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Fun/weird recording/mixing tricks for home recording.
Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2022 9:25 pm
by Kniferide
Just a generic place for ideas to fall into.
I just did a thing that sounded pretty good. I usually hate digital or fake reverb on drums but I just tried something that I like better than anything else so far. I record in a basement so far or high mics are a no go. I loaded up 2 instances of Melda Convolution and found a reverb with low end resonance I like and one with High end sizzle that sounded good (realistic) to me. I low passed the low reverb and hi passed the high reverb, and made the low end reverb MONO! then I get a thuddy low tunnel of reverb down the middle and a lot of ptschhhhhh from the sides. it sounds a lot more like how reverb in a room sounds to me. I used a stereo dual panner for the mono track so I can widen or narrow the low reverb until I like it. Works pretty good. If I build a reverb plugin, this is how it would work... 2 convolution loaders with crossover and stereo control for each path.
Also, those cheapo MXL 144 $100 ribbons are pretty ok on the outside of a kick drum if you want sub kick sounds. Use a wind screen.
Re: Fun/weird recording/mixing tricks for home recording.
Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2022 9:46 pm
by ChudFusk
There are various tricks to get a "doubled" sound on a single track of guitar or vocals, but I use a technique that I haven't seen anyone else do. I split the mono signal and run it through both channels of a 31-band dual graphic EQ, and then from a flat setting I move every other fader on the Left channel up or down anywhere from 3 to 12 dB, creating a zigzag, and then do a mirror image of this on the Right channel; so for example, the Left 315hz is boosted and the Right 315hz is either cut or at unity. This gives each channel its own voice and still leaves room in the audible spectrum for the opposite channel, and though it's a cliché it is very ""3-dimensional."
Re: Fun/weird recording/mixing tricks for home recording.
Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 1:54 pm
by Kniferide
ChudFusk wrote: Fri Sep 30, 2022 9:46 pm
There are various tricks to get a "doubled" sound on a single track of guitar or vocals, but I use a technique that I haven't seen anyone else do. I split the mono signal and run it through both channels of a 31-band dual graphic EQ, and then from a flat setting I move every other fader on the Left channel up or down anywhere from 3 to 12 dB, creating a zigzag, and then do a mirror image of this on the Right channel; so for example, the Left 315hz is boosted and the Right 315hz is either cut or at unity. This gives each channel its own voice and still leaves room in the audible spectrum for the opposite channel, and though it's a cliché it is very ""3-dimensional."
Thats really weird and I like it.
Re: Fun/weird recording/mixing tricks for home recording.
Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2022 4:44 pm
by chexmixbreath
ChudFusk wrote: Fri Sep 30, 2022 9:46 pm
There are various tricks to get a "doubled" sound on a single track of guitar or vocals, but I use a technique that I haven't seen anyone else do. I split the mono signal and run it through both channels of a 31-band dual graphic EQ, and then from a flat setting I move every other fader on the Left channel up or down anywhere from 3 to 12 dB, creating a zigzag, and then do a mirror image of this on the Right channel; so for example, the Left 315hz is boosted and the Right 315hz is either cut or at unity. This gives each channel its own voice and still leaves room in the audible spectrum for the opposite channel, and though it's a cliché it is very ""3-dimensional."
Pretty neat, at least in theory, gonna try it out for myself!
This technique sorta sounds like the process of converting mono mixes into "duophonic" or "fake stereo" albums from the 60's.
Re: Fun/weird recording/mixing tricks for home recording.
Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2022 5:13 pm
by ChudFusk
chexmixbreath wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 4:44 pm
ChudFusk wrote: Fri Sep 30, 2022 9:46 pm
There are various tricks to get a "doubled" sound on a single track of guitar or vocals, but I use a technique that I haven't seen anyone else do. I split the mono signal and run it through both channels of a 31-band dual graphic EQ, and then from a flat setting I move every other fader on the Left channel up or down anywhere from 3 to 12 dB, creating a zigzag, and then do a mirror image of this on the Right channel; so for example, the Left 315hz is boosted and the Right 315hz is either cut or at unity. This gives each channel its own voice and still leaves room in the audible spectrum for the opposite channel, and though it's a cliché it is very ""3-dimensional."
Pretty neat, at least in theory, gonna try it out for myself!
This technique sorta sounds like the process of converting mono mixes into "duophonic" or "fake stereo" albums from the 60's.
Yup, just divvying up the frequency bands and distributing them across the stereo field. Even true doubling does not do this, because two tracks even if played on different guitars will still put the full frequency range on both channels, and can create humps there there is excess midrange information. Splitting and spreading prevents the two tracks from getting in each other's way. You could even use this technique with a doubled recording, sending take 1 through the left Zig side and take 2 through the right Zag side, and then you're double doubled and still not overlapping. Shit if you have 2 guitarists in your band you could use this method to give some separation and keep from stepping on sonic toes. Just EQing your amps differently won't do the same trick, because you'll just get one that's more trebly or bassy than the other. Chpooing it up into 31 bands means both instruments can have peaks in the pleasing frequency range while not peaking at the same frequency bands.
Apologies for my non-technical jargon
Re: Fun/weird recording/mixing tricks for home recording.
Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2022 7:11 pm
by matttkkkk
if the EQ is 31 bands wouldn't the 1/3 octave per slider cut some scale notes out if there was an extreme zigzag pattern? Fine for fake doubling but dicey for two different tracks.
Re: Fun/weird recording/mixing tricks for home recording.
Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2022 8:53 pm
by ChudFusk
matttkkkk wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 7:11 pm
if the EQ is 31 bands wouldn't the 1/3 octave per slider cut some scale notes out if there was an extreme zigzag pattern? Fine for fake doubling but dicey for two different tracks.
Only one way to find out for sure, but yeah that makes sense. A more subtle boost/cut might work fine though
Re: Fun/weird recording/mixing tricks for home recording.
Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2022 9:57 pm
by Anthony Flack
Ain't this just comb filtering?
And since you can produce (usually undesirable) comb filtering by mixing a signal with a short delay of itself, it seems like you should be able to do the same thing here; just invert the delayed signal on one side to produce mirrored comb filtering...?
Re: Fun/weird recording/mixing tricks for home recording.
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2022 12:14 pm
by ErikG
It's not just comb filtering. It's:
ChudFusk wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 5:13 pm
Chpooing it up
Re: Fun/weird recording/mixing tricks for home recording.
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2022 12:23 pm
by ChudFusk
ErikG wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 12:14 pm
It's not just comb filtering. It's:
ChudFusk wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 5:13 pm
Chpooing it up
LMAO
My favorite frequent personal typographic error is pooprtunity, which I end up doing 75% of the time I try to type "opportunity"