What the Bass Boost Button is actually used for and when you should use it.

We've all seen it, the infamous "Bass Boost" button. It's most prevalent in aftermarket car stereo head units, boom booxes & self powered PA speakers. Sounds fun right? Boost bass, f***ing a! We're all about that these days... right??? (remember though, louder is not better)  I'm about to tell you the actual purpose of the Bass Boost button or switch in some cases, you'll realize why it shouldn't be used all the time and furthermore, why it's specifically designed for certain listening situations based off of the way our brain and ears work together! 

It's purpose all ties into the Fletcher Munson Curve and how the human ear perceives sound.  To give you a real quick run down.  At lower amplitudes(volume) the human ear picks up on mid-range frequencies much better than it responds to low and high frequency information.  This is because we've evolved to hear human speech which lies in the mid-range of the frequency spectrum.  Communication is how we've been able to get to where we are as a species and our ear's perception of sound is just another confirmation of this thought.  Conversely, at high amplitudes, we hear the mid-range with less accuracy.  At high volumes the ear picks up on the low end and high end of the frequency spectrum with much more intensity than at lower volumes.  Long Story short, when it's quiet you don't hear the bass and highs, when it's loud the bass and highs are so loud they drown out the mid-range.  83dB is said to be the ideal monitoring level to take advantage of the most accurate level of our ears perception.  If you can't have a normal conversation over the music it's most likely over 83dB.

Now that we know a little bit more about how our ear's hear we can get back to the Bass Boost button.  It's supposed to be used when you're listening to music at lower volume levels.  Remember from above that at low volume levels we don't hear the low end and high end as well.  When you engage the Bass Boost button on a system it gives a little EQ boost to the low and high end of the material it's processing.  Now you understand why this feature is quite handy when you're playing stuff at a lower level.  Our ears can then perceive a more accurate representation of the original song even when it's quiet.   However, if the switch is engaged at a high volume you're really messing stuff up.  Our ears already hear lows and highs better at screaming loud levels so if you have the Bass Boost button engaged you'll only be adding to the natural problem our ear's posses.

The Bass Boost button is known as many other names such as: contour, boost, hi boost, low boost and probably a billion other clever little marketing names manufactures have came up with.  In the title picture you can see Ampeg has decided to call their system the ultra system and they've given you the option to increase either the highs or lows independently.   Bottom line, look for it, be aware of it, and next time your raging face with your friends slapping beats loud enough to wake the neighbors don't hit that button, you don't need it, your ears are already doing that work for you!

GearSlutz -=- Why You Should Take Time to Read The Ultimate Audio Forum!

GearSlutz.com is an online forum for audio professionals from all over the world. When I say some of the brightest and best names in the audio game post and read threads on this site I'm not bullshitting. The people on here are no joke brilliant. Yes there are you're typical forum douche bags but lets all be honest... Douche bags are unavoidable. I honestly didn't post on gearslutz for about 2 years and only read threads.  I only recently started posting as a matter of fact. Truthfully it scared the crap out of me... It's stupid intimidating when you're reading shit that is just flying over your head. You don't have to post right away to get anything out of it though. You can literally have just about any audio question and type it into google with gearslutz behind it and chances are there is a thread at gearslutz.com about your question. 95% of the time their answers are on point and I find you can learn some really solid tips and techniques just by reading various threads on areas the peak your interest. Welcome to the land of audio geniuses, start reading and scouring GearSlutz.com today, your productions will thank you!

She- Coloris (S-T3RRA Remix) Mastered @ ZeSoundSuite! Welcome To The Future!

I've got a real dope track for all of you today.  It's a remix from S-T3RRA and this one is epic! (I use this word a lot but I mean it every time.)  Tons of filthy distortion, mesmerizing vox sample and a crisp analog bright side all at a massive volume that steals anyone's attention.  Don't miss the Remix of She- Coloris perfectly crafted by S-T3RRA.  Mastered @ ZeSoundSuite!

She - Coloris (S-T3RRA Remix) by S-T3RRA

Abbey Road's Mastering Engineers & Their EMI TG12410 Mastering Console

Be sure to check out this video featuring the mastering engineers of Abbey Road Studios.  They also spend quite a bit of time showing you and explaining their EMI TG12410 Mastering Console.  The console from the video was developed at Abbey Road studios quite some time ago for EMI and is still in use there today.  You couldn't even buy one of these, it was developed in house for use in EMI studios only.  This video is a great opportunity to get a close up inside view at one of the most famous studios in the world and the unique classic gear their mastering engineers use.  After you see the video and pick your jaw up off the floor check out the series of Abbey Road Plug-ins for your DAW.  That's what I just said... Pick you jaw back up off the floor again.  And yes they have a plug-in modeled after their legendary EMI TG Desk specific to the mastering process.



