Re: [MMM] Ozone (for Joe P. and others)

In-Reply-To: <5.1.0.14.2.20020225000401.00aba090@...>
Jonathan M. Szanto wrote:

> - Four bands of multiband dynamics that carefully emulate the response
> of analog circuitry, providing natural-sounding compression, expansion,
> and limiting

Well, I don't know about analog emulation, but you obviously need these.

> - Real time visualization of the dynamics within each band

Good.

> - Harmonic excitation based on analog tube saturation models. Multiband
> excitation with adjustable crossovers to add extended bass, sizzling
> highs, or anything in between

This is an amazing effect when it works.

> - Multiband parametric EQ with "soft saturation" modeling overlaid on
> an ultra fast spectrum display

Good.

> - Top quality, studio reverb with control over room size, frequency
> cutoff, damping, and more

How good is top quality? Reverb's one of those things that's very
difficult to get perfect. Did they?

> - Visualize the stereo image with a unique phase/channel meter display
> that highlights imaging, phase and potential canceling problems
>
> - Adjust the width of the image with powerful stereo imaging controls
> including widening and multiband delays

Is there any way of widening the field for headphones, to emulate
speakers?

> - Push the level without overloading with a powerful yet transparent
> loudness maximizer

Great if it works -- is this a limiter or does it include tube-style
distortion?

> - Customize the processing order with a unique signal flow interface

Unique???

> - Track your tweaks and go back to previous settings with the click of
> a mouse

Good.

> - Compare your mixes with a powerful spectrum analyzer that offers real
> time and average modes, snapshots, and more

Haven't we had this before?

> I don't have huge and deep experience with DX or VST plugins for
> mixing, but I can say that this is one very nicely crafted piece of
> software, very musical and intuitive. I may pop for this one retail
> unless someone tells me I'm crazy.

It's only $200 which is remarkably good value if it works well. And if it
can do all that in real time in software it must be pretty darn good. I
can't spot anything that it's missing.

How do you get DirectX plugins working? I downloaded the demo of
Cakewalk's amplifier and tape emulation plug-in, but don't have anything
to run it in. A full version of their sequencer should do the trick.

> And don't miss the opportunity to pick up their free "Vinyl" plugin,
> with goes in the opposite direction of all this stuff: you take a
> pristine digital file and then you can turn it into a scratchy old LP
> recording, with complete control over the hum, motor noise, rumble,
> scratches, dust, warp, and EQing from various eras!
>
> I applied it to one of Bill Sethares "pop-folk" songs, and you could
> almost see the tie-dye cover on the album!

There's a WinAmp plugin as well as the DX one, so you can apply it to
anything you download. In fact, that has a semi-serious use, because I've
found (with Blade, I haven't tried with Lame) that wide band noise
compresses very badly to MP3. So this is a perfect tool for correcting
that.

Graham

A human being perceives sounds thru two different manners: using a complex
system which we call ears that "captures" the sound that moves thru air and
the sound perceived by the human bones (specially low frequency sounds).
Headphones are different from speakers because the perception of sound thru
bone conduction is much lower than in speakers.

Also when using speakers the sound coming from both speakers blend in each
other and therefore a person hears both speakers as well as all the
reflections that happen on a room (unless you are inside an anechoic
chamber). When using headphones there's no mixture from the sound coming
from both channels.

There has been some research regarding the possibility of 3D emulation onm
headphones by using very subtle delays, and therefore could induce someone
who was using headphone that the sound was not only coming from the left or
the right, but also from the front ot the back, up or down. There was a site
that had same samples created with that kind of technology but I can't
remember the name of it.

----------------------------------------------
Andr� Brito
Site: http://www.andrebrito.com
E-mail: andrebrito@...

> > - Adjust the width of the image with powerful stereo imaging controls
> > including widening and multiband delays
>
> Is there any way of widening the field for headphones, to emulate
> speakers?

Hello Andre!
The Eventide ultraharmonizer Brad Laner used on my first CD had such a
function which I don't know if it really worked but it did give the impression
of the instruments being spread out more horizontally than without it. I tend
to like it as opposed to not!

Andre Brito wrote:

> There has been some research regarding the possibility of 3D emulation onm
> headphones by using very subtle delays, and therefore could induce someone
> who was using headphone that the sound was not only coming from the left or
> the right, but also from the front ot the back, up or down. There was a site
> that had same samples created with that kind of technology but I can't
> remember the name of it.

-- Kraig Grady
North American Embassy of Anaphoria island
http://www.anaphoria.com

The Wandering Medicine Show
Wed. 8-9 KXLU 88.9 fm

Graham,

Bear in mind, when I wrote the bit about Ozone, I *did* keep in the forefront of my lobes 2 important items: that is was only $200, and that it was easy to use and yield results that improved the mix.

