software, and 1/4″ audio outputs.  The controller works with all CoreMIDI and AkaiConnect apps. With its USB MIDI and 1/4″ audio outputs, it’s very easy to use the Synthstation49 and iPad apps as an external synth module for your DAW.

Interested in other iOS related music software?  Click here to read about the Lemur app for iOS which is another good music production tool for the iPad.

While Apple’s vision of the post PC world is still some years away, iPad integrated music production hardware is at least proving that with the iPad you can have the power of computing, flexibility of a portable device along with tactile touch surface control.

Virtual Drums That Rock! – Maschine

A couple of years ago I started the Virtual Drums That Rock! series and reviewed four of my go-to virtual drum plugins at the time including EZ Drummer, Addictive Drums, Battery 3 and RMX Stylus (see Virtual Drums That Rock! – Part 1).  Well, things have progressed since then, and there are a couple of new virtual drum categories out there that deserve mention.  One category is the virtual drummer category with great products such as MDrummer 4 by MeldaProduction and Jamstix by Rayzoon.  The other category is the hybrid groove machine hardware with accompanyingvirtual drums software.  One new addition in this category is the MPC Renaissance (and MPC Studio) by Akai, and the veteran of this category Maschine (and Maschine Mikro) by Native Instruments.   In this article I’m going to discuss the power that is… Maschine.

Before I get started let me talk about what Maschine is not.  It isn’t the best place to go if you’re strictly looking for realistic acoustic drum sounds.  While there are many acoustic drum sets within Maschine, there are better plug-ins for this purpose such as Superior Drummer 2.0 by Toontrack which offers an array of control over acoustic drum kits offering, well…  superior realism.  So with that said, let’s begin to talk about what Native Instruments’ Maschine is.

Virtual Drums That Rock!  Maschine

Maschine at its core is a drum groove sequencer.  It was reared from the Akai MPC tradition of 16 pads with sampling capability and urban sounding drums.  So being the Jazz musician that I am, someone like me would think on the surface that Maschine may not be right for them.  Well this can’t be further from the truth, and this is where Maschine shines.  It’s more than just a tool for Hip-Hop and Dance tracks, it’s a groove machine that:

• is a sampler
• is an FX processor
• is a groove sequencer
• has thousands of drum, percussion, sound FX, and vocal sounds
• plays loops and REX files
• incorporates sounds from Native Instruments Komplete package
• is a sound librarian

It does all of that and…  wait for it… hosts all of your VST and AU plug-ins.  That last feature combined with all the others, is what has quickly made Maschine indispensable for me as a music production tool.   I have a lot of drum and percussion plug-ins – sometimes I think too many.  Often when creating a new tune, I find myself spending too much time looking for the perfect drum or percussion sound.  Let’s say I’m looking for a nice tambourine sound.  I have to fish though all my favorite plugins and sounds including: Stylus RMX, Superior Drummer, Prime Loops libraries, etc.  All with various methods for organizing sounds.  Well Maschine sort of gels it all together.  Now I simply go to Maschine’s browser and filter to “Percussion” >> ‘Tambourine’ and there I see all my Tambourine loops from Stylus RMX and Prime Loops, plus sounds from Maschine’s library and all my other drum plugins.  So sounds I may have overlooked in the past are now neatly organized and ready for action.

HARDWARE CONTROLLER

As much as I like the flexibility of software, I also like having good tactile control of instruments and Maschine offers both.  NI claims that you can comfortably perform most (if not all) functions of Maschine using the hardware controller.  This is absolutely true.  If you’re performing or DJing live, then having the big brother Maschine may be a good choice for you.  But if you’re a home studio recording musician and aren’t looking to use Maschine in the live environment, the Maschine Mikro is a better choice in my opinion.  I have Maschine Mikro and I like that it’s not too large since I don’t have a whole lot of free space to offer.  Secondly, I don’t want to perform 100% of Maschine’s software functions using the hardware.  I’ve settled in very comfortably using about 50% to 60% of Maschine’s software functions using the hardware controller and the rest I use the mouse.  Some functions are dreamy smooth using the controller (such as sampling and sequencing) and some functions (such as browsing) are easier to perform with my mouse.  The good thing is the hardware will perform all functions of the software (except naming files) and you can choose to use the hardware as it best fits your workflow.

