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Post by schmalzy on Dec 10, 2020 12:42:43 GMT -6
Ah, thx, given the unit was so young, it seems curious they didn’t just replace it Immediately, hopefully everything is ok now! Exactly. This was SUCH AN EASY WIN for them and they strung him along for WEEKS. It only resolved because he was protected by Australian consumer laws and HE forced the issue and put pressure on people. In any other country without that sort of law he'd still be in the middle of being strung along and without a working unit while his funds potentially dried up because he couldn't work. They did similar to me. After a pile of "what version of [this thing] are you on?" back-and-forth emails they basically said it's not their problem. I found a weird workaround that I manually have to carry out (in their software) that forces their unit to reset whenever the problem comes up (the worst day was 20 times) and that's how I still have to work. Luckily it doesn't stop me from working completely. Just a few minutes each time the problem happens.
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Post by schmalzy on Dec 10, 2020 12:18:16 GMT -6
I'm sorry you had to be an unpaid beta tester in all of this." ? @ schmalzy If a finalized production unit has gone though all QC and been in the wild for almost 3 years, curious , why do you characterize it as beta testing ? [...] Wiz's situation is unfortunate but not certain it is typical but perhaps service is unusual in Oz: I don't know ? I'm referring to their support. They've still apparently not worked out the kinks in that process. My experience was pretty negative and Wiz's was much worse. I'm in the US.
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Post by schmalzy on Dec 9, 2020 23:06:34 GMT -6
I'm happy this is getting resolved, wiz.
This REALLY makes me take a hard look at whether or not I should grab that Apollo x16 I've been saving up for. I'm probably only a couple weeks out and it definitely gives me pause. There's very little else that works as smoothly at stacking interfaces and i/o as the UA stuff and that's why I moved to UA a couple years back. I've only purchased one UA plug (Auto Tune RealTime Advanced) and I use two others (the bundled SVT amp and Rat pedal) so there's no real reason to stay with them besides solid usability at 32 ins/outs.
Anyone have any suggestions for interfaces that are as solid as UA's are as you chain two or more together? Maybe I'll move back towards Focusrite. Their Red stuff looks interesting. Dante seems to be the future anyway. I can vouch for their support, too. They called me on my phone on Christmas Eve to sort out an interface hardware problem with my last interface. I expressed in my support email that I was on a tight deadline with a project and needed it resolved quickly. They called me within 24 hours.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, wiz. I'm sorry you had to be an unpaid beta tester in all of this.
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Post by schmalzy on Dec 9, 2020 22:49:53 GMT -6
I understand Peter’s frustration and it’s good to explore your options but if Drew says a communication channel is open, why not use it : just in case ? I think what you've missed in wiz's retelling of the whole thing is that UA's support said "contact the dealer" and closed the ticket. THEY closed the communication channel. ...then came on here and said they were waiting to hear back on the open support ticket. That was already closed. Closed by UA.
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Post by schmalzy on Dec 8, 2020 23:05:46 GMT -6
Question for you: Do you think Drew from UA greased those wheels at Manny's? No I don’t think drew had anything to do with it...this was really all me, chasing everyone and then quoting Australian consumer law. had I not chased this...it would have gone on for ages.... Remember universal audio support sent me back to the retailer and closed the support ticket. They had no interest in following it up at all. Its been really poor service from all companies involved Wiz Somehow that's even worse. Glad it's starting to get resolved for you. Too bad it had to go this way in the first place.
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Post by schmalzy on Dec 8, 2020 21:57:04 GMT -6
Couple things:
I've sometimes been using the Kush Omega TWK - a saturation/distortion plug - as a soft clipper after the compressor...especially on transient-heavy stuff. It starts eating any big spikes left.
Then often it's Reaper's Event Horizon Limiter or JST Clip depending on where I'm going with all of it. Clipping seems to retain edge and limiting seems to soften. Whichever I need.
I've used the Kush Deflector and the Kush Silika for it, too. Most of the time, though it's JST Clip.
