Should I not do this?

hybridsound

hybridsound

New member
I have been using CEP 2.0 for about 3 years now and I have developed a certain 'ritual' of sorts. After I have recorded a track, I have a set list of effects that I add to them. The list differs depending on the type of recording it is but it's still pretty much the same. The following is a list of what I do in exact order:

+Noise Reduction
- Noise Reduction: Removes any unwanted background noise such as click tacks, fan noise and instrument hum.

+Amplitude
+Dymanics Processing
- De Esser (High S)

+Filters
+FFT Filter
- Kill 60Hz Ground Noise

+Filters
+FFT Filter
- Kill Mic Rumble (only if open mic was used)

+Filters
+FFT Filter
- Kill Subharmonics

+Filters
+Scientific Filters
- Remove Subsonic Rumble

+Filters
+FFT Filter
- Mastering: Heavy and Wide

+Amplitude
+Dynamics Processing
-Classic Soft Knee (only for vocals)

+Amplitude
+Pan/Expand
-Mastering Width

+Amplitude
+Normalize
-100% (L&R Equally)

I guess what I'm asking is if I shouldn't be doing something in this list. I have been getting pretty good results but maybe they could be better if I didn't do something or did something different. If you have any input, I would appreciate your comment.

Thanks for looking.
 
One school of thought is to get as close as possible to the end goal before hitting record. Then do or put in as little as possible to it to reach that end. The theory being each additional piece of gear or processing that's needed as a fix degrades, and to my way of thinking, is an indication of how far off I was at step one.
Typical here- Eq plug; most tracks. Compressor/limiter; several as needed (I don't track with comps that often.) Everything else is as needed on special cases.
It reads like you are throwing on a lot of extra steps, maybe for some default reasoning?
Wayne
 
If you're doing this right after you record every track, you might be losing how it sounds overall against each track on a whole. I would think you should be adding what a track needs in relation to other tracks instead of automatically adding things without thinking if it would help or hurt the track
 
Thank you for your input. I have to say that it is a wise idea to get everything as good as it can get before you record but I'm recording in my bedroom/basement and there is little room for acoustical alterations. I have, however sound proofed and isolated this room as best as I could. I also have one thing to say in my defense, though... I am mostly subtracting, not adding to the sound. And yes. This process is done right after each track is recorded. If I don't do it then, I'll forget to do it later.

So, you're saying that it's possible that I shouldn't be doing these things? I guess I have got to a point with CEP 2.0 where I am comfortable with the set way I do things and as a result, I haven't learned anything new for fear of change to my routine. Maybe you all could help me and others who are stuck in this dilema... What kind of things do you do to your tracks? Like vocals for instance... What kind of compressors do you use? Do you use modulation? What reverb works best. Keep in mind that since not every one owns all of the plug-ins that some others do, we'll talk about the effects that come with Cool Edit, Cool Edit Pro and CEP 2.0.

P.S.
Sorry if that was all very confusing.
 
Since I don't use CEP, I'm admittedly guessing on most of these.. But your question was .. ;)

- Kill 60Hz Ground Noise" A 60 Hz notch?

- Kill Mic Rumble (only if open mic was used)" An 80 Hz high pass?

- Kill Subharmonics" 20hz high pass?

If you kill below 80 the rest seem kind of redundant. I.e.; Three trips through where one (or none?) would do. And if your going to trim the low end, shouldn't at least some of them be custonized to the track's needs, or is that yet another plug/pass?

+Pan/Expand
-Mastering Width"
+FFT Filter
- Mastering: Heavy and Wide"
What are they? What do they do for you? (Perhaps more relevant to your question, why are they on the default list?

Normalize
-100% (L&R Equally)
Never. When tracks are recorded at conservative/healthy levels there's no need to bring them up to max just to have to bring them back down again to land at zero on the master mix level.

- De Esser (High S)
Rarely. Why is it on the default list?
 
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