PS: If you're stupid rich, Abbey Road Studios is currently for sale by EMI.

Links:
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Plug-ins
Article from Mercenary Audio featuring EMI's TG Desks

Solid State Logic's Duende: EQ Compression Gate Expander Tutorials

If you're not familiar with Solid State Logic... get familiar right now. They are hands down one of the most sought after brands in the audio industry and continue to evolve as the market advances into the digital realm and beyond. Solid State Logic's consoles and gear can be found in studio's at Capitol Records, Dr. Dre's house, Sasha's project studio and Timbaland's tour bus. Not to mention the rest of SSL's history scattered about the planet in some of the most legendary studios known to man's ear. The sonic character, quality, unique features, and intuitive use of Solid State Logic's gear make it the obvious choice for professionals looking for that special touch on their production & mixes.

Solid State Logic has done some interesting things over the past few years to bring the legendary sound and quality of their products to a new market. A market fraught with creativity and independence, this would be where you would input your own name ______ ________. Because, chances are, if you're reading this blog you're precisely the person SSL has marketed their latest line of gear to. Gear like their X-Rack which allows users to custom build a small analog 500 series rack outfitted with any combination of SSL's dynamic processing and input modules. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what SSL manufactures that one could consider affordable. Cheap... No. The legendary sound you've heard on countless hit records since you've exited the womb... Yes! Obviously it's not "cheap" you're paying for quality, that quality is just now more affordable and more available to the public than ever before.

The Duende is mainly why we're here though. Solid State Logic released the first version of Duende in 2006, it's built on the same technology available in SSL's "C" Series Digital Console. Basically, it's a box with an SSL DSP engine that hosts SSL Plug-Ins for your DAW.  It's a baby SSL that lives in a box and connects to your computer, turning your laptop into a mult-core resource eating beast! The Duende comes available in a small FireWire desktop box and also a rack sized PCIe version for you HD users. Most of you will most likely benefit from the Duende Mini. Especially laptop users considering Duende lightens the CPU load when you're using the SSL Plug-ins specific to it.

I almost forgot to mention latency... Sloppy.  Let's say you have some outboard gear, for this example since we're in SSL land we will assume you have two SSL Super Analogue EQ's in a Mynx rack.  Now, assume you'd like to process the Moog synth line you just recorded into Pro Tools.  Before you do that though you slap a plug-in compressor on the synth track inside of Pro Tools.  So you've got the synth recorded into pro tools (at as high of quality possible cause you're a geek) Being processed by the plug-in compressor and you're ready to route it out to your interface so that you can run it through the SSL outboard EQ to sculpt the low end and bring out that high end analog noise post compression.  After some tweaking you decide that it's now sounding nice and you're ready to record it back into Pro Tools.  You record it back into PT, play it back with the rest of your mix and you will notice your synth track is now delayed and playing behind everything else.  You're now thinking... WTF???

This is because of the delay introduced by the plug-in compressor on the original recorded synth track.  It can only work so quickly to process the audio and spit it back out.  By the time it does this and the track is sent out to be processed and recorded back to PT it is behind the other tracks in PT.  This isn't really a problem in Logic and other DAW's because most have automatic delay compensation.  Pro Tools LE does not though and you have to either adjust the timing by hand and move the recorded waveform back in time or find out the delay time and then add digi's delay compensation plug-in (I will do a tutorial on this process very soon)  Now hopefully you see why this is a problem and can be quite a pain in the ass.  Not all plug-ins create delay but most native ones do and you can check in Pro Tools by "apple" clicking on the digital scribble strip in Pro Tool's Mix Window (see picture).   The Duende however introduces no latency whatsoever!  Case & Point: Solid State Logic's Duende DSP powered plug-ins mean no delay compensation hassles!  Now you're most certainly wondering why you're here since I've yet to show you any tutorials. Stop wondering, just one more paragraph and you'll be on your way to audio knowledge heaven.

Solid State Logic has created a series of tutorials for Duende that cover everything from basic EQ knowledge to more advanced techniques like parallel compression. While these tutorials are specific to the plug-ins available with Duende, they also have a ton of information packed into them that is useful to anyone searching for audio processing knowledge. A compressor is a compressor weather it's the stock Logic Studio Compressor or an SSL Compressor. Same goes for EQ's and other plug-ins as well.  The following little bit of info comes from some of the greatest minds in the audio industry and is certainly more than worth your time.  If you've got a Duende then it's just like a double whammy as you'll be trained in the recording arts (EQ, Compression, ETC.) and get a product specific tutorial for use with your software!  Sorry to spit so much promotional SSL jargon at you but it's all honestly how I personally feel.  The main goal of this blog is to spread awareness regarding quality gear, SSL is quality gear and I felt I needed to respectfully give the brand the attention that it deserves.  Now, without further a do; I give you Solid State Logic's Duende Tutorials!