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Post by schmalzy on Dec 8, 2020 21:39:40 GMT -6
Just heard back from Mannys, a new one on the truck to me today or tomorrow.. (thump) sound of Wiz hitting the floor.... All's well that ends.............................................. Question for you: Do you think Drew from UA greased those wheels at Manny's? Similarly: should it take having an acquaintance/liaison/brand representative on a message board (with a bit of accountability built into it) to get a customer the sort of service they should get in the first place? I've not had great support service from UA, either. My experience was a whole lot of "it's not our fault it's yours." Fed up, I found the problem. I found a workaround on my own. It's their software.
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Post by schmalzy on Dec 8, 2020 10:51:37 GMT -6
Butch Vig has made good sounding records in the last 20 years though. It’s the same reason I never even demoed the Boz +10db strip. David Bendeth’s signature on it. All those metalcore records sound like shit. These endorsements turn people off. I'm not really a fan of those Bendeth records. I'm a huge fan of those plugins, though. +10db has found its way all over my mixes. I love the EQ on guitars, the compressor and EQ are great on vocals, the compressor is one of my drum parallels, the compressor gets used on anything that needs more snap, and the EQ ends up on my mix bus every-so-often. It takes a bit to figure out how to use it I think but it's really killer in my opinion!
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Post by schmalzy on Nov 12, 2020 12:39:39 GMT -6
Hey, all! I'm not sure if this should be here or in the classifieds. This isn't my sale so I wasn't sure if me putting it in the classifieds would be appropriate. Anyway, I just saw it and thought of you cats. Feel free to move it to wherever. There's a person selling a bunch of hardware on Ebay. Some of it pretty dang schnazzy. I'd be interested in quite a bit of it but I need to put my studio purchase funds to use in a different direction. Anyway...there's some cool stuff: ADR Vocal Stressor DBX 162 Coil Audio preamp Some TT Patchbay stuff A Royer (yep) prototype Compressor Altec Stuff Some API 512 pres API 500VPR Rack Dangerous 16-channel Summing Mixer Steven Adler's (of Guns N' Roses) 1989 stage-used drum kit with letter of provenance Some other stuff, too.. I wanted to make sure you cats saw this rather than me see it and horde the info for no reason. I'm not associated with the guy but I like you folks so I figured I'd let you all know! www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ssn=ampexaltecakg&rt=nc
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Post by schmalzy on Oct 8, 2020 11:55:08 GMT -6
I'm using a mix of three things for limiting/loudness. Just little bits of each at a time:
JST Clip-> Reaper's Event Horizon Limiter-> Vlad No6 for the ISP limiting and the smallest touch of limiting.
Clipping then limiting seems to shave some spikey stuff then give it a more natural transient shape (with the release of the limiter).
I also - on purpose - recently experimented with clipping the input of my Apollo 8 after my Stam SA4000 compressor. I was working a track the other day that could tolerate some grittiness if it were to sneak in there. All of the sudden my mix was REALLY loud without feeling too crazy or sounding too weird. I might have to look into that more!
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Post by schmalzy on Sept 23, 2020 0:11:31 GMT -6
Softube's Console1.
I get to use ears only for more decisions and look/read/use the mouse for fewer decisions.
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Post by schmalzy on Aug 1, 2020 8:54:57 GMT -6
Reaper has a web remote controller.
I haven't needed to use it but - from what it looks like - it's basically a screen you bring up on your phone/tablet that has buttons doing certain functions.
It'll be a key ingredient in my new studio location so I can be in the live room with the band and not in front of the computer.
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Post by schmalzy on Jul 23, 2020 8:52:59 GMT -6
Just to back up with the other guys are saying:
In my master I didn't do anything in too dramatic amounts. I used my Summit EQF100 plugin (the one I wanted to try) to add some gentle 100hz shelf and to brighten the overall top. Then I used Soothe and a dynamic EQ to target a few things that were a little too harsh in my listening situation. I think 5kHz and 12kHz on the dynamic EQ and Soothe focusing on 8kHz (but it would grab some 2-4kHz stuff every so often). A small cut around 250 and a smaller cut around 90. It felt like there was a resonance there (in my room?) and that cut seemed to help. Half a db I think.
