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What is Audiobus? — Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.
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The 4 most important audio effects for beginners
Hey guys!
I know from my own experience when starting out it’s easy to get lost when it comes to effects, but I found this little article and it would have helped me a lot quicker, instead of me spending a lot of time on youtube and lengthy tutorials....
Be safe!
https://articles.roland.com/4-audio-effects-new-producers-need-to-know/
Comments
Cheers.
Yeah, compression is not a must have at all. Delay, Reverb, EQ, repeat.
Distortion, distortion, distortion, distortion?
Compression and EQ are effects that solve problems and take you from 'good' to 'yes', but I'll argue that they only really become important when you're aware of problems and using them with intent (and I wouldn't expect that from somebody who's just starting out).
Beginners: Go with something obvious and inspiring, like a great-sounding, fun delay that you want, then investigate the other stuff when you want your mixes to sound better.
There are good beginner's guides to EQ and compression on the FabFilter tutorial page, if you want to demystify some stuff.
EQ is the most important effect overall, but inspiration's more important than any effect.
For me, always EQ and Limiter, often a Normalizer.
That's three.
Sometimes a Compressor, sometimes a Reverb.
Others?
Rarely.
If we're talking about 'musical' effects (and not including audio processing like EQ/comp) then I'd say:
Reverb, Delay, Saturation/Distortion, Modulation/Chorus
This'll get you on your way to understanding how to mess with sound. Pitch shifting (eg. octaver) and (edit) filtering are other fun categories. Are there even any more types of effects then these, without going into special software implementations and combinations and things?
Sure: wah/creative filtering
Oh yeah filters, duh. I'm sitting here with 2 Moog analogue filters in front of me, running through an EHX filter!
I wouldn't change my original list though.
I read "audio effects" not "musical effects", which fits the list from the quoted article: EQ, compression, reverb, and delay.
That's what I'd go for for audio effects.
For me, flanger.
Okay, sometimes phaser instead.
Modulation (chorus, flanger, phasor) EQ, Saturation and a reliable limiter.
Decimator (With separate Bit-Depth & Sample-Rate controls) is quite high on my list together with Modulation Effects (Delay, Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Tremolo (the higher the modulation frequency the better)), EQ/Filter, Saturation/Wave Folding, Gates etc.
But for the basics, EQ & Delay goes a long way. (Chorus, Phaser, Flanger etc. are just modulated delays anyway).
Compression absolutely belongs on the list IMO. Yes, it’s hard to use well for beginners. And most people have to keep working on leveling up their compression game way past beginner level. But the ear training and problem solving skills that go into using compression well are among the most important for making parts fit into an actual track. (The article is meant for people interested in being ‘producers’, I take that to mean at minimum instrumental tracks.) IMO it’s never too early to start working on those skills if you want to make tracks.
If I could go back in time I would give myself a transient shaper.
Is this not very similar to Compression?
Never had a look at transient shapers...
I’ve noticed I now tend to use compression only on the final mix (well, after gain staging), not on individual parts. I treat the way each individual part as ‘the way that synth sounds’ rather than modifying it after the synth. When it’s all together as a composition, which is a different entity, that’s when I think about the dynamics.
For one thing, doing it this way avoids the complication of too many moving parts, if you try and compress everything individually and then overall as a whole.
(Oh, except for vocals - I don’t mind compressing those separately first too). (BTW, the Fairlight expander & compressor & EQ on the new BlackMagic ATEMs is really really nice).
Hhm, Yah may be similar to compression in terms of decay but I think for molding the attack it is more direct for me and doesn't mess with the levels.
i feel like i do this as well. i don’t know if it’s right but it’s easier on my cpu and time. i make chilled out down tempo music so it’s not loud really either
i need to watch some more training videos on the whole subject
in my experience, compression is extremely important. not just if you are using live instrumentation or vocals, but to smooth out wonky modulation, filter sweeps, automation etc.
Creative compression is also an extremely powerful tool. Slamming a drum bus or using parallel compression is mandatory for modern EDM genres or even some modern pop.
