"Free Orchestral Samples" no doubt got your attention and likely brought you here so I'll keep this short and to the point. Universal Publishing Production Music composers Martin Joustra and Andy Blythe have created an awesome sampling tool kit designed for the media industry and beginners alike.
Whether you create orchestral scores, wild trap jams or bleeps in bloops in Fruity Loops you can easily and quickly drag and drop high quality 48k WAV samples into your productions with ease. There are 50 songs split into 3000 different cue points that are all in the same key, using the placement system provided nearly all 3000 cues are interchangeable with one another. In simple speak this means little musical knowledge is needed to create something you can call your own.
Registration is free and required to download the toolkit but I'd say trading your email for something like this is more than a fair shake. For more information on the music production toolkit check out the website linked below!
I'm not really a Reason guy but the software carries a lot of weight with some producers and it seems to be the first step for many people entering the DAW world. Taking this into account it seems a post here is especially necessary. Propellerhead has made some additions to the Reason platform that should help it to regain some footing in the production DAW market. A market which is rapidly being consumed by Propellerhead's formidable competitor known as Ableton.
So you're a producer? You've got lot's of great ideas in your head and your ability to play and create music has become a passion but these DAW things and this idea of mixing, sampling and synthesis on a computer are going way over your head. Worry not, there is a solution... Learn by doing, and you can work along with a seasoned producer and audio engineer by the name of Craig Williams. Craig has recently released a set of free you tube video tutorials that cover the various parts of one of his bootleg remixes featuring The Prodigy's Voodoo People.
The ELB Distressor from Empirical Labs is probably the most recognizable and consistent piece of gear you'll ever see in any music production studio. If you look at videos or pictures of professional dance music producer's studio you'll see at least one EL-8 and most of the time you'll see two!
Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor is an analog compressor that integrates digital control over separate analog circuits. This design gives the user total flexibility and makes the Distressor one of the most versatile compressors out there. The Distressor is really a handful of units all rolled up into one single rack space unit. Even without any compression applied there is a treasure trove of harmonic tricks & character you can apply to your material using the various harmonic/distortion modes built into the Distressor. Most of these modes model vintage sounding gear that today would cost you an arm and a leg to afford. (more on this at the end of the article)
The Distressor offers 8 different compression ratios from a subtle 1:1 ratio to Empirical Lab's "Nuke" setting (200:1) These ratio's aren't selected with a knob like on most compressors, you use a switch, this switch digitally engages different analog circuits based on your chosen compression ratio. Thus giving each compression curve it's own personality and release character. The more subtle curves add just the right amount of low order harmonics while the intense ratios provide the user bright and shiny sound characteristics perfect for livening up drum groups or room mics. The most sought after curve the Distressor possesses is no doubt the 10:1 "opto" curve. In this setting the analog circuits are switched to a different set designed to emulate the famous opto LA2A of yesteryear from Universal Audio. Professionals will tell you that the Distressor's "opto" mode sounds a bit harsher than the LA2A but, they will also tell you the Distressor does a damn good job of emulating on of the finest compressors ever built.
Another very handy feature of the Distressor is it's "fool proof" operation, you don't have to be an compression master for this beast to help your work. According to Empirical labs if you leave the knobs towards the middle and the ratio set around 6:1 you can't really go wrong. The large knobs with high resolution numbering in small steps makes it very easy to adjust settings, furthermore this feature makes recalling previous settings when coming into the studio with fresh ears in the morning a breeze.
The last feature I'll touch on is the Distressor's three harmonic/distortion modes. The first two modes; Clean & Distort 2 are designed to add warm 2nd order harmonics similar to the sound achieved when using classic tube gear. The third mode; Distort 3 provides 3rd order harmonic distortion much like the warmth & sound achieved when using an analog tape machine.