Duende Tutorial 1: Compression & Limiting

Duende Tutorial 2: Using the Gate/Expander Section

Duende Tutorial 3: Basic EQ

Duende Tutorial 4: Using the Duende Channel Side Chain

Duende Tutorial 5: Duende Bus Compressor

Duende Tutorial 6: Advanced EQ

Duende Tutorial 7: Parallel Compression

Native Instruments Traktor's 12! Traktor Pro's EFX Now Available in Your DAW!

I'm a Traktor Gate whore.  In fact I've used and abused her so many times during live sets I was beginning to wonder if our relationship was ever going to turn into something more.  Well with the introduction of Native Instruments Traktor's 12 this relationship does indeed now have the beautiful potential to blossom into something much more serious.  Native Insturments just released Traktor's 12, you can purchase it as a stand alone plug-in for your DAW by itself for $79.00 and it also comes bundled with Native Instruments Komplete 7.  Traktor's 12 basically took 12 of the most popular effects used in Traktor and turned them into DAW plug-ings for use inside of their free Guitar Rig 4 Player.  Wondering how to get those crazy DJ style breakdown efx into your production.  Wonder no more, Traktor's 12 is here for you with some of the most well known DJ style efx bundled into a nice package that can run right inside of any DAW.

The effects that come with Traktor's 12 are as follows: Traktor Delay, Traktor Reverb, Digital LoFi, Mullholland Drive, Ring Modulator, Format Filter, Peak Filter, Beatmasher, GATER!!!, Reverse Grain, Transpose Stretch, Beat Slicer.  Traktor's 12 also has 120 multi-effect rack presets from standard presets perfect for basic processing and remix tools to complex and dense crazy nuts madness preset effects. Since Traktor's 12 runs in the free Guitar Rig 4 Player, the Guitar Rig Factory Selection of 22 tools and effects also comes included.

As you can see nothing is different about the effects we all know and love, they still feature the same 4 knob control that Traktor features and look identical minus some color changes.  I wasn't able to find any info about how these actually sound, quality wise inside of your DAW but I am on the hunt.  I just asked on GearSlutz for a little review of Traktor's 12 from a guy who just got Komplete 7 so hopefully I'll have more to share with you all once he gets back to me.  There is however a few sound examples on Native's website and the efx don't seem to sound half bad, very digital without any "true" character or feeling at all but what can you expect.  If they are anything like the on board effects in Traktor Pro be careful because it is very easy to over do it with these, hopefully this next sentence sums that warning up for you.  Long story short, the efx can be very unique, but, if you push them to hard this uniqueness turns to sound poo, bottom line.  And although while in your studio you won't be in a live situation it's just a good thing to keep in mind so you don't feel discouraged when you are going crazy hard to the walls and end up with sound poo.  The Traktor Pro Gate will always sound dope though, just don't over do the "noise" knob.

Beyond that there isn't too much to say about Traktor's 12.  It's just a bunch of DJ effects from Traktor that now work inside of your DAW for use with productions.  No more bouncing stems from your productions out and loading them into Traktor to re-record them using Traktor's efx.  They can now all be neatly stored in your DAW's Plugin Menu, for more information on Traktor's 12 visit Native Instruments Website.

Here's a quick little video showing what the efx in Traktor's 12 can do:

ZeSoundSuite Finally Has a Facebook!

So, I finally got the Facebook page up and running.  I've included a "band page" tab at the facebook page that allows you to listen to some of the tracks I've mastered lately as well as view my blog feed directly from facebook.  Go check it out and give it a like! Thanks in advanced!

ZeSoundSuite on Facebook! 

Sound Design Profile for Inception Feat: Sound Designer Richard King, Mixers: Lora Hirschberg & Gary Rizzo

"Inception" Sound for Film Profile from Michael Coleman on Vimeo.
A Producer/Engineer/DJ friend of mine by the name of Craig Williams sent me a link to watch a video last night.  He didn't tell me what it was, he only mentioned that it was a really neat video and I should take a look.  When I opened it, I was immediately intrigued after reading the title.  I still haven't seen Inception but I know it had a multi-million dollar budget behind it which translates to dope sound design!  This is a little video showing you how they created, manipulated, recorded, placed all the sounds that make up the film.  It's extremely interesting and if you like film or audio this video is right up your alley.  It's extremely revealing and you get an idea for the amount of work put in by these engineers to help make some of your favorite movies truly amazing. Check it out!

