ACKUS: Tips and Tricks

  • Thread starter Thread starter moskus
  • Start date Start date
Compression

I think it's easier to mix with a more even signal. Use compression to even out the signal and get a tighter signal.

I have problems with writing this in english, I know it in norwegian... These articles explains it better than me. Read here.

And James, do you find it necessary to normalize every recording? Normalizing just makes the sound louder and I find it unnessecary if you record hot enough.
 
James Argo said:
...Hehehe, corection... you're on August 23, 2001, and I was the day after you. August 24, 2001. ( Actualy, I signup somewhere in mid 1999 using different name, but I forget my pass...:( then I have to sign in again...)

Your birthday : July 19.
My birthday : July 17.

Heh heh heh... that's close :)
Click to expand...

get a room, guys. :p
 
Re: Compression

moskus said:
And James, do you find it necessary to normalize every recording? Normalizing just makes the sound louder and I find it unnessecary if you record hot enough.
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...Sure, if you think it's loud enough and you get the best headroom you can get, then you may leave it alone. But as far as I know, you have nothing to loose to normalize it. It's just to make sure you bring the loudest passage in the track and set it to 0 dB. If your recorded track is hot enough, then Normalize it won't affect that much to your signal nor do any harm...

;)
Jaymz
 
Session Drummer 'rehersal'

Here's a post that explain how to get that Session Drummer to play through another mididevice than the one you have as nr 1 in Options -> Midi Devices.

Thanks guttadaj! :)
 
i vote against normalization. it does nothing good to the track, and introduces artifacts. it's definitely a no no in my book.
as for tips, i have one which is not specific to sonar, but it's good.
when you're recording bass guitar, and you don't have an amp to mic, run the bass direct, then take the track and process it in cakewalk's amp sim (i use the 'solid state clean' preset), and print it to another track. you then get to mix the direct sound with the 'live' sound at taste.
 
postalblue said:
i vote against normalization. it does nothing good to the track, and introduces artifacts. it's definitely a no no in my book.
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Ditto!

And there's a little Revalver tip: It's not only good for guitars. I have done some pretty interresting vocals with it. Just load any preset, and tweak it till "your hearts delight". ;)
 
Using SONAR Plugin Manager, we can share our delightfull preset settings (.spp files) with other... Cool !!!

:cool:
 
I can't figure this out. How to you share the .spp -files and WHERE do you find them? :confused:
 
I haven't read all 3 pages of this, but what about creating your on normal template file? That works great for me. I simply created a setup that I liked...with my dual monitors...Console, some menu bars and large time on the right, Trackview, transport controls and SMR buttons on the left, I named all of the tracks for the way that my studio is wired up. I setup my Console view with my digital mixer for remote control, I set my balances in my Console view, I put my most common plugins on the appropriate tracks, and I placed a couple of Softsynths into additional tracks, and an associated audio track for use with them. I also archived the Softsynth tracks, as I don't always use them, so I don't want them eating CPU. Once I got it the way I wanted, I replaced the Normal.tpl in the Sonar directory with this one by saving it as a template called 'normal.cwt' there.

Now, every time I bring up Sonar it autoloads this configuration. I could begin recording right away without reconfiguration in most cases.
 
James Argo said:
As soon as you record audio - Normalize it. You do this by selecting Edit -> Audio -> Normalize. Or Tools -> (Your Wave Editor apps). This will take your loudest passage in the track and set it to 0 dB. If you do this then you won't have one track with the fader at -35 dB and another at +6.3 dB because the record levels were all different. This is especially helpful if you record (lets say your guitar) on two different days and you aren't sure if the mixer record levels were set the same. If you normalize it won't matter! Do this even when you record your MIDI tracks into Audio format. This will make the relative volumes of all your tracks about the same and it will be easier to mix.
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Interesting... Iwas told to Normalize when you have to not on routine...... What steps would be correct... Record 24-bit audio + Music (optical toslink) in Sonar (Normalize every track ..... Add Izotope plugin to all tracks.... Sav 24 bit wave.. Go to Sound Forge... Convert 24 to 16----- Burn in Nero ??? is this a good chain of events.
 
OK…I give…it's killing me...what the heck does ACKUS stand for?

Based on the discussion, here’s my guess :D

A Audigy?
C Card?
K ????
U Using?
S Sonar?

Am I close?? :D
 
No, it's a tribute to Acidrock who came up with:

Aall Cool Kids Use Sonar



Not a bad guess, though! But "Audigy"??? No-no-no! :D
 
moskus said:
No, it's a tribute to Acidrock who came up with:

Aall Cool Kids Use Sonar



Not a bad guess, though! But "Audigy"??? No-no-no! :D
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ROFL

I will be able to sleep tonight now. :D

(somebody mentioned Audigy along the way so’s I just filled in the blanks :D)

I wouldn’t have anything to do with an Audigy. I have a primo SBLive value ;) :D :D
 
i'd rather use the trim control than to normalize.

typically i try to record so that my peaks hit around -6 and hopefully my average level will be no less than -12. when that doesn't happen, i use the trim control to get the peak level up to -6.

it certainly does make it easier to mix when everything has the same relative volume, then you can choose which instruments to leave high, and which to lower.

anything that's non-destructive is better for me because i'm fickle. i love something today and hate it tomorrow. i need backout ability.
 
crosstudio said:
i'd rather use the trim control than to normalize.
<snip:)
anything that's non-destructive is better for me because i'm fickle. i love something today and hate it tomorrow. i need backout ability.
Click to expand...

I'm there to.

"Common practice is to never use normalizers. A normalizer is a destructive process that really does nothing constructive to the track. If the track needs to be louder, turn up the volume on the software's mixer."
Works for me.:)

Then there's this idea from Paul Frindle (spelling?:confused: ) that it could be better to not have your tracks maxed out in a daw because plugs might be happier. The suggestion was that it could help to dump a little gain (trim) on the tracks once in the daw, if you tend to record maxed out.

I just work here.
:D
Wayne
 
speaking of levels, you should try to avoid for example lowering the volume in the track, adding a plugin and then upping the tracks level on the plugin. try to set the level you want in only one place, to avoid any noise build up or degradations in the sound.
 
EASY SONAR TWEAKING

Check this out. Tweak the .ini-files and Tools-menu in an easy way!

:D
 
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