The next post will cover Propellerheads new Drum Takes for Record 1.5. See you then!
Please do not forget to enter to win your very own Irig from IK Multimedia, and me, the Home Recording Weekly blog! Follow this here link to learn how easy it is to enter!
Propellerhead Software today announced the immediate availability of Record Drum Takes—big league rock and pop multitrack drums played by skilled session drummers for Propellerhead's brand new recording software Record. Record Drum Takes builds a steady foundation for any rock or pop creation.
Each Record Drum Takes ReFill arrives in Record song format with two separate three minute backing tracks of live drumming, organized in classic song form with intro, verse, chorus, bridge and breakdown, fills and variations. Alt Rock comes with hard-hitting, American drums with lots of attitude inspired by alternative and college rock, Folk Rock brings a large, warm sound, with plenty of room, while Dry Indie provides two classic, laidback, dry and distinct indie pop drum tracks.
The differently styled tracks in the Record Drum Takes ReFills all come as multitrack recordings, allowing users to freely shape the drum sound by adjusting the levels of the independent kick, snare, hihat, room, ambient and other microphones. Cut across all eight drum tracks to arrange and rearrange once the drum sound has been mixed to perfection. Play along to the Record Drum Takes drum arrangements, or paste them into an existing song. The entire drum mix will follow right along, and utilizing Record's automatic time-stretch, Drum Takes instantly adapts to the song’s tempo.
Included with the Record Drum Takes ReFill are also multisampled versions of the kits, for adding that extra snare or crash cymbal right where it is needed.
Although recorded using state of the art technology in a professional recording facility and performed by an experienced drummer with an unmistakable feel for music—the playing in these Record Drum Takes ReFills is sparse and to the point: a perfect foundation for any alternative, pop or rock production.
Pricing and availability....
The three Record Drum Takes ReFills Alt Rock, Folk Rock and Dry Indie are available exclusively for download through Propellerhead’s web shop today, at EUR €29 / USD $29 each. http://www.propellerheads.se/record-drum-takes
Learn mixing and mastering from world-class pro-audio author, producer and engineer, Bobby Owsinski
IK Multimedia and Course Technology PTR/Cengage Learning are pleased to announce the release of the official mixing and mastering guide for the award-winning T-RackS software, “Mixing and Mastering with T-RackS, The Official Guide”, written by world-renowned pro-audio author, producer and audio engineer, Bobby Owsinski.
“Mixing and Mastering with T-RackS, The Official Guide” offers home studios, pro musicians and engineers a personally guided tour of T-RackS 3 software from studio legend, Bobby Owsinski. In this inspiring 192 page pro-audio guide, they will learn how to professionally polish their recordings and mixes with T-RackS 3 mastering software, giving them the techniques needed to achieve the professional sound quality required to finalize their audio productions – from studio to radio, podcast, television or feature film soundtracks.
Featuring T-RackS 3 software modules, this essential pro-audio handbook teaches musicians the full spectrum of all types of audio processing from the most widely used signal processors, as Bobby Owsinski demystifies the real usage of compressors, limiters and EQs, all while providing real world examples of their sonic effects. “Mixing and Mastering with T-RackS, The Official Guide” includes the crucial principles of mixing and mastering audio, with techniques such as: how to prepare the environment and mindset for mixing, and how to set up the studio for optimal monitoring. Not only that, but Bobby Owsinski guides the reader step-by-step and clearly explains the mastering world, providing solid advice on “gluing” audio tracks together to create the feel and mood that musicians and engineers want to hear from their mastered audio files and recordings.
Chapters Include: Mix Preparation, Monitoring, Using T-RackS Dynamics during Mixing, Using the T-RackS EQ and Metering during Mixing, Mix Buss Compression, Preparation for Mastering, Introduction to Mastering, Monitoring during Mastering, Metering, Mastering, Mastering with T-RackS 3 and Exporting Your Project.
“T-RackS is a simple yet powerful app that has all of the features you need to do a great mastering job. One of the things that’s makes all T-RackS versions so popular is the warm analog sound that the processor modules provide, since they closely emulate the circuitry of some of the vintage hardware devices that many pros have come to love. Modeling the sound of a piece of hardware is not a trivial process, but IK Multimedia gets better and better at what amounts to a new art form.” Bobby Owsinski, award-winning songwriter, producer, engineer, and author of audio handbooks
Pricing and Availability:
Bobby Owsinski’s new book, “Mixing and Mastering with T-RackS -The Official Guide” can be purchased directly from the IK Multimedia web store (http://ikmultimedia.com/Sales.php , or through Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, and from select IK Multimedia music instrument retailers and distributors around the world for a list price of $29.99 U.S.D. (excluding taxes).