BROWSER & SOUND ORGANIZATION

Maschine’s browser is one of its keystone features and is fairly similar to other Native Instrument products such as Kontakt and Guitar Rig.  Its browser is divided into categories including: Projects, Groups, Sounds, Patterns, VST / AU Instruments, FX, and Samples.  You can create tags within each of the categories to easily find what you’re looking for.

The three most powerful weapons here are the Projects, Groups and Patterns.  Patterns are very useful, because they can be saved independently of the sounds.  So if you have a groove idea you want to capture, but don’t know yet what sounds you want to use, you can save the pattern and drag it later onto any kit you like.  Groups are essentially a collection of sounds that are mapped to each of the 16 pads.   But they do so much more.  With a group (kit) you can save to each pad either an individual drum sound, a multi-sampled sound, a loop, or a VST / AU Instrument all with insert or send FX.  Projects are the collection of these groups of which there are eight (A through H), along with patterns, song arrangements and master level FX.  The combinations and ease of which you can organize your sounds are intuitive and robust.

Also worth noting is the Sample category which gives you easy access to the thousands of raw samples within Maschine’s library along with your own samples; and the Sounds category which can be a sample, loop or Instrument that contains all your FX settings.  Lastly the browser has a Disk button that gives you access to all the content on your hard drives.

SAMPLER

I used to love sampling my own sounds back in the days when I had the Akai S700 rack mount sampler.  I would send a signal from my mixing board to the sampler, hit record, and play it back on my keyboard.  Easy!  But, have you ever tried sampling in NI’s Kontakt?  This is way too complicated for my piano and sax playing brain.  By contrast, sampling on NI’s Maschine could not be any easier.  I keep Maschine FX as an effects send in my DAW and send a ‘master out’ channel to it all of the time.  So at any time I want to sample drums or make loops from my piano playing or recorded tracks, I simply select that instance of Maschine from the hardware controller and hit record.  That’s it!  This has brought me back into the world of sampling and I now enjoy sampling and slicing my own recordings to create new musical ideas.  You can find Maschine sampling tutorials on NI’s website.

SOUNDS

When we talk about virtual drums you can’t overlook one of the most important aspects – the sounds!  As virtual drums go, I don’t believe I’ve heard a sound library as complete as the one inMaschine.  I’m not talking about sifting through hundreds of sub par drum kits needing all levels of FX treatment to be usable.  I’m talking about one of the most bass thumping, highs shimmering, comprehensive virtual drum libraries out there.  As quoted from NI’s website, both Maschine and Maschine Mikro come with:

• Over 6 GB of sounds including 18,000 samples, 7,000 one-shots, 400 loops, 300 drum kits with 1,400 patterns, 388 sampled instruments, 170 FX/multi-FX presets, and 60 demo projects
• Contains multi-sampled acoustic instruments including pianos, organs, strings, brass and more

The raw sample sounds are very high quality and the produced sounds with effects are very well done and inspiring.  With this one product you have what seems like the entire history of analog drum machines such as the classic 808, 909, DMX and Linn drum sounds, as well as acoustic sets, vinyl sets, etc.  Maschine’s browser and hardware controller make it a snap to find, select, or drag and drop sounds onto pads to make kits on the fly.  You can also combine multiple kits (or groups) easily into projects containing kits, instruments, sounds, loops and FX all together and ready for recording.

EASE OF USE

The feature that makes me most excited about Maschine is its ease of use.  Whether it’s the pattern based sequencer, its hardware control, intuitive browser, plugin integration with your DAW, or plugin hosting, Maschine has become an integral part of my creative workflow.  This virtual drums groove box is not just for producers of dance genres, Maschine is for producers and musicians of any genre who want a complete groove production workstation that operates as a plugin within your DAW.

Before Maschine, I was using Ableton Live to scratch out grooves, then I would Rewire the audio back into Cubase or Logic.  Ableton Live is a great product, but it is 32-bit only and I’m running a completely native 64-bit system.  You can’t Rewire a 32-bit application into a 64-bit application, and as of this writing Ableton has no plans to release a 64-bit version.  NI Maschine on the other hand is native 64-bit and Native Instruments is great about staying up to date with OS changes.  Also with Maschine you can drag and drop your performances and grooves as either MIDI or audio back to your DAW, or simply let it run as a plugin synced to your DAW.

