SS eq/gtate/compressor

[pingu]

After watching the demo for SS with Bob in action
im
excited.

I liked it a lot.

The eqs and compressors that Saw has on board, are these of high quality.

Im assuming they, i would like to know if you guys are using 3rd party
eq's instead.


They are in such a usable position that i think i can for see myself only using them, providing they are of high quality.

[Sebastian Eskildsen]

I always use the build in eq, dyn. I find them very good,
sometimes I also use Sonoris LPEQ if I have a "bad" track or
on groups.
My alternative compressor is JMS program comp. it is working
very well on vocals and bas instruments or as a marster comp.
for symfoni orh. then I set it for RMS detection. Infact it is the only
software comp. I have seen with RMS detection.

Sebastian

[DominicPerry]

They're all pretty damn good. Super-low CPU utilisation, instant reaction, better than any built in stuff which I've tried on any other package. Others here will tell you what they've used to make commercial recordings with.

For EQ, I also have the Sonoris EQ plug in (Native) because I like a graph to play with, it helps me with remembering and learning Q settings. (I also have a funny screen display problem with the SAW Studio Native 6-band EQ, which sounds good too). I use the built in 5band almost all of the time.

The SAW compressor is easy to use, very effective, I don't know what others are using.

The gate has a few settings which are mentioned in other threads which you need to understand - I don't use gates much myself.

Dominic

[trock]

I use the EQ and comps on the channels on every track and every song.

i have pretty much done away with ourboard channel strips and now concentrate on some good Pre's and Mic's. sometimes i switch to LIVE mode and add eq and COMP coming in.

i still use my RNC comp sometimes, cause for 200 bucks this thing rocks.

Bob has single handedly taken away my NEED for gear. the lust part never goes away though, Bob can you work on a plug that we can trigger that will keep us from deciding we HAVE to have some piece of gear that will cost thousands of dollars and not really give us a much better sound?

Tag that onto the the request for SAW writing and recording the hit songs for us i asked about a while ago.

Thank you

[Carlos Mills]

Hi,

I use the built in compressors all the time. They are wonderful. As for Eq, I use the built in EQs, plus JMS and Sonoris, depending on the need.
I recently produced a CD that is a tribute to Ivan Lins. He heard our work and liked it a lot (all done in SS). Actually he said he would like me to produce a new CD with the same group (three female singers), but this time with never recorded songs from him! :) What a gift...

All the best,



After watching the demo for SS with Bob in action
im
excited.

I liked it a lot.

The eqs and compressors that Saw has on board, are these of high quality.

Im assuming they, i would like to know if you guys are using 3rd party
eq's instead.


They are in such a usable position that i think i can for see myself only using them, providing they are of high quality.

[UpTilDawn]

I'm not a big fan of adding plug-ins to my sessions because many of the plugs I've tried haven't given me enough difference to make it worth the cost.

I've been really happy to use the channel strip eq and dynamics. I will use Bob's eq and Levelizer plug on the main output track most often for a final, general tweak of a session. Bob's eq plugin is nice, but there are many times when I want something that has more fine tuning capabilities.

I am told that the JMS Hi-Res eq is very good for this....... although I have yet to install and use it.... probably will for this current project.

I generally like the channel strip processing so much that I often wish the main output (at least) had it's own eq and comp section built in so that I could switch it on when I need it (most of the time) instead of adding plugs.

DanT

[pingu]

Thanks for the responses gents.

[Bob L]

The built-in eq has been designed with the highest quality and perfromance in mind. The eq plugin is also the same algorithm to be used on returns and outputs.

The JMS and Sonoris EQs also offer great sound and performance as well as more options in the filter controls... a great addition to the SS environment.

The internal compressors have been designed with transparency and performance in mind... other compressors may offer a more noticable color to the sound which may be desirable for certain instruments... the internals were designed to dissapear really... although you can pump them hard to create an effect... be careful with the attack setting on low frequency instruments... the algorithm can cause small clicking artifacts unless given some breathing room... they react very quickly.

The gates offer an extra instant attack feature that can add a quick attack spike for clarity on certain instruments when set to zero... settings of 1ms or higher eliminate this.

The reverse gate is a fun feature to fool with besides the normal use for ducking... use it in combination with the floor setting to create a very different sounding compression that reduces gain to an exact db level when triggered.

The dynamics section can be used for De-Essing very easily with the use of the keying filter section... simply set a narrow bandwidth for the key trigger and only signals in that freq range will cause triggering.

Have fun,

Bob L

[Cary B. Cornett]

I use both the built-in EQ and dynamics and various plugins. If, for a given track, I only need one EQ and one compressor, I am most likely to use those in the SS Console. There are times when I prefer the sound of a different EQ, but usually the internal one does exactly what I need. There are also times when I will layer 2 or 3 compressors on a track, starting with the internal comp and adding plugins as needed.

For a really excellent limiter plugin, the first one you get should be the SAW Levelizer. I have never wished for any other look-ahead limiter since I got it.

[Jay Q]

I recently produced a CD that is a tribute to Ivan Lins. He heard our work and liked it a lot (all done in SS). Actually he said he would like me to produce a new CD with the same group (three female singers), but this time with never recorded songs from him!Carlos, that's great! Congratulations! Having Lins on your resume will probably get you swamped with work if you aren't already. :) Just curious... is he pretty much the biggest Brazilian jazz artist there is (in Brazil, I mean)?

