Topic: Help, my tapes suck....

[sygdwm]

thanks kirk. trying to digest it.

[kirk97132]

Hit me with any Q's you I'll try to help if I can

[sygdwm]

honestly, im lying. watching the all star game instead.

[Patrick]

Drew, the multiband compressor would be more help than compressing the whole file.  Try setting it to compress attacks with -3dBFS thresholds or so at everything below 160hz. Fairly high ratio, try 5:1 or 7:1.  10:1 depending on how bad it is.  This way, the compressor will get rid of the powerful thumps, but also avoid having the compressor "pump" on the rest of the frequency range when triggered by the kick drum hits.  Leave all the other bands alone and just work on the lower frequencies.  Hope this helps.

[sygdwm]

thanks everybody for making me work less tomorrow.

[unclelouie]

Drew, the multiband compressor would be more help than compressing the whole file.  Try setting it to compress attacks with -3dBFS thresholds or so at everything below 160hz. Fairly high ratio, try 5:1 or 7:1.  10:1 depending on how bad it is.  This way, the compressor will get rid of the powerful thumps, but also avoid having the compressor "pump" on the rest of the frequency range when triggered by the kick drum hits.  Leave all the other bands alone and just work on the lower frequencies.  Hope this helps.

I've done this with success in the past.

You could also try a first- or second-order notch filter, but keep it real narrow.
 

[sygdwm]

update:

i did nothing with compression. instead i used a vst plugin call awinda. its a 31 band eq. in conjunction with the spectrum analyzer, i was able to remove the nasty stuff, while retaining the goods. i polished my turds.

[kirk97132]

Are you going to try and do a compression version and compare to see what you like?

[sygdwm]

if i get some more pot, maybe.

[kirk97132]

if i get some more pot, maybe.

Having brain overload eh?

[Gutbucket]

update:

i did nothing with compression. instead i used a vst plugin call awinda. its a 31 band eq. in conjunction with the spectrum analyzer, i was able to remove the nasty stuff, while retaining the goods. i polished my turds.

Just saw this thread and was going to suggest just that.  Mulit-band graphic eq (easiest) or a parametric (more precise but trickier) is my #1 go-to tool for polishing my recordings. Sometimes takes a good bit of work and time to dial it in right.  Helps to come back to it later with fresh ears to make sure you didn't go overboard.

[bgreen]

Just a side note. Here is a pretty cool lil chart for helping to know where to start when you start eq'ing. Also helps you see the entire range you will affect by dropping frequencies.

http://www.independentrecording.net/irn/resources/freqchart/main_display.htm

comes in real handy at times. You'll also want to become real familiar with your spectral and FFT meters. They really help you pinpoint the parts you really want to focus on

And don't be afraid of compression and limiting. Used correctly, they work wonders. Find a copy of Bob Katz book if you need a jumping in point for editing. If you need to know where to find it, gimme a holler. There are also sme good instruction vids on wavelab if ya need em, and most of the plugs have an info section explaing the basic functions. If you already know the how, these little faq's will get you through the "what to click or drag". Wavelabs Montage is also a great tool. I rarely do anything in the waves screen anymore.

 

[sygdwm]

thanks for the info. i filled my jar today, so ill give it a rip. 

[Brian Skalinder]

Great chart, thanks for posting bgreen.    Added it to the sticky at the top of the forum.

[Gutbucket]

There are similar charts around, but the interactive part of that one is very cool, nice find. 

I second the recommendation of Bob Katz's book on mastering.  It is informative and straight forward about the role of the mastering engineer, what they do and the tools they use.  I was a bit disappointed that it does not better address the correction of common problems in the type of recordings we make, but of course most mastering engineers are working on multi-tracked studio recordings, not ambient audience recordings of live music. The general principles apply, but you won't find much on specifics.  I found the section discussion parallel or bottom-up compression particularly useful for reducing macrodynamics by bringing up the quiet parts instead of squashing the loud parts.  I need to play with it more, but I can get much more transparent compression that way.