Maschine – Conclusion

Whether you’re producing Hip-Hop, Electronica, Dance, R&B, Smooth Jazz or Singer Songwriter tracks, NI’s Maschine will expand your palette of virtual drums and give you an easy workflow that keeps you groovin’.  For virtual drums that rock I’d give it three thumbs up, but thankfully I only have two thumbs.  Look out for video posts and demo’s from me showcasing some of the cool things you can so with Maschine.  In the meantime, you can check this video from NI demonstrating Maschine.

So if you’re looking for some incredible virtual drums that rock, along with an organized librarian, easy to use sampler, intuitive groove sequencer and VST / AU plugin host – check out Maschine!

Do you need to setup multiple audio interfaces?  Increasingly more audio devices and instruments feature native digital audio via a USB or Firewire cable.  The challenge is that most audio applications such as Logic, Cubase and Ableton Live only allow for one USB or Firewire device to be active at a time.  Well did you know that Mac OS X has a very easy solution to this problem that allows you to utilize multiple audio interfaces and audio devices simultaneously?

Mac OS X solves this by allowing you to create an “aggregate device”.  If you have multiple audio interfaces, or a USB or Firewire device with digital audio, you can create one device in Mac OS X called an aggregate device.  So if you have a 2 channel input audio interface and a 6 channel input audio interface using an aggregate device you will have 8 inputs to use in your DAW.  Likewise if you have a USB mic that you purchased only for podcasting or video tutorials, but you now would like to use that device with your DAW and a separate audio interface… you can.

Setting Up Multiple Audio Interfaces

Multiple Audio Interfaces – Step 1

Open the Audio MIDI Setup located in you Applications >> Utilities Folder

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Multiple Audio Interfaces – Step 2

Multiple Audio Interfaces – Step 3

Select the Aggregate Device in your DAW.  Below is a screenshot from Cubase 6.5.  Refer to your DAWs reference manual for further instructions on adding audio devices in your specific application.

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Aggregate Device Setup Tips

• Set all devices within the Aggregate Device to the same sample rate i.s 41,00, 48,000, etc.  This is done from the Audio MIDI setup window.
• All digital devices have their own internal system clock and may not sync well with your main device.  Try syncing to a different device or ultimately you may need an external word clock for all devices to sync properly.-

Setting Up Multiple Audio Interfaces Video Tutorial

Here’s a video where I walk through setting up multiple audio interfaces on your Mac OS X.

Also check out 5 Tips to Improve Your Mix for a quick tutorial on improving your mix.

So if you have multiple audio interfaces, or an older audio interface you’re about to upgrade, you may want to hold on to it, and increase your available inputs and outputs.

Lemur iOS DAW Controller App

Remember the Jazz Mutant Lemur DAW Controller?

You may remember the Lemur multi-touch hardware DAW controller by Jazz Mutant released in 2002 which cost about $2,500. Along with the original hardware and software, Jazz Mutant released add-on applications such as the Dexter DAW controller and the MU controller for Ableton Live. The hardware Lemur has since reached end-of-life, however the Lemur is now back on the iOS platform at a cost of $49. While this may seem expensive by iOS app standards, this is a steal considering what this app does and how much this same technology cost just a couple of years ago.

The potential of the Lemur as a music workstation and DAW controller is mouthwatering. If you are the kind of musician that is OK with spending time dragging and dropping knobs, faders, sliders, buttons, switches, pads and multiballs onto an editor in order to create the most complete controller that you’ve ever owned… you will have a field day here. There is some learning curve in creating a new Lemur template, however most items are fairly straight forward if you’re familiar with MIDI control.  Just drag a fader onto the editor, assign it to a MIDI port and channel number, match this control on your DAW and it’s ready for action. There are, however, many advanced functions that are also available, but require knowledge of scripting in order to make them work.  For this, I would suggest starting with one of the user templates from Liine’s website, and looking through the user forum where some generous users have posted scripts.