Funny thing was that upon reading the first sentence in your post, I had already thought of posting a response telling pingu that he should copy your approach since your stuff sounds great. Well, now he should really copy your approach! :)

Jay

[Carlos Mills]

Thanks for your comments Jay!
Answering your question...


is he pretty much the biggest Brazilian jazz artist there is (in Brazil, I mean)?

Definitely among the best in my opinion! Of course we have some great musicians, improvisers, etc... but as a Jazz Composer Ivan Lins, Tom Jobim and Joao Gilberto are top notch. Unfortunately he is not the most popular artist in Brazil. On the other hand, almost everyone know him... you know how our industry is... :rolleyes: Maybe he is too sophisticated to the crowds... Go figure...
Interesting thing is that I only met him after the CD was released. He sings in one of the tunes of the album, but he recorded in his own studio... I just mixed and mastered it afterwards.
I had the opportunity to meet him in a show (one of the best shows I ever seen, in small bar, kind of blue note style). By the end of the show I presented myself and he was very nice. We had a common friend chatting with us and we ended up at 3:00 am, drinking. There was nobody else there, just the three of us and the barman. It was fun hearing him talking about what he calls "soft mixing". He was complaining about a modern "style" of mixing where everything seems lifeless... he said it seems there is a button somebody pushes that turns every mix into "soft mixing". Very funny stuff... ;)

All the best,

[Bruce Callaway]

I will second all responses so far using channel based EQ and compression. I can add that the more I use Saw, the less and less I am using plugins other than JMS, SIR and Sonoris and then usually only for a particulat effect such as Chorus.

[Sebastian Eskildsen]

Hi Carlos

About "soft mixing", did he mean the way things are eq'ed ?
did he mention a record that have the sound he liked ?
If so then please give us some details.

Sebastian

[Jay Q]

We had a common friend chatting with us and we ended up at 3:00 am, drinking. There was nobody else there, just the three of us and the barman. It was fun hearing him talking about what he calls "soft mixing". He was complaining about a modern "style" of mixing where everything seems lifeless... he said it seems there is a button somebody pushes that turns every mix into "soft mixing". Very funny stuffSounds like a good time, Carlos. I hope the Lins gig goes well for you. If you can ever post samples, please let us know!

Since we're on the subject of Brazilian artists, how popular would you say Dori Caymmi is? I love his writing and his throaty baritone. I've seen him perform here and wondered how well-known he is in his own country.

(Apologies, dear reader, for the in-thread OT :) )

Jay

[Carl G.]

I will second all responses so far using channel based EQ and compression. I can add that the more I use Saw, the less and less I am using plugins other than JMS, SIR and Sonoris and then usually only for a particulat effect such as Chorus.

I second all the above & Bob's posts.
Native effects provide all the great basics - and with exceptional quality.
I reach for JMS stuff for refinement variables (Hi Rez EQ's sharp filters, or Compressor's unique side channel multiband EQ, and especially the RMS function). I use other plugins too... but almost any session can be done using just the SawStudio stuff - very nicely. By the way, it seems absolutely impossible to beat the transparency of Bob's Levelizer's limiter.

[Carlos Mills]

Hi Sebastian,

You know how are this informal conversations in a bar... we talk a little bit a about many of things...;) When we talked about the "soft mixing" thing, he didn't mention any specific record or tune. We did not get into details, but I think that he was referring to his latest album (#35 of his career, recorded in a well known studio here in Rio with PT).
It didn't appear to me that he was referring to any specific tool (EQ, compression, ...), just the general concept... He likes a little "dirty, organic" sounding mix.
He also said that he gets pissed when the engineer tries to clean up all his breaths... :rolleyes: I was lucky with this one, because I left most of his breaths in the album I mixed...
I was also brave enough to ask him about his voice in the album I mixed, and he said it was great! :) (I think he would be honest enough to say he didn't like it, if that was the case)... Anyway, I was very happy to keep the standards with an artist that is SO used to the high end analog world. ;) With the invaluable help of SS, of course!

All the best,



Hi Carlos

About "soft mixing", did he mean the way things are eq'ed ?
did he mention a record that have the sound he liked ?
If so then please give us some details.

Sebastian

[Carlos Mills]

Hi Jay,



If you can ever post samples, please let us know!

I am going to post one of the tunes in SS Radio soon... I will let you know.


Since we're on the subject of Brazilian artists, how popular would you say Dori Caymmi is? I love his writing and his throaty baritone. I've seen him perform here and wondered how well-known he is in his own country.

Yes, Dori Caymmi is a hell of an arranger too... but not very popular in Brazil... just like Sergio Mendes and some other Brazilian artists that live abroad... His father though (Dorival Caymmi) is a very popular composer and singer in Brazil. He has some of the most popular songs around here... Songs that talk about the beaches, nature and, of course, women, among other interesting subjects... He is 92 now!

All the best,

(Apologies, dear reader, for the in-thread OT :) )

Jay[/QUOTE]

[Sebastian Eskildsen]

Hi Carlos

You are right about how things are "over clean" today, expecial pop
music seems to have loosed all human sound/feelings.

Sebastian