The Evolution of Logic Pro X

Since I began my journey in Audio, The First DAW i got familiar with was ProTools HD 11. While this is known as one of the best Audio Workstations for recording, I came across many people that were only comfortable with Logic Pro X. Seeing many of my friends work on this DAW, I wanted to learn more about what this software had to offer. This DAW has been running steady for about 21 years. Logic Pro X was launched on July 16th almost 4 years after Logic Pro 9. At one point of time this DAW was a boxed product and only became available to download about two years ago ! All loyal users of Logic Pro were both amazed and puzzled to see the new generation of this DAW, but were apprehensive of whether this interface would be use-friendly. This new generation DAW was designed and influenced by Garage Band, previous Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro, unlike the rumours that claimed it would just be a Pro Garage Band.

Apple's ownership over this DAW not only enhanced the interface by adding additional menu's like Record, Mix and View but added various advanced tool modes that include Tempo, Marker and Event Options. These also come with an array of functions that include mixing in surround, Scoring, MIDI, Surround Mixing and advanced editing options. In Terms of Making Tracks, Logic Pro X , now allowed users to select multiple tracks at one time. This can also be done by using a handy shortcut, just like how you would normally do to select something on the Finder. Command and Click can be used to select various tracks while the same with shift can be used to select the tracks in between. Another interesting addition to the Logic Pro X is the Virtual Drummer. This Virtual Drummer will enable you to provide drums for your session by alloying specific parameters. This Virtual Drummer is includes the very own work of top professionals drummers in the industry and many recording engineers. One of the key Producers, Mixers that played a major role in this feature of Virtual Drummer is Bob Clearmountain.

Virtual Drummer in Logic Pro X

References:

Wherry, M. (2013, September 1). Apple Logic Pro X: Apply Production Software for MAC OS. Sound On Sound

The Latency Dilemma

Among many beginners in the Field of Audio, Latency has always been a lingering concern. Latency, also commonly referred to, as Monitoring Delay can be simply understood as the Lag of Audio that occurs between Audio/MIDI going into your system and the Audio coming out of it. For example, when you connect your Guitar, Microphone, and Keyboard etc. in your Computer. It goes through various stages. These multiple stages make it inevitable for Audio to delay them, just like a Car trying to get from Point A to B with traffic signals in between. The Cumulative fallout of this process, often results in the phenomenon experiencing audio to be ‘slightly Behind’ what you intended to hear.

Latency in a Nutshell

Since we’ve identified what the problem is, I wanted to know more about whether there was a way to work around it. Whether I was satisfied with the answers or not, I learnt more about how the problem occurs. While working with any Digital recording system, there will always be a Analogue-Digital or Digital-Analogue converter. By default these hardware’s produce a delay within what they carry since the Process of Converting it is time-consuming. This works by trying to duplicate the Audio into a digital representation, i.e. Analogue to Digital, while the Reverse includes converting Binary Digits into Flowing Voltage, or analogue signal. Usually, A-D and D-A converters do cause delay, but the extent of it is very minimal. The Delay produced by these converters is around 5 Milliseconds and generally goes unnoticed. Many Digital Multi-track Mixers produce very less delay, all-coming from its D-A converter. However, the consequences of Delay should not be taken lightly. If musicians were to hear themselves through a PA system instead of Headphones, there would be tons of spills into their microphones. If the same were being played via a Digital Mixer or recorder it would result in Comb Filtering between the spill and the sound from the direct source.

Latency from a Microphone to Headphones

Latency can also be mess while working with software synths. Since the Audio Produced is merely by the computer it is impossible to make any tweaks with the help of an analogue mixer. The only logical way to work around this would be to reduce your buffer size in an attempt to decrease the delay between pressed key on the keyboard and the output coming off the synth. To work better with lesser buffer sizes, it would also be handy to experiment with various setting on your DAW and soft synth. An easy demonstration of this would be enabling you’re a sample-based synth to load samples into the RAM instead of streaming them directly from the hard disk to provide for less glitch Audio. While there is no fixed solution to Solve the Latency Dilemma are many Ways to Work around or Try to avoid its dire consequences, So work with what you got and make the most of it!