How To: Properly Wind & Store Cables (XLR, DMX, INST, Speakon, Power) The Over Under Method

I still remember when I was properly taught how to wind cables.  My instructor was acting as if it was the most important thing in the world.  I remember thinking that it was no doubt important but certainly didn't think it was as crucial as he was making it out to be.  I couldn't of been more wrong...  Knowing how to properly wrap cables is one of the most important things you can know as an engineer, musician, DJ, producer whatever.  Not only will it prolong the life and sustain the sound quality the cable is capable of delivering but you also won't look like an inexperienced idiot when a real professional has his eyes on you for whatever reason.  You never know who's watching you setup and tear down your gigs.  Act like an amateur and you'll be treated like one.  Act like a pro and in turn you will be treated like a pro.  In short, know how to properly wrap and store your cables.  You'll save yourself some money and avoid potentially loosing an opportunity because you didn't take the time to learn a crucial part of the audio industry. (as crazy as this sound it is indeed true)

The two most common ways I see people wrapping up cables is either by wrapping them around their elbow (very bad) or by holding the cable in their hand and looping it around and around with their dominant hand. (less bad, but still no bueno)  The problem with both of these methods is that they introduce continuous twists into the cable.  Cables have a shielding that is usually a mesh screen to protect from interference.   If you're constantly introducing twists you begin to wear down this shield that works to prevent electrical interference from entering your signal path. Once you've destroyed the shield it can't be fixed you need to replace the cable.  If you have any cables that will no longer stretch out flat on their own these cables have been ruined by subjecting the wire to too many twists for too long of period.  The metal shield is no permanently twisted, in turn causing the cable to be twisted.  Not to mention wrapping the cables in either of these manners leads to a massive pain in the ass when you're un-winding them.  If you're currently making this mistake correct it now, it's never too late to start doing something the right way.

Here is the correct way to wrap & store your cables, it's known as the over under method. Since I assume this will be hard to explain in words I'll include a video demonstrating this process as well.  Start by holding one end of the cable in your submissive hand with the connector facing you. Use your dominant hand to grab a section of cable then make one normal loop back up to your submissive hand.  Next, grab the same length of cable with your dominant hand again; This time though make a loop twisting the cable in an inverted direction while bringing it back to meet up with your submissive hand holding the loop.  Follow this with a regular loop and then another inverted loop repeating this process until the cable is rolled up.  Basically remember to twist one way and the other and you'll be ok.  This way you introduce a twist followed by an inverted twist thereby making the net twists on the entire length of cable 0.  Not only does this extend the life of your cable to almost forever, when you un-roll it, it will just spread out without any tangles or kinks on it's own. This saves time during setup which is always crucial.  I know this sounds confusing but this video (as cheesy as it is) should help you to understand the concept.  Just don't tie a knot in it like he did, buy cable ties. It seems hard and even awkward at first but after some practice it just becomes second nature.  Once you get it you can use this method to wrap up just about anything!

Who Says Distortion Can't Be Beautiful! knøx - mummy (original mix) Mastered @ ZeSoundSuite

I've got a really great track I had the pleasure of working on for you guys today.  When I first heard it I was beyond stoked to get cracking on it because it possessed quite a unique and diverse sonic character.  Unfortunately it took me a bit to get it as I was swamped with other ongoing projects.  When I finally sat down to work and gave the song a few listens I immediately thought and focused on three things.  First and foremost make that kick as mau5 like as possible.  Say what you want about the mau5 his kick is perfect! (Thanks in part to the SSL Stereo Bus Compressor)  Secondly, I knew I had to push the low to mid range pretty hard to bring out the grit that was such a prevalent sound in the track.  Finally I had to sculpt and bump the highs up just enough to bring out all the grimy noise whilst still keeping the epic progressive synth leads in check.  I also added quite a bit of character and extra noise with the URS Saturation plug-in and Digidesign's Reel Tape Saturation plug-in @ 15ips.  Long story short I made the adjustments I saw fitting; EQ, Compression, M/S Processing and preapred the track for limiting.  I knew this had to be loud to sound good, it's just one of those songs that without a lot of amplitude would loose a lot of it's meaning and purpose.  I pushed the L316 hard to the paint and made some final release time adjustments to keep the harmonics relatively in tact.  The result is what you're about to hear, all in all it came out great and still has a lot of the original dynamics despite it's loudness.  The kick is beautiful, the  low-mid range grit grabs your soul and the highs are perfectly balanced keeping the progressive synths bright and comfortable while showcasing just enough of the added noise to bring the whole track together.  Give it a listen, it's beyond a sonic experience!
knøx - mummy (original mix) by knøx

The Only Software EQ You'll Ever Need: DMG Audio EQuality EQ

So I am most certainly a fan and avid user of the Sonnox Oxford EQ plug-in.  Maybe I got sucked in by the hype... who knows, all I know is that I just discovered the God EQ.  I was doing some stumbling over at the GearSlutz Forum (The place I learn basically everything) when I noticed more than a few engineers were hyping a plug-in I'd never heard of as if it were Higgs Boson.  They were specifically saying that it made their Sonnox Oxford EQ sound like garbage.

