From Theory to Practicality – Comb Filtering November 22, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Acoustics, Digital Audio Workstations , 4commentsWhat is comb filtering? What does comb filtering do to the audio? What causes comb filtering?
^^These are all things that people involved in audio (from beginners to professionals) should know. This article will discuss comb filtering from theory to practicality. (Including a preview of a MAX program I’m working on that will do all the plotting and calculations for you…) (more…)
H/W Buffers – friend or foe?? November 22, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Digital Audio Workstations, Project Studio, Troubleshooting , add a commentWe’ve all been here:
You are tracking a great band and they are really grooving this take (the best one of the day). Halfway through the song, the sound glitches, recording stops, and the dreaded “H/W BUFFER ERROR” message appears… which is the equivalent of a big middle finger.
What is a H/W buffer (sometimes also called audio buffer)? Why do you need to change it? What’s the difference between a 1024 sample buffer and a 32 sample buffer? How do buffers affect latency? (more…)
Using Automation in DAWs – Part 1 November 20, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Digital Audio Workstations, Project Studio, Studio Setup , 3commentsAutomation is arguably one of the most advantageous features in Digital Audio Workstations (whether it be Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, etc…)
Complete control over ANY parameter of of any channel, plug-in, effect, aux (etc) is an incredible tool. Many of us who started after the days of 2″ machines through big boards (myself included) don’t really have a grasp of what it was like before the days of full automation.
Here are some suggestions on structuring your workflow around automation as well as some commonly used techniques. (more…)
Line 6 GearBox Gold Bundle: First Impressions August 19, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : plugins (plug-ins), Reviews, Studio Setup , 2commentsWell, I jumped for the GearBox Gold Bundle when it dropped to 100$. Originally up near $500+, it seemed like too good of a deal to pass up. I wasn’t completely happy with the Amplitube demos that came with my Pro Tools setup, so this seemed like a safe upgrade. Registering/getting this to work wasn’t the simplest thing in the world, but once that’s done, its a great product.
Video: Automating tempo changes in Pro Tools LE April 23, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Digital Audio Workstations, Pro Tools, Videos , 2commentsThis video will show you how to automate a tempo change in Pro Tools LE. Changing the tempo of your song is very easy to do (and a Logic video coming soon)[ (more…)
Fix for Audio Glitch: GarageBand, Logic & OS 10.4.11 April 22, 2008
Posted by PJ in : Digital Audio Workstations, Digital home recording studios, GarageBand, Troubleshooting, Virtual Instruments , 2commentsAfter recently installing Software update 10.4.11 for OSX, I found that some of my Logic and Garageband software instruments produced a crackling, distorted sound during playback and recording. Audio from other sources (iTunes, Quicktime, etc) seemed to be working fine. Oddly enough, the quickest solution was to turn OFF AirPort while using Logic or GB. I’ve since installed an older version of the AirPort software and after repairing permissions and rebooting – everything seems to be in order. For anyone having similar problems, try the two solutions mentioned above and let us know how things work out. I’ll keep you all posted on an update.
Update: It has been reported on the Apple Support forums (thread here) that the July 2008 Airport update does indeed fix this problem. The update (for OSX Tiger only) can be found here.
PJ
Transferring GarageBand Files into other DAWs (Pro Tools, etc…) April 21, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Digital Audio Workstations, GarageBand, Pro Tools , 45commentsIf you have a session going in GarageBand, and want to transfer to another DAW (like Pro Tools, Digital Performer, Cubase etc…), you can. It’s not as clean as transferring from GarageBand to Logic (since you can just open the file up), but this will work just fine for you. (more…)
Add Nintendo sounds to GarageBand with this free 8-bit Plugin March 31, 2008
Posted by PJ in : Digital home recording studios, GarageBand, plugins (plug-ins), Virtual Instruments , 5comments
If you’ve ever found yourself humming the overworld theme from The Legend of Zelda or have the title track from Battletoads on your iPod, then you should definitely check out the “Magical 8-bit Plug” for GarageBand (or any app that supports AU plugins). (more…)
More Impressions: Acoustica Mixcraft 4 March 24, 2008
Posted by PJ in : Composing, Digital Audio Workstations, GarageBand , 11commentsPJ here and I’m back with more impressions on Acoustica Mixcraft 4 or as we at The Studio Files call it, Garageband for Windows. If you missed it, you can read my first impressions of Mixcraft here. I left off with an introduction of the impressive collection of software instruments included with the program. (more…)
Video: Using Aux Effects Sends in Pro Tools March 24, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : plugins (plug-ins), Pro Tools, Videos , 3commentsThis video is just like the recently posted Logic Pro video, but now in Pro Tools. I show you how to create aux input tracks, and use them with bus sends to apply effects. First, a reverb, then a delay. (more…)
Video: Setting up Aux Effects Sends in Logic Pro March 18, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Logic Studio 8, plugins (plug-ins), Videos , 3commentsThis video will show you how to setup effects sends using aux tracks and buses. I use a sample of my voice and apply reverb and delay using two different busses and aux effects tracks.
Emailing GarageBand Files March 16, 2008
Posted by PJ in : Digital Audio Workstations, GarageBand, Troubleshooting , 65commentsHere’s a helpful hint for anyone wanting to know how to email a GarageBand project. GarageBand files are saved as .band files, but when you try to attach this type of file to an email, the file will be grayed out and you will not be able to select it. The reason this does not work is that .band files are actually saved as folders. So to successfully send a GarageBand file, you would do the same thing you would with a folder – archive it. Simply right click the .band file and select “Create Archive.” This will create a .zip file in the same directory, which can then be attached to an email. That’s it!
Video: Importing and Exporting OMF, AAF files from Logic Pro March 14, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Digital Audio Workstations, Logic Studio 8, Videos , 9commentsThis video will show you how to export an OMF interchange (and an AAF) in Logic Pro. Before I get to OMF/AAF, I show you how to export all tracks as audio files. This is a great function to use if you need to transfer from Logic to Pro Tools (since you can’t import an OMF with Pro Tools until you buy the DV Toolkit). Finally, I show you how to import an OMF in Logic (which is basically the same process as importing an AAF). (more…)
Celemony previews Direct Note Access March 13, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : General Announcements, plugins (plug-ins), Studio Setup , 4commentsWow. Everyone should watch the video link I have posted at the end of this article.
Celemony’s Melodyne plug-in has helped define pitch correction in recent years, but only for monophonic sources. The new Direct Note Access technology lets you manipulate audio from polyphonic sources. Yes, you heard right. Polyphonic audio. Guitar tracks, piano tracks, string quartets, you name it. Where Pro Tools made it possible to edit the timing of audio like MIDI (with the very powerful Elastic Audio), Celemony lets you dissect audio’s pitch like MIDI through Direct Note Access. (more…)
First Impressions: Acoustica Mixcraft 4 March 12, 2008
Posted by PJ in : Digital Audio Workstations, GarageBand, Studio Setup , 1 comment so farPJ here, I am going to give you my first impressions of Acoustica Mixcraft 4 (aka Garageband for Windows)
Acoustica has recently released version 4 of their Mixcraft music creation software. You can download an unlimited 7 day trial of the program here. Once the 46 MB download is finished and installed you will be greeted with the New Project dialog screen: (more…)