WaveBurner to the rescue!

Anyways, let’s get started! Today we are going to talk about how to go about burning a dj mix to an audio cd. If you have ever listened to a continuous dj mix on your stereo which featured multiple tracks, you may have noticed that there are slight gaps, clicks, or pops in between the (what should have been) seamless transition. This can be very annoying, especially when the whole point of a continuous mix is to have a gap free listening experience in order to really get in the mood. Good news though, we can prevent this occurrence so transitions from track to track are perfectly seamless.

The easiest way around this problem, which many people still do, is to burn the mix as one long track. The compromise here is you have to listen to the entire mix from start to finish every time you put it in your stereo. It’s either that or holding down fast forward forever, and that’s no fun, especially while driving! Cutting your mix into separate tracks allows the listener to navigate freely between songs without all the hassle. Be careful though, there is actually a right and wrong way to cut your tracks in a mix specifically for use in any cd player. This is where our software of choice comes in, Waveburner.

If you own Logic, you own Waveburner, as it comes bundled with. Before we get going though, we want to make sure we are working with the highest quality version of our mix, preferably a .wav or .aif. If you only have an .mp3 available, it will have to be converted before import, which adds processing you otherwise didn’t need to apply. However, if that’s all you have to deal with, no sweat.

First, let’s open up the program and import our mix. We can use the import icon in the toolbar, or simply drag and drop from the finder.

Hotkey - ⌘F

Once we have imported our mix, let Waveburner calculate the waveform. We will want to zoom out to see the mix in its entirety as well.

This mix is 30 minutes long with 5 tracks

Before we start hacking our mix into pieces, there are some settings we need to apply. First up, we need to set the default pause length. This is the time inserted inbetween cd tracks, which is normally 2 seconds. Since this is a dj mix, we want absolutely no time in between, so we will set it to zero. Navigate to the menubar on top and select Waveburner > Preferences.

Then, under the General tab, set your “Default Pause Length” to “00:00:00”.

Next, we will need to select our marker and tool types. We are going to use the track marker (the purple one), and the scissor tools.Now comes the most important step, and the main reason we are using Waveburner: the 588 sample grid, better known as CDDA frames. Here’s how this whole thing works. When CD’s are burned, they have a resolution unlike any other we are familiar with, such as milliseconds, or samples. For a CD, there are hours, minutes, seconds, and finally CDDA frames, or 1/75th of a second, or 588 samples. This is a very specific resolution, and we need a program that can set its grid to this value. Why is this so important? Well, think of how you would normally go about cutting your tracks without regard to CDDA frames. You would probably zoom in as close as you can into the waveform, and cut it on the downbeat of the transition. This is fine until you burn it to a CD and listen to the transition between tracks. When the cut was made, it wasn’t conformed to this special grid, which means during the burning process, the CD has to round off the remainder, resulting in clicks, pops, or gaps depending on how close your cut was to a multiple of 588 samples.

Let’s go ahead and select the correct time format now that we know what exactly is going on. We are going to select the “Min:Sec:Frm (CDDA Frames)” format.

Now we can proceed as normal. Since we know our grid is set to CDDA Frames, we don’t have to worry about making improper cuts! Can you imagine doing this manually without this special grid? Yikes…

Let’s find the first transition in our mix. Another cool feature of Waveburner is the ability to zoom in and out using only the mouse wheel. Go ahead and get as close as you can to that first downbeat. If you are having trouble finding it by looking at the waveform, simply listen for it, and pause right before the downbeat using the spacebar. I usually make my cuts right when the bass switches from previous to the next track, though you may have your own preference. Just remember that these cuts are where your tracks will begin when navigating through the cd from your stereo.

Notice here I have my playback head set right on the transient of the downbeat of the incoming track. This is done so when the listener skips to the next track, it will sound as if it just began. Make sure to take note of the frames in the number that appears in the dialog box above the waveform, because that dialog box will disappear when you move your cursor to make the cut.

