Web Clips for October 2007

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 AM

p24 | Download of the Month: Polyfractus Model 1.1 (Mac)

Web Clip 1: This short guitar loop is processed by four instances of Model 1.1 to produce echo, metallic resonant, and randomized speech effects.

p31 | Master Class: Pitch Fixers

Web Clip 1: This vocal exhibits excessive vibrato at the end of the phrase.

Web Clip 2: The excessive vibrato in Web Clip 1 has been reduced dramatically using Melodyne Plugin’s Pitch Modulation tool.

p38 | The World Is Your Workstation

Web Clip 1: Going Remote: EJamming lets far-flung users play together in close to real time.

Web Clip 2: Here's a fleshed-out MIDI arrangement: no collaboration, just a sketch of the raw idea.

Web Clip 3: I wanted to impart a different tonality to the tune and delivered a guide mp3 without the bass or pads.

Web Clip 4: A rough mix with Jimi's guitars and vocal pads at the forefront and with a pilot bass track.

Web Clip 5: Marty Cutler and Jimi Tunnell relate their online collaboration experience and how it can facilitate the creative process.

p53 | DIY: Chamber Made

Web Clip 1: This is an example of a piano recording in the chamber. First you’ll hear the dry sound then the sound with echo.

Web Clip 2: Here is a vocal excerpt recorded dry, then heard in the chamber.

Web Clip 3: Here is an acoustic guitar excerpt recorded dry, then heard in the chamber.

Web Clip 4: This is an example of a sax recording in the chamber. First you’ll hear the dry sound then the sound with echo.

Web Clip 5: Here is a trumpet excerpt recorded dry, then heard in the chamber.

p66 | Sound Design Workshop: Morphology

Web Clip 1: This brief sketch uses three patches created in u-he Zebra 2: a wave sequence pattern, a bass with pseudo-filtering, and a bell tone with subtle wave morphing. All three are based on techniques discussed in this month’s Sound Design Workshop. (The drums are courtesy of Steinberg Hypersonic.)

p68 | Square One: Sawing Logs

Web Clip 1: A linear fade-in and fade-out are often too abrupt.

Web Clip 2: A logarithmic fade-in and fade-out sound smoother and more natural.

p76 | Celemony Software Melodyne Studio 3.2.1 (Mac/Win)

Web Clip 1: The same two-bar loop from the Melodyne Sound Library "The Voice" is heard three times: the original loop, Melodyne-generated four-part unison, Melodyne-generated four-part harmony.

Web Clip 2: The same two-bar loop from the Melodyne Sound Library "Horn Section" is heard six times: the original loop, shifted up a Perfect Fourth without formant correction, shifted up a Perfect Fourth with formant correction, shifted down a Perfect Fourth without formant correction, shifted down a Perfect Fourth with formant correction, and individual notes pitch shifted and the whole loop time stretched with formant correction.

Web Clip 3: The same four-bar drum loop is heard three times: the original, with some Melodyne pitch shifting, and quantized to eighth-note triplets. All processing uses the Melodyne plug-in inserted on an audio track in Ableton Live 6.

p106 | Guyatone Ultron Optical Auto Wah and Ultrem Optical Tremolo

Web Clip 1: This clip demonstrates the Ultron in Manual Wah mode using an optional Roland EV-5 expression pedal to control the filter.

Web Clip 2: This clip demonstrates just some of the wide range of timbres and effects possible using both the Ultrem and Ultron together. The signal path is a Fender Stratocaster (with humbucking pickup in the bridge position) plugged into the Ultrem (set to a square wave and with Saturation on full), and then into the Ultron. The Ultron filter cutoff is controlled in real time using an expression pedal. The second part of the clip uses the same path with a Fender Jazz Bass playing harmonics (plus a bit of extra distortion provided on the front end by an additional fuzz box).

p112 | FabFilter Timeless 1.0 (Mac/Win)

Web Clip 1: The same pulsing chord processed by parallel lowpass and bandpass filters is repeated six times. The filter characteristic changes for each pass, cycling through Timeless's six characteristics: FabFilter One, Gentle, Raw, Tube, Metal, and Easy Going.

Web Clip 2: The same moving-delays preset is used as a send effect to process bass, drums, and organ at different times during this clip.

p116 | Eiosis ELS Vocoder 1.2 (Mac/Win)

Web Clip 1: The ELS Vocoder's Pitch Extractor is used to control the vocoder's oscillator pitches, thereby harmonizing the incoming soprano-sax loop.

Online Exclusive Review | TC Electronic Classic Booster + Distortion and Classic Sustain + Parametric EQ

Web Clip 1: This is an example of the Classic Booster + Distortion used to boost a riff over the top. First, I played the riff without the pedal, and then I turned the pedal on.

Web Clip 2: In this clip, I used the Classic Sustain + Parametric EQ to add some "chunk and thunk" to a funk-style riff. I play the riff a few times, and then end with a low E to emphasize the thud. Notice how each note gets articulated in the string clicks, thanks to the action of the compressor.