RecordingMag
Building a studio pedal effects rack
Creating an efficient studio pedal effects rack can significantly enhance your workflow and creative potential. By adapting the pedal board concept for studio use, you can connect all your pedals to a patch bay, allowing for any combination of effects without constant reconfiguration. Start by selecting suitable rack shelves and arranging your pedals with Velcro for easy access and stability. A dedicated multi-pedal power supply, like the Strymon Zuma, is essential for clean power distribution and expandability. Using unbalanced TS-connectors for the audio cabling ensures compatibility with both unbalanced and balanced patchbays. When connected to a balanced patchbay, the TS cable grounds the negative side of the balanced connection, effectively converting the balanced signal from your studio interface or converter into an unbalanced one for seamless signal transfer to your pedals. If the signal is already unbalanced by a reamp box, it will feed through the balanced patchbay without any issues. Proper cable management and labeling are crucial for maintaining order and ease of use. With this setup, you can effortlessly incorporate pedal effects into your mixes, adding unique textures and character to your tracks.
Output
Setting up guitar pedals for studio use
Vance Powell demonstrates his use of guitar pedals in a studio setting by employing the Radial EXTC-SA to convert line-level signals to instrument-level and back. His setup allows for seamless integration of effects pedals during recording or mixing, offering flexibility in creative sound design. Powell highlights his collection of Earthquaker pedals, particularly the Organizer, which he frequently uses to create expansive, textured effects on vocals. He also mentions the MXR Flanger/Doubler, which is easily accessible in his setup and regularly used for adding depth and modulation.
SonicScoop
Mixing top-down into compression, saturation and EQ
Catherine Marks shares her preferred mix bus chain, emphasizing a top-down approach by setting up her mix bus processing early in the mixing process. This method allows her to efficiently glue the mix together from the start. Her chain includes the Thermionic Culture Fat Bustard as a summing mixer and for initial EQ boosts, followed by the Dramastic Audio Obsidian compressor, the Manley Massive Passive EQ, and finally the Inward Connections Vac Rac TEQ-1. Marks highlights the importance of consistency in her settings, particularly on the Massive Passive, to maintain a stable tonal balance. She employs multiple stages of EQ to shape the mix, with notable boosts at 10kHz and 50Hz on the Fat Bustard, and additional adjustments on the Vac Rac and Massive Passive. The Obsidian compressor is set with a classic SSL-style slow attack and fast release.
SonicScoop
Using groups and VCAs for efficient automation
Mick Guzauski demonstrates the use of VCA groups and subgroups for efficient automation in large mixing sessions. By organizing instruments into logical VCA groups, such as bass and drums, Guzauski can manage over a hundred tracks on a 32-fader surface, ensuring everything is accessible and streamlined. He further refines this workflow by sending these groups to individual stereo aux subgroups, enabling bus processing with efficient level rides and dynamic moves before hitting the final bus processing. Guzauski's approach to automation and session organization is a simple and efficient way to manage complex mixes, making it easier to maintain control and mix intuitively.
Mix with the Masters
Organize the session for efficient rough mix referencing
Michael Brauer emphasizes the importance of contrasting the mix in progress with the rough mix. To facilitate this, he aligns the rough mix alongside the multitrack in his DAW, routing it as an independent source to his monitor controller. This enables swift A/B comparisons between the current mix and the rough mix. Key in this process is matching the levels between the two mixes as closely as possible. This ensures a meaningful comparison, verifying that the new mix is a true enhancement of the song.
Mix with the Masters
Being efficient and productive
Leslie Brathwaite emphasizes the importance of efficiency in the mixing process, especially in the fast-paced world of modern music production. He highlights that knowing what to spend time on and what not to is crucial for a successful career. He illustrates this by accepting and working with the choices made by the artist or producer, such as using a compressor that isn't his preference, to save time and maintain the workflow's momentum. This approach ensures productivity and keeps the mix moving forward without unnecessary delays. Brathwaite also stresses the need to adapt to new technologies and methods to stay relevant. By condensing and refining his process, he can meet the demands of today's industry and maintain a competitive edge.
SonicScoop
Being efficient with bus processing
Sylvia Massy advocates a top-down approach for mixing electric guitars, focusing on bus EQ and compression. Noting the individual tracks' inherent coherency, she bypasses EQ and compression on each track, opting instead for these processes on the guitar bus. This method not only enhances consistency, body, and presence more efficiently, but also unifies the individual tracks effectively.
Universal Audio
Pick ITB over OTB for practicality and consistency
Darrell Thorp discusses his decision to mix entirely "in the box" rather than using a traditional console, influenced by the band's satisfaction with his rough mixes. Despite initially attempting to mix on a console, Thorp found that mixing digitally aligned better with the desired sound and practicality, highlighting the acceptance of digital mixing environments in professional music production.