The Distressor isn't built cheap, it's built like a tank and housed in solid and sturdy vent-less single rack unit. The components are all top quality and most are military grade. You don't hear of Distressors breaking down too often because they have been designed and built with an immense amount of care. The power supplies are designed to run cool and all the components were selected in part because of their long life. Rest assured, you're investment is quite safe when you purchase a Distressor, no need to worry about quality issues with any of Empirical Lab's gear. If you ever do have an issue they will surely get it resolved for you as quickly as possible. The people behind Empirical Labs are passionate about audio and this shows in their products and services.
Fact is, I could go on about the Distressor for days, like I said in the introduction to this article, you will be hard pressed to find a professional production studio without at least one Distressor. I feel like I've said enough for you to get the basic idea though. The EL-8 Distressor is an extremely versatile and flexible piece of gear perfect for almost any tracking or mixing situation. If you're making music completely inside of the box and looking for something to add a little magic to the brittle and linear sound of digital music get yourself a Distressor. It is one of the most unique sounding and multifaceted pieces of professional audio gear you can buy without spending 6 months salary. To learn more about the Distressor check out Empirical Labs website and scope the video featuring the founder of Empirical Labs!
PS: All of Empirical Labs gear is currently 15% off to celebrate their 15 years in the audio industry.
I first saw this little beast on Livid's facebook page, the product has since been made more famous, post its appearance in Sweedish House Mafia's video for One. You know that madness in the beginning of the song? That's all from the OP-1. You're intrigued now, might as well keep reading.
The OP-1 is a portable synthesizer that also features MIDI & Teenage Engineering's exclusive "tape" feature. Inside is multiple types of synthesis (8 to be precise) including a form of analog emulation for you tone lovers. Most of you are used to controlling synthesis through the basic ADSR (Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release) envelope which is obviously built in to the OP-1. But, the OP-1 also features other types of envelope forms giving you even more control and customization over the sounds you create on the OP-1. Add to this a built in sequencer and sampler for creating drum loops and small samples of program info. The synthesis and drum sampler are all cool enough but, that isn't really what sets the OP-1 apart.
What does make it quite unique is the OP-1's "tape" emulation function. With this little tool you can record and manipulate sounds you've created to the tape function (HD) in real time. It's a 4 track tape recorder that's capable of capturing sound from the built in synth/sampler or from the inputs available with the OP-1's audio interface. A tape machine can in fact be a very cool sounding instrument. The first time I hit play on a 24 track I instantly re-wound the tape to record the sound of the tape starting up. It's truly an epic sound and while the OP-1 obviously isn't a Studer, it does it's best to emulate the effects of one. There are a ton of unique sounds you can concoct using the tape feature that will surely set your music apart from the masses. There's a small built in mixer so you can easily blend the sounds between the 4 tracks you've built up while jamming on top of the OP-1. The OP-1 connects to your computer via USB and shows up as a storage device. This allows you to easily pull material you've created onto the OP-1 right into your DAW for mixing and placement into your songs. The USB functionality also enables the OP-1 to act as a basic MIDI controller.
The built in audio interface features in's & out's via 3.5mm jacks @ 24bits & 96kbps. The OP-1 also has a small built in speaker so you can jam anywhere, did I mention the unit can be battery powered. Another neat feature of the OP-1 is it's G-Force motion sensor. This allows the user to shake or move the OP-1 complete with an effected audio response from the OP-1. Shake this beast and the sound will in turn shake as well! There is even rumors from Teenage Engineering that you will be able to connect multiple OP-1's for jamming with your friends without wires. That's what I just said, wireless digital jam sessions! The OP-1 might be worth buying just to keep in your glove box for long road trips with people like me who don't shut the hell up.
The OP-1 has gotten incredibly fantastic reviews from the audio world and if it's good enough for Sweedish House Mafia it's certainly good enough for all of us! You can't buy the OP-1 yet but as soon as you can I'll surely let you all know via ZeSoundSuite! Check out the video below of the OP-1 in action and for more information on the OP-1 & the company behind it; Teenage Engineering be sure to check out their webstie!