My First Lemur DAW Controller Template

I’m not a script programmer by a long shot, but after downloading the Lemur app and a user template, I was able to immediately begin crafting my own template for Cubase based on my needs.  I then expanded this template into three separate templates:

• a 16 channel Mackie controller
• an 8 channel Mackie controller
• an iPhone Mackie controller

The beauty of Lemur is that I can (and will) continue to build upon these templates and create other pages to control specific virtual plug-ins and effects.  Screen-shots of the template are in this article and I’ve posted a demonstration video below.  You can download a copy of this template HERE. Register on this site if you’d like to receive emails for future updates or new Lemur templates.

You’ve got no interest in scripting or Lemur template design?

No problem. The Lemur DAW controller app was released in December 2011 and already there are some good user templates on Liine’s website to choose from. In addition, some of the top template developers of the legacy Lemur are already at work, and Liine has begun releasing Premium Content which include (at the time of this writing) a MU template, AB Lemur Bundle and AB Breakpoint. I anticipate that more DAW specific Premium Content will be available in the near future.

Lemur DAW Controller Setup

Setting up the Lemur app is pretty straight forward on Mac or PC and there are several helpful setup videos available on Liine’s Support page. Since Liine does a good job of showing Mac and PC setup, I won’t focus on that but will focus on some tips that can be helpful when setting up templates or using Lemur:

Wi-Fi

1. Lemur has very low latency over a standard Wi-Fi connection. However
performance and accuracy will be based on the speed of your Wi-Fi router
and computer’s Wi-Fi card. If Lemur performance is sluggish using your Wi-
Fi connection, I recommend that you create an ad-hoc wireless network. An
ad-hoc network is a peer-to-peer network that bypasses a router, so your
connection is direct and much quicker. In my Cubase video demo I’m using a standard Wi-Fi connection and I experience very little to no latency as you can see in the video, but I know that all Wi-Fi connections are not created equal. There’s a demonstration of how to setup an ad-hoc network on Liine’s support page.

Cubase Device Setup

When using a Lemur template with 16 channels, you have to setup two Mackie Controls. Each Mackie setup controls 8 channels so adding two will allow you to control 16 channels, *Important: in Cubase you must press the reset button in the Device Setup menu page in order for Cubase to read both Mackie setups. This drove me crazy for a few minutes when I kept adding the second Mackie Control and Cubase wasn’t updating the project.

Some Lemur templates for Cubase will require you to add both a Mackie Control and Generic Remote in the Device Setup menu. This is because the Mackie protocol has set controls that it works with (i.e. faders, pan, arm, solo, mute, etc.). However, it doesn’t control other DAW functions (i.e. quantize, edit functions, specific plug-ins, etc.), so these are controlled using MIDI continuous controllers or MIDI cc. Using the generic remote in Cubase you’re able to assign MIDI cc to match the controls assigned in the Lemur editor.

Here’s a video of me demonstrating the Lemur iPS DAW controller with Cubase 6.

So if you’re looking for a good DAW controller for your iOS device, you should definitely give Lemur a try.

Music Recording and Production Software | DAW Roundup – will be back soon.

Below we’ll look at some essential tips to help you obtain a good mix that’s ready for mastering. Mixing is an art and not a science, so don’t expect to become a professional mixing engineer overnight. However like any art, with regular practice and the tools currently available inside most popular daw packages, you can certainly whip up a great sounding mix that you can be proud of. Alright then let’s get started!

1. Mix Music: Use Your Favorite Music as a Reference

Once your tracks are recorded and you’re ready to mix, it’s a good idea to gather a couple of commercial tracks that were recorded and mixed professionally and use these as reference tracks. The music can be any style, but should be of a similar style to the music you’re mixing so it acts as an anchor and keeps you within the ballpark. Using a reference track doesn’t mean that your recording should (or will) sound like the track you’re referencing. Keep in mind this music has also gone through a mastering process. However, you should be listening out for overall instrument balance, EQ, reverb and other effects levels. Also pay attention to the idiosyncrasies in your room acoustics. Do your ceiling corners have a reflections? Do bass frequencies gather in parts of the room and sound boomy? Listen to your reference track in headphones and in your speakers for comparison.

2. Mix Music: Learn from Your DAWs EQ Presets

Since you’re reading this article, I’m guessing you’re a home recording artist like me and not necessarily a seasoned industry-leading mixing engineer. However the professionals that create plug-in presets for popular DAWs often are. Learn from their expertise. Key up a preset from your favorite EQ or filter plug-in and study the parameters. Look at where and how the frequencies are increased or decreased and the type of filters used. Use these settings as a guide or starting point, then using your ears, adjust the parameters to fit your music and taste.