To splice the region, click and hold on top of the waveform, you will notice the dialog box with your frames appears again. Keep holding it and scrub to the same number your playback head was on previously, release to make the cut.

Continue to do this until you have cut all your tracks for your mix. When you are finished, go back and name your tracks accordingly using the “CD Tracks” column. This way when you pop the disc into your stereo, the names will appear in the display (unless you have an older model). This can be done by highlighting the track in the “CD Tracks” column below your waveform, and pressing ⌘T. Make sure to select the “CD Text” tab and fill in the track title. Just press the “Next” button to move down the tracklist.

You may notice that for the first track, there is a 2 second pause at the very beginning. This space is saved for other information to be stored on the CD, so I would recommend leaving it alone, it is only 2 seconds after all.

Once you have named all your tracks, the final project should look something like this:

I have made all my cuts on the downbeat of the incoming tracks, and have filled out all my “CD Text” titles. That leaves one last step…Burn!

Let’s review! We are using Waveburner to make cuts based on a CDDA frame grid to prevent gaps and pops between track transitions. When making your cuts, zoom as far into the waveform as you can, and splice on the transient of the downbeat for your incoming track. Once you have made all your cuts, go back and fill out your track titles for your “CD Text”.

Whether you are listening to your cd in your car, or are sending it off to a nightclub manager, you can now rest easy in knowing that your transitions are smooth as butter!

Max for Live is a visual programming environment based on Max/MSP. If your are already familiar with Max/MSP, getting your way around in Max for Live should definitely be feasible, since it’s based on the exact same techniques that made Max/MSP such a powerfull tool but yet so easy and fun to work with.

If you are new to this kind of programming, fear no more for Max for Live comes with some great step-by-step tutorials as well as some preprogrammed devices serving as very good examples for the beginner. Now anyone can start programming their own devices.

The heart of visual programming : The Object Palette

But it’s not just audio effect. Max for Live can interact with MIDI data as well. You could for instance build your own arpeggiator or just randomize your MIDI sequence for a laugh.

A MIDI step Sequencer made in Max for Live

Max for Live is also capable of interacting with your favorite hardware device like the Akai APC40. This is particularly interesting for those that use Ableton Live as a DJ software. What makes it even more interesting is the fact that you can edit your home made devices on the fly without ever having to stop playing your set.

The one thing that I personally like most about Max for Live is that once you have build a cool device, you can instantly share this with others. There is even this 3rd party website where you can upload your devices and download devices build by other programmers.

To sum up, Max for Live takes music production one step further. It’s one thing to use preprogrammed devices, it’s another to design and build your own. As I mentioned before, now anyone can build their own audio and MIDI devices using nothing but a laptop. It’s that easy. No need to wait, hope and pray anymore for the Ableton developers team to do that for you.

For pricing and more information, please visit http://cycling74.com/products/maxforlive/ and http://www.ableton.com/maxforlive/

1. Keep your desk clear

One of the worst things to have is a messy desk. When sat at your desk working on a track, you want as much space as possible to free your arms about. I have quite a large desk with enough space for a midi keyboard, dual display, studio monitors, external HDD and audio interface and it only cost me $50! You can even make your own desk, all you need to make is a large wood board for the space.

2. Lighting

Try and keep your room well lit and try to let in as much natural light as possible. It reallys helps to have natural light around you when writing music, I generally produce alot more during the day than I do at night because of this. If your in a room where natural light is a very minimum try having dimmed lights in a corner of the room.

3. Decorations

This may sound really cheesy but it’s nice to have posters of art you like or album covers from your favorite artists. It’s something to look up too, giving you that kick of motivation when you hit a low point. I’m a fan of the works of Andy Warhol, there’s something about his work that get’s me thinking. Have a look here for some prints

4. Scent

Try and keep your studio smelling nice, I even get ideas when the environment I’m in smells nice! Use air freshen-air and occasionally go for a different scent as it helps reset your mind when your looking to go for that different angle.

5. Comfort-ability

It’s very important that your comfortable in your place of work. Make it a room that you can spend several hours in if need be and still be happy you’re in there. Get yourself a comfortable office chair, try some of the above tips and your be away. Of course everyone has their own tastes on how they personalize their space so make it your own!

