Avid has decided to retire the Digidesign name. No big surprise really. Read more here:

http://app.info.avid.com/e/es.aspx?s=774&e=256727&elq=dd1d7786d7f44e6190fb08482dccb87f

In this article I will cover how to use Logic Pro to compose music for film. I’ve been using Logic for over 2 years now and recently I was asked to help write music for a short film.  Naturally my program of choice was Logic (I’m still on version 8 but this article should apply to 9 as well).  So here I would like to share my experience and provide an intro tutorial for working with video in Logic.

First, we need to get the video into Logic. This can be done easily by navigating to Options – Movie – Open Movie.

The video I used was a .mov file (about 4 minutes long) but I’ve also imported just about every other kind of video file into Logic without any issues. After Logic does its thing and imports the video in you will have a small “Movie” window in the upper left corner like so:

When you double click the movie window it will detach from the sidebar and expand for full viewing.  If you’re lucky enough to have a second monitor you can detach and drag this window onto it for a much easier viewing experience.

The next thing I would highly recommend you do is go back to the Options – Movie menu and select Create Scene Marker – Entire Movie. This will create handy scene markers underneath the bar markers.

I found this to be extremely helpful when I wanted to line up crucial hits and cues to the movie.  The scene markers are also displayed in all editing windows such as the Piano Roll, so you can fine tune everything.

Believe it or not that’s pretty much the gist of getting a video into Logic.  It’s an easy process and once I had everything set up in this fashion I found it very intuitive working with the Logic interface on one screen and watching the results on another.

One thing I should note here *** Working with a video in Logic (especially an HD video) was very resource intensive on my February 2008 Macbook Pro with 2GB of RAM.  The final project had about 35 channels and the computer was not able to handle it without frequent playback errors.  So if you are thinking about scoring a feature film you want to make sure you have a lot of RAM and enough processing power to get the job done. ***

Ready to see the results? Here is the final version of the short film Alderwood Ch.2 which was selected as a Top 5 video in a nationwide contest by Canon and Vimeo.  It is now up to voters to select a winner.

Alderwood – Chapter 2 from Kenny Mosher on Vimeo.

If you have a moment please vote for Alderwood Ch.2 by clicking below:
http://vimeo.com/groups/beyondthestill

-PJ

Hey everyone. I checked this out briefly and it looks pretty cool. The design templates integrate your photos with included “Photoshop” effects. It looks like they have lots of customizable options to help you make a unique statement.

Anyone using Bandzoogle?

DS

This is the holy grail for some users, but make sure you do your homework. There is a laundry list of as yet still non-64 bit compatible features:

• Firewire streaming of video
• Digital Cinema Desktop
• AAF import and export
• EuCon control surface support
• Automap of parameters with control surfaces
• OMF import and export
• Conversion to MP3
• Recycle (REX) file support
• ReWire support
• Vienna Symphonic Library Tool
• Logic Node processing
• AKAI format sample import

The Vienna Symphonic Library item is a show stopper for me just yet. But hopefully these third party issues will be resolved in short order. The OMF conversion and ReWire will be a pretty big deal for some folks as well.

Anyway. If you take the plunge, be sure to give us a full report!

Damon
The Studio FIles

…Sometimes it’s just better for the PC users. If anyone wants to try some of these (Antress Modern Plugins) out and give us some feedback, I’ve heard really great things.

Oh, and did I mention that they are FREE!?!

I am in the process of re-deploying my dual core PC to run some sample libraries and Vienna Ensemble Pro, so I could install them with that outboard rig. Check it out and let’s see.

Happy New Year everybody. We’ve got some cool stuff in store for the new decade, so stay tuned!

Damon
The Studio Files

Check it out here:

http://www.pspaudioware.com/

And have a great holiday.

—Damon

This is a short introduction to the different ways to zoom in Pro Tools LE

Those buttons (located at different parts of both the edit and mix window) turn on/off keyboard focus, which is an editing mode that greatly reduces the need for modifier keys (like ctrl, option, and command).  Each editing command is set to a single keystroke.

