4 videos
@ 19:01
SonicScoop
Use distortion to bring the bass upfront
Sylvia Massy applies distortion to the bass to enhance its presence and prominence. She uses the Sansamp PSA-1 plugin by Avid, a part of her mixing template, to add a "buzzy", "crispy," and "fizzy" quality to the signal. The distortion increases the bass's audibility, helping it to cut through the track better and come more the front of the mix.
@ 17:45
Eric Valentine
Thicker kick tone with parallel distortion
Eric Valentine demonstrates how to achieve a thicker and grittier kick drum tone using parallel distortion with the Avid SansAmp PSA-1. By duplicating the front kick mic track and applying heavy distortion, Valentine enhances the density and thickness of the kick sound. He emphasizes the importance of playing with the timing and phasing to ensure the distorted signal blends well with the original kick track, resulting in a more powerful and cohesive low-end.
@ 1:08
Mix with the Masters
Beef up kick and snare with parallel distortion and compression
Nick Launay demonstrates his approach to parallel processing on kick and snare drums. For the kick, he uses parallel distortion via a Sansamp PSA-1, adding weight and thickness to the sound. To prevent muddiness, he gates the kick in the parallel chain before applying distortion. Additionally, he fine-tunes this distorted signal with EQ adjustments, such as enhancing the low-end, cutting the high-end, or reducing mid-range muddiness. For the snare, Launay applies a similar concept but with aggressive compression using an analog Distressor instead of distortion. He also gates and EQs the parallel snare signal, ensuring it enhances the drum's weight and sustain without introducing unwanted artifacts, like excessive hi-hat or cymbal bleed.
@ 1:54
Avid
Add mid-range punch to a kick with parallel distortion
Tchad Blake employs the SansAmp distortion plugin to infuse the kick drum with additional grit, character, and mid-range presence. He implements this effect in parallel, allowing him to preserve the original sound and dynamics of the drum while gaining more control over the distortion's setup and manipulation. Blake often experiments with filtering and inverting the polarity on the distorted parallel track. Adjusting these parameters results in varying degrees of comb filtering when blended with the original track, thus shaping the sound in distinct ways. His method typically revolves around experimenting with the settings to discover a balance that best complements the song.