Sadly Reason gets caught in a debate about how it “sounds” with accusations of “thin”, “weak” and “unprofessional” being tossed around weekly. Reason is used in many of the top production studios around the world for adverts, films, Rock and yes floor stomping Trance. So why does Reason cop more grief than the average and how do Pros get great results?

Reason 1 – Frequency

Scream Tape setting + MClass EQ

Firstly the audio quality of Reason is superb so that it has highs all the way up to the ceiling which is un-natural in the world of real instruments. Sure everything has overtones up there but they are barely audible. Reason on the other hand has enough activity up there to be noticeable. Having all that activity going on up there draws the ear. As a result the lower, meatier frequencies sound diminished by comparison.

The fix here is high freq roll-off. The best tools for the job are the Scream Tape (Parameter 1 knob), the BV512 as an EQ and the MClass Equalizer. Other tools that can also work wonders are the ECF-42 Filter, Thor, Maelstrom and the PEQ-2 Parametric EQ. Each of these units operates as a filter to be able to attenuate the high frequencies and make the instruments sound more real and beefy.

Reason 2.5 – Quality

ReDrum + Scream

Reason’s sound engine is very clean. Real world sounds are never very clean. A MiniMoog was a dirty, noisy beast and even a Virus has it’s ways of sounding powerful as it outputs it’s signal from digital to the real world which is part of the Virus “sound”. Reason does none of this by default so the sound can seem lifeless in comparison to hardware or even other DAWs that hardcode a character into their signal path.

The fix is to mess the sounds up at several points in the chain just as would happen in the real world. Main unit here is the Scream Tape unit with low to mid levels of Damage (not enough to sound like distortion). Thor’s Filters can also be used here as they have Gain Boost that, particularly in the case of the 24db Type I with Self-Osc turned off, can be overdriven nicely. Another unit I like for this is the BV512 as an EQ using a low number of bands, typically 4 or 8. Sure the Vocoder EQ is not phase accurate but that doesn’t matter for electronic sounds as they have no real world basis.

Reason 3 – Volume

Mixer + Mastering incl. Scream Tape

The metering on the Reason mixers is not exactly studio quality in that it has no +0db segments. The top of the meter is clip. We are used to meters that have overs but these meters don’t so we tend to assume the end of the yellow LEDs is 0db leaving the last few db unused. This is because in the early days Reason had no real Compressors or Limiters and was intended to be ReWired into Cubase (or similar) for better mixing. Clip in the digital world is generally nasty so we mix quiet. Quiet is never as inspiring as loud as we lose Sound Pressure Level (SPL). Also in the digital domain quiet is less bits and fewer bits is lower quality.

Fix this by running levels pretty hot and insert the super MClass Mastering units to tame levels and avoid clip. Again the synths can often be boosted in volume and presence by running them through Scream, BV512 and Thor/Maelstrom/ECF-42 Filters.

Reason 4 – Modularity

Vocoder as EQ

Reason is a very modular system. Initially it doesn’t seem so because the modules are complete synths and effects instead of Filters, LFOs and ADSRs. This assumption is a mistake. By the mid-80’s every synthesist knew that getting huge sounds was not a case of using only one instrument but layering several. MIDI made that easy. Digital makes it even easier. VSTs tend to use a lot of CPU but Reason is very efficient so you can layer up silly numbers of Subtractors, Unisons and Choruses to make massive sounds. Coupled with Reason’s CV patching (allowing you to use just an LFO from a Maelstrom) and the techniques above Reason can sound just as beefy (or perhaps more so) than any other DAW.

To make the most of Reason’s modularity use Combinators as they help keep things tidy. If you didn’t already know you can start a sound in the general Rack and then select all the units and choose to Combine them. Sometimes you have to re-patch but mostly it is all handled for you. You will generally want to move any sequences from the individual synth to the new Combinator Track. Of course you can keep the instrument track for automation purposes.