References:

Inglis, S. (2007, June 1). Living with Latency. Soundonsound.

Dealing with Copy Rights LO18

A Copyright is a legal Protection of One’s own work. In the Field of Music this implies, having sole ownership of the produced Art, along with its Literary and artistic Content. A Copyright commences, immediately after one has Produced, Recorded or documented their piece of Music. Copyrights can also acclaimed on a page of Music Notations (PRS, 2015)

Holding a Copyright enables you to have control of almost any action taken towards your work of art. This means, that one can you have all rights to copy, publish, lend or publish that work in any format at any place. This also grants permission for the owner to perform or choose who performs his/her art in public places. A Major advantage of owning a copyright to your production is the ability to market and communicate it with the people. That is, via broadcasting companies, Television channels and Radio Shows.

In Terms of Music, There are two types of Copyrights that a Musical piece can be subjected to. The First Variable is its composition while its second variable is the recording. In Terms of Musical Composition, The Copyrights are based on the Creative effort of the Composer. This includes the Melody of the piece and the It’s Music Sheet. If the Song has lyrics, Credits are given to the Lyricist by Having Rights over the lyrical content of the track. The Second Variable is the Musical Recording of the track. In this process, The Recording/Sound Engineer in-charge makes subtle changes to the Music/Mix with his own style and creativity. This Copy Right is made to protect the Works of the Sound Engineer and is infringed on as the Tangible Medium of what the Composer has produced. The Recording Copy-right is in no way the same as a Musical Composition Copy-right and neither can it be used as a substitute for it. The Recording Copyright also provides for the ownership of distributing the piece of work (DiMA, 2015)

As for Any work I have done in my University, I do not own any Rights on the Productions. Since All my Productions have been Re-mixing Already Existing Content I would not be Legible to have any Composition Rights or Recording Rights over it. For those of you unaware there is also a section of Content Available that is listed as the Creative Common where the Owner does not own any Copy Right over the Piece of work and allows us to freely experiment with that particular piece of art.

References

DiMA. (2015). Copy Rights in Music.

Retrieved from 

http://www.digmedia.org/issues-and-policy/copyright-and-royalties/139-copyright-in-music

PRS. (2015). About Copy Rights.

Retrieved from http://www.prsformusic.com/aboutus/ourorganisation/aboutcopyright/pages/default.aspx

Bibliography

http://www.digmedia.org/issues-and-policy/copyright-and-royalties/139-copyright-in-music

http://www.prsformusic.com/aboutus/ourorganisation/aboutcopyright/pages/default.aspx

Classic Rock and the Classic Blues LO5

In this Blog Post, I will attempt to compare two Genre's of Music in terms of their Technical Aspects. The Two Genres I will be Discussing are Classic Rock and the Blues. For those of you are not aware of their exact style, I will introduce you to them, Give you a brief history of their origin and list out some of my favourite tracks!

To Begin with is my favourite genre, Classic Rock.In this generation many of us have forgotten it's essence. From Guns and Roses to ACDC and Aerosmith to Led Zeppelin, Classic Rock never fails to inspire me beyond words. The Time period of Classic Rock roughly began from the 1960's to the 1990's. Playing at an average of 120-170 beats per minute, The Classic Rock Genre is characterised by its Solid Guitar Sections Glazed with bursts of Distortions. The Vocals are generally Raw and Raspy that brings out the Rebel spirit that signifies every Classic Rock Enthusiast. It often contains an Intro Guitar Riff Sections Followed by a Outré Guitar Solo, Many of them played from various Pentatonic Scales and derived from arpeggios to create intricate yet blissful solo's. The Rhythm is often played with power chords that are compressed laced with Drum Rolls in Which the High-hats are Crisp and Sharp. The Bass guitar is Subtle while many of the Guitar Effects are Washed with Delay, Sustain, Flangers and sometimes even the Wah. Every Classic Rock Band has their own Style, in terms of Progressions and Lyric Structute and many Classic Rock Bands can play from High Up-beat to Funk to Mellow Tunes. For Example, from Gun's and Roses Welcome to the Jungle to They Single "Patience" is a Ride from High Distortion and up-beat Tempo to a Soothing Acoustic Mix.