For more info and a 10-day, fully functional trial version of T-RackS 3, please visit:
www.t-racks.com/download .
Serj Tankian, Propellerhead Software and Electronic Musician would like to invite fans to get creative and remix "Disowned Inc.", a track off of Tankian's new album, Imperfect Harmonies.
Beginning right now, Propellerhead is offering a fully functional trial version of its newly released Record Software to the first 500 people to download from the link below.
Participants of the contest will also be provided with a link to download the instrumental and vocal stems of “Disowned Inc.” to begin their remix and will have until November 7, 2010 to submit their entry.
Entries will be judged by Serj's record label, Serjical Strike. Serj will pick the 1st and 2nd place winners amongst the 5 finalists.
The Grand Prize will include the Full Suite (Reason and Record) from Propellerhead Software + a signed copy of 'Imperfect Harmonies' + a Serj Tankian t-shirt. The runner up will win the Reason Propellerhead software + a signed copy of 'Imperfect Harmonies' + a Serj Tankian t-shirt.
Good luck everyone!
Go here (link to https://www.propellerheads.se/userReg/index.cfm) to create your Propellerhead User account (If you already have a User Account, you do not need to create a new one).
Download the Record software here (link to http://www.propellerheads.se/download/record/).
Email contest@serjicalstrike.com after you have downloaded the software to receive your unique code to unlock all the features of Record and receive your download link to the audio stems for “Disowned Inc.” within 12 hours.
Create your remix as a wave/aif file and then convert it to an mp3 format (no larger than 6mb).
Submit your entry to remixsubmission@serjicalstrike.com by November 7, 2010.
Serjical Strike will announce the 5 top finalists as well as the 1st and 2nd place winners on November 22, 2010.
Upon opening and installing Record 1.5 and Reason 5, I was helplessly pondering the question of “Would this software actually change the way in which I record?”. After spending many long weeks using Record 1.5 and Reason 5 at the recording desk, my answer is a loud and proud “Yes!!”. Let me explain ...
I decided to spend some time working with this incredible, and very powerful software before posting a single word about it. You know, just so that I could “get to know it inside and out before I dare to compare it to the whole Pro Tools thingy”. So, I decided to clear my current “project list” and to spend some time creating some new music, using nothing but Record 1.5, Reason 5, my M-box as the audio interface, and some instruments like an electric guitar (via direct-in) and an acoustic guitar via some condenser microphones. Everything else would come straight from Record 1.5 and Reason 5.
To begin, I am extremely impressed! In fact, more impressed than I ever thought that I would be. Let the “ever loud fact” that I have not opened up Pro Tools, at all, since I first opened up Record 1.5, stand for just how impressed I am. Propellerhead has found a way to include the quick passed recording and editing tools of their Reason software and placed these work styles and tools into Record 1.5.
Perhaps the single most important fact that impresses me the most with Record 1.5, is the speed in which I am able to get audio recorded. It is captured before it is ever forgotten.
The three main “screens” or areas that you work on music within Record 1.5 are very comfortable to work with, very well laid out, and every bit as realistic as one can ever hope for! This only adds to the speed of a session, as I felt rather familiar using Record 1.5, right from the start. This software has completely changed the way that I audition new ideas, and for the better!!!
The second most important fact that I love so much about using Record 1.5 is just how great this freshly recorded audio sounds!
The EQ section is very well laid out, and also offers a high pass filter and a low pass filter right at the top of the track on the console! Then there is a compressor section, effects routing, and lastly the usual panning dial and volume sliders. You see, Record 1.5 has been designed with the home recording musician in mind. The main section, or one of the three main screens, of Record 1.5 is set up just like a mixing board found in every recording studio that I have ever been in. Modeled after a professional mixing console, Record 1.5 makes it a snap to get my tracks, and my entire mixes, tight and right, right from the get go.
Whats more, Record 1.5 is set up to work like Reason in certain cases. What I mean is that one can quickly solo a track, and “loop play” it back. This makes for dialing in a tracks EQ a cinch, and then combining it with the other tracks (sonically) a breeze as well. It is these little ideas that are worked into Record 1.5 that make it so darned comfortable, and so quick to use.
The ID8 has become my newest very best friend!
This creative tool lets me get my ideas down fast; so they are not lost. Plus, the ID8 is easy to use when I re-visit these first ideas and build upon them. The ID8 can be drums, pianos, and many other “quick writing instruments” that one might need in a hurry. Within each instrument type, there are several different selections for them, right on the instruments face plate! For example, if you choose drums with the ID8, you can quickly select from acoustic kits, electronic kits, and techno kits. This makes writing easy and fast, just what I like!
