space rock/ambient music fans?

[paults]

Quote: ...I'm combining all types of instruments and loops...you mean ..take the mixdown and create another track with reverb, and then mix that down?...when I line up these tracks should it be an identical track and then put reverb on the one track? ...are loops meant to be perfect? I use Sonar, which uses a hardwired mixer looking interface, so the below is pretty much in those terms:If your software allows it, you can use an effects send on the entire mix to add reverb, and then mix it in ever so slightly. You may have to roll of some of the the low end of the reverb to keep things from getting mushy, depending on the type of mix. Or, you can use a send on each channel, all routed to an effects buss that has a reverb in it. The advantage to doing it that way is you have control over the amount of each signal that is going to the reverb. For example, you might not want any bass in it at all...Coincidentally, I also use Ozone 3 for mastering most of the time - the reverb in it can be used to add depth to a track without overpowering it.As far as loops go, I've not run into that issue with Sonic Foundry/Sony drum loops. But, if a the loop isn't exactly the right length, a tiny error would start to show up after several repetitions . If you have a troublesome loop you want you use, rather than stretching it to loop, try inserting it multiple times, on the beginning of each measure (or subdivision of a measure). That will keep it from creeping out of time, even if you are in 7/4

[mazz]

To speak to Vicky's question: The Dimension D is basically a chorus but it's kind of a magic chorus. I don't know why it sounds like it does but it really has a vibe to it. They're pretty rare and expensive on the used market and the UAD-1 card is the only plug-in I know of that emulates it.Learning to use aux sends and returns is a valuable skill in mixing because it allows you to use one reverb for a number of tracks. If you've ever used a mixing board, you've had this capability at your fingertips. It works the same way in the soft world.Here's another ambient music trick: Run the entire mix through the carrier input of a vocoder. Send the output of the vocoder to another track. Hook a mic up to the modulator input and speak, sing, OM or anything while the mix is playing and record it to the track. Then sneak it in ever so softly under the mix. It really makes the overtones dance without ever calling attention to itself. You might have to tweak the filters in the vocoder to taste but it's a very very cool trick. You could use a voice track, or any track really, in place of the mic input. I still have a Roland SV3500 Vocoder, the one I used to do this trick with in the 80s when we recorded on a Fostex 8 track reel to reel with Dolby C.Have fun!Mazz

[silvercord]

good tips guys, ill have to find out how to send each track to a reverb mixwith out hijacking them to just the buspeace

[vicky]

wow....there are so many things to try....mazz..Quote:Learning to use aux sends and returns is a valuable skill in mixing because it allows you to use one reverb for a number of tracks.is this instead of a submix or the same thing ?thanks for the input....I'm starting small ....I tried the reverb shadow on my drum submix for a funk thing.....It sounds really good....I'm new with the names of this gear, but i'm learning that ....I don't have it? ...Geoff...I use Adobe Audition...keep on rockin'Vicky

[paults]

Submixing the drums is a good idea- You can put the kit all in the same room,and compress and EQ them, too.From what I saw online, Audition lets you send a buss out from each channel to a common buss in. The common buss would have the reverb in it, and its output would be wet signal only. Bringing the buss output up in the mix adds the combined effected sound of all the channels that were sent to the buss.

[silvercord]

its a great idea Paults~since i am rhythmicly impairedi do my drum stuff in reason. with the effects and automationabilities there...im a happy camper, truly.til not long ago i always get picked on by the drummer bully thatgave me his piece of mind on how it sounds like crap...but thanks to reason and Sonic Refill drums, i receive no moreverbal wedgies! muhaha

[mazz]

Quote:From what I saw online, Audition lets you send a buss out from each channel to a common buss in. The common buss would have the reverb in it, and its output would be wet signal only. Bringing the buss output up in the mix adds the combined effected sound of all the channels that were sent to the buss. This is exactly what I was talking about. Using sends is like a mixer within a mixer, you pick off a piece of the signal and send it somewhere else. Many mixers have multiple sends so you can set up multiple returns and have different effects on them.NOTE: If using reverb or any effect on a return, set the mix on the effect to 100% WET. Failure to do this will probably cause weird, unwanted phasing effects. Take my word for it.The creative use of effects is a huge part of mixing these days, IMO. Learning what each type of effect does and a little bit about how it's generated can help one make quicker, educated choices about which one to use. Kind of like knowing your scales and chords and inversions.Cheers,MazzPS: For those who started out completely on computer recording, it would be educational, IMO, to spend some time on a "real" hardware mixer. This would give a much clearer picture of signal flow and might help clear up some concepts such as auxes and bussing and submixing, etc. I've met people who were complaining that their computer couldn't handle their mixes only to find out that they were running a reverb as an insert on every track when they could have used one reverb and used auxes to send different tracks to the reverb. It turns out they'd never worked on a hardware system where you might only have one or two reverbs and had to squeeze the most out of them.

[vicky]

mazz....and everyone.....great info!!!I will learn the buss next...I know what it is conceptually, but I've never told my computer to do it.....only watched when using a real board..you know what.....I had a revelation just now....no one could hear the drums on one of my latest failures , I went back and now I realized the drums were so phased out that no one was hearing what was stuck in my head.... oh well...can be fixed...Thanks,Vicky

[silvercord]

wow for some reason before when i put a bus in...all of the audio was routed to the bus...but in a last try...i did as Paults suggested to Vicky, and it workedcool~I use this lil technique soon.cheers~

[ibanez468]

Yeah geoff,I tried it using that technique with Kontakt 3. Worked out great! I understand how to do it using a real mixer, but for some reason I've always had trouble doing it using software. With Kontakt 3, had to go to a little special menu, and choose the proper routing, to get it function correctly. Actually for me, using sends and returns in Reason was pretty easy 'cause the virtual mixer looks pretty much like my "real" mixer, and as mazz states, that makes it alot easier if you're familiar with how to utilize sends & returns on a real mixer, and then be able to apply to Reason or any other software program. Just takes a little time trying to figure out how to do that in some programs, since there's so many. Some seem to be easier than others.ibanez468