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Cable Filters by Paulo Valongo

April 29, 2022by Grant0 comments

Using RF cables as filters for wireless microphone receivers.

There are often situations where a strong signal may interfere with the reception of wireless mic signals.

An old trick which has been largely forgotten about, is using certain lengths of coax (RF) cable to create notch filters and thus reduce this problem.

Before getting into the construction details, a quick, simple introduction for those that may not be familiar with RF design work is in order.

A coax cable is essentially just a conduit to carry RF signals from a source (e.g. an antenna)
to it’s final destination, a receiver in this case.
It goes without saying, that this conduit should exhibit as low a loss as possible, least amount
of radiation (and thus ingress of interference as well) and not change the signal it is carrying in any way.

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For this article, things like the insertion loss and shielding, are not important, except to mention you should always use the best quality cable possible.

One of the side effects of coax cable is, because it’s made of metal and insulating materials as well, these will actually change the propagation speed of any RF signals (relative to air) it is carrying. This is known as the velocity factor and varies depending on type of cable and manufacturer.

This is important to know, the velocity factor can be thought of a correction factor for cable length that we need to apply to our calculations in order to construct these filters.

Most of the reputable cable manufacturers publish the velocity factors for their cables. Below, an example from Belden cables: (Disclaimer: I’m not affiliated to Belden in any way)

Note however that these figures are measured at a specific frequency and do vary slightly depending on which band/frequency you will be using them at.
In this application though, it’s not too much of a problem as the construction of these filters is so simple that some snipping with side cutters is all that is required.
The deviation from the published figures is normally anywhere between 0 and +/- 8%.

Before moving on to the actual construction, there is one more piece of theory that needs to be understood, wavelength.
I will not go into a detailed explanation about this, will rather leave it as an exercise for the reader. All you need to know is that any frequency has a certain wavelength which can be worked out
as follows:

The wavelength (symbol Lambda) in meters is 300 divided by the frequency in MHz.

We will not be using the full wavelength but rather 1⁄4 wavelength due to it’s phase characteristics. It’s these characteristics that create a notch at it’s design frequency and odd multiples of it.

What you will need:

– A good quality (50 Ohm) BNC T-piece (all female).

– Two lengths of good BNC to BNC cables. (Length up to you but not too long) One to connect from the T-piece to the receiver and the other to cut up one end so it can be used as the 1⁄4 filter.
You need to know the velocity factor of the piece you will be cutting up.

If you cut it exactly in half, you can get two filters out of it. We will trim them more precisely later.

– A pair of side cutters able to cope with cutting the above cable.

– A ruler.

Before giving an example, a picture of what the filter will look like.

It’s as simple as it looks.
One side of the T-piece you connect to the antenna, the other to the receiver and the third will have a certain length of open ended cable connected to it.
The length of the open ended cable is what we need to work out.

Note that it is very important that the open end of the cable has no shorts on it else not only
will the filter not work, but you will short out any DC voltage that the receiver may be sending
up the cable if you are using an active antenna.
Check and double check that no bits of the outer braid are touching the inner conductor of the cable.

EXAMPLE :

Let’s say you are using 650 MHz and you have a very strong problematic signal at 245 MHz. Let’s also assume the cable you have has a velocity factor of 84.

Although you may think that these are too far apart to cause any problems, you will be surprised. Depending on the signal strength of the unwanted frequency and how effective your receiver’s filtering is, it may well swamp the receivers front-end pre-amp and cause interference.

On to the maths:

Wavelength = 300/245 = 1.224 meters.
However, we will only be using 1⁄4 wavelength so 1.224 meters/4 = 0.306 meters (30.6 cm). Now apply the velocity factor which if you recall is just a correction factor as a ratio.
So, 30.6 cm X 0.84 = 25.71 cm.

Last thing to do is subtract from 25.71 cm, the length of the connector on it.
You don’t have to be exact, just subtract around 3 cm.
The final figure for the length of the open ended cable is then 22.71 cm, you an round off to 23 cm.

Done.
To make it look neater, you can use a rubber “end cap” on the open end. Let’s look at the frequency response of the filter:

“F” is the design frequency (the fundamental) which in this case is 245 MHz.
3F (3 X 245), 5F (5 X 245), etc are the odd harmonics and are also attenuated but at a decreasing rate as the frequency increases.

