Nailing the Classic Rock Vibe, Part 3: Effects

Date:2020/2/19 15:34:37 Hits:

Part 1 of this series covered tempo track tweaks, and Part 2 covered how to improve feel by not being a slave to the grid. If you want to nail the classic rock vibe, those definitely help with the music. But what about the sound? Some of those classic recordings had a particular sound quality that also contributed to their impact — and today, we have ways to re-create some of those sounds.

Console Emulation
Classic rock was mixed on analog consoles, which had several differences compared with in-the-box digital mixing. I’ve analyzed a few console emulator plug-ins, and for some, part of console emulation is reproducing the effect added by input transformers. Like tubes, input transformers are subtle signal processors that (among other characteristics) introduce low-frequency distortion components and frequency response anomalies. One of my favorite tricks with bass is abusing console emulators by overloading them. This can give a useful crunch you can’t obtain any other way.

Console emulation also emulates the nonlinearities (distortion) inherent in analog gear, particularly due to tubes. The left and right channels were never exactly the same, which helped extend the stereo spread somewhat. A slight bit of distortion can also add a touch of sparkle.

Finally, note that console emulation is a subtle effect. When isolated on an individual channel, you might not hear much of a change. As a result, it makes sense to add console emulation to every channel and bus, because the effect is cumulative. Interestingly, Waves NLS Non-Linear Summing plug-in takes an unusual approach by not modeling a single idealized channel, but modeling multiple channels from the same console to provide the variety associated with analog consoles. Both the Waves console emulators and those in Slate Digital’s Virtual Console Collection have separate plug-ins for console channels and buses.

In addition to console emulation, many companies offer emulations of particular console channel strips. Some of the best known of these are incorporated in Universal Audio’s plug-ins, IK Multimedia’s T-RackS software suite , Softube Console 1 controller, and the Waves SSL 4000 collection.

Tape Emulation
Tape is also a signal processor — people don’t like the sound of tape because it’s accurate, but because it isn’t.It’s revealing to send a sine wave oscillator into a tape track and increase the level slowly. Audible distortion can start with signals as low as -20dB, and distortion increases as the level increases. However, unlike digital distortion, many people perceive this type of distortion as subjectively pleasing, so we have tape emulation plug-ins. Also, by shaving off the higher peaks, tape emulation allows for higher average levels than undistorted signals.

Tape machines also had several adjustments where you could trade off noise, distortion, and frequency response, as well as change tape speed (different speeds alter both high-frequency response and where a low-frequency response peak occurs). Some plug-ins include these adjustments as well, so you can tailor the tape sound even further. There are plenty of tape emulation plug-ins available, and some host software includes tape saturation effects. You also have hardware options, like the Rupert Neve Designs 542 Tape Emulator (fig. 3).

I find that tape emulation can help some instruments, but not others. For example, I don’t use it with vocals. Tambourines and other percussion instruments with lots of high-frequency energy can create a splattering type of distortion that I don’t like. On the other hand, acoustic guitar, with its attack transients, may sound fuller with tape distortion due to the higher average level and slight distortion sparkle. Tape also acts like limiting with character for drums, and the bass bump that happens at 7.5 and 15 IPS settings can add depth to electric and synth bass.

Vacuum Tube Emulation
Tubes were a part of recording for decades. Today, you’ll tend to find tubes emulated in plug-ins that emulate tube-based gear rather than tube emulation per se. I believe there’s a certain romanticism around tube distortion because of guitar amps, but what makes the total amp sound is a combination of tubes, transformers, and most importantly, the speaker and cabinet. A tube overloaded by itself really doesn’t sound all that wonderful. Like console and tape emulation, I prefer tube distortion in small and subtle doses.

Reverb
Although plate reverbs were common, reverb was often the result of a physical space, like a purpose-built concrete chamber. Perhaps the most famous example of this is the reverb setup designed by Les Paul for Capitol Records studios in Los Angeles. He specified eight concrete echo chambers, each with specific sonic characteristics, dug 30 feet into the ground — no other reverb sounds like this. Another famous example of reverb is the Olympian drum sound on Led Zeppelin’s “When the Levee Breaks,” which was the result of John Bonham’s kit being set up in a 3-story stairwell with mics on the stair landing above. Sonic Vista Studios in Ibiza, Spain, has an incredible reverb sound thanks to a centuries-old well. How can we possibly reproduce these sounds today?

Well, we can come very close with convolution reverb, which captures the sonic signature of various spaces. One of the best examples is Audio Ease’s Altiverb 7, which not only includes impulse responses from famous studios and concert halls, but also signal processors like the SP2016 and acoustical spaces like cars and airplane cockpits. What’s more, as Audio Ease develops more impulses, they’re made available to Altiverb owners for free.

Many recording programs, such as Cubase, Studio One Professional, Digital Performer, Ableton Live Suite, Magix Samplitude, and others, include convolution reverbs as part of their bundled processors. These come with impulses, but most convolution reverbs can import standard WAV or AIF files as impulses.

There are also models of classic reverb gear as opposed to impulses of spaces. For example, Waves offers models of four plate reverbs from Abbey Road, in addition to their IR-1 convolution reverb.

The “Real” Classic Sound?
What gave classic records their mojo may have less to do with consoles, tape, and tubes than the constraints andadvantages of yesteryear’s recording processes. Studio time was expensive, and the costs of studio time were deducted from the artist’s royalties, so there was a strong incentive not to tweak a project to perfection. Often sounds were “good enough,” which produced quirks that could make a cut stand out. I know quite a few people who are disappointed in remasters of older albums, even though the remasters are technically better, because they don’t duplicate the listening experience that people fell in love with. Also, because of the expense, studio time was often booked only after a group had honed songs on the road for months — and the group members all played together. When they walked into the studio, there was nothing tentative, like the “writing-in-the-studio” approach. They were locked and loaded.

Also, bouncing was commonplace — and there was no undo. So after you did a bounce, unless you had safety copies (which were always lower quality) and good sync, you were committed to the sound. Listening to some of the Who’s early recordings, I think they might have changed some of Keith Moon’s drum levels if they’d had a second chance — but then again, his over-the-top drum levels were part of the charm.

While these three articles have hopefully shed some light on what made classic recordings classic, it’s important to remember that what makes music magic is intangible. Yes, tempo changes and timing tweaks, as covered in Parts 1 and 2, can add emotional impact. And plug-ins can contribute to a particular sound. But ultimately, what creates the magic is you.

Prev:Presonus STUDIO1810C

Next:Lynx AES16E

Leave a message

Message List

Comments Loading...

Products Category

Products Tags

Fmuser Sites

Nailing the Classic Rock Vibe, Part 3: Effects

Leave a message

Message List