An Example

It is always great to have the work of others to dissect and learn from so I have made a simple (and probably cheezy) piece using all of the techniques in this article. Listen to the piece. Turn off the Master effects as a whole then per-unit. Listen to the difference in the sound, sometimes it is subtle but at others it is very noticeable.

Next do the same at every instrument to hear how the combination of instrument treatment and mix treatment combine to make a piece that feels far more “real” than when all the treatments are turned off. Compare the sound of the piece with no treatment (just raw instruments) compared to the final version.

Happy Reason using.

Benedict is a composer, synth developer and sound designer with over 20 years experience.

There are various ways out there that you can submit your music to record labels and artists, 10 years ago people were posting tapes! With the revolution of the internet it’s never been easier to get your music across for exposure.

MySpace

One of the most common and successful ways of getting in contact with DJs, record labels and artists is via MySpace. You can simply sign up as a band/artist, write a little information about yourself and upload all your music into a tidy little player which will appear on your profile. People interested in your music can easily get in contact by sending you a message and vice versa.

http://www.myspace.com

Twitter

Twitter is one of the new contenders to the world of social networking, it’s very straight forward as you can simply post a tweet stating what ever message you want to get out to your followers whether you’re gigging or have a new track to show off.  The more followers you have, the higher chance you have of getting in touch with people who can get you places.

http://www.twitter.com

Email

Ah good old Email. Email is still one of the best ways to get in touch with the right people. You will find that most labels and artists have an email address dedicated for label submissions so it’s very wise to hunt around on the net and gather your self a mailing list and then you can simply send a bulk email out to all the labels thus highly increasing your chances of getting a response.

CD

If you’re serious about getting your music out there, the old fashion route in my opinion is still the best route to go. If you have a number of tracks you would like to get out there, burn them to a CD, print your self off a nice looking CD label with contact details and pop it in the post to the labels. A nice package in the mail will surely stand out more than one of the thousands of emails these guys get a day.

Remember folks, the more chances you roll the dice the higher chance you got of scoring a double 6 so keep pushing yourselfs. You may not get responses but keep trying until you do!

]]> http://www.producercafe.com/submitting-your-music-to-labels-artists/feed/ 1 http://www.producercafe.com/presonus-studio-one/ http://www.producercafe.com/presonus-studio-one/#comments Sun, 23 Aug 2009 12:13:23 +0000 Luke Bond http://www.producercafe.com/?p=466 After hearing about this upcoming DAW and seeing some of the screenshots from it, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it! The demo has just been released and the first thing I did was download and fire it up!

Straight away you can see by the colours and layout from the plugin loading screen that Presonus have gone into care of this applications design. I was impressed by how it picked up every single VST I had installed with Cubase flawlessly.

Once the application has loaded, you’re presented with the “What do you want to do” screen, offering various different options weather it be CD mastering or a full track arrangement. You also have a Youtube link to view all the tutorials on how to use the software, pretty neat! I decided to go straight into the arrangement as that’s what I love!

Arrangement View

At glance, the arrangement view can be quite dawnting as all the modules are squeezed into one screen like how Logic is now however you can easily detatch them which is ideal for dual screen setups. The first thing I noticed is that if you’re using loops of any kind, Studio One will automatically timestrech them into your projects set BPM, even while previewing, awesome!

Creating Audio and Instruments are very straight forward, you can simply add an arrangement track and drag the desired VST onto the track.

Another thing that’s very straight forward is automation, it does exactly what it says on the tin. You have the usual touch, latch, read, write ect and draw it as it goes.

Plug-Ins

One of the main things people go for when purchasing a DAW is what do you get for your money in terms of plugins. Well Studio One has a huge range of included plugins with lots of features, here is a list of what you get!

Lot’s of cool ones in there as well as the usual suspects, not only that but they are beautifully designed too!

Autofilter

EQ

Compressor (Notice the sidechain option also)

Overall this new sequencer has everything you could want. It combines the layout of Logic & Cubase, the plug-ins of Ableton & Fruity Loops and an overall quick, flowy useability which any beginner and experienced producer alike would seriously benefit from. This is one of the most impressive sequencers I’ve seen in a long time.

