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Slightly OT - limitations of limiters

Slightly OT - limitations of limiters

2003-11-26 by Roger Rossen

From Mike Marsh: 
I don't compress or limit the signal from the modular to my deck... 
it just kills the dynamics...  I like to get the right dynamics and 
timbre out of the synth and record it naked...

Mike,

Great advice - it sounds like you know whats going on when it comes 
to recording!
I keep finding, the more I go on - that its way too easy to get 
sucked into the vortex of: "how do I use this thing or that?"

Lotsa times the best answer is: DON'T use this or that...

Especially with EQ and all - it always seems to cause 'hidden' 
phasing problems when you get a little too crafty with the 
parametrics - eh?  An endless battle I feel...

Then again, just to confuse things, my TC Electronics Finalizer does 
stuff that I don't even understand - and can make things sound great -
I just can't always figure it out though - so I just have, at least, 
one trusty yet mysterious 'black box'in my arsenal - and only God 
knows how it works...

Something like the pro-studio's LA-2s and Neuman U-47s...which I'll 
never be able to afford anyways!

Less is better - start with the George Martin 4-track thing and 
you'll get to where you wanna go alot quicker I think.  There's just 
too darn many little knobs to get you all sidetracked and into 
the "mush-mix" zone...I've done it myself, way too many times already!

Best,

Rog

Re: Slightly OT - limitations of limiters

2003-11-26 by Mike Marsh

I've heard great things about the Finalizer. I use Izotope's Ozone, 
and it's a tool I couldn't do without!  For the Black Art of mix-
down/mastering, you need EQ, compression/limiting, sweetening, etc.

My thing with anything I record is to get the best timbre-tone-
whatever to the track.  It sounds simple: get the best sound on the 
individual tracks and you'll get a great end product.  But, as you 
pointed out, the more you mess with a track, the less good it can 
sound.  The trick and hard part is getting that best sound to tape 
(or disk) in the first place.  Many years of bad recordings later, 
I'm finally getting there.

Less is more less is more less is more...

Mike

--- In motm@yahoogroups.com, "Roger Rossen" <mididood@a...> wrote:
> From Mike Marsh: 
> I don't compress or limit the signal from the modular to my 
deck... 
> it just kills the dynamics...  I like to get the right dynamics 
and 
> timbre out of the synth and record it naked...
> 
> Mike,
> 
> Great advice - it sounds like you know whats going on when it 
comes 
> to recording!
> I keep finding, the more I go on - that its way too easy to get 
> sucked into the vortex of: "how do I use this thing or that?"
> 
> Lotsa times the best answer is: DON'T use this or that...
> 
> Especially with EQ and all - it always seems to cause 'hidden' 
> phasing problems when you get a little too crafty with the 
> parametrics - eh?  An endless battle I feel...
> 
> Then again, just to confuse things, my TC Electronics Finalizer 
does 
> stuff that I don't even understand - and can make things sound 
great -
> I just can't always figure it out though - so I just have, at 
least, 
> one trusty yet mysterious 'black box'in my arsenal - and only God 
> knows how it works...
> 
> Something like the pro-studio's LA-2s and Neuman U-47s...which 
I'll 
> never be able to afford anyways!
> 
> Less is better - start with the George Martin 4-track thing and 
> you'll get to where you wanna go alot quicker I think.  There's 
just 
> too darn many little knobs to get you all sidetracked and into 
> the "mush-mix" zone...I've done it myself, way too many times 
already!
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> 
> Best,
> 
> Rog

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