I admit at first I thought... nooo, what??? That's my baby... no... it can't suck.  Needless to say I had to download the demo of this EQuality EQ from DMG Audio they were all speaking so highly of.  That way I could A/B it and the Oxford side by side to settle this battle.  I loaded up two identical tracks one with Oxford & the other with EQuality.  Before I even made any adjusts what so ever with both eq's flat, just having EQuality on and in the signal path made it's track sound better. (nice, even slight low end bump mainly, right around 70-130hz)  This might bother some, but if you're working with bass driven material this little bit of initial character will do wonders to your music.  I was immediately intrigued so I started tweaking each and it wasn't even a contest.  EQuality is far superior and much clearer the the Oxford EQ and a lot of other EQ's I've ever used for that matter. It maintains a level of clarity that I've never heard, and Sonnox can't match, while still adding a tad bit of it's own character to your material.  There is a feature that allows you the ability to switch digital processing options.  Basically meaning this EQ can be as a precise and clear mastering tool and also act as a sonically rich warm character driven analog EQ.   The GUI is understated, pleasant and quite functional when you're in the mix with it.  Some large multi-band EQ's can look quite daunting and almost scary when they're first opened.

EQuality doesn't scare you, instead she greets you with her warmth and supple bosom.  I can't show you how much better it is, you'll have to see for yourself.  Download a demo copy of EQuality from DMG Audio's website and put it up against your favorite EQ.  See how things turn out, you just might have a new special lady in the plug-in menu.  I haven't had the time to fully investigate this beast but I will, you can count on that. I think I'll even do a EQ Tutorial/EQuality Tutorial video to go with a more detailed review.  There is a host of features that will come in quite handy whether your mixing, recording, or mastering so I think this would be a useful video tutorial for the production/engineering world.  I'll get to know this EQ and get back to all of you with a full review and rundown of EQuality.  A full license of EQuality Retails for: $149.00 and is available at DMG Audio's Website.

Allen & Heath Xone DX ZeSoundSuite Review!

A couple weeks ago I was lucky enough to have an Allen & Heath Xone DX in my possession.  Naturally I knew I'd be writing a little review up on it so I tried to master the controller as best as possible in the short time I had it.  I used the Xone DX with Traktor Pro because to be honest Serato's Itch is just not appealing to me whatsoever.  Itch's GUI just instantly turns me off to it.  I don't care what anyone says, a solid looking pleasant GUI is beyond important.  Serato is for Turn Table DJ's not Controller DJ's.  GUI stands for graphical user interface by the way, it's essentially just a fancy & nerdy way of describing how the software looks on your screen.  Enough of talking about the crumby bundled software, lets get down to the grit.  

Allen & Heath created a special .tsi file for Traktor (4 different mappings to be exact) that allows the Xone DX to be instantly MIDI mapped to Traktor without any fuss.  Once the Xone DX .tsi file is loaded you literally don't have to touch your computer again.  The browsing section controls located on the Xone DX is fantastic and makes selecting and loading songs from your library a breeze, all without ever having to touch your track pad.  Keep in mind the Xone DX was not built in collaboration with Native Instruments.  Allen & Heath just did the MIDI mapping perfectly and certainly had Traktor Pro in mind when they designed and built the Xone DX.

I'll keep this review as short as possible whilst still remaining concise, I'll explain to you all what I really liked about the Xone DX and also the features I think they could improve on.  Let's start with the sweet stuff first though, this should also tell you right off the bat my overall impression of the Xone DX.  My favorite feature hands down is the build quality, this thing is built like a tank! Not much to say about this to be truthful, it's no secret the DJ MIDI Controller market is flooded with a bunch of garbage that feels like a playschool speak & spell.  Allen & Heath left this idea in the dust when they built the Xone DX.

The knobs feel absolutely beautiful and you would swear you're touching an actual analog mixer.  The faders are equally as sweet, they're smooth yet feel quite solid.  You don't have to worry about breaking these beasts while slamming tracks together they can surely handle it.  They didn't build a pitch fader into the DX, instead you control pitch with a click able knob.  I'm sure this will no doubt turn some DJ's off but if you want to be smashing 4 tracks at once together you're not beat matching anyway.  Let's all be honest, the audience has no idea and you can give them 50 times the show if you're using an auto sync feature.  Not to say beat matching isn't an important skill and art, it's just that it's the future now and using auto sync to create a more interesting set will take over.  I could still be using a rotary telephone because it's "classic" but, I don't.  Allen & Heath definitely thought about this when they built the DX and it's quite evident seeing as how the DX lacks pitch faders.