Try checking out this page for an article explaining keyboard focus

or

Click here for a few more related articles and videos

C

The Studio Files

While this article is aimed at artists and music producers who are passing files to an engineer, these techniques will also make over-the-internet collaborations much easier. AND – these are things that will help a lot even if you are seeing the project through until the end. ?Good session organization is applicable in any recording situation, analog or digital.

(sorry – I have some pictures ready for this article, but the uploader is being uncooperative…)

First things first – before you get started, make sure you have a way to get that Pro Tools, Logic, Cubase (etc.) session over to your engineer. Personally, I really like YouSendIt.com. For a small fee per month, you can send tons and tons of data at a high speed. There are other delivery services out there too, many of which are very good. ?Other options include FTP transfers, or even snail mail. Just make sure you open a line of communication with the person to whom you are giving the project, and find a solution that works for both of you.

OK – now for setting up that DAW file:

1. Label! Label! Label!

A session that has everything labeled makes for a happy engineer. If someone who doesn’t know your song opens up your project and sees a project full of ?”AUDIO 1, AUDIO 2, AUDIO 3…”

…chances are they are going to have to spend precious time figuring out what’s what. But, if you label your tracks (and include notes if possible) your mix engineer will have more time to spend sculpting the musical message. In reality, you shouldn’t have to spend time naming things, because you should be naming your tracks before you record onto them DAWs will assign names to audio regions based on the track name. It’s much more meaningful to have audio files called “Kick1″ and “SnareT1″ as opposed to a folder full of “Audio File 1″.

Markers and other notes in the timeline can help too. For example, if your guitarist really wanted a short, 1-bar solo to stick out, leaving a note/marker that says as much will prevent having to have the engineer tweak and rebounce later.

2. Mixed? Unmixed?

This is something you will want to discuss with the person to whom you are sending the mix. Sometimes, engineers will want to see a rough mix, to get an idea of a general direction. Other times, they would like to see a blank canvas of possibility. Unless you specifically know that the studio will have third-party plug-ins, its usually best to get this type of rough mix going with more generic (“stock”) plug-ins.

In almost all cases, don’t send your mix with any automation moves. Get your rough mix going without automation (as this should be true for any rough mix). The only time this wouldn’t apply is if there is a specific special effect that needs automation, or if the mix engineer asked you for an automation move. Don’t just automate and then turn your tracks off of “read” – this will cause a problem. When the mix engineer goes into automation, “read” mode will put the faders where their previous automation was written (which could wreck a mix). Also, don’t print (destructively apply) any effects unless the mix engineer specifically asked you to (or, if you do, be sure to also include a dry track, and leave a note about it).

3. Documentation

This is minor, but I like to see an email (or a note on the file transfer, etc.) that shows me some info about the session I am getting. Things like sample rate, bit depth, Pro Tools verison, audio file format, etc. are all important to have.

4. General Recording Practices

This is really a subject for another article, as it pertains to all recordings, but the absolute worst thing to send a mix engineer is a session full of audio files that are clipping. When recording, be sure that you have sufficient headroom, and are not even close to clipping.

Any questions, comments, or suggestions? Leave them in the comments here.

C

The Studio Files

One of the hardest things for me to grasp in my early audio days was figuring out how to attack a mix.  I knew that compression and EQ were important and used often, and so I usually ended up putting at least one of each on just about every track.  That’s what everyone does, right?

Wrong!

Another pitfall I experienced developed as a result of plug-ins being so flexible.  “Hey look, this EQ plug-in has 12 bands! Certainly I need to use them all!”

Wrong!

I learned over time that it is not about processing the tracks because you “should”, rather it’s about using your ears to figure out not only what needs processing, but specifically why it needs it.

While I got these tough principles eventually, I wish I had limited myself from the get-go.  Instead of utilizing the limitless power of the DAW to the extreme, setup some guidelines for yourself.