3. Mix Music: Steer Focus, Create Space

When listening to music, our brains can really only focus on one musical part at time. It’s why we often play a song we like several times to get a thorough listening of its various parts (i.e drums, bass line, rhythm guitar riff, etc). So you’ll want to steer the listener to the parts in the music that are most important such as the melody or other key parts. Creating musical focus will also create interest and help the music sound less cluttered. While creating focus for your music, visualize that each part will sit in one of five key spacial areas in the audio spectrum: Near, Middle, Far, Left and Right. This is also known as creating sonic dimension or a 3D mix.

To create sonic dimension in a mix we use panning, EQ, delay, reverb and automation. For parts that should be more prominent you’ll want to: have them centered or close to center in the mix, use full upper sonic frequencies, have a bit more bottom presence, and have less reverb and delay. For parts that are less prominent (or further back), you’ll want to: roll off higher frequencies above 5kHz or 10 kHz, possibly offset the part further left or right in the panorama, roll off deeper levels of bass frequencies, and add higher levels of reverb and delay. Use your DAWs automation feature to increase or decrease the volume of parts as you want them to be more or less prominent in the mix of reverb and delay. Use your DAWs automation feature to increase or decrease the volume of parts as you want them to be more or less prominent in the mix.

While we’re creating space for tracks to sit comfortably within a mix, you should consider as a rule of thumb to roll off lower frequencies in all tracks where it’s not needed. Use your daw’s eq or low shelf filter to roll off frequencies below 200Hz to 250Hz on all vocal and instrument tracks in order to leave room for the bass and kick drum. Then decide whether the bass track or kick drum will drive the low energy for the song and roll off one or the other at about 100Hz to 150Hz. This way the bass, kick and remaining instruments will have their own space and will sit comfortably in the mix.

4. Mix Music: Use your Eyes to Help Your Ears

If you don’t already have a good spectrum analyzer, I definitely recommend you add one to your arsenal of sonic tools. There are a few really good spectrum analyzers out there including my favorites SPAN by Voxengo and Blue Cat’s FreqAnalyst. Both are free and work as VST or AU plug-ins.

I’m currently using FreqAnalyst because it’s a native 64-bit plug-in on the Mac while span isn’t as of this writing. Spectrum Analyzers are very useful for several reasons, but a couple of which are important for home recording artists. First, they help you to learn what frequencies your instruments are occupying so you can better EQ them. Secondly, and most importantly, if you’re mixing in a room that has not been acoustically treated to reduce bass and high frequency reflections, what you’re hearing may not be the most accurate representation of the actual sound. Using a spectrum analyzer as a visual reference will help you use your eyes and ears occupying so you can better EQ them. Secondly, and most importantly, if you’re mixing in a room that has not been acoustically treated to reduce bass and high frequency reflections, what you’re hearing may not be the most accurate representation of the actual sound. Using a spectrum analyzer as a visual reference will help you use your eyes and ears together so you can ensure your mix is properly balanced across the frequency spectrum.

While you’re on Blue Cat and Voxengo’s websites you should check out the other free high-quality audio tools for mixing that both have.

5. Mix Music: Avoid Listener Fatigue

This last tip may appear obvious, but I’m sure we’ve all been there. In the heat of the creative process we may forget to eat, sleep or do other important things that allow our brains a chance to reset and refresh itself. Here are a few best practices to avoid listener fatigue:

Listen at low volume levels while mixing. This is important not just to avoid listener fatigue, but also to save your precious ears.

Take a break. Step away every couple of hours and take a short break. Relax your ears.

Eat, sleep, finish tomorrow. It’s always a good idea to let a day pass before completing a mix. After a good meal and some rest, you’ll come back to the music refreshed and possibly with a fresh perspective.

In future “Mixing Essentials” posts I’ll dive more specifically into frequency basics and individual instrument EQ treatments. As always, feel free to leave a comment or question.

Happy recording!