The Demo is freely available at http://www.presonus.com/

Retailing at $399.99

]]> http://www.producercafe.com/presonus-studio-one/feed/ 6 http://www.producercafe.com/hardcoreproducer-org-associate-forum/ http://www.producercafe.com/hardcoreproducer-org-associate-forum/#comments Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:36:31 +0000 Luke Bond http://www.producercafe.com/?p=425

Hello everyone,

I just thought I would update you of one of the projects I’m involved with. As well ProducerCafe I also run a forum called Hardcore Producer which is dedicated for people who are interested in producing “UK Hardcore” which is a very upbeat genre of dance music particually popular in the UK and other varients in Holland. It’s a Genre of music I produce from time to time (heavily trance influenced of coruse) and if anyone is interested in learning more about it, check out the forums. We have a strong community of around 1500 members and there are lots of resoruces available not only for people are want to produce Hardcore but for lots of different forms of Electronic Dance Music.

Check it out! http://www.hardcoreproducer.org

Propellerhead Software has announced the “Record Open Beta experience” which gives you the opportunity to test drive Propellerhead’s new Record software for free until September 9th, 2009.

What is record?

Propellerhead record is the sucessor to the award winning Reason. Record contains more advance arrangement and audio editing capabilities as well as an overal cleaner and easy to use interface.

Simply visit www.recordyou.com and request an invite code or request an invite code off a friend or collegue who already has access to the BETA.

Apple has unveiled the next version of Logic Studio with major upgrades to Logic Pro, MainStage and Soundtrack Pro and more than 200 new features that simplify complex tasks.

• Logic Pro 9 features new Amp Designer and Pedalboard plug-ins that provide realistic virtual guitar amps and stompbox effects to create amazing custom guitar rigs. A new set of Flex Time tools allow Logic users to manipulate the timing and tempo of audio quickly and easily.
• MainStage 2, Apple’s live performance application, includes the new Playback and Loopback plug-ins to provide backing tracks and creative, real-time loop recording for performing on stage.
• Logic Studio also includes the new Soundtrack Pro 3, with new multitrack audio tools for video production, and Compressor 3.5 for encoding in a variety of formats.

“The new Logic Studio is ideal for professional musicians, live performers and GarageBand enthusiasts who want to take their music to the next level,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Guitar players are going to love Amp Designer and Pedalboard and the new Flex Time tools allow you to quickly improve your recordings and create tighter performances.”

Amp Designer and Pedalboard
The new Amp Designer and Pedalboard plug-ins give guitar players new recording and sound design capabilities.

• Amp Designer recreates 25 legendary vintage and modern amp heads in “beautiful detail” with matching controls and 25 paired speaker cabinets that emulate the sound and feel of a guitar running through a real tube amplifier. Guitar players can create their own custom rig by mixing and matching amps, cabinets, reverbs and EQs, and can choose from three different microphone types that can be positioned in 3D space to capture the ideal guitar tone.
• Pedalboard adds an assortment of 30 guitar stompbox pedals that can be arranged in any order to produce a wide variety of lush, creative effects including overdrive, distortion, fuzz, delay, chorus, flange, phaser, tremolo, treble boost, wah and more.

Flex Time
Flex Time is a new collection of tools that allow musicians to quickly manipulate the timing and tempo of recorded audio, including vocals and instruments, to create tighter performances. Using the Flex Tool, individual beats in a waveform can be moved effortlessly with a mouse click, without the need for tedious slicing and editing. Audio Quantize can instantly fix or adjust the timing of an entire performance by aligning notes and beats to a musical grid with a single menu selection. Varispeed provides the ability to slow down and then speed up an entire multi-track production to help record challenging parts. Flex Time also enables recorded tracks to be moved between different Logic projects and matched together, even if they were performed at different tempos. All Flex Time edits are performed non destructively and in real time, even when using the highest quality settings.