For example, let’s pretend I need to do a mix of a pop rock song that has 24 tracks.  In even a basic DAW, it is likely that it’s chock full of plug-ins (compression, EQ, delay, reverb, flangers, amp simulators, expanders, gates, auto-tuners…).  What if you just limited yourself to compression, EQ, delay and reverb?  ::Gasp!!::  As crazy as it may seem, these are building blocks of a mix.  You can make great music with just these four processors.

For this hypothetical mix, I am only going to allow myself to use 8 compressors (either mono or stereo).  With only 8 compressors, you will need to choose wisely.  Will you use compression on every drum track?  If so, will you run out before you get to the lead vocal or other important instruments?

Let’s continue with the limitations – I will allow myself to use EQ on every channel, but I’ll limit myself to 3 bands/filters per channel (so I could do a high and low shelf plus a cut in the mids, but then I wouldn’t be able to add anything else).  This begins to (somewhat) simulate the experience in a room of hardware – kind of like an analog desk, where you may only have a few bands of EQ per channel.  You need to choose your processing carefully.

Finally – let’s talk time effects.  Maybe you will only allow yourself to setup two reverbs and two delays.  In this case, maybe you’d choose a plate and hall reverb, and a mono and a stereo delay line.  Also, you’ll probably put these on auxiliary tracks, so that multiple tracks in your mix can take advantage of one plug-in.

On a side note, it can also be cool to restrict yourself to one type of plug-in per processor.  That is, I can only use one compressor plug-in for all my compressors, only one EQ plug-in, etc.  That way, you will really learn the sound and workflow of that particular plug-in.

Now, while in a full-on mix, it is very possible that the music will call for more processing.  However, these techniques can still prove beneficial.  I like to keep these concepts in the back of my mind when getting rough mixes going.  I always ask myself: “How far can I take this mix with just EQ, compression, delay, and reverb??”.  By carefully choosing your processing while rough mixing (and not cluttering up the mix with huge amounts of plug-ins), you can keep things simple, organized, and sounding great.  Rough mixes should be all about making quick, yet thoughtful decisions while not overextending your processing.  Leave space for all that wacky automation and special effects that will come as the mix progresses!

Really great mixes can be made with this amount of processing.  Compare this limited DAW setup’s flexibility to what the great studios of the 60s had – we are still waaaaaaaay ahead, even in this limited setup.  You may even notice that your “simple” mixes sound better than your more complex mixes.  Sometimes the availability of so many different options can cloud our ears and judgment.

A final thing you can do to improve your skills is set concrete time limits for yourself.  Don’t leave something important, thinking that you will have all night to listen to it and then can “tweak it tomorrow”.  Give yourself 6-8 hours, and at the end of that time, you print your mix.

The first few times you try these techniques, it may be slightly frustrating, but by the 3rd or 4th time, you will notice your skills moving up to the next level.

The next few articles coming up will be about basic approaches to compression and EQ.

C

The Studio Files

Its not much, but DigiTechSupport (after an 80+ page thread at the DUC) posted:

“You should, however, start to see some fruits of this labor over the next few months, but from a slightly different angle than you may suspect.”

Hmm… now we can all prod and speculate on what that angle may be… 

On a side note – I’d like to thank Digidesign for at least having presence in the forums and answering what questions they can.

C

The Studio Files

DSD: Direct Stream DigitalA digital audio conversion method (from Sony and Phillips) that uses a 1-bit, 2.822 mHz sampling rate (64 times that of CD-quality audio).

This is primarily used for the SACD format.  Some high-end converters will work with DSD (and a few workstations, like Pyramix).

C

The Studio Files

What? A technical book written in 1987 (last updated in 1990) is a necessity??

Answer – yes!  This book is chock full o’ great information.  Although it is technically a “live sound” handbook, it covers a huge range of topics that are also relevant to the studio engineer.  Best of all, the book sells for just over $20 on Amazon.com (which is significantly less expensive than my other favorite, Handbook for Sound Engineers).