Now, with Record 1.5, creating a track to record on, adding the instrument you wish to record with, and then recording your parts can be done with two or three mouse clicks. This is true for midi instruments and analog instruments alike! Wow, this is refreshing!
Included in Record 1.5 are POD guitar and bass interface modules, with great sounding amps, speaker cabs, and effects. This makes “plug and play” truly possible. Once more, I can now record a guitar track in mere seconds, and then work with it just like it is midi!
That is what I said, “just like audio is midi”. This is just one more feature that I just love, love, love. Because of this single feature, I will have a hard time ever learning to record without Record 1.5.
Arranging your music is just one more of the many fast and the easy things to accomplish while using Record 1.5. With the unique “blocks” option, and the whole Reason-like song line interface, moving entire sound clips is easy! Re-arranging your music becomes a simple task, as well as the usual copying and pasting of clips.
What's more, Record 1.5 seems to know just what editing task it is that you are doing and/or just what it is that you want to perform. I found that in the older versions of Reason, I struggled with many of the (copy, paste, etc.) tasks. Record 1.5 seems to follow along with your edits, and puts the cursor just where I needed it to be. It is uncanny, in fact, how well this software works along with the music writer/editor.
So, now that I have explained my favorite things about Record 1.5, the question still remains. Is Record 1.5 as good as ProTools?
I shall answer this in two ways. First of all, we must ask “as good as.... at what?”. If I were to choose only one of the two programs for getting music down quickly and easily, it would be Record 1.5, hands down. If we are talking about minute mixing and/or mastering to video, then Pro Tools wins, hands down.
Record 1.5 will be my “go-to” program from now on, for roughing out songs. I will (from today on) choose Record 1.5 for writing, recording, and mixing all of my new songs. However, I will then “dump” them into Pro Tools for all of the extreme editing and/or mastering, as well as the ability of using all of my much cherished plug ins. I simply like my Toontrack and IK Multimedia RTAS plug inns way, way too much.
A very cool, and free, plug in from iZotope.
Izotope makes some very good plug ins. From their Alloy mixing plug in to their Vinyl plug in, they are all top notch products.
Izotope has a plug in for some of your virtual instrument demands, right down to a plug in for whatever it is that you need to fix too! A quick visit to their site will fill you all in on just what they have to offer! I wish to discuss one of their free offerings, Vinyl.
Izotope Vinyl is available for free, from their site.
What is Vinyl? Glad that you asked. Vinyl is simply a re-creation of vinyl defects and noises of “yesteryear”. This plug in is a complete blast to play with, and it sounds very authentic. There are eight sliders, four knobs, and two switches on the interface of Vinyl. The first group of sliders raise or lower the levels of “mechanical noise, wear, electrical noise, dust, scratch, and warp depth”. Adding these vinyl throwback sounds to your “clean” digital recordings is now a snap.
The next two sliders all by themselves are the input gain and the output gain. There are two knobs labeled “amount” which work as independent levels, or gains. One of the two switches selects either mono or stereo, and the second selects weather it is bypassed or not. Lastly are two more knobs. One of these two knobs selects the RPM speed of the record that you are selecting noise from (i.e. 33, 45, 78), and the last knob selects the “year” of the sample. This last “year” knob acts as a pre set EQ of sorts, along with other effects, it makes the noise more date specific in sound.
So, if you want a new sound source to play with, and one that is of great sound and quality, head over to Izotope and download Vinyl, for free, today!
Rules for entering.....
First, simply subscribe to the Home Recording Weekly blog, and then send in your name, in an email to me, at Steve@itmaine.com. That is it! I simply need your name and email to contact the winner! Sorry, contest entries only from the U.S. and Canada accepted.
On November 1st I will draw one lucky name “out of a hat”, and then announce this as the winner, all live in a video on the Home Recording Weekly blog.
Here are the links, (Here and Here), to download the free Amplitube apps for the Iphone/Ipad.
“AmpliTube iRig is a combination of an easy-to-use instrument interface adapter and guitar and bass tone mobile software.
With AmpliTube iRig, you can plug your guitar into your iPhone/iPod touch/iPad and jam anywhere with world class guitar and bass tone right in the palm of your hand - from the leader in studio-class guitar and bass software.
Simply plug the iRig interface into your mobile device, plug your instrument into the appropriate input jack, plug in your headphones, amp or powered speakers, download 'AmpliTube FREE' version for iPhone or for iPad, and start rocking!
You’ll have at your fingertips the sound and control up to 4 recombinable simultaneous stompbox effects + amplifier + cabinet + microphone just like a traditional guitar or bass stage rig!”
To learn more about the IK Multimedia iRig, please visit the IK Multimedia link provided.
Thanks for entering, and good luck to all of you!
