Directly ripped from the Digidesign User's Conference, so much thanks to contributors there. I tried to ferret out the Pro-Tools-specific tips, but some I left in due to translatability to other platforms.
So let's keep it going with our own tips thread. I been doing lots of recording lately, and am willing and able to answer any "how do they do it" sorta questions. Please contribute....
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Any track that I KNOW will be a scratch track (like me working out a bass part before the session dude shows up), I immediately begin the track/filename with an "x". For example: "xBassGtr1".
That way, it's very easy to find and get rid of all of your scratch tracks later on.
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3. Making a Ping Pong panning delay with feedback that disentegrates over time.
Make 2 mono Aux's.
Pan Aux 1 Left and Aux 2 Right.
Set Aux 1's input to bus 1 and
Aux 2's input to bus 2.
Put a mono Medium or Long Delay Plug in on both aux 1 and 2. About 300ms.
No Feedback.
Put the Hi freq cutoff about 3Khz on both
Now on aux 1 set up a send for bus 2
Now on aux 2 set up a send for bus 1
Set both sends to about -8db
(This is your feedback level adjustment)
Now use bus 1 for your Ping Pong panning delay and it should pan and filter down each repeat.
For a more dramatic effect. Ad an eq in the second plugin slot on aux 1.
Set that eq to rolloff Lo's & Hi's and boost some 1Khz.
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i love to take a far room mic(for me it's actually outside the door of where i cut gtrs,it's really the vox mic still setup from earlier) when mikeing gtrs, record that track along with the close mic, then slide the region up so it matches the close mic. it adds a nice space but it stays real nice and tight.
try it with far drum room mics also....
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To not suffer the regular problem of a noise gate 'softening' the attack of a drum it is placed on...
Create a duplicate track next to the snare so you have 2 snares (have the copy tracks fader fully down), gate one, set the key input to be external (a mono unused buss), route the copy snare track to be the 'key' (a pre send down the above mono buss), set threshold attack and release as usual..
then, here's the biggie...
Nudge forward the KEY track so it opens the gate a little EARLY, then you will always have the FULL attack of the origional, but be able to gate out crap you dont want...
Full range can sound weird, try half range - just reducing that hihat a little can be most helpfull.
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Here is a way I use autotune that someone might not have thought of...(maybe this is what everyone does?)
0. NEVER, EVER use the automatic mode.
1. Create a 2nd track (destination track), I usually name it T-Vox1 (vs Vox1).
2. Put Autotune as an insert on the original track; I also turn off ALL other plugins for that track.
3. Output the original track to a mono buss,
4. Set the 2nd track to input on that buss,
5. Put the 2nd track in record-ready (with "input only" selected),
6. Hit the numeric "3" key to record when you've got the phrase tuned the way you want.
Make sure pre and post-roll are OFF.
Make sure both track output levels are set to 0db and center-panned.
I also usually "solo-disable" the 2nd track so I can solo the first track and still listen to the 2nd track.
This also makes it easy to select an alternate playlist and tune it (and place it on the 2nd track) on those occasions where necessary.
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Here is a nice little talkback mic trick that someone posted a while back. I saved it but didn't note the scholar. Thanx to whoever it was who originally posted it!
"Talkback Mic Technique
Plug in a mic and route it in to a mono aux track. Route the out to the headphones. Record 1k tone to an audio track and route it's output to a free bus. Put a compressor on the mono aux track with the sidechain from the bus of the tone. Whenever there's playback or recording the talkback mic is shutdown and when it stops it's on. (if you want to talk to the artist during record, you just option click the compressor and your heard.)
Thought this was cool and wanted to share."
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I havent done this 'in PT' yet but I see why it cant be done either, the above post reminded me of it.
For long tedius but exacting drum edit sessions, have a CD player with 'Elvis' Greatest hits'on repeat and playing at low volume. Then make the track in PT when played, trigger a gate that shuts down "The King". When the music stops the gate ducking stops & "The King" comes back with his sooothing tones, making the editing that much more an enjoyable experience!
I set this up for my PT operator (It was his Elvis CD, he likes that AND death metal BTW) He really dug it!
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reverse reverb:
I read about how they used to do this with tape in a Mix mag, but it's much easier to pull off in PT.
take the phrase that you want to add reverse reverb to and copy it to a new track. Mute the original, and use Audiosuite to reverse the new track. route the new track to a big, thick reverb (feel free to add chorus, flange, phase, dist, whatever as well) and route the reverb out to a track. Highlight the phrase plus an amount to catch the reverb with. Record the reverb. Use audiosuite to reverse the reverb. Now solo the original unreversed phrase and the re-reversed reverb tracks at the same time and lign them up until you hear a little phasing. Delete the original. Presto.
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To fatten up a kick drum without adding EQ:
Use the signal generator to make either a 52Hz or 60Hz sine wave at about -6dB on an audio track.