I say that because of Joseph's recent postings, how he only now realized that adding just a 'little' reverb could have such a beneficial impact. IOW, there could be many people, esp from the composer/live performer area, that are not more than passingly knowledgeable about these items, and usually only that the word "reverb" is recognized. Bottom line is that the preset for the various signal processors listed as "general purpose" (or the one "general purpose with reverb") made a marked improvement over his dry recording, yielding depth and air. For a slam dunk situation, where a newbie might be sending out a demo, could we ask for more?

I'm not suggesting it will replace racks of Lexicons and a good audio desk, but who would have thought, a few years ago, that one could do this in their bedroom with a computer and *no* additional hardware?

Specific items:

{you wrote...}
>How good is top quality? Reverb's one of those things that's very >difficult to get perfect. Did they?

Right, I understand. For 10 minutes work, it sounds fine. Consider how few hours, nay, *minutes*, of studio time in a well-stocked studio, with a good engineer, you would get for $200. You want better, you either start building up a studio, buy one of the dedicated reverb programs, or be happy with the charms of something better than what you have now.

>Is there any way of widening the field for headphones, to emulate speakers?

Interestingly enough, they mention headphones in their "Mastering..." document that I spoke of. And they spoke of the caveats. Frankly, I don't think anyone would want to do a mix that would be specifically for headphone listening (unless it is a binaural recording to start with). The image widening can certainly take it beyond... the norm.

As for headphone listening and appropriate soundstage, I think it is more incumbent on the listener to work with this, as I wouldn't expect a live recording of an orchestra in a hall to be then mixed for headphones. As such, I use a gizmo called the "HeadRoom Little" - http://www.headroom.com/ - as a dedicated headphone amp. It is built around a processing circuitry that subtly cross-feeds signal with some damping (don't quote me) to eliminate the dead spot in the middle of your skull (this is only an audio application - the dead spot that produces my daily stupidities is still fully functional).

Frankly, I love it, and try to not use headphones without it when possible (headphones of choice: Grado SR-60, which are ugly as sin but only about $60 and worth 3 times that...)

>Unique???

In that there is a diagram of the 6 processor modules, and you can alter the order in which they affect the signal stream. I would have to guess "unique" is some marketing flack speaking, but maybe they do it better or easier than other plugins...

> > - Compare your mixes with a powerful spectrum analyzer that offers real
> > time and average modes, snapshots, and more
>
>Haven't we had this before?

Sure. But here it is, and integrated part of the tool. They talk in the Mastering document about how to use it to set the para EQ to balance the recording system with your monitoring system. Again, if there are people who haven't ever done this before, it's a boon.

>It's only $200 which is remarkably good value if it works well. And if it
>can do all that in real time in software it must be pretty darn good. I
>can't spot anything that it's missing.

I *was* running it in realtime, and you can turn the preview on and off to mute the effect. I'm on a P4 1.2ghz with 512 ram, so lighter systems might balk, but the insane part is that these plugins utilize other DirectX libraries (graphics mostly, I would imagine) so the software itself is incredibly small.

>How do you get DirectX plugins working? I downloaded the demo of >Cakewalk's amplifier and tape emulation plug-in, but don't have anything >to run it in. A full version of their sequencer should do the trick.

I would suggest checking out the 90 free trial of Samplitude, which is *certainly* about the nicest virtual mixing studios I've seen. Works like a charm integated right into the mixing desk. So you can work with it in a DAW program like this or ProTools, or you can use it simply to process a single stereo wave file in an audio editor like Sound Forge or CoolEdit.

>There's a WinAmp plugin as well as the DX one, so you can apply it to >anything you download. In fact, that has a semi-serious use, because I've >found (with Blade, I haven't tried with Lame) that wide band noise >compresses very badly to MP3. So this is a perfect tool for correcting that.

No, it's an item to *add* noise! To recreate the days of actual 'records' that have been abused, scratched, and played at more parties than you can remember!

If we free up some space on microtonal.org I'll upload that clip of Bill's I did.

Cheers,
Jon

André

See the reply I wrote to Graham for a bit on the headphone stuff...

Cheers,
Jon

--- In MakeMicroMusic@y..., "Jonathan M. Szanto" <JSZANTO@A...> wrote:

/makemicromusic/topicId_2170.html#2180

> Graham,
>
> Bear in mind, when I wrote the bit about Ozone, I *did* keep in the
> forefront of my lobes 2 important items: that is was only $200, and
that it was easy to use and yield results that improved the mix.
>
> I say that because of Joseph's recent postings, how he only now
realized that adding just a 'little' reverb could have such a
beneficial impact. IOW, there could be many people, esp from the
composer/live performer area, that are not more than passingly
knowledgeable about these items, and usually only that the
word "reverb" is recognized. Bottom line is that the preset for the
various signal processors listed as "general purpose" (or the
one "general purpose with reverb") made a marked improvement over his
> dry recording, yielding depth and air.

***Hi Jon,

You may be interested in learning that I have added just a touch of
reverb (using Sound Forge) to _Blect_ and it will be uploaded again
to Tuning Punks by John Starrett...

I thought I might just as well do that, since he could correct my
name as well at the same time... Not that Josheph is a problem...

Shep...