The 4 decks can be independtly controlled with a simple button that allows you to switch between two decks for each side of the DX.  I had decks 1 & 3 on the left side and decks 2 & 4 on the right, the different MIDI maps Allen & Heath created allow you to set this up in any way you'd like however.  Another feature I was really pleased with were the cue buttons.  I honestly wish there was more of them, they bounce back fantastically and make bumping between cues to create cool jumps and loops inside of tracks incredibly easy.  This is a great feature and allows you to unlock all kinds of creativity you didn't knew you had inside of you.  It's a controller so as expected, the XD doesn't have nice & solid large jog wheels.  But, neither does it's big brother the 4D, and the 4D is good enough for the biggest names in EDM Production & DJing so... yeah, you could say they most likely get the job done regardless. The next thing I'll touch on are the 2 groups of 4 effect knobs located at the top of the DX.  The first 3 knobs are all fantastic, the 4th knob is another click-able knob and while it is very useful for selecting and browsing between effects, it doubles as the 4th MIDI knob for Traktor's EFX section and it's a tad difficult to turn quickly and efficiently unlike the first 3 knobs are.  If you're familiar with Traktor you'll know this 4th knob is beyond important in the control and sync of your effects.  I wish they would've added a 5th knob that was click able for browsing and left the 4 you turn for your effects all the same.

Lets talk about looping... Allen & Heath nailed it! The looping creation and selection section on the Xone DX is beyond fantastic.  Creating your loops is painless and you can do it manually In/Out old school style or select a bar length and just turn the loop on & off with a single button.  Loop length can then be adjusted with a knob which makes creating those epic breakdowns building up to 1/16th tripping loops quite simple.  The looping section is yet another very usable and practical feature on the DX.

Alright so we know it feels great, we know the features make operating Traktor a breeze.  But.... How does it sound?  Well seeing as how that's pretty much all I care about you can be assured you're about to have an answer to that question in a few sentences.  Before I tell you I'll explain the interface on the back of the DX.  The DX sports a 10in/10out, 24bit/96kbps audio interface with your main outs being fed by XLR of RCA.  This is all fed via USB 2.0 from your computer.  If you buy one of these, be sure to spend a little extra money on a high quality USB 2.0 cable.  The DX will be sending a tremendous amount of audio plus MIDI info down the same pipe between itself and your computer.  Get a good cable to ensure audio quality is maintained from the beginning of your signal flow. (Your computer's USB O/P)  All of the inputs on the DX are RCA and so are the other outputs.  You do however have a mic preamp built into the front of the DX however that allows to connect any dynamic mic for yourself or your emcee.  This input also features a high freq. & low freq. EQ so you can dial back any unwanted frequencies that might be causing feedback.  It's always a good idea to just kill the highs & lows when you're talking through a mic while DJing anyways just to prevent the possibility of some nasty vibe killing feedback destroying your audiences ears.  That's all cool in all but... How does it sound??? IT SOUNDS FANTASTIC!  Unfortunately I didn't have a nice Pioneer or Dennon mixer to compare it to but I did have my M-Box (this contest wasn't even fair) The DX crushed the M-box on both my studio monitors and my Mackie SRM 450.  When I played a show with it through a system with some low end I was more than impressed.  Bass response was beyond thick and the highs were nice and sparkly without being ear piercing. (especially important if you're a heavy filter fan)  I'll put it this way... I'm not sure if it sounds as good as a Pioneer of even a Xone 4D sound wise but, it sure smashes any other controller's soundcards into the ground.  This actually has that analog mixer vibe in the sound, that's something that is honestly priceless in a controller.

So that pretty much sums it up without explaining every feature in detail, if you're really interested in buying one you should do that research on your own anyways, don't take my word for it.  Before I let you all go do your own digging I will tell you some of things I think Allen & Heath could improve on.  First off, yes the glitch you've seen in youtube videos is true.  If you tap in between the play & cue buttons the controller will sometimes send a midi message to computer activating the play/pause button.  It should be noted that it usually takes a pretty hard tap though.  This could still be  a problem though especially when playing on massive systems as the low end from these could also aggravate and create this pause glitch in the middle of your set.  Hopefully Allen & Heath will address this issue and fix it quickly.  Secondly it's a little small, my hands are fat but I feel like the size is still a bit of an issue. I understand them wanting it to be compact but if it had an extra 6 to 12 inches of width this this would be perfect size wise. (insert dick joke here)  Finally my last bit of advice to Allen & Heath regards the mixer section of the controller.  They should strip all the MIDI functionality of these and make it a true analog mixer.  That way your DJ software would run more smoothly not having to function as a mixer & EQ plus you'd have true analog faders & knobs creating what would truly be the dopest DJ Controller/Mixer hybrid on the planet.