The even harmonics 2F, 4F, etc, will not be affected.
Always check that the wanted frequency is in the area around these.

Double checking the frequencies that will be rejected the most:

1 X 245 MHz = 245 MHz
3 X 245 MHz = 735 MHz
5 X 245 MHz = 1225 MHz (out of the wireless mic frequency range so ignore).

Our wanted frequency of 650 MHz will have very little to no loss, which is the goal.
It’s very important to check how close the wanted frequency is relative to the frequencies that
the filter is rejecting.
Keep in mind that these filters are not very steep and thus the usable range around 2F, 4F and so on, will gradually start to decay and reduce your wanted signal if they are too close.

This can be better illustrated using the same graph as before:

Let’s assume the frequency we want to attenuate the most is where the green circle is.
It’s attenuated by about 22 dB but the wanted signal (orange circle) is also attenuated by 3 dB.

This may still be perfectly acceptable as suffering a 3 dB loss on the wanted frequencies but
having an attenuation of 22 dB at the unwanted frequency, will be enough to get rid of the problem.

This then, can be a disadvantage of this type of filter but given it’s simplicity, low cost and ability to build one almost anywhere in a short time, are huge advantages.
The more you build and use them, the better acquainted you will get with their pro’s and con’s.

There are of course better filters (depending on situation) but those will require a deeper understanding of RF theory and test equipment.

Perhaps then, something for a future article. Happy building.

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5 Tips to Landing more work as a Freelance Audio Engineer by Kirsten Hunnyball

April 27, 2022by Grant0 comments

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In my short time as a qualified audio engineer, I have explored some ways in which to find work as a freelancer in the industry. Some methods took me to dead ends, and others ended up succeeding. So I thought I would share my experience here.

Why you find it hard to find work:

1.REGISTER YOURSELF ON ONLINE DIRECTORIES

This one seems pretty straightforward, but you find a lot of people forget this simple step. Registering yourself onto online directories can help you find local and even international work.

Pros:

The website does all the work for you. Generally, when you register on a well-known site, the internet will do its funky algorithm things and make you and your services searchable.
You can often set alerts to notify you of jobs that match your skillset, saving you endless hours of online job searching.
A lot of platforms allow you to create free profiles, meaning there is no cost to you at all.
Most of these platforms operate internationally, which means you could source work that is anywhere in the world (and often get paid better for your time too!)
If you do a good job, people can leave comments/reviews on your profile which enhances your chance at future work.

Cons:

A lot of platforms ask for a fee or require you to buy “credits” to apply for jobs, which means you end up spending money before you’ve even landed your first job.
Larger platforms are saturated with people from all over the world, often with a lot more experience than you, which means your profile gets lost in a sea of people and your chances of landing work are reduced.
Sometimes you find you are fully qualified for an international job, but it requires that you have a work permit for that country, so you end up having to forfeit the job completely.
The process of searching for jobs on these platforms can become a bit addictive, and you may spend hours of productive energy surfing job opportunities that afford you nothing.

Effectiveness at landing more jobs: 7.5/10.

2.CREATE AN AUDIO SHOWREEL

This is a simple 3-5 minute audio demonstration of the work you have done and what you’re capable of doing. Here you can include little snippets of anything you have worked on.

Pros:

Potential employers can get an idea of the work you are capable of doing.
Sharing it with groups, friends, companies, agents, etc. means that you have gotten your name out there – the next time that person is thinking of who to hire, they will remember the fact that you sent them something concise and professional.
Doing a reel each year helps you see how you have personally improved over time.
Adding this to your profiles on online platforms improves your credibility.

Cons:

There aren’t many cons to doing this except that it may take a bit of time to put together, especially if you are new to this all and don’t have a lot to showcase. BUT seeing as though you are reading this (i.e. potentially looking to fill your time with more work), it probably also means that time is not something you’re lacking right now – so go do it!

Effectiveness at landing more jobs: 8/10.

3.INVEST IN YOUR TOOLS

It’s important to deliver quality when working in audio. Some of the best investments are in the tools you use. Whether it’s live sound gear or third party plugins, your tools can help you stand out among the crowd!

