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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 112
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 112 |
Hello all. phase one pg music distortion This is just an example. I'm not advocating anyone use this technique for their final mix, or that they not use it. I am merely providing an example for consideration, Let me know, if you've a mind to, what it sounds like to your ears in terms of the PG-Effect applied. You can also provide any other kind of feedback if you like. Please note that when I say "final mix", I'm not saying that this is a finished piece of music; it is a work in progress. Rather, I'm saying final mix to denote that I am providing an example of using PG Music Distortion, at it's default setting, on the ENTIRE stereo track. Put another way, take a wave of the song, then apply the effect at default setting, then save. The significance here, to me, is how "undistorted" the default settings are. To my ears it's acting like a pretty gentle compressor, and warmer. It boosted my output gain by some, but I have room to move so it was a nice "normalization" or something to that effect. YMMV. Point is, it's so soft and subtle. I got the idea to try it after reading PG Music describe their distortion effect as being soft and gentle, basically. After the effect was applied, the render sounds warmer, less jangly but also less "spacious" due to decreased volume dynamics aka compression. I'm sorry, I'm not going to post a "before" example for the time being. I was going to, but decided to opt for simplicity. It doesn't really require a comparison to hear that the mix has not been distorted in the conventional sense but merely warmed up pretty nicely. This is not a bad thing.  Thanks! -Eric
Last edited by DIOECHOOTO; 02/21/15 03:43 PM.
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,361
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,361 |
Hi Eric.
This is a technique which I've mentioned on here before, though some considerable time ago.
I think a lot of people are put off by the word "distortion", but as you say PG describe it more as a tape saturation simulator - quote "Soft Distortion is similar to over driven analogue tape or tube amplifiers".
Once I've finished a mix in Realband or Powertracks, I will almost certainly patch in a levelling effect across the main output buss and sometimes it is the PG soft distortion. It's simplicity itself to use - I set the output gain and then push the pre-gain until I get the required amount of tape saturation. The trick I find, is to keep it subtle - too much and you hear the distortion, much as you would with real tape.
I'm not saying it works for everything, but it's a great help in binding together certain mixes. I use a variety of modelled vintage levelling amp plug-ins, which all have their own character and occasionally I resort to patching in an old hardware Drawmer 1960 valve compressor, which has served me well for many years. Even though I compress everything to some extent at the tracking stage (a hang-over from working with tape) I still can't remember a mix I've done without some kind of levelling. Old habits die hard!
ROG.
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,808
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,808 |
Yup.... I use Sonar for my final mixing and in it's default FX rack there is a "Tape Simulator"..... essentially a distortion FX.
Adding that to vocals and other things can tend to "fatten up" the track.
The trick with using anything like this is to get it to the point where it fattens but doesn't go into the level of distortion.
I used the tape sim on a song and in a different forum several folks caught the distortion on the vocals and pointed it out. I had used a bit too much and they kindly pointed it out to me. You want to find that magic place that approaches fat, and before distorted.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 112
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 112 |
Yes, to all said so far by Rog and Herb. Maybe it's a small point, but as I said it's significant to me that the default settings seem to be a very good starting point for use as a gentle warmer. I will definitely revisit this plug for that purpose. Which positive point makes more diplomatic a segue into a small perceived negative: the complete absence of presets. I was a little surprised, as most (yet true, not all) plugs have at least a few presets installed. Personally I like the reassurance of having named presets to act as starting points. Call it false confidence and I won't argue, but it's been working so far. I haven't previously played around much adding warmth to any final mixes. Reverb, yes of course. I also have iZotope Audio Enhancer (not an apples to oranges example, but...) and it comes with, like most plugins, a nice array of presets. So now I'm wondering, if a new user desires the "confidence boost" of such canned starting points for the PG Distortion...is that available, perhaps from the generosity other users? Something along the lines of "Hey man, can you help a brother out with some aptly named presets?" As always, with much appreciation. Edit: addendum: ROG said: It's simplicity itself to use - I set the output gain and then push the pre-gain until I get the required amount of tape saturation. Maybe that's the rationale for including no small array of presets? IOW that it's so simple, why bother?
Last edited by DIOECHOOTO; 02/22/15 08:11 AM.
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,808
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Posts: 10,808 |
I use the presets as a starting point in my FX.
No matter what the FX might be and even when I have created and saved my own presets.... most of the time, no preset arrives to the final mix without some sort of tweek to it.
One size does not fit all.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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