After I did my "what's this plugin sound like" master I quickly null checked your mix vs their master - obviously not a scientific test but it revealed a few things. What revealed was a high pass filter, a low shelf boost, a 500hz cut, maybe cut some 7kHz and added 14kHz. That 500hz cut is probably what's sounding scooped to you...plus their overall top and bottom boost.
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Post by schmalzy on Jul 22, 2020 23:44:50 GMT -6
Guys, I have been struggling with Mastering for two years. I'm working on a series of live albums for a church-type group. They are an all-star kind of band put together for conferences. I went through a lot of auditions and it didn't seem to go well at the time. I finally bit the bullet and used a guy I know who does a lot of commercial releases for big CCM artists and labels. He's expensive and in the end, I felt like I got no communication and that he didn't really do much. No if he had communicated and said, your mixes are spot on - let me just limit and make them a little louder, that'd be one thing as I do trust his ears. However, the gap between communication and changes soured me to the process. I then used someone else. The communication was great but it seems like he scoops a bit much, losing the warmth/punch and also seems to be adding a hardness. I went through 5-6 versions and still felt like it wasn't right. This hardness is what I tend to run into with lower cost mastering services. I know the genre and format (live vs studio) is different but I favor the 2008-2010 Keith Urban albums mixed by Neibank. They have plenty of space but are rounder on top. I don't mind air but don't like bright-fizzy pop top end. Here is a link to two files: drive.google.com/drive/folders/17DjYVxVHiVlaxPJZjPtvE3hGxJouN7DW?usp=sharingOne is the master from the last guy I mentioned and the other is my render. Can you guys give a listen and let me know first, if you agree with my assessment of what is happening with mastering and second, can you recommend someone who can 1) communicate and work to an agreement on sound 2) isn't expensive and 3) does a job that is commercially equitable? Thanks so much! Rob Hey Rob! I wanted to try out a new plugin in my mastering chain so I grabbed your file and went to town a bit. Take a listen and let me know what you think! If there's anything you like (or dislike) I could probably talk ya' through it! drive.google.com/file/d/1uRLZ7jrGMXhN3AIaO2RCRrgTYgz7hias/view?usp=sharing
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Post by schmalzy on Jul 22, 2020 22:47:31 GMT -6
One of my favorite bass tones I ever got was my Washburn bass close mic'd near the bridge with a low signal-to-noise-ratio cheap LDC.
Blend that with the DI and I had something pretty interesting!
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Post by schmalzy on Jul 22, 2020 22:42:25 GMT -6
Little more info!
Absorption is happening via Roxul Safe N Sound in a rectangular frame with no backing. The insulation is not compressed; it's at-spec for width/height and it's spray-adhesived to the side walls of the frame to keep it all in place.
Basically, I'm going for broadband with an emphasis on bass trapping. I don't mind a little too dead of a room. It's the control room where I'll also be tracking singers sometimes.
I built eight individual 6'x2'x3" free-standing panels (in addition to a number of other thicker panels) to knock down a bunch of reflections in my current space. I don't need quite that many square feet of coverage in my next space (that I'm in the process of moving into) but I do need some more bass trapping. Sooooo...I figured I'd stack 'em if they'd work well in that 3" insulation, 2"air gap, 3" insulation, air gap, wall configuration.
They're all free standing and will have 5" of air gap between the panel and the wall to accommodate the feet of the panels.
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Post by schmalzy on Jul 22, 2020 9:02:18 GMT -6
Hey, all!
Not sure how to Google this business so I figured I'd just come out and ask!
I'm setting up a new space and I'm trying to reuse some stuff I've built already rather than tearing it all apart and starting over.
Which is more effective (or maybe they're the same):
A) one panel with 6" of absorption B) two panels with 3" of absorption each stacked on top of each other (but will have a 3" air gap between the panels).