MainStage 2
MainStage 2 lets musicians use all the instruments and effects from Logic Studio to turn their Mac into “the ultimate live performance rig”.

• Playback: The new Playback plug-in provides musicians with a backing band, allowing them to perform with pre-recorded audio, like drums, sound effects and other accompaniments that can be triggered to play while they are performing live.
• Loopback: The new Loopback plug-in allows musicians to record, layer and jam along with their own performance so a single musician can lay down a rhythm and then play a lead over it.

Soundtrack Pro 3
Soundtrack Pro 3 adds powerful new audio editing tools including Voice Level Match which extracts volume information from the vocal content of one clip and applies it to another without altering any other audio content, so editors can easily correct mismatched voice levels. An enhanced File Editor includes new tools to make sophisticated edits and fine tune volume adjustments by targeting specific frequencies such as the rustle of a paper or the bump of a desk without affecting dialogue. The new Advanced Time Stretch feature stretches and compresses audio with precision using three Apple-designed algorithms or other algorithms available as third party plug-ins.

Soundtrack Pro and Compressor are also available as part of the new Final Cut Studio, allowing Final Cut and Logic users to collaborate and share files.

Pricing & Availability

Logic Studio is now available through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $499 and existing users of Logic Studio and Logic Pro can upgrade for a suggested retail price of $199. Full system requirements and more information on Logic Studio can be found at www.apple.com/logicstudio.

Logic Express, the streamlined and more affordable version of Logic for GarageBand users who want more power and control, will ship in August for a suggested retail price of $199 and will be available through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

These are in no apparent order.

1. Liquid

This little beast is my favorite flanger. The great thing about it is you can automate the big knob in the middle which controls the modulation. Its roughly $30 and made by Audio Damage  so it’s not exactly the worlds most expensive plugin. Check it out in action!

liquid

Developer: Audio Damage
Compatibility: PC (VST) & Mac (VST, AU)
Price: $29.99

2. PSP Vintage Warmer

If you have a sound which could do with some serious beefing up, look no further! PSP Vintage warmer is the ultimate pump machine. Run anything through this badboy and it will surely your the sound the phatness it requires. Just be careful not to overuse this though as it’s a compressor at the end of the day. 

vintagewarmer

Developer: PSP Audioware
Compatibility: PC (VST) & Mac (VST, AU)
Price: $149

3. Obelisk

Obelisk is a spectrum delay. Not only does this plugin look absolutely gorgeous, it produces a unique and euphoric sounding delay effect. With a big bunch of presets out of the box, you can use this for all sorts of different sounds such as leads, guitars and especially vocals! Check out Artificial Audios website and take it for a test spin!

obleisk

Developer: Artificial Audio
Compatibility: PC (VST) & Mac (VST, AU)
Price: €99

4. iZotope oZone

This is one of my favourites. It’s a great mastering tool for polishing your tracks off but the great thing about it, its versatile! It has some great post production presets including a stereo widener, tape and delay effects and EQ & compression. You can use it as a AU / VST plugin or as a standalone app. It’s a heavy investment but well worth it! 

Developer: iZotope
Compatibility: Pro Tools 7+ (RTAS/ AudioSuite), VST, MAS, Audio Unit, DirectX
Price: $249.99

You need to try this for yourself!

5. CamelPhat

And there’s CamelPhat, well this one is a monster! As previously showed off in my sidechain effect article, some of you may of already heard how this performs. If you’re looking for a creative edge to add to your music, CamelPhat is one I would definitely recommend. It has loads of crazy, dark, interesting and edgy presets which can bring out new elements to sounds. It’s features an LFO, EQ, Compressor, Bandpass filter, Flanger and if you combine all these together you’re going to get some pretty insane outcomes. Worth a purchase! 

wippenberg1

Developer: Camel Audio 
Compatibility: PC (VST) & Mac (VST, AU)
Price: $85 / €77 / £54

These are my top 5 recommended plugins for producers of all genres. If your looking for an edge to your sounds, have a look into these and take your music to the next level!