If you guys remember I did a post on Nick and his Ableton tutorial's site aptly named NicksTutorials.com back in March. His tutorials aren't your average run of the mill tutorials, all of them (even the free ones) do a fantastic job of digging deeply into Ableton Live and getting down to the nitty girtty, covering areas of the program other tutorial makers often neglect. All of his tutorials avoid useless info and when you hit play on any of Nick's videos you're off and learning within 10 seconds. This one isn't quite as in depth as some of the other videos he's made but it's still incredibly important. Automation has the ability to transform a lifeless track into a track with; varying dynamics, structure, and stereo spread if it's used correctly. In this quick tutorial from Nick on Ableton Automation, Nick goes over; Drawing, Recording, & Editing Automation. As with all of Nick's Tutorials this one gets right down to the "need to know" info right off the bat. This is certainly on the basic side of his tutorials but I'm willing to bet even you Ableton Savages might learn something new, he goes over lots of shortcuts that can save everyone a lot of time when working with automation. Check out the automation tutorial from Nick right here and be sure to visit his homepage at NicksTutorials.com to investigate everything else this Ableton Guru has to offer!
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.
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:
First and foremost I'd like to apologize for the stagnation of posts as of late. There was way too much on my plate and I was simultaneously hit with some personal issues I had to figure out. I had to do some major prioritizing with a very important new job as well as new mixing & mastering clients. Ze Sound Suite is in its infancy so unfortunately it got pushed to the back burner while I got all these other responsibilities under control. I really love teaching and love sound even more, creating this blog is a dream that has manifested itself into reality no matter how small it is. Hopefully one day with your help Ze Sound Suite will become my one and only priority, for now though, I have to balance my work with my hobbies, Now... lets get to why you're all here. To get some geek flowing!
No... Not me, another person sharing this amazing name with me has created quite the resource for all of you Ableton geeks. Nick's Tutorials is the online world of Nick Maxwell's Ableton tutorials. Nick set out to fill the gap left by most popular tutorial videos. He saw that everything available to consumers was relatively similar and decided to start creating Ableton tutorial videos that focus on much more than just the standard basics. Nick works as a sound designer and composer who's here to help all of you to create that sound your looking for in your productions.
I discovered Nick's Tutorials while randomly geeking out and doing some searching for new things to learn. I sent him an email requesting a little bit of information about himself and his website. He was more than helpful and I really appreciate it. So in recognition of him taking the time to chat with me, show him some love by reading this post and then giving Mr. Maxwell a visit at his website dedicated to enhancing the Ableton experience for thousands of users around the world!
At Nick's Tutorials there is a wealth of video tutorials on Ableton. Most of them are free but a few subjects are available for purchase. These dive deeply into the hidden potentials of Ableton and what it truly has to offer. Take a minute and check all 4 of these tutorial videos out. You might learn something new and that my friends, is the point of it all. Below is a breakdown of what Nick's tutorials has to offer you. Nick provides video clips from the series so you can see what you're getting yourself into before you drop the cheese. Keep in mind that this series of tutorials will surely demystify Ableton but, they also give you the basic knowledge you need to take your skills onto other programs and instruments.
Nick's Ableton Live Tutorials
Sound Design in Ableton Live: Analog: This 3 hour and 40 minute tutorial video aims to answer all of your sound synthesis questions as well as serve as an in depth guide into Ableton's most powerful instrument; Analog. In addition to being introduced to the world of subtractive synthesis and Analog the video also comes with ready made instrument rack presets. Now you've got all the sounds you will learn to create before you even start the video. From nicktutorials.com; "Unlike a lot of other tutorials, these videos explain each decision in the sound design process rather than simply moving forward and assuming that you know exactly what's going on. This is not a "paint by numbers" tutorial series but rather an attempt to empower you to do this stuff on your own. I invite you to join me for a few hours and learn the amazing sonic potential of Analog!"
