a question for those with 2.0|and a compressor question

W

.:Wyze Loc:.

New member
ive been using 1.5 for my recording needs, i havent thought about upgrading to 2.0, just want to know is it really worth it?
im interested in that multiband compressor.


heres my other question
after recording my vocals i take them through the dynamics processing for compression.
i do this for each track of vocals.
Is this the correct way to do it or should i record all the vocals mix em down to one track then add compression?

also ive been told to add a lil compression to the whole track as well.
what are some good settings you could give me to start off with.
 
I compress vocals separately as needed. Not all vocals need to be compressed, necessarily speaking.

I haven't upgraded to 2.0 either, as it seems to have more issues than benefits. I have a nice multiband compressor in my waves bundle. 2.0 doesn't offer anything that I need. So I'm staying with 1.5 for now.

There's no "settings" to compressing your mixdown. That's a part of the mastering process, and the only way to do it correctly, is to listen to the track extensively, and compress as needed.
 
Another option is to mix all the vocal takes down to one track. Apply careful volume automation (with volume envelopes in 1.5) and try to get a somewhat, smooth overall level.

Then maybe top it off with a little compression.

I don't use an MB compressor so I can't recommend one, but the Waves' one seems to get a lot of good responses.

The only Waves plugin I have is their Reverb which is great. I can only assume their other plugins are great too.
 
.:Wyze Loc:. said:
ive been using 1.5 for my recording needs, i havent thought about upgrading to 2.0, just want to know is it really worth it?
im interested in that multiband compressor...
Click to expand...

The decision to upgrade depends upon your needs. There were a handful of changes in 2.0 but whether or not they will make you more productive depends on how you use it. Adobe lists the changes on their site. Adobe what's new list.

There were two changes that were really important to me and made it worth parting with $129.

First was the ASIO driver support. My RME soundcard seems more stable and faster with ASIO than it did with the former MME driver.

Second was the direct-to-disc recording operation. Let me explain...

In version 1.5 and earlier, anything you record first goes to a temporary file. After you hit the STOP button, you must save the file manually in order to make it permanent. This is not much of a problem until you do what I did. I built a mobile recording rig and went out and started recording live bands in clubs using AA1.5. I often recorded 10, 12, or maybe 14 tracks simultaneously for over an hour at a time. This ends up being several Gigabytes of data sitting in temporary files. When the band took a break, it took me 15 to 20 minutes just to save all those tracks to hard disk. I complained about this in several forums and the Adobe reps must have heard me because they addressed this problem in version 2.

Now when you record, the data is written directly to a permanent file in real time. No more waiting for long slow saves. They even organize the files in a seperate folder using the session name. (This is why it asks you to name the session before you start recording.) Cool! I am tickled pink about this change.

There are a few other minor things that I really like now that I am getting used to them.

Oh and BTW, it is very stable. As long as you have a stable operating system and a clean install, it runs perfectly. Mine has never crashed.

Hope this helps.
RawDepth
 
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Raw, that's the exact reason I won't upgrade...lol..

If it only recorded to disk, it would be fine. But if you trash a take, the file still exists. Taking up HD space. Not to mention the multiple files it saves if you use effects, etc... I've heard several people complain about that.

I think a forum member even programed a scripting prog to eliminate duplicate files for this very reason. I don't remember who, though.

Different strokes, I guess. Since I do all my recording in the studio, I like 1.5 much more than 2.0 for now.
 
I think RawDepth forgot one important AA 2,0 feature:
AUTOMATION.
Now I don't think about automation of volume/pan envelopes.
That's not such a big deal.
But I think one powerful tool is FX automation.
 
Change of POETS said:
Raw, that's the exact reason I won't upgrade...lol..

If it only recorded to disk, it would be fine. But if you trash a take, the file still exists. Taking up HD space. Not to mention the multiple files it saves if you use effects, etc... I've heard several people complain about that.

I think a forum member even programed a scripting prog to eliminate duplicate files for this very reason. I don't remember who, though.

Different strokes, I guess. Since I do all my recording in the studio, I like 1.5 much more than 2.0 for now.
Click to expand...
Change of Poets,

I haven't realized many extra discarded files cluttering up my drives. Of course, I don't think I dump too many unwanted tracks anyway though. I tend to be a pack rat when it comes to recording. I save almost everything just in case myself or the artists ever wanted to revert back to it. When I finally do delete files, I just clean them up myself manually. I go through a lot of my folders/drives and clean house every once in a while. I've always been that way with Windows, no matter what software I use.

On the other hand, I have the luxury of almost unlimited disk space. I got myself one of those removable hard drive bays. I just open up a door on the front of my DAW computer and slide in a standard hard drive. It's almost as easy as changing a CD. I can slide in one hard drive, record and copy files all I want, then slide it out and toss it on a shelf. Pop in another and press on with pride. 30 and 40 gig drives are dirt cheap now-a-days. I can put each recording session on a different drive and shelve them for archiving. So, who cares if there are a few extra files here and there? This is the year 2007. Data is everywhere. :D

Raw
 
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sikter said:
I think RawDepth forgot one important AA 2,0 feature:
AUTOMATION.
Now I don't think about automation of volume/pan envelopes.
That's not such a big deal.
But I think one powerful tool is FX automation.
Click to expand...
Sikter,

Oh yeah, good thinking. I have never used the automation yet. I have used the volume and pan envelopes, but not the envelopes for effects. I usually just choose an effect, tweak it to taste, and then lock the track.

I suppose the track automation works like motorized faders, eh? Like I said, I have never bothered using it yet. I can even recall saying to myself about a year or two ago that motorized faders sure would be nice. I have (prior to version 2.0) mixed a few songs where I needed it big-time. Now I have it and don't even use it. Duh! Go figure! I guess I should.

Well, truth be told...at about the same time I upgraded to AA2.0, I also got an analog mixer. So now, the last few songs I've done were on that mixer instead of in-the-box.

Maybe I'll play with the automation soon to see how it works. Thanks for the reality check.

RawDepth
 
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