Mixing Secrets For The Small Studio - Additional Resources

Workflow Demonstration Video

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Audio Files

(To download all WAV examples at once: 189MB ZIP)

• Blend & Size Delays: Here are four versions of the same basic mix: a completely dry version Ex17.01: WAV/MP3play_arrow, a version with blend delay applied Ex17.02: WAV/MP3play_arrow, a version with size delay applied Ex17.03: WAV/MP3play_arrow, and finally a version with both delays at once Ex17.04: WAV/MP3play_arrow. Compare these files with the corresponding reverb treatments (blend Ex17.05: WAV/MP3play_arrow; size Ex17.06: WAV/MP3play_arrow; both Ex17.07: WAV/MP3play_arrow) to get a feeling for the differences, and also have a listen to what all four effects can do together Ex17.08: WAV/MP3play_arrow.

• Overall Reverb & Delay Effects Balances: Here are some examples which demonstrate the overall reverb/delay effects balances for several different mixes. The first is from Mix Rescue August 2009, where I used three reverbs and a delay for the final remix Ex17.09: WAV/MP3play_arrow. Here’s what it sounds like without those effects Ex17.10: WAV/MP3play_arrow. In Mix Rescue July 2010, I used two reverbs and three delays for the final remix Ex17.11: WAV/MP3play_arrow, but this file has all of them muted Ex17.12: WAV/MP3play_arrow. There’s a more detailed example in Mix Rescue May 2010, where the final remix Ex17.13: WAV/MP3play_arrow used blend reverb Ex17.14: WAV/MP3play_arrow, size reverb Ex17.15: WAV/MP3play_arrow, sustain reverb Ex17.16: WAV/MP3play_arrow, size delay Ex17.17: WAV/MP3play_arrow, and ping-pong delay Ex17.18: WAV/MP3play_arrow.

• Ducking Delay: Let’s say I want to add a strong echo effect to the vocal part from Mix Rescue February 2009 Ex17.19: WAV/MP3play_arrow. Using a traditional delay effect clouds the vocal delivery itself Ex17.20: WAV/MP3play_arrow, whereas a ducking delay allows the vocals much more space, while still delivering the same obvious echo tail Ex17.21: WAV/MP3play_arrow.

Links

• Affordable Delay Plug-ins: I use Cockos’s freeware ReaDelay for all my general-purpose delay effects, but Voxengo’s Tempo Delay is a decent cross-platform alternative. For more coloristic freeware options, check out: Full Bucket Brigade Delay; Interruptor Tape Delay ^32‑bit & Bionic Supa Delay ^32‑bit ; Musical Entropy Spaceship Delay; Saltline Lisc-delay ^32‑bit ; Shuttleplugs Shuttle Echo ^32‑bit and Shuttle Echolette ^32‑bit ; Smartelectronix Analog Delay ^32‑bit ; Sonic Anomaly Leet Delay; Tesselode Cocoa Delay; Ursa DSP Lagrange; and Valhalla FreqEcho. If you’re after an all-in-one ducking delay, here are a couple of freeware plug-ins for that: GVST GDuckDly, Smartelextronix MdspDuckDelay ^32‑bit & Tesselode Cocoa Delay. You can give any of your regular delays a bit vintage-style wow and flutter with Interruptor Wow & Flutter ^32‑bit or Tesselode Flutterbird.

• Affordable Pitched Resonator Plug-ins: I first came into contact with pitched resonators via the Resonant Chords patch of Lexicon’s studio effects units, and although this effect is now available in software form as part of the PCM Native Effects bundle, it’s quite an expensive option if pitched resonance is all you’re looking for. For a more affordable option, try LMDSP Superchord or Stillwell Audio TinMan, although with the latter you’ll need to use multiple single-pitch instances to achieve a similar level of functionality. The best freeware pitched resonator I know of is Melda MComb, but some other fun options are Decade Bridge Speculum, Mutagene Macomate88 ^32‑bit , and Wok Wave Resom ^32‑bit .