A collage of Some Classic Rock bands that Made History

Now, I will tell you guys about a Blues song that holds very Dear to Me. This Single is by a man, popularly known as the King of Blues, B.B. King. This song will cover all I have to say about the Genre, The Blues. This Classic Blues song goes by the Name of Lucille and runs at a Time Signature of 4/4. The clean Guitar lead is the main focus on the Song alongside which the Artist Narrates the history of himself with the love for his guitar, Lucille. This Tone of the guitar is Fairly bright, and includes a mellow saxophone lead. It also comprises of a fuzzy snare and subtle single high-hat hits. Most of the elements of the song including the Vocals, saxophone and lead guitar are run through a a Reverb Track. When the Organ and the Piano play, the Piano is played at a higher Octave. In Term of panning the Vocals, Guitars are centred while the Bass is panned Hard Right. The Blues is also known for its popular strumming pattern and Guitar Leads that comprise of bends, hammer ons also based on pentatonic scales.

The King of Blues, B.B. King

Bibliography

http://www.playlistresearch.com/article/classicrock.htm
http://www.stereogum.com/1690881/what-is-classic-rock/news/
http://www.rockmusictimeline.com/1950s.html

Incorporating Production Techniques From Professionals LO14, LO16, LO19

Based on my Previous Blog, I will elaborate on the Current Post-Production project I am working on and how Glenn Freemantle and Skip Lievsay have inspired me to Mix my project. For this Trimester's Studio Unit in my University, I have been asked to recreate a Classic Movie to Sound Modern. This will not only include Automated Dialog replacement for all actors but also Recreating Sound Effects and Foley. For the Project I have Chosen the Film, Sherlock Holmes : The Hound of the Baskervilles ( 1939 ) . I have selected a Five minute Scene which me and my Team will be Re-creating. This Scene Includes one of the most thrilling section of the Movie where the characters come face to face with the villain they have been hunting for. In the original movie, there is no Score for this scene.

 In term of foley, although there is some foley work, it is not very detailed. in the Course of working on this production, my main focus has been to incorporate score in the Scene. This not only builds the impact of the scene but initiates a Fright Response align with the suspense that this scene delivers. Since the objective of this production was to make a Classic movie Sound Modern. I will be using Scores from The more recent sherlock movie and the series. Therefore, when the Viewer watches the 1939 scene with this new mix, although in black and white it will remind them of the Modern Version of Sherlock. Most of the Score is Orchestral which I will be re-creating through Midi, The Scene will Fade to Black with the Title track of the Sherlock Series for which I have recorded Live Drums. In Terms of ADR, our team has worked relentlessly with Voice-Over Artists to Ensure we get the best of them. While Kim was the Recording Engineer and Gin, the assistant recording engineer, I would come in the Studio Mainly to direct the Artists. This Meant telling them in what tone to speak, Story-telling to make them feel they were in the same situation the character was in, and also sometimes giving them technical cues or tips like whether to talk in legato or staccato.

Just like the Sound Engineers from Gravity, my goal is to re-create the Audio and Mix in such a way that the listener feels the are in the movie themselves, The orchestral score will not only help build the adrenaline rush to zone them into the tense environment the character is in, but the Ambient Noises will also provide for a mock environment where the listener will feel they are in. In terms of Production Progress, We have completed the ADR, SFX and Re-creation of score on MIDI, so our focus now will be to mix it in 5.1 and Master it.