Pros:

Defining what kind of work you want to do, and then getting the right tools means you have a competitive advantage.
Long term saving on equipment hire (and also less you have to charge the client!)
Feeling satisfied with the work you deliver because you have tools that meet your needs. (Rather than feeling disappointed in your delivery because you have used crappy tools)
You may not see an immediate financial return, BUT if you can deliver a higher quality project, your chances of retaining clients are massive.

Cons:

If you don’t have capital, it’s tough to invest. I suggest setting a goal (e.g. my most recent one was to buy iZotope’s RX 9 Advanced) and see how you can save toward it.
Choosing the tools that will bring you revenue and serve the purpose of the work you are getting paid for. It’s lovely to have toys… but are you seeing any financial return from them? Be decisive in your choosing.

Effectiveness at landing more jobs: 8/10 (long term)

4.CREATE THE WORK YOU WANT TO ATTRACT. (AND GET IT OUT THERE!)

It may sound silly but if you want to do dialogue repair – go repair someone’s dialogue. If you want to do location sound – get onto a set! And be willing to do it for free (depending on the project)

Pros:

If you create what you want to be hired for, you’re more likely to be hired for that thing. Yay for job satisfaction!
Offering your skillset for free (at first) may mean you land yourself on bigger projects, meaning more connections and a better chance at getting future work.
By doing what you love, you will feel more satisfied and won’t mind that you are not earning your full rates at first.

Cons:

There is the danger of not knowing when to say no. you need to pick your “free work” wisely. Don’t do something unless it will benefit you in creating a larger portfolio, connecting you with the “right” people or getting you future work.
You may need to spend money upfront to do projects that bring you large satisfaction levels.
If you don’t get yourself “out there” you may find yourself stuck in endless “passion projects” without seeing any return. Know when to put your business hat on.

Landing more work: Beneficial, but not guaranteed, so 6/10.

5.NETWORK

This is by FAR the best tool I have come across in my time as a soundie. Network, network, network!

Pros:

The more you stay connected, the better people’s chance of reaching out to you when they need to hire a soundie.
Developing relationships with others means opening the doors to new and exciting projects you might not have ever done on your own.
Often when networking, you get people willing to teach you new tricks along the way, so your resource pool for skill development is enhanced.
Good relationships improve your chances of repeat work.

Cons:

Networking can be tricky if you’re naturally introverted. You will have to step out of your comfort zone.
People talk. So if you have a poor experience, that will get shared just as much as if you have a good one. Be nice.
You need to be consistent with maintaining relationships – which isn’t easy, but 100% doable. Be that person who randomly messages a past creative simply to ask how they are doing. Do it. You won’t regret it!

Effectiveness at landing more jobs: 10/10

If you learn nothing else in your job searching meanders, take this one step with you. You will not see it fail, ever!

So, there you have it! My personal opinion on various “job landing and retaining” methods! Do you have any to share? I’d love to know!

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Sound Card Power Management by Paulo Valongo

April 21, 2022by Grant0 comments

For those of you that use a Windows laptop and the built-in sound card for audio work, you may have experienced a very irritating feature, power management.

When no audio is being played, after 10 – 30 seconds (depending on settings, model, etc),
you will hear a loud, distracting “pop” noise as the sound card is powered down.
Same as when you then start playing audio again, which triggers the sound card “back to life”.

Some drivers would allow this power management feature to be disabled via the settings GUI. However, this now seems to be a thing of the past for most.

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This then leaves two other options:

1) Mess with the registry, which most people will be unwilling to do or can’t due to admin settings. There is also a chance that these settings to revert back with a new update.
2) The simpler work around then, is to open an instance of VLC, Windows Media Player or another audio app and play a short clip of “silence” in loop mode.
You can then minimize the player and continue with your work, without any “pops” making their way to your speakers or headphones.

BTW, a similar trick also works for some Macbooks that insist on switching the sound card off after a certain time of it being idle.
With Mac though, you don’t even need to play some “silence”.
Simply opening QuickTime Player and then minimizing it, has the same effect.

It may also work with iTunes but I have not tested it as I don’t use iTunes.

With both Windows and Mac, this trick works, as the audio player keeps the sound card active and thus it cannot power down.
If you are using a DAW, you may be lucky and it will do the same thing, however, not all do. Now at least, you can use this as a work around.

