tips & tricks with ThrillseekerVBL

The Sweet Spot

The plug-in includes a preset called “LA Sweet-Spot” and one can safely use this setting on almost everything just to add a little more mojo. Just drive the unit with a proper “IN GAIN” amount so that the overall compression and distortion fits to the source.

Increased Stereo Imaging

If ThrillseekerVBL is used on stereo program material, I would recommend to use the TRAFO option to have the most prominent stereo imaging effects. Also, if there is just a little gain reduction amount applied, I would prefer the “DUAL M” option opposed to “STEREO” linking. And I would always use the “DUAL M” option on sources like vocal groups, panned rhythm guitars and stuff.

VBL as a Mastering EQ

One common mastering trick to open up a rather flat/dull track is to dial in a slight but broad 5kHz boost with an analog tube equalizer. Due to the tube circuit also higher order harmonics are generated and the whole stereo image opens up.

This can be replicated perfectly with ThrillseekerVBL: Move the “BRILLIANCE” screw to its top most position and set the “AMP” knob to 0.68. If distortion is too much now, just back it off by dialing in some compression and/or lowering the input gain.

If the EQ effect amount is too much, simply use the “DRY:WET” option. Also make sure that the trafo is in and prepare yourself for pure awesomeness.

Some Shorties

• Avoid pumping: Dial in some more “EMPHASIS”.
• More HF focus: Turn the “BIAS” screw clock-wise.
• Upward compression style: Dial in some dry signal amounts (just a little).

tasty meal preparations with Density mkIII

Since precise routing and stuff like that is not taken down into the cookbook as of now, here are some exciting tips and tricks to experiment with and maybe to obtain a different approach to cook audio with Density mkIII.

Starter

As a starter just use the default preset and dial in huge amounts of compression right with the DRIVE knob. Now mix this back to the dry signal by using the DRY:WET option to obtain a thick sounding result (New York style compression). Since the COLOR option ignores any DRY:WET settings one can dial it in afterwards to thicken the soup even further. Hmm, tasty!

Second course

Set DRY:WET back to a 100% wet signal but also pull RANGE back to the left so that there will be no gain reduction anymore. There is no compression anymore now but one can still use the MAKEUP knob to drive the gain of the non-linear circuits. Use this and experience a hot (driven) meal.

Main course

By finishing the second course, you not only have a sophisticated non-linear amplifier now where you can dial in the coloration with the COLOR knob to taste. You also can use this in M/S mode to adjust the stereo imaging in a quite unique fashion just by adjusting the amounts of saturation per channel right with the MAKEUP knobs. Omph, I’m feelin so wide now!

Dessert

Just dial in again some amounts of compression by turning RANGE clockwise, maybe full to the right but RELAX the attack times so that some transients can pass. Those will be eaten now by the non-linear amplifier as an added sugar.

Espresso, anyone?

the many shapes of delay

About the different applications of audio delay effects.

There are quite a number of different types and applications for the audio delay effect in the audio production ranging from plain technical delay application up to all the musical and creative ranges of application. The rather technical or correctional delay typically is a plain digital delay which serves as a sample accurate alignment tool. Such alignments might be necessary for example for plug-in delay compensation (when a plug-in introduces latency) or during the mixing process to align a group of recorded tracks or samples. The so-called pre-delay can also be seen as an alignment sort of thing where the direct source signal has to be aligned in a positive or negative manner in relation to a processed signal, e.g. in a reverb effect.

the mid-side technique

treating two channels frequency response differently

The mid-side (M-S) stereo technique is one of the two formats of “intensity stereo,” that is, stereo in which spatial localization is determined by the differences in the intensity of a sound wave as it arrives in phase at a coincident pair of microphones. Intensity stereo relies completely on the directional characteristics (polar patterns) of the microphone pair to produce this effect, since only intensity differences and not phase differences exist between the channels for any single source arriving at a coincident pair.

(Source: “M-S Stereo: A Powerful Technique for Working in Stereo” by Wesley L. Dooley and Ronald D. Streicher)

Daniel Lanois: The Making of Le Noise

Producer Daniel Lanois (U2, Robbie Robertson, Neil Young …) talks about his recording and production affairs for the last years Neil Young release “Le Noise”. If you are into recording business this is a must see and it might you to over think some of the rather common and usual techniques. A more in-depth track by track session is available over there on YouTube as well.