Send the kick out to a buss prefader at 0dB.
Now put a gate on the Sine wave and have it be keyed by the buss.
Set the settings so that the tone peaks thru as tight as needed.
Just mix to taste.
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anyone ever try the triggered sub-bass OSC, but using white noise triggered by SN? i've been messing with that. good for simulating a bottom mic.
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DE-ESS YOUR VOX VERB...
when you bus your vocals to a verb channel, put a de-esser on the chain before the verb. this will help cut out ubersibilance and you can get a nice thick verb while preserving the clarity of the vocal.
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Another variation on the gated snare...
Copy the snare track onto another track and reverse it. Gate that track with with a longish decay and normal attack, and print to a third track. When you reverse back this track it sounds kinda cool, like you're riding the fader into the hit.
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Along the editing vo line...
it's always easy to crossfade within an "s." Also, cuts within words works well right before plosives like "p," "t," and "k" because you have to stop your word, build up air, and push it through your mouth in order to make those sounds.
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Louder Vox sends less to Reverb/Softer Vox sends more to reverb.
This one is basic and may have been covered already. Run a compressor on your send before the reverb. Loud Vox can sound dry, soft sections wet. Tweek compressor to taste.
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Each time a major chunk of work has been completed on your project, do a Save As and change the file name slightly by incrementing its version number.
For example, you start with the file "Project 1." Then 20 minutes later after you've added some fundamental parts, you Save As "Project 2." And on and on. The good thing is, you never lose anything you've done previously. Sure, you may end up with 100 versions of your project, but audio is not duplicated, and you don't get that feeling of "hmm, do I really want to overwrite this?"
Works for me. In particular after I've comped vocals and realized I need a better phrase, though I've deleted all those tracks from the current project. I also add little comments to my file names in parentheses for more value, like (vox comped), (w/2 mix), (final), etc.
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create a new track above the lead vocal.
take the first word of a verse or chorus and dup it and drag it to the new track.
select it and make the selection to include the phrase and about an extra second following the phrase.
reverse it and add a audiosuite delay.
reverse it again and slide it back to the main track.
this adds a cool effect to the vocal.
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Here's a fun one. Take a guitar track or even a backing vocal track and bus it to an Aux. Put the Waves spreader (or spacilizer) on the aux. Spread the stereo image to taste. It makes it sound nice and big.
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Here's what I do to get a little more bottom on the kick when I don't feel like adding EQ.
Make a track and call it Tone. Use the signal generator (AudioSuite) to create about 4 bars of 50-60Hz.
Now put a digi expander gate on that track.
Now send your kick out to a buss at 0dB and pre fader.
Use that send as the key for your gate on the tone track.
Set the threshold, release and attack so that when the kick hits, the tone sounds like a tone under it.
I can't really describe it, but make it sound musical.
Add that track with the kick and voila.
Bigger kick drum
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The only trick I've ever found for that tight snare sound on alot of today's R&B, is to use 3 or 4 Snare saqmples together.
It just always sounds better. Pick a Fat one, a bright one and one with a cool character.
The other really important thing is to cut them shorter than they usually already are.
Samples tend to fade out. Cut them hard so there's no fade.
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Tuning an acoustic guitar (or any acoustic string instrument) in a noisey environment? Wish you could get a better signal to your tuner?
Clamp a pair of headphones over the body of the instrument and plug the 1/4" end into your little tuner box input.
Viola! Solid tuner input.
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If you need to tune a Bass track, but you recorded a DI track and an Amp Track you might think you're screwed.
You can't put an Auotune on Both cause it will get your phase all screwed up.
Put your 2 tracks together as a stereo track. (DI = Left / Amp = Right)
Now put a Stereo Autotune on that track and have it track only by the left track.
Now send this stereo track out to 2 busses and make two Mono Aux tracks for those busses.
Now you can adjust them seperately.
Or you can just print the Autotune and deactivate the untuned track and save it.
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When working guitars I use either 2 or 3 mikes as follows:
Mike #1: An SM57 directly in the center of the voice coil, exactly perpendicular to the grille, touching the grille.
Mike #2: Either a U87 or FET47, touching the grille (with capsule carefully time-aligned to the 57) near the edge of the cone. You can let this mike be about 1/4" off the grille...
Mike #3 (Optional) 414 (any version) with 20db pad in, about 4 feet off the amp, cardioid, not facing either the amp or the floor, compressed to **** .
First, bring up #2, then add #1 until you have the definition you want. Buss them both to one mono track.
Then, try boosting 100Hz on the distant 414 (mike #3) and add just to pick up a little "Thump" from the room. Separate track for this mike.
That way you can balance the "zizz", the "growl" and the "thump" at will.