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Synthesisers: A Deep Dive by Alwyn Nienaber

April 17, 2022by Grant0 comments

With the rise of fashion from the 80’s becoming popular in today’s time, it’s no wonder that music genres like Synthwave, New Wave and Disco Funk are making a comeback in the modern world. Bigger musical instrument companies such as Yamaha, Korg and Roland

picked up on- and is capitalising on this trend by bringing back some of their most successful synthesisers in new form factors while newer companies such as Artiphon and Teenage Engineering are using modern technology to reinvent the wheel (seriously, take a look at the Orba from Artiphon). Just like computers, synthesisers are becoming more and more powerful while decreasing in both size and price. So with all of this said, let’s dive into the world of synthesis and explore where they came from, its impact on modern music and where it is going.

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Back to the Future: A Bit of History

The first synthesiser originated in the early 50’s, however it only became commercially available when Robert Moog created his first synth which was composed of separate modules each making their own sound or shaping it in some way. It’s worth noting that this too is the start of modular synthesis, but perhaps that is a topic for a different article. The first synthesiser available for purchase in music stores was the Minimoog which became available in the 70’s, and promoted a smaller form factor (which made it sort-of portable), polyphony as well as the ability to save patches.

With the rise of digital technology in the 80’s and the introduction of MIDI, the Sampling Synthesiser was born (a sampling synth or better known today as a sampler is an instrument that stores recorded sounds which can then be tweaked or processed before being reproduced). Sampling was first brought to life with the Fairlight CMI in 1979, but competition quickly grew as brands such as E-mu released the Emulator in 1981, and AKAI came out with their S-series in 1985.

The development of VSTi plugins in the 90’s as DAWs became more popular brought life to Software Synthesisers. Around the same time (and perhaps due to the widespread availability of the software recreations), analogue synthesisers regrew in popularity, making a massive comeback at much steeper prices.

So now that we know a little bit about where synthesisers came from, let’s take a look at where it is going and how it is evolving with modern technology.

What to Look Forward To

In Afrikaans we have a saying that goes: “Goedkoop koop is duur koop”, basically meaning that buying cheap will cost you in the long run. In the world of audio, you either get quality products which are expensive or you get cheap products which are affordable. A few companies are implementing the quantity over quality ideology and are making affordable units that are lacking either in their features, or in their build quality. An example of this would be the Korg Volca series which are a series of small form factor synthesisers at an affordable price, each created to fill one specific role within the signal chain – giving the buyer control over what they spend their money on (more on these later). Korg has always been known as a company that makes good quality products, and by cutting on some of the features they are able to create these dedicated units.

Another company picking up on this “dedicated” trend is Behringer – who on the other hand is known for making entry level products at entry level prices. However, in the synthesiser world, Behringer is actually one of the bigger names as they have produced a few legendary synths over the years such as the Crave and the Neutron. There has been news all over the internet recently about what they are currently working on, and one thing I am extremely excited for is the Behringer CS-Mini. The CS-Mini is a compact and portable reproduction of the Yamaha CS-80, arguably the most famous and most heard synth in the world, being used on albums by artists such as Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney and Kate Bush to name a few. Along with the CS-Mini, they are also working on a number of other mini synthesisers. The CS-Mini is rumoured to fall just under the $99 price tag, even with the chip shortage and other current events affecting the tech industry.

Hardware vs Software – The Dilemma

It is well known in audio that software replications of hardware products are widely available, some of which are indistinguishable from one another when compared side-by-side. Thousands of engineers worldwide have left behind the analogue world and joined the modern world of fully functioning digital studios. What used to require the size of a building to run can now be carried around on a flash stick that fits in your hand. Software synthesisers have many other benefits such as being much cheaper than their hardware counterparts, the ability to not only save but also store presets (on your computer) and full control of parameters through your DAW. The fact that you can simply download them from a website also helps. So if software synths are all the rage then why are hardware synths still being made?

A lot of producers argue that stepping away from the mouse and keyboard and getting hands-on with an instrument such as a synth makes all the difference between getting into the zone or messing around with parameters until you get bored. The fact that you pay a lot more for hardware synths also means that you will use it more – you know what you wanted and that’s why you got it. Arguably the biggest factor favouring hardware synths however is that they are much better catered towards performance than their software counterparts.