EQ and compression together are some of the best tools for mixing, saturators as well. Delay and reverb can help fill out a mix, but theres nothing like a good surgical eq and some subtle or slammed compression.
@shinyisshiny i remember you saying you had hands on experience with some of the classic compressors. I would be interested to hear anything you wanted to share about studio work.
@gusgranite oh man... theres too much! ive worked with analog gear for about two decades now. if you have any specific questions about hardware or workflow go for it!
As far as compressors go, the 1176 and LA2A are pretty essential and standard in all studios. they are both great on everything, i use both of them on a vocal, ill generally track to the daw through the LA2A, and then use Waves 1176 plugin on my vocal bus. Also less talked about but still a great tool is the LA3A - great for guitars.
I see alot of EL8 distressors around town as well. Great versatile compressor that can be super mean and distorted, to just clean basic compression. I dont think there is an ios emulation but there are a couple for desktop.
Theres also the classic SSL Bus Comp, which is great for busses, or your overall mix bus.. Really makes the mix move and bounce, and adds that perfect glue to a mix. MixBox has one that is fairly decent, but not quite as good as some of the other emulations out there. I would abuse that thing any chance i got when I had access to an actual SSL board. Drum, guitar, synth etc busses through it and back to tape, then running master mix through it as well.
Beyond that, theres so much more.. The DBX 160 is famous for that Daft Punk, French house pumping sound. Really outstanding unit, i had a couple of them a while back but sold them as I wasnt using them enough to justify. The Neve 33609 is another great mix bus compressor. I didnt own one, but worked out of a studio for years that did. I did a couple crapshoots with that and the SSL comp, and they were both great. API's 2500 compressor is another great bus comp, specifically on drums.
API stuff in general is great. I think MixBox has an eq emulation that sounds pretty good.
I think the "best" compressor i ever used was the Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor, Im guessing its pretty similar to the DDMF Magic Death Eye, well at least the price point is. Absolutely bonkers comp. We would send a flat boring mix through it and the mix just came to life.
Randome fun thing : one of the coolest experiences ive had was seeing the echo chambers underneath Capitol Records studios. I was working out of the studio there as a client for about a week, and sweet talked the engineer into taking me down into the basement. really cool experience to actually see them. So many classic recordings have used those chambers.
anyways,, feel free to reach out whenever with any specific questions on usage situations, settings, signal flow etc. hope you are well!
Side chain compression is so two thousand and late.
We’re using mid chain compression now.
@Max23
your 8 year old neighbor is using saturation too, guess we should ditch that! seriously though, all the soundcloud rapper shit is distorted and saturated to shit and its done by a bunch of kids. Everybody uses everything nowadays. All the genres incorporate pieces of other genres and techniques, if it sounds good, roll with it. Theres constantly "new" styles coming out, but they are just blends of all the other styles.
also, i never mentioned SC compression as a creative tool, but now that you bring it up... It is a great tool! not only for ducking a kick drum to the bass, pads etc, but also for bringing clarity to whatever you want in a mix. If your vocal is conflicting with a pad or lead synth etc, SC the synth to the vocal at about 2-4 db and it opens up the mix quite nicely!
Lets not forget SC on a gate! great for creating your own rhythmic effects ala "trance" gates, as well as using it to create sub frequencies underneath a kick drum, or adding white noise (or any sound) to a snare etc etc etc.
Theres a great many ways to use SC tricks, thanks for reminding me and bringing it up!!
please share your million other ways!! lets hear em!
i have no idea what you mean by too little control, there is plenty of control with a gate. use a SC gate with ambient field recordings on a percussion track and you can get some really interesting results.
big kick and bass dont work together, thats why you use the tools of the trade to make them work, EQ, compression, SC compression, volume automation, attack and decay, offsetting of notes, whatever works works. SC is one of many solutions.
Using only sounds that work together can limit you, which granted, can sometimes be a good thing.
I agree, i usually dont send kickdrum into a hard limiter. it can get rid of too much body.