Overall though I give the Allen & Heath Xone DX 3.5 out of 5 stars.  It could have a 4 if they fix that tap glitch and the only reason it can never get a 5 is because the Allen & Heath Xone 4D is the only true 5 star beast.  The Xone DX is hands down the best MIDI DJ Controller/Interface available on the market for the price.  It can't be beat!  Don't waste your time & money with Numark garbage, save your money and buy a DX.  You'll thank me later.  It feels like a real analog mixer, sounds like a analog mixer and controls DJ software with the greatest of ease.  Allen & Heath smashed it when they built the DX and I can't wait to see what the future holds for the DJ MIDI Controller market. 

 

Robotic Pirate Monkey Debut EP: Disturbing Pleasant Streets! Mastered @ ZeSoundSuite

Below you'll find a link to a blog post from ThisSongIsSick.com featuring the new Robotic Pirate Monkey EP.  I mastered the entire album and have to admit that I had a fucking blast doing it.  No doubt this will remain a memorable moment in my career as it was really the first full length album I've ever mastered from beginning to end.  The first CD I burned of the EP to check in my car is currently hanging on my wall if that gives you an idea of how important this craft really is to me.

It was honestly quite the challenge balancing all the intense heavy sounds that is RPM but all in all I'm very pleased with the result and feel it represents Robotic Pirate Monkey's character and style, as well as my own personal sound I like to create during the mastering process.  Crisp & bright, present yet spread out highs with a massive detailed low end and a mid range full of so much grit you'd swear you needed a shower after hearing it.

Six of the ten tracks I ran through a Neve V3 to pick up on the dark sonic qualities that console is famous for.  I pushed the preamps fairly hard and left the sends to the Pro Tools HD system relatively low to grab some of the natural compression that's impossible to replicate without a large format console.  You can do this with any large format console by driving the preamp's relatively hard while leaving the faders (sends to tape) at a lower amplitude.  Try it out next time you get your hands on a large format desk.

After the work on the Neve was finished up everything was sculpted at 24bit/96kbps on my Pro Tools LE system with the aid of software plug-ins & DSP from: Solid State Logic, Waves, Sonnox & URS.  Solid State Logic's Duende & it's plug-ins (Bus Compressor, Channel Strip, X-EQ) played a massive role in mastering this album and without them I'm almost certain the final product would've been much less impressive.  Equally important was the Oxford EQ & Filters from Sonnox.  This is an old school software EQ that's still in use by many of the major studios in the world today.  Just use it, you'll understand why it's so popular and sought after.  Finally I slapped Wave's L316 Limiter over all the tracks to get them up to their final volume level whilst still having the multi-band control to maintain the original dynamics.  Beyond that was the final dither process to get the album to 16bit/44.1kbps and ready to be converted to mp3's for distribution.  That pretty much sums up two weeks worth of work in a couple paragraphs as best as I can. :) 

Honestly though, that's a fairly good general explanation of how I mastered the EP, hopefully it will give some of you at least a little idea of what the mastering process involves and how I went about finalizing Disturbing Pleasant Streets.  Be sure to support Robotic Pirate Monkey & Join their Facbook Page.  

Link to Download Robotic Pirate Monkey's Disturbing Pleasant Streets EP

Livid Instrument Ohm64 & Native Instrument's Traktor Pro. Together at last!

It's no secret I kind of love Traktor Pro. Maybe it's just my unhealthy obsession with the gate effect. Whatever it is, it doesn't really matter, Traktor Pro is the best computer DJ software out there. Eat your heart out Serato (Pitch n' Time is real cool though) It's also no secret I have a thing for Livid Instruments and what they've created over in Texas. Livid designed a custom .tks file for Traktor Pro that's specifically designed to work with their beautifully designed and built Ohm64. Livid's midi map has control over all 4 decks and parameters inside of Traktor Pro. While this is still just a beta release of the .tks, the video below makes it pretty clear that the Ohm64 tears up Traktor Pro with ease. If you own Traktor and were looking for a unique and rugged way to get hands on with it check out Livid's Ohm64! Below is a video showing in detail this marriage of madness between NI's Traktor & the Ohm64 from the guys over at Livid.