The authors, Gary Davis and Ralph Jones, have an excellent style – the very technical information is presented in such a way that even a novice engineer can grasp.  That being said, this book is a great reference for even the most experienced engineers.  I noticed when reading even the basics chapters that I learned a few new tidbits.  There are great charts/graphs/illustrations in every chapter (which, in part, is why the book is such a great reference manual).

Here’s a list of selected chapter subjects -

• What is a Sound System
• Frequency Response
• The Decibel, Sound Level, and Related Items
• Dynamic Range
• Sound Outdoors (also a Sound Indoors Chapter)
• Block Diagrams
• Preamplifiers, Mixers, and Mixing Consoles
• Microphones
• Electronics
• Cabling

The chapters on microphones, amps, mixers (etc.) all contain technical drawings and/or block diagrams to help with the explanation.  For anyone not comfortable with reading those types of drawings, there are chapters and sub-sections on how to read them (as well as charts with what standard symbols look like).  This book will help you better understand the principles of audio and acoustics, the inner-workings of your gear, and will help you troubleshoot (non-computer or software) problems more efficiently and effectively.

This is an excellent book.

C

The Studio Files

Upgrading your recording setup is a very tricky and important process.  Spending the right amount of money on the right piece(s) of gear can be daunting.  The last thing you need is to be in debt on a piece of gear that you don’t actually need or to get an awesome deal on an insignificant upgrade.First things first – figure out your needs and goals!

Are you a studio that primarily does voiceover work?  Do you frequently record rock bands (specifically drum kits) and require 8+ channels at a time?  Are you mostly concerned with sound design or audio-for-video?  Your studio’s requirements will carry the most weight in this upgrade decision making process.  Figuring these things out is more important than figuring out your budget.  Also think about the future – if you normally do singer/songwriter recordings, but have the ambition (and space!) to start taking band clients, then perhaps that’s the path to take.

Second – Show me the money!

Now that you know your short- and long-term goals for the studio, you need to have the hard conversation: $$$$$.  Fear not though – great upgrades are available for almost any studio at any budget.  What I usually recommend is to figure out the maximum money you’d like to spend, and also consider what you have the cash for and what will be on credit.  Unless a piece of gear will absolutely be used to generate consistent money for you, I would not put it on credit.  While I am not a financial analyst, I do feel comfortable saying that fiscal responsibility is a very important consideration for studio owners.

Third – Start listing.

OK – so you know what features your studio needs and you know how much green you have available.  Time to open the catalogs and search engines and start looking for product.  But how do you know if a piece of gear or software is good/bad?  Start by doing internet searches for reviews.  While these reviews aren’t the end-all of information, they often can give you a general idea of how the product is accepted.  Also compare user reviews to those from magazines and distributors.  If this is a piece of gear that connects to (or installs on) your computer, check manufacturer’s websites for compatibility information.  Almost nothing is worse than waiting a month to get a piece only to find out it won’t work on your system.

Fourth – Compare and contrast

From here, I usually make an Excel spreadsheet that lists the features, pros, cons, and prices of similar pieces of gear.  Now it comes down to reviews, gut reactions, and hopefully demo experience.  Try to find a friend or peer that has used any of this gear.  Call your dealer and see if they offer demo periods on any of the products.  Find a local studio that has the piece and see if you can visit to check it out.  Plus – you can post on TheStudioFiles.com and we will be happy to help guide you through your purchases (more on that in a sec).

As far as questions like:

What do I buy first – converters, preamps, mics, etc? How much to invest in acoustic treatment? Should I upgrade my computer? Do I need new plug-ins? What’s the best studio upgrade for under 500$?

Unfortunately these are usually only addressable on an individual basis.  You will need to take into account a number of variables, most of which concentrate on the status quo of your existing setup.  Feel free to post your upgrade questions here (or elsewhere on the site) and we will help guide you through them.  If these are more significant upgrade questions (that would require longer conversations etc.) please feel free to email me.