It is important to mention that both hardware and software synthesisers can be controlled by MIDI controllers. You even get hardware units that are made specifically to control a certain software through MIDI connectivity such as the Native Instruments Maschine Mikro.

Something For Everyone

The Korg Volca series (See picture below) consists of a dedicated FM Synth, Keyboard Synth, Two Different Drum Machines, Two Different Bass Synths and even a tiny modular synth. There is also a volca mixer available in case you get more than one of these and want to do performances. However, Korg is not the only company creating fun-sized dedicated units and making them available at low prices. Teenage Engineering have come up with calculator sized units called the Pocket Operator series (no, seriously – they fit in your pocket)! Whether you are looking for a drum machine, lead synth, bass module or even a sampler, they have it all!

Where to Get Started

It is always difficult to recommend a good starting point when it comes to anything in audio. The first question that comes into mind is “what do you want to achieve?”, and then “what is your budget?”. It is important to know what you are looking for and how much you are willing to spend. It also really depends on how much you know about synthesisers. FM units (Frequency Modulation) can control sound waves in a way that other units can’t, however samplers can record sounds around you and shape those into new and different sounds. Drum machines are dedicated to providing you with a beat (essentially replacing a drummer), and with bass units you’ll be able to create sounds that keyboard units won’t be able to.

A good starting point for someone who knows absolutely nothing about how synthesisers work and how they can be used to shape audio would be a complete modulation unit such as the Korg Volca Modular. However, it is worth noting that there is FREE software called VCV that is extremely powerful. So if you want to learn about modular synthesisers then that’s where you should get started. If you don’t have access to a computer however, then you can also download a mobile app called Hexen which has a free version where you aren’t able to save patches – but you can still use all of the modules.

If you are looking for something that is catered towards writing full songs or sketching out ideas, then maybe a Groovebox is what you need. Most Grooveboxes combine synth engines with drum machines, giving you a fully standalone unit that can be used to write songs on. They normally have 2 synth voices, one for lower frequencies to create bass sounds, and one for higher frequencies to create chord and lead sounds. They also normally allow for 4 track recording: 1 for drums, 1 for bass, 1 for chords and 1 for leads. Because of their abilities, grooveboxes are normally much more expensive than dedicated synths so if you are just starting out and are looking for something affordable then I would suggest you get the Roland MC-101 or the Novation Circuits. Teenage Engineering also has a dedicated groovebox unit called the PO- 20 Arcade. It costs a third of the price of the other two units I mentioned, but it is only able to produce 8-bit sounds.

The Odd Ones Out

A few manufacturers are coming up with unique ideas, blending the worlds of software, hardware and MIDI controllers. Earlier I mentioned a company called Artiphon. Their business model is creating unique instruments that are meant to make pro musicians feel like beginners and beginner musicians feel like pros. Their first instrument, “Instrument 1” is a standalone synth guitar that can also be used as a MIDI controller… However, I’d like to shift focus to their second instrument, the Orba. The Orba is an orange sized ball that is a standalone groovebox, bluetooth MIDI controller as well as a synth that you can control from either your smartphone or your computer. The Orba is also much less expensive than the other grooveboxes mentioned above, so this might also be a good place to start.

Other odd instruments include the Melodica, Haken Continuum, Roli Seaboard and Piano Arc… But I’ll let you explore these on your own.

Hidden Treasures

The smartphone world is constantly evolving as fierce competition between rival companies are pushing technology advancements to their limits. The phone that is currently in my pocket is stronger than the computer I used when I first started recording… By a long shot! With all of these advancements being made in technology while smartphone prices are dropping, why are synthesisers becoming more and more expensive? It might have to do with the fact that a dedicated hardware synthesiser unit is created for an extremely narrow niche while smartphone companies cater for literally everyone on earth. With all of this said, there are a few companies bringing the audio world to your pocket, using the technology that you already own.

Some of the smartphone apps that I use and can recommend include FL Studio Mobile (A full DAW), Korg Kaossilator (Yes, this is literally a smartphone app version of their Kaossilator unit), Beatonal (a groovebox app) and Hexen (a modular synthesis app that I mentioned earlier).