Sound Design in Ableton Live: Operator: This tutorial covers the world of FM synthesis and Ableton's own Operator FM Synthesizer. Nick's aiming to change the game of FM synthesis instruction, offering a practical and simple approach to exploring the world of FM Synthesis while giving you the knowledge you need to master Ableton's Operator. Nick's goal in this tutorial isn't to show you how to create specific sounds. Instead, he offers an application based approach that instructs from basic to advanced to get you on the path of creating your own sounds. The information in this tutorial will be applicable for your entire life of production and you will find yourself using the knowledge from it in multiple scenarios far beyond the world of Ableton and Operator.
Sound Design in Ableton Live: Sampling Tools: Anyone can download a sample library full of hard hitting loops and catchy leads. If you're looking to take someone's work and use it as the bulk of "your own" productions, stop reading right now. However, if you're looking to create your own sonic space and unique sound for your listener then you might want to take a look at this tutorial series. This tutorial delves deep into the realm of taking normal sounds and turning them into something quite unique and your own. Here's a breakdown from nickstutorials.com highlighting just a few of the things you will learn in this series of tutorials.
-FIND out how to transform tiny, insignificant sounds into powerful drum hits through strategic uses of layering, tuning, filtering, and envelope modulation.
-CREATE a pseudo-wavetable synthesizer out of a few tiny chunks of audio. You’ll also learn how to create rich melodic pads and lead sounds.
-DRAMATICALLY alter and improve melodic sounds through slicing and reprocessing.
-UNDERSTAND how to utilize a combination of modulating sampler and effects parameters to create evolving textures and sound beds.
-DEVELOP a clear way of dividing a large number of parameters into small, manageable groups of related sound-shaping tools.
As you can see these tutorials aren't your average beast. With these you defenitly get what you pay for. You could spend years and years combing over live as well as countless books and material on various sound design methods or you could shell out a few ducketts and have a professional who's been working in the industry be your guide to the massive world of Ableton Live. And.... Guess what??? We're not even done yet, there's still one more for me to show you guys!
Sampling & Slicing in Ableton Live: This tutorial explores the world of sampling and editing within Live. Ableton can be used in so many ways and is so massive it's easy to get lost and furthermore, quite overwhelmed. Have no fear though. Once again Nick is going to make this a lot easier on your brains and stress levels. This series explores the side of Ableton needed to create sample based productions (DJ's looking to use live, this is your new beezy) Below is a video clip from the tutorial series as well as a breakdown from Nick's website giving you a little taste of what you will be learning in this set of tutorials!
-HOW to sample audio into Ableton Live for further processing.
-HOW to interface your turntable and other audio hardware with Ableton Live.
-ESSENTIAL techniques for layering samples to create massive, custom-tailored percussive sounds, including the effective use of filter enveloping and compression to thicken your sounds.
-HOW to utilize audio clips in preparation for slicing them up.
-THE controls and feature set of Ableton's included sampling device, Simpler.
-POWERFUL methods for creating a rich, evolving chord from simple melodic stabs.
-THE controls and features of the Drum Rack device, including how to create your own Drum Rack custom presets.
-HOW to create exciting new arrangements from simple loop-playback adjustments.
-EFFICIENT methods for rearranging, modifying, and resampling your work for further processing.
As you can clearly see Nick has created quite the resource for all of you Ableton geeks. This isn't some tutorial series for those wanting to sound the same as everyone else. It's a tutorial series designed to give you the power to create your own sounds. Everyone that uses Ableton is using the same tools, it's how you use them sets you apart from the masses. These tutorials will demystify Ableton for a lot of you and in no time you too will be creating quite the musical expiernce for anyone that listens to your tracks! I also took the time to ask Nick for some information about the future of his website and tutorial ventures. If you think what he has now is great just wait, he let me in on some ideas of his for the future, I'll now pass those onto all of you! "The future definitely holds exciting things in terms of expanding out into other software and instruments. Native Instruments Absynth and Massive have both been in heavy rotation, and Renoise has been inspiring quite a bit as of late, too. I'm also planning an electronic music workflow series where I go through the production of a simple track using sound design techniques from my other series along with teaching people basic mixing and composition." For more information on Nick Maxwell and his Tutorials please visit his website at www.nickstutorials.com