If you’re a fan of Spectrasonics’ flagship virtual ‘Power Synth’ Omisphere, then you’re in for a special treat.  Omisphere 1.5 was just released along with a new controller app for the iPad called Omni TR.  Omnisphere 1.5 is available as a free download for all registered owners of Omisphere, and the Omni TR iPad app is available for free on the apple store.

Omnisphere 1.5 comes with many new features including:

• Harmonia: New zoom page shows all Harmonia parameters per layer adding up to 10 oscillators per patch with new independent modulation options for Levels and Fine Tuning on each Harmonia oscillator.
• Waveshaper: New zoom page with extreme new processing modules including polyphonic ‘Crusher’ and ‘Reducer’ sections with ‘Force’ and ‘Animation’ controls that can all be modulated.
• Granular Synthesis: New ‘Speed’ and ‘Position’ modes. New zoom page with new ‘Granular Visualizer’ showing a graphic model of the effect of parameter edits which makes Granular synthesis easier to use.
• Over 700 brand new patches created by renowned Spectrasonics sound development team = over 5,000 patches and 8,000 total sounds
• Five-Column Browser view displays more sound categories and attributes simultaneously
• “Recently Added” Browser sorting option
• Added support for MIDI devices which send polyphonic aftertouch
• New ‘Clone Part’ feature allows easier editing/setup with multichannel MIDI controllers
• New MIDI Learn hardware control mode follows Live Mode selection
• Modulation Envelope points can be key-command snapped to semitone when modulating pitch
• User-assignable Legato Interval rule added

Omni TR app for the iPad brings “Touch Remote” functionality to Omnisphere for a powerful tactile hands-on user experience.  It’s especially great for using Omnisphere in the live environment, and is blast for creating new sounds in real-time using the new Orb feature.

If you’re ready to be inspired, check out this video by Eric Pershing demonstrating the new features of Omnisphere 1.5 and Omni TR.

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/20020519 w=600]

One of the cool functions of Apple’s Logic Express and Logic Pro is the ability to select icons that reflect the content of the recorded audio, instrument or MIDI track.  While this functionality has little to do with the quality of the music being produced, it may help make the music creating experience more enjoyable in addition to making it easier to identify your tracks.

Logic comes with an array of track icons including icons for each of its software instruments, but it also allows you to add your own.  I like to use custom icons especially when creating track presets.  I speed up my work-flow by creating track presets (as Cubase calls it, or “Channel Strip Settings” in Logic) with EQ settings, Compression, or other effects ready to go.  I like to have my custom icons pre-built into the track preset, so I can record quickly and view at a glance which instruments are recorded and where they sit in the edit window.

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Logic Track Icons – Things to Remember

1. Logic track icons must be saved as a .png file and include the Alpha transparency channel in the file.
2. Icons cannot exceed 128 x 128 pixels.
3. Icon files must be given a numerical name (ex: 401.png).  Logic 9 icons are numbered up to 325.png.  I started numbering my icons at 350.png, but you can begin with any number higher than 325.png.
4. Be careful not to change or rename any existing files in Logic’s application folder.

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Where Track Icons are Stored in Logic

To find where the track icons are stored in Logic, navigate to the Applications folder and right click (or control click) on the Logic icon then navigate to:

• Show Package Contents -> Contents -> Resources -> Images -> Icons

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Copying Application and File Icons into Logic

Here’s how to use any existing application or plug-in icons already stored on your Mac.

• Find the application or plug-in icon you wish to use
• Right click (or control click) on the icon and select “Get Info”
• Click on the icon at the top left until it has the blue glow, then press ‘Command+C’

• Open Apple’s ‘Preview’ application.  Go to: File ->New From Clipboard
• Select the icon on the right that is 128 x 128 (some applications may have multiple icon sizes).

• Go to: File -> Save as. Navigate to Logic’s Icons folder as mentioned above.
• Name the file to the number of your choice (greater than 325) and select PNG as the format.  Ensure Alpha is checked.

• Enjoy your new icon in Logic!  Your new track icon will be available in Logic and visible according to its numerical order.

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Finding More Application Icons on Your Mac

Many of your applications have available icons that can be copied into Logic and used as a track icon.  Simply go to your Applications folder and right click (or control click) on the application icon and navigate to:

• Show Package Contents -> Contents -> Resources.