Trying to figure out if it's worth my time or happiness quotient to rebuild some of my pieces of absorption.
Thanks!
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Post by schmalzy on Jul 19, 2020 21:55:42 GMT -6
I always mix with LCR in spirit more than in practice.
It's a good reminder to push things further than you think they should go. You want that lead guitar just slightly off center? Try going further than that! See what happens! If you don't find a good reason to keep it out there bring it back in! I want to make bold choices not settle for timid happenstance.
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Post by schmalzy on Jul 17, 2020 9:50:08 GMT -6
As I said, please provide examples. I'm all up for it. Apparently - coming from his own mouth - Jamie Tate from Nashville is an LCR mixer. His credits include:
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Post by schmalzy on Jul 13, 2020 0:24:10 GMT -6
This headphones/vocals phase cancellation thing is real, for sure.
I've had people experience it both in a studio environment and in a live sound situation. "My voice sounds...weird." Flip the polarity on the send. It seems like it happens a little more often with in-ears rather than headphones but who knows if that's coincidence or not.
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Post by schmalzy on Jul 3, 2020 0:30:32 GMT -6
Apparently hardcore/punk/indie producer Jay Maas uses a 421 on snare. His stuff sounds bonkers good in those genres so it's definitely worth a try! I tried the 421 tonight. It's got that splat that's good for the genre, but it also had this hardcore 400-500hz honk that none of the other mics had and needed a big slice right there to sound good. So the question is: was it usable or so honky it became detrimental? I'm probably going to be cutting some amount of 400-500hz out anyway so if I have to just continue to do that it doesn't bother me...unless it's unbearable! I actually boosted 600hz on a snare the other day for a "natural" sounding record. Or course, it was natural up to a point. Some snare and kick samples of the original drums taken just after the keeper take got blended in to even out some overly dynamic playing and lift the snare away from the hihat. Boosting that 600hz-ish gave a little scuzz and imperfection to the snare sound to make it feel a little less refined. So now I'm super curious about a 421 on snare in my next drum tracking sitch... How was the hihat bleed?
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Post by schmalzy on Jul 2, 2020 0:14:23 GMT -6
Was it Hooked by Arcade (or however they're trying to brand it)?
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Post by schmalzy on Jul 1, 2020 22:12:10 GMT -6
Audix i5 Gives you more top and a beefier bottom (Which you usually want) However it still doesn’t always have that classic 57 tone that is hard to beat. 441 for a fat disco snare 421 can work too. Apparently hardcore/punk/indie producer Jay Maas uses a 421 on snare. His stuff sounds bonkers good in those genres so it's definitely worth a try!
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Post by schmalzy on Jul 1, 2020 12:52:05 GMT -6
Are you talking about "Exhale?"
I've been about *THIS* far from pulling the trigger on that one for a while.
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Post by schmalzy on Jul 1, 2020 12:50:09 GMT -6
I have 18 channels of A/D.
Looking at my console...
Kick In Kick Out OH H OH R Rm H Rm R Rm Close/M Tom 1 Tom 2 Tom 3 Snare Top Snare Bottom Spot 1 Spot 2 + 4 tracks for live/scratch tracks.
I'll sacrifice the mono room for a 4th tom or for an extra live/scratch track.
If I don't need live/scratch tracks, I'll add room mics or prioritize extra stuff I want/need. Sometimes those are effect mics for different treatments during the track. Sometimes those are just capturing extra options.
I pretty much always fill up my A/Ds when tracking drums. My intention is to get the sounds with as few mics as possible but have different subtleties - or non-subtleties - evolve over the course of the song. Close mono room during the early part of a song but then a distant mono room during a breakdown-y prechorus into a stereo room during the 2nd chorus? Hell yeah. Shrink to a trashy on-the-floor-under-the-snare mic? Tension. Back to the stereo room but add the close mono room distorted during the outro? High fives from the band. ESPECIALLY if I'm leaning on the room mics for as much of the drum sound as I can get.
"The same instrument" but with different flavors and moods has gotten me as many clients as my songwriting has.
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