We also have two graphics designers, Vidi Dhakan and Anmol Dhakan, who are designing for our team business cards, posters and a website. All promotional tools will be featured on this blog as well.Once the Production is complete, I will also post the before and after on my Website so you guys can have a look !

Inspired by Skip Lievsay and Glenn FreeMantle LO 10

Skip Lievsay, is not only a brilliant sound engineer but also a phenomenal Re-Mixing engineer. He is the 2013 Grammy Winner for the best mixing sound. Not only does his work evoke a real-life experience for all his audiences but indeed leaves them baffled. He is well-known for his pure talent in re-Mixing popular hollywood films like "Gravity", "True Grit", "I am Legend" etc. Further in this Blog Post, I will discuss the secrets behind the Masters of Sound for the movie Gravity.

The Film Gravity was Sound Desgined by Glenn Freemantle and Re-recording mix engineer  Skip Lievsay. These men not only defied the Laws of Physics to create noise in a Vacuum, but also made it seem effortless. In Terms of Post-production, This movie not only raised the bars for creating an exceptional and un-conventional Mix but inspired many in the field of sound with a Breath-taking Score and even better Sound Design. Glenn FreeMantle began working on Gravity, when he was first offered to sound design a 45 minute previsualisation to be screened for studio executives. Following that in the coming weeks, he designed a 5.1mix with Cuaron that gave the Listeners an Idea of what the Film was going to sound like .The Objective was to hear Each sound like how every character wold hear this. This meant Setting the right tone, the Right environment and using hyper-realism to initiate an adrenaline rush for the listener when the character would feel so. ( Bishop, 2013 ).

Glenn FreeMantle, Sound Designer (Receiving Grammy Award for his work on Gravity, 2013)

Glenn Freemantle also elaborated that his vision was to design sound by using perspective of Vibration, touch and contact throughout the Film. Even on the Temp Mix, they said, although not that elaborate they tried to include this production Technique. At the beginning this was merely a revolutionary concept for Glenn and Skip, but their motive was to make it a reality. They wanted the audience to feel everything, right from as if they were really in space to Sandra Bullocks breathing and Gasping for air. He said everything in terms of sound in the film was about, "Contact". Be it contact with another person, contact with the environment or the contact of a person with a thing, The Whole Production, right front the start was so intricate and well-planned that to the Listener it would feel effortless to experience the real thrill. According to me, this is what made the Sound of the Film so outstanding. The mix was so well balanced that it beautiful laced every sound effect with the visuals  that everything was sound was felt but nothing would be thrown right in your face.

Skip Lievsay, Re-Mixing Engineer,( Sound Technician for over 100 feature Films)

Skip Lievsay had another take on this which also made me think. He said that we take sound for granted, like a comfort zone. Sound keeps us safe and cautious without us realizing it, He further adds if a car was coming towards you at a high speed and the car honked, We would know exactly where it came from. He also said that if we removed sound from everyday things we would be removing a huge sense of safety and comfort.

In my next Blog, I will let you guys in on a production I am currently working on and how these two gentle men have inspired be right from the beginning ! Stay Tuned !

Bibliography:

http://www.mixrevu.com/?p=article2&id=37
http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/10/4822482/the-sound-design-of-gravity-glenn-freemantle-skip-lievsay

A Stroll through Mastering with Ozone 5

Mastering in audio can be termed as the last stage of Post-production. It is the mediator between the final mixing process and distribution. When a track is mastered, it is ready to be released. This final mastered track is often put up against other commercially released sounds. These compared and test in aspects of loudness and quality, often resulting in infamous ‘loudness war.’