At this point you may see icons, or there may be an Image folder or an Icons folder.  If the icon you’re looking to copy is a .ICNS file type, simply right click (or control click) on the icon and select copy.  Then open the Preview application and follow the steps above to copy the image into Logic’s Icons folder.

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Creating Your Own Icons

If you’d like to create your own track icons using a screenshot of your favorite plug-in for example.  You would:

• Use a graphics program of your choice (i.e. Photoshop) to edit the image
• Name the file as a number greater than 325
• Save as a .png file into Logic’s Icons folder as mentioned above.

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More Icons on the Web

If you’d like to increase your Logic track icon library, but don’t want to create your own, you can find a plethora of Logic icons here at www.LogicProFiles.com.   You’ll need to register with the site in order to download the icons, but it’s worthwhile to do this if you’re looking for a good selection of icons.  There are other websites out there featuring Logic icons as well, but Logic Pro Files is the most comprehensive.

Well, have fun creating tracks with your new custom Logic track icons!

Virtual Instruments for your Wind Controller

The electronic wind instrument, also called a MIDI wind controller or wind synthesizer, has been around since the 1970′s. Affectionately known as the EWI (pronounced E-wee), it’s typically designed to emulate the fingerings of either a saxophone, other woodwind instruments or a trumpet, and is capable of controlling music synthesizers or other devices.

Today’s line-up of MIDI wind controller includes the Akai EWI USB, Akai EWI 4000s and the Yamaha WX5. Each of these controllers is extremely expressive and use a variety of MIDI continuous controller messages in order to manipulate and control sound. Although EWI’s are designed to play expressively, the sound source it controls must be programed to take advantage of the MIDI continuous controller (CC) messages transmitted by the EWI.  Not all of today’s computer-based virtual instruments have the feature-set needed to take advantage of the power and flexibility of the EWI. Below are some of the virtual instruments currently on the market that are either specifically designed to work with a wind controller, or take advantage of MIDI CC automation and work very well when controlled by an EWI.

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EWI 4000s Internal Synth

Before I begin with the computer-based virtual instruments, I want to point out that the Akai EWI 4000s is currently the only electronic wind instrument that comes with a built-in analog modeling synth. The built-in VZX 4000s synth uses two tone oscillators and a noise generating oscillator to create its internal sounds. The preset sounds that ship with the EWI 4000s tend to be thin and leave much to be desired. You can create your own custom sounds using the Vyzex Editor which is available as a free download in the downloads section of the Akai EWI 4000s website. If programming analog synths is not your cup of tea, you can purchase EWI 4000s soundbanks from Patchman Music which is the largest developer of wind controller soundbanks in the world. Patchman Music creates some of the most warm and inspiring sounds available for the EWI 4000s internal synth and other wind controller tone generators.

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Woodwinds & Brass

If you’re looking for realistic sounding solo woodwind and brass instruments, Samplemodeling.com has a line-up of instruments designed specifically for the wind controller. Samplemodeling’s current line-up of instruments include: The Sax Brothers (Alto, Tenor and Baritone saxophones), Ms. Sax S (Soprano), The Trumpet and The Trombone. These instruments are built on Native Instruments Kontakt sampler platform, and use physical modeling and sample modulation programing techniques to create the most realistic interpretations of their acoustic counterparts available.

A few of the highlights of the Samplemodeling instruments include: complete volume and timbre control using CC2 (breath control) or CC11 (expression), an array of mutes on the Trumpet and Trombone instruments, growl and harmonic effects on the saxophone instruments, convolution reverb impulse responses (IR) of natural spaces, key noises, and vibrato behaviors specific to either the Akai EWI or the Yamaha WX5. The Samplemodeling.com website has audio and video demos available for you to hear these instruments in action.

Retro Flute by Bela D Media is another good product designed to work well with  your wind controller. While not as advanced as Samplemoding instruments at interpreting timbre and volume using CC2, it’s got a natural and breathy sound that responds well to breath control and velocity. Retro Flute is built on the Kontakt sampler platform and like Samplemodeling instruments, can be used with either the full version of Kontakt or the free Kontakt player. A few of the highlights of Retro Flute include: random player breath noises, a sung style which emulates the humming while playing technique, key noises, flutter, and sustained straight and vibrato tones.

