Tricks made possible by using SAC

[Wink0r]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wink0r
There are also routing buttons to assign to buses. If you do not assign a channel someplace there will be no output to mix. On occasion I have used this to get some effects on a snare that is overpowering from stage (loud + bleed).

Even in the studio I would use the ungated snare in the mix, but patch it to another channel to gate it fairly tight, take it out of the mix bus, but send that gated snare to the reverb ....so the toms, hi hat, and cymbal leakage wasn't triggering the verb.

Old trick ...before samples.

Mark

This discussion started in a SAW thread and was off topic. It occurs to me that something of this nature would be easy to do in SAC because of all of the routing options. There are probably many avenues that the world of SAC opens up that are more difficult to accomplish in the 'old' world. This thread is a place for ideas and tips along this line.

(Aside: semi-commercial message)
I will be taking the SAC rig up to the Myrtle Beach Spring Rally next week. If anyone in the area wants to check it out I will be at the BrokenSpoke Saloon (US 17 in Garden City) 5/11 through 5/16/09.

[Wink0r]

I opened the thread because your post gave me an idea and it is very easy to accomplish in the world of SAC. Thank you for the post and the idea. At the same time, those of us transitioning from the analog world may not think of all the possibilities that the software opens to us. I can always use to put some new tricks in my 'bag of tricks', so I am asking for more input.

In the analog world I often used two channels on the kick drum for extra eq. I patched direct out of the first channel and left it unassigned into the line in of the second channel. This is unnecessary with SAC, but there are other options that are easily available and would be of value. The more we know the better work we can do.

[Larry Burger]

Not a trick:

Saw Studio Engineers could setup SAC to allow musicians to operate their own headphone mixes (up to 24) remote with laptop or desktop computers.
Scenes would be saved for complete mix recall.

[Wink0r]

That would be a Sennheiser E-602 and I have gotten comps on the drum sounds longest through my career.

[Trackzilla]

make one of those nasty Dean Markley wood covered magnetic pickups sound like an acoustic guitar in 3 easy steps...finally!

1. use sac's eq to take out some excess mids & add a little low & high end.
2. dominion (digitalfishphones freeware plug, or any other transient designer) to increase level of the attack portion of the signal & shorten the sustain duration.
3. Voxengo Gliss (or another dynamic EQ) to further the scoops and boosts without making them more unnatural when they are harmonic content.

Unfortunately I think we all run into these nasty budget pickups live from time to time and I have never, until last week, been even remotely happy with the sound from one. Using SAC and these plugs it sounded ...actually almost GOOD! A dramatic improvement over any result I've ever heard.

It brought about a universal 'how the he.. did you DO that anyway' from those with ears connected to brains who were attending.

[cgrafx]

In the studio, I just send the musicians the same stereo mix I listen too while overdubbing. Been doing it for decades. The multiple separate mix thing is a game played by insecure musicians loaded with excuses why they can't perform. All of this multiple headphone mix technology just facilitates wasted time to stroke someone's ego. It doesn't make anyone perform better.

Just a reality check boys.

Mark

As a performer (keyboards and vocals), I would have to respectfully disagree.

The band I play in rehearses, performs live and records with separate mixes. Why you ask. Because I don't want to hear the lead guitar blasting in my ears, or all of the other background vocalists as loud as my vocal.

There are many reasons that isolated tracks can be a big help when performing in both live and studio environments.

There are likely more compelling reasons in a live environment, but they can also apply in a studio setting as well.

Not a requirement, but certainly nice to have.