C

The Studio Files

While this article is aimed mostly at Pro Tools users, the general troubleshooting concepts apply to any other DAW out there.

So, when your computer suddenly bugs out (inevitably right in the middle of a critical session)– what do you do???

First things first – know your setup.

You should know exactly what version of your operating system and what version of Pro Tools you are using.  Keep a list of all plug-ins and virtual instruments that you have installed.  Hopefully your computer with Pro Tools is an “audio-only” computer, meaning a minimal amount of other programs/apps installed.  Know which pieces of hardware you are using, and keep track of when each device’s firmware received its latest update.  This may sound like a lot, but the initial compiling of the list should only take a few minutes and will save you a bundle of time when troubleshooting.  (You can also check out this post – the information I mention there holds the same relevance when troubleshooting your own problems).

There are two other things you should do initially.  First – check Digidesign.com for OS/PT compatibility confirmation.  There are lists of which version of Pro Tools is happy with a certain operating system version.  If you are using versions that are incompatible with each other, switch over to a working pair.  Typically this is as quick as downloading either a PT or OS patch and installing.  Second – trash your Pro Tools preferences (see this article for instructions).  Trashing PT preferences fixes a large percentage of problems, so go there first.

Now that those things are out of the way, its time to ask yourself some questions:

Question 1 – Has this problem happened before?

This is a very important question to answer.  If it’s a problem that hasn’t happened before, it likely means that a recent change in your setup brought this bug to life.  If this is a recurring bug that is just getting more annoying as of late, its time to look at your system as a whole (see above) and track down the problem.

Question 2 – Has anything in my setup recently changed?

…and by “anything”, I do mean anything.  For example, this isn’t just limited to new software updates.  Anything from installing new hardware to changing the order of gear in your rack to the type and length of Firewire cable connecting your interface is considered a change.  If you reorganized your rack, perhaps something got unplugged.  If you are using a longer Firewire cable, perhaps your interface doesn’t like it.  Everything holds significance.  However, 95% of the time, it’s the software changes that cause the biggest problem.  Whether you are on a Mac or PC, when the automatic software updater asks you if you want to install new items, say NO!  If you system is currently working, don’t change anything.

If something did change recently (say a plug-in install or OS “dot” upgrade), you will want to backtrack and see if that squishes the proverbial bug.  Since you know that its critical to back up your system before an OS upgrade (J), you will have a backup to revert to should a problem arise.  If you suspect a plug-in is causing a problem, move it to the “Unused Plug-in Folder” and try again.  If you installed multiple plug-ins, drag all plug-ins that aren’t the standard DigiRack plug-ins into the “Unused Plug-in Folder”.  Then, assuming everything works in that state, drag plug-ins back one at a time (restarting PT each time) to find the offender.  Of all the Pro Tools troubleshooting questions we receive on TheStudioFiles.com, about half are fixed by preference-trashing, about half are fixed by uninstalling offending plug-ins, and the last few percentage points are actual hardware/software/OS problems.

Question 3 – Does this problem happen in every session?

If you take a situation that is causing a bug in your session and try it in a blank session, does the bug follow along?  For example, imagine you are working in an orchestral scoring project (lots of virtual instruments), and every time you bounce to disk, your computer bugs out.  I would close that session, and make a new session, adding a small number of Vis.  Try to bounce files in that session.  Figuring out whether or not the problem is global or only appearing in one session will help narrow down the potential instigators.

Question 4 – Have you been keeping consistent backups?

This may seem excessive – but I recommend cloning your system drive every week in addition to cloning it before any software/OS changes.  I also backup my media drives (drives where project files are contained) in the middle and at the end of every work day.  It really only takes a few minutes, and this will save you from debilitating system/HDD crashes and random DAW bugs.

Of course, The Studio Files team is happy to help any and everyone with their troubleshooting problems.  We usually respond quickly, but having some basic skills in troubleshooting your rig can save you time (and money!), especially for the small bugs.

C

The Studio Files