Traktor Pro and Livid Ohm64 from Livid Instruments on Vimeo.
This video explains the MIDI mapping scheme developed for Native Instruments Traktor Pro DJ Software. This provides complete control over Traktor's features, including Browser navigation, loops, cues, sync, bpm, preview and headphone cue, mixing, effects, and EQ. Here's some more info: http://blog.lividinstruments.com/2010/04/28/ohm64-and-native-instruments-traktor-dj-heaven/

The Future of Music Production??? Feeltune's Rhizome

So there isn't much info on the Rhizome yet, I just saw it in Sound on Sound and thought I would at least write up a little bit on it and include some links for you guys to check it out and salivate over.  So... What is this crazy looking beast you're drooling over? Well... it's a computer, it's a controller, and it's also a groove machine.  The Rhizome features a built in computer with a specially designed version of the Windows XP operating system and plenty of hardware to run any vst's you might want to throw at it.  There is actually 3 models to choose from, each one more or less powerful than the other.  The Rhizome features 3 screens which can be used to view parameters regarding any number of things that you'd like to control with the Rhizome including all their native software.  An external monitor can also be connected when you need some more screen real estate to run 3rd party VST's.  The Rhizome has it's own audio interface with two inputs and eight outputs.  On board software includes a 64 channel, 8 bus digital mixer.  Each channel has a built in EQ & Compressor and can also host up to 3 VST's.  The Rhizome sports two built in samplers; One is your typical drum sampler and the other is a more advanced customizable sampler for creating sounds more your own.  The plug-ins are too numerous to mention but are worth checking out at their website.  More info on this machine will surely be available once the unit starts shipping to users in October.  Keep your eyes peeled for the release of Feeltune's Rhizome.

Here's the official video featuring the Rhizome from Feeltune:

If You Don't Know, Now You Know... Black Lion Audio 003R Modification

There's no doubt there is quite a price gap between Pro Tools LE & Pro Tools HD. There's also no doubt you have access to far greater sonic potential using HD but, affording a true Pro Tools HD TDM based system can be quite costly. While Pro Tools LE doesn't have TDM capabilities it is still quite capable of recording, mixing down & mastering a professional sounding album if you have the right tools. That's where the Black Lion Audio 003R Mod comes in. This blog is for my bedroom audio geeks, the people in their rooms grinding hard... Black Lion Audio modded the 003R for all you so you don't have to spend 10 grand on an HD System... Get yourself a modded 003R from Black Lion Audio and the world will have absolutely no idea you don't have some big bad mean and nasty HD system sitting in your room. I could spend a few paragraphs documenting posts from GearSlutz and Info from Black Lion or I could just copy and paste this statement from Matt Newport the owner of Black Lion Audio.

"We have a customer in Milwaukee that did some tracking for a major label R&B release. The label paired him with a multi-million dollar facility in Reno, Nevada to handle mix-down. When the mix-down studio guys heard the tracks, they were so impressed that they asked our customer about his recording setup. He told them what he was using but they refused to believe him. The owner of the studio actually flew to Milwaukee just to see our customer's setup: one of our Signature Series 003R's and two of our Auteur preamps. He was furious when he saw it, because he said it sounded as good as his million dollar system yet it cost so much less. I think that says a lot about not only the state of our industry, but also about what we're doing as a company. The large amount of expense required to operate a large facility like that is becoming less and less feasible."

I think that pretty much sums up the reason why I started this blog all in one short paragraph from someone who has no idea this place even exists. Major studios can't afford to keep their doors open anymore. Especially, when it's evident YOU or I with a little practice, training & some Black Lion gear can scare the living crap out of a guy who owns a multi-million dollar studio. You can have the same sound the pro's do all from the comfort of your home and in the end, not subject your productions to the ideals of someone else who pays a lot of money for you to have that same sound in a professional studio. If you record anything, anything at all into your Pro Tools LE setup (or any native DAW for that matter) there is no doubt in my mind that a Modded 003R from Black Lion Audio has to be your next purchase. Mine will be, this is no joke and I can't wait! Imagine recording your analog synths into Pro Tools and actually getting a nice digital audio representation of it. That would be nice. (day dreaming....) I haven't heard of an m-box or a standard 003 doing that yet. Fact is the digi hardware is crap... even the HD stuff... (I just said that) Let Black Lion Audio give your work the sonic touch you thought was a $100,000,000 record contract away! Be sure to read all of the 003R upgrade page at Black Lion, they do a fantastic job of explaining all the stock elements of the 003R and how they improve them. It's a good learning experience for those not familiar with a 003R as well as an excellent promotional tool for their fantastic product. Support companies like Black Lion Audio, companies that genuinely care about their product and their customers!

Black Lion Audio on the Web:

Website

Facebook