USING "PG DYNAMICS" TO SMOOTH TRACK VOLUME

PG Music's plugin called PG Dynamics is an excellent compressor and expander. If Realtracks, Realdrums or Audio tracks have substantial changes in dynamics, one way to achieve an overall more even volume in the track is through use of this plugin. It can be used within Band In A Box, Realband and external DAWs.

In the below example, I have used the plugin on the "Bass" track of Band In A Box.

1. Click on the VSTi button on the shortcut menu bar. (If you cannot see this button, click on the >> immediately to right of the yellow cross in the below image. This will show any buttons not on display.)



2. First, left-click on "Bass" on the window that pops up. Second, left-click on the top drop-down box in the column labeled "Plugin". Third, scroll down and select "PG Dynamics"



3. Adjust the "PG Dynamics" settings to those shown below. First, deactivate "Expander/Gate"; second, double-check that "Compressor" is active; third, deactivate "Auto Gain"; fourth, click on the black box under the 'Output Gain' knob, delete the number that's there (probably 6) and enter 12.



4. Left click on the title bar at the top of the plugin box (#1), hold the mouse button down, and drag the dialogue box down the screen so that the "Generate Play" button (#2) becomes visible.



5. Leaving the VST plugin box open, generate the song and start it playing. As the song plays, you'll see audio activity on the VU meters. If the bass is still quiet (i.e. the VU meters don't register much volume), try changing the "12", in the 'Output Volume' box, to a higher value (the max. is 24). These adjustments can be made while the song is playing and the changes heard in real-time.

If the sound is still not as uniform in volume as you'd like:

(a) Try changing the "Threshold" value to increasingly larger negative numbers (say -15, -18, -20, etc.);

(b) Try changing the "Ratio" value to increasingly larger positive values (say, 6, 7, 8, etc.).

Regards,
Noel