If you would like to try a very simplified groovebox for free, you can download Beatonal on your phone. To unlock its full potential you will need to buy the full version (which is only around $5), but even the free version should be enough for you to see if it is something you would be interested in. The Korg Kaossilator App is also a groovebox but unfortunately you will have to pay for this one!

Conclusion

I read something the other day: “Software leads to hardware, and hardware leads to modular… and modular never ends”. So take that as a warning… once you join the crazy world of synthesisers, you may never leave… whether you start with a fully fledged groovebox or a simple MIDI controller, once you start it won’t stop.

If you are still interested however, I recommend checking out some of the free apps and software synths that I mentioned above before buying anything!

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Auto-Tune: Is It Really That Bad? by Alwyn Nienaber

December 4, 2021by Grant0 comments

Auto-Tune, also known as pitch correction, has stirred many passionate debates amongst musicians, engineers, and producers alike. In general it is frowned upon because of the belief that it is a tool for singers to ‘fix’ their vocal performances – and that pro musicians don’t need it, but is that really why it was created? Is cheating your way into sounding good really the only use for Auto-Tune? In this article I will be exploring the history of pitch correction to understand why it was developed, discuss some artists who use it (and why), and how it can benefit me as a studio engineer.

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The History of Auto-Tune

The general consensus of Auto-Tune is that it is a modern technique used by new musicians to improve their vocal performances in order for them to sound as good as the generation of musicians before them. This is not the case however, and it is that same previous generation who not only invented Auto-Tune, but also brought it into the spotlight.

Auto-Tune was developed by mathematician Andy Hildebrand in 1997 who retired from his job in geophysics to study music composition. He adapted a technique from the world of geophysics called autocorrelation to the world of audio recording. Autocorrelation is used to map the surface of the earth by sending out sound waves and recording their reflections. By looking at how long a sound wave takes to travel back to the source after reflecting we can determine how far away the point of reflection is, and in some cases even the material which the sound reflected off of as some materials are more dense, and therefore more reflective than others. However, when applied to audio, we can also use it to find the sonic pitch of a sound.

The first instance of Auto-Tune being used in a song was one year later in 1998 when Cher released “Believe”. Being a great vocalist, she naturally did not need help with her performance, but instead used Auto-Tune as an effect to give her voice a sort-of robotic sound. Despite her label requesting her to remove the effect and rather use the natural sound of her voice, Cher refused and released it anyways. A few years later in 2005, T-Pain released his debut album Rappa Ternt Sanga, officially planting the seed for the use of Auto-Tune in pop music. There are very few people who know that T-Pain is actually a brilliant singer, choosing instead to believe that it is all “Studio Magic”, using pitch correction and other such vocal enhancers to make his voice sound good. However, just like Cher in 1998, he too used it as a tool to make his music unique, stating “If I was going to sing, I didn’t want to sound like everybody else. Just wanted something to make me different. Auto-Tune was the one.”

The Use of Auto-Tune in Modern Music

Now known commonly as the “T-Pain Effect”, Auto-Tune has become a very popular tool for pop musicians around the globe. Famous singers who now use Auto-Tune include T-Pain, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Daft Punk, Kesha, Travis Scott, and many many more. It is even believed by some that there are no modern records that do not use Auto-Tune or some sort of pitch correction, and that might very well be correct.

It’s fair to say that Auto-Tune has become accepted as a creative tool in the studio, but there are many people who are still against it as there are a few singers who use it during live performances. Some types of pitch correction (including those found on vocal processing floor / stomp pedals) can be set to a certain key, and depending on the parameters set, will adjust all the different pitches it receives to be in line with that key. The thing that those people don’t realize is how difficult it is to do a perfect performance night after night for weeks on end. Especially for singers with difficult vocal parts such as BTS, who when they have the pitch correction turned off during their performance still does a perfect job (and yes, this has been tested). Another thing to remember is that if you completely miss a note, and that note is corrected by Auto-Tune, then you can immediately hear it… And it does not sound pleasant… Meaning that you still have to hit 99% of the notes spot-on if you want to sound good during your performance. So for the most part, during live performances, pitch correction is used as a sort-of safety net. Personally, being someone who has done plenty of live performances in the past, I have nothing against that.

How Can Auto-Tune