Using Ozone 5 to master, is a gradual step-by-step process that requires considerable amount of skill and experience to master. The first module in ozone 5 includes a EQ, followed by the reverb and shared cross over. This includes three multi-band processors. The cross over enables frequencies set in different bands shared with all the three processors. The next step of Multi-band processors also includes dynamics like compressors, limiters, gating, expanders etc. The EQ also comes with built in pre-sets along with an option to save your desired pre-set. When it comes to workflow, Rolling off frequencies under 40Hz leaves for more headroom. Cutting frequencies between 250-400Hz also removes muddiness and unwanted swelling in the track. By Holding down option, alt and clicking the spectrum, it is possible to focus on frequencies and drag to change the q. The multi-band compressing helps to glue the track together and care should be taken not to change the sound of the track or end up having a flat sound. In Ozone 5 each module has an amount control adding more or less dynamics, with the default setting being center to fine tune what’s going on. The Exciter can be used to add distortion to the track. Although this might not sound like a good thing, it can bring a lot of life into the track. The excitation can also be done in four bands. The percentage of the High-mids can be used to add sparkle to the sound. Gating can also be used to remove any noise or hiss, when the track is quite by rolling off the high frequencies on the multi-band.

The Ozone 5 also comes with an EQ Mid/Slide setting. Mid consists of everything that is equal in both channels. For example, the stereo imaging of the kick, snare lead vocals etc. The side can be used as anything that is unequal. This invariably includes a lot of high frequency instruments like hi-hats, cymbals, synth pads etc. The Mid and Side can be heard individually and multi dynamics can also be added, but this would be a slightly complex process. Last but not the least, the stereo imagining can be used to either widen or narrow the sound based on different bands of the track. It is a general rule to always mono the bass or any extremely low frequency content, since it will result in saving a lot of space and make the kick, Bass sound more punchy.

References

What is Audio Mastering? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.productlondon.com/audio-mastering/what-is-audio-mastering/

Bibiography

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0S3X21g-9I

Comparing EQ'S

What is an Equalizer?

An equalizer is used in the field of Audio to adjust or fine tune frequency response aspect of an Audio System. As a layman would adjust the level of the Bass, Mid or treble in an Audio system found at home or in a car, An audio Engineer uses an Equalizer to make subtle changes in the frequencies of various audio tracks. These Frequencies and either be boosted or cut. Live Sound Engineers often use Equalizers to treat various rooms, by using concepts of Psychoacoustics. Below I will attempt to Analyze and compare two of the most popular and widely used types of Equalizers.

Graphic EQ

This type of Equalizer uses several faders to Boost or Cut the desired frequency. The “Band” of the equalizer determines the fixed number of Frequencies that it can alter. For example, A five band EQ will be able to increment/decrement Five fixed Frequencies being 30Hz for Lower bass, 100Hz for Mid-bass, 1KHz for mid-range and 20Khz for extremely high frequencies. These particular frequencies can either be boosted/cut to +6dB/-6dB or +12dB/-12dB based on the company manufacturing the equalizer. This equalizer can also come as a 10 band EQ, meaning ten different frequencies the audio engineer can adjust. This also proves to also allow for greater control and increased accuracy in fine-tuning.

                                                           LA Audio's Graphic EQ

Parametric EQ

A parametric EQ is based on the same Concept of a graphic EQ, except it is slightly more complicated. This type of Equalizer enables the engineer to control more additional parameters. While the Graphic EQ controls the level of those fixed frequencies by boosting or cutting them, the parametric EQ offers the same with two more Parameters. The First being the bandwidth and the second being the range of each frequency. For instance, if the Graphic EQ can boost or cut 20KHz, A parametric EQ can boost or cut various frequencies in that given range like 15KHz, 25KHz or even 30KHz. Therefore a parametric EQ can also control the center frequencies. This center frequency can be adjusted to control almost any frequency desired. The parametric EQ also controls the range of each frequency band. For example, If the center frequency is 80Hz, a boost or cut applied on 80Hz would also adjust the level of frequencies like 60Hz or 70Hz. However the impact of the boost/cut will be mainly on 80 Hz but have an attenuated ripple effect on 60Hz and 70Hz, decreasing on the extremes.

Pro-Tool's Parametric EQ

Bibliography

http://stereos.about.com/od/introductiontostereos/a/equalizers.htm