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Solo Strings

There are many great ensemble and solo string sample sets out there, but few take advantage of MIDI CC2 as well as Dan Dean Solo Strings Advanced. Solo Strings Advanced is also built on the Kontakt sampler platform and includes: Solo Violin 1, Solo Violin 2, Solo Viola and Solo Cello instruments. It also includes small ensemble versions of each of the instruments as well as pizzicato, spiccato, arco and tremelo articulations. In addition to each of the instruments being very responsive to CC2 breath control, this set also includes convolution reverb IR samples and convolution timbre IR samples. These help to create an ultra-realistic sound of not just the solo instrument, but also emulates the tone of the instrument in various acoustic spaces. Visit the Dan Dean Productions website to hear good examples of these sample-based solo and ensemble string instruments in action.

Virtual Instruments for your MIDI Wind Controller

Guitars

When you’re ready to turn your EWI into a hard rockin’ distorted Stratocaster or Les Paul Custom guitar, check out RealStrat and RealGuitarLPC sample-based instruments by MusicLab. I’ve got a few sample-based guitar libraries such as Electri6ity by Vir2 and guitar libraries by Pettinhouse, and they’re good for keyboard playing, but RealStrat and RealGuitarLPC work especialy well with wind controllers. MusicLab libraries are cleanly sampled raw guitar sounds, so they require a separate amp simulation effect plug-in such as Guitar Rig or AmpliTube for that amped distorted guitar sound.

Some of the features that make RealStrat and RealGuitarLPC well suited for a MIDI wind controller include:

• String timbre controlled by breath velocity (just like plucking a real guitar string)
• Vibrato responds well to the vibrato bite sensor on the Akai EWI and reed movement on the Yamaha WX5
• Guitar effects such as palm mute, full string mute, harmonics and string bends can be assigned to be triggered from high or low velocity levels
• An expression pedal can be used to trigger wah-wah effects real-time while playing (just like a real guitar)
• A sustain pedal can be used to trigger harmonic feedback real-time while playing
• Random string noises and scratches are triggered by “note-off” commands which means these cool effects sound as you pause or breath between passages (just like a real guitar player). This behavior is controllable to taste.

Many more features make these virtual guitar instruments real-sounding and fun to play. Visit MusicLab‘s website to see and hear demo’s of these instruments in action.

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Synths

Wouldn’t it be great if a virtual synthesizer could allow you to assign any MIDI continuous controller message to any function of the synth? Having the ability to assign CC2 to cutoff frequency, frequency envelope, amplitude; or assigning pitch bend to a delay effect; or assigning velocity to trigger alternate oscillators would allow you to create the most expressive wind controller synth sounds possible. Unfortunately, the majority of virtual synths on the market are primarily designed to be played by MIDI keyboards, and don’t often have the sophisticated MIDI learn and CC automation functionality needed for wind controllers.

However, one synth that will get the job done (and then some) is Omnisphere by Spectrasonics. Omnisphere is one of the most powerful virtual synths on the market today with over 2,700 sampled sound sources and a rich sounding synthesizer powered by its STEAM Engine. What makes Omnisphere a perfect match for MIDI wind controllers is its advanced MIDI learn and CC automation parameter handling. Omnisphere allows you to assign any oscillator, filter, envelope, sound effect, or layered sound to any MIDI CC transmitted by your wind controller. Another reason Omnisphere is a great match for wind controllers, is because you can layer up to eight complete patches (provided you have a powerful CPU and lots of RAM) to create an awesome Michael Brecker inspired multi-patch.

Programing Omnisphere can be daunting, especially learning all of the functionality needed to make a good EWI patch sound expressive. However, your time spent learning to program Omnisphere will be well rewarded with unique sounds that respond well to breath, pitch, vibrato and velocity controls. Spectrasonics has many tutorials on its website for you to get started learning Omnisphere. You can also find really good in-depth Omnisphere video tutorials here at macProVideo.

Lastly, there’s a fantastic wind controller player who creates EWI sound refills specifically for Propellerhead’s Reason. You can purchase and download sounds directly from his website at EWIReasonSounds.com.

Wind Controller

The products mentioned above are just a few examples of virtual instruments that will work well with a MIDI wind controller. If you have a favorite sample library or virtual synth that you use with your electronic wind controller, please leave a comment and let us know.