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I love wide BGVs.... if you use phase to get your width it will undoubtedly change in mono. key to mono compatibility is getting your width out of truly different material that won't cancel. If you have the resources, multiple performances are best IMHO. If you are mixing slight stereo micropitching can be good if its not too much pitch (more than 4cents starts to sound kind of like buck rodgers or C3P0)
I use DPP-1 set to slightly flatten and sharpen (-4 and +3 maybe? H3000 micropitch style.... adjust to taste) having that on a stereo aux input. Now, key is to have the dry, un-pitched version panned in just a hair on one side and the pitched version full wide but on the OPPOSITE side (pan the aux send opposite of its source, but wider) I do this with every vocal in a stack individually so I can take whatever panning I have on one element and make it opposite for the pitched version. Its like adding more performances on the other side of the stereo field.
I used to do this all the time with AMS DMX and H3000, and you can adapt it with plugs. For lead vocals, pitchblender can do a cool slight modulating micropitch different independent of each side then you can decide how wide you want the lead to be. I like more of a focused (just slightly stereo) lead and wider bgvs....
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Sweeping Stuttering Pad 1/16 notes
Start by printing a pad doing the simple changes. Octaves are fine.
now using filterbank (or any EQ) filter out most of the lows. Now make the peak quite high and filter out the top.
Now ride (automate) the high end with the peaking notch up and down slowly. Now that's sweeping.
Now make another track and put a sine wave on it. 1kHz works great. Cut a 1/32nd note piece and place it on beat one. Put one on each 1/16 note after that. (duplicate)
Set the output of this track to bus 23 (whatever). Now put a gate on the pad track and make it be keyed by bus 23.
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This is another tip for wide vocals that don't cancel out in mono, but it's during recording, not after. Record the vocal using 2 mics in a Mid-Side mic setup, with one mic facing the singer in cardioid pattern, and the second mic directly below the first one (or above if you like) in Figure 8 pattern facing perpendicular to the singer. When decoding the M-S signals (I won't go into it here, for those not familiar with M-S recording, start your Google engines now), blend the Mid track with the two side tracks to taste for the desired stereo width. When switching to mono, the side tracks cancel out, leaving you still with the nice beefy Mid track.
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Background vocal cue-up trick:
I'll record a warmup pass and copy it to a deactivated track right below my lead track. I can then use this as a location guide when recording the actual background vocal takes.
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Insert kick-mic (D112, D12, Beta 52, E602, anything goes!) into fronthead-hole, place the mic in the center of the bassdrum facing the beater-head but don't point the mic towards the beater,just straight ahead.Keep the back of the mic close to the front-head so you have a good distance between the mic itself and the beater-head.Now, keep the mic in the centre of the bassdrum and let it ALMOST touch the bottom of the bassdrum and facing the mic dead-ahead.
And there you go: punchy,tight,pop,rock,funk, a super allround kick-sound!
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Snare drum- tape a 57 and a 451 (with a pad) together (or a 57 and a small diaphraghm condensor (with a pad!)). Blend to taste, nice and snappy. No need for a bottom snare mic.
Drum mixing.... mult your K and S tracks, treat one "normally" and crush the life out of the other with your favorite compressor.
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1. A kick-drum fattening trick I sometimes use is to get an empty water cooler bottle up on the board by a nearfield, suspend a 58 inside it from a drumstick, turn up the nearfields (ns10s usually) pretty loud, solo the kick track, and record the results back to tools... Use a decent low-pass filter (F1 etc.) down to the frequency of your choice and any gating you may require... hope you like! The resonance of the bottle may not always be appropriate to your track, but what the hey...it kind of sounds cool! You can run the whole drum mix through the bottle, without filtering, for a weird clangy ceramic kind of effect.
2. Its probably old news now, but an ns10 driver wired to an xlr and banged into a mic pre gives inordinate amounts of bottom end when used as a kick drum mic. You'll want to combine it with another kick mic for definition, + check the phase.
3. I've found that PT can do a reasonable impression of invisible (parallel) drum compression (or riding a supa-compressed send of your drum mix up alongside your normal drum group) if you
i) bus all your drum tracks to an aux + apply whatever group processing you require
ii) duplicate the aux and add a compressor that will give you a heavy over-compressed effect to the new aux AND the original aux
iii) bypass the new supa-compressor on the original aux
iv) bypass the original processing on the new aux
having both channels running through the same plug-in chain seems to work better than shifting regions or time adjusting.
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another off-topic very basic tip for mixing:
try to keep an eye on three instruments: kick, snare, main vocs.
when you start mixing and you're done with the basedrumsound pull it up until the master meter jumps up to nearly unity.
the same thing with snare and main vocs. in most (this does NOT make anything sound good) cases the proportion between these three instruments may fit approximately.
when you keep these levels as a guideline during the whole mixdown you will most likely never overrun your masterlevel again (which happened quite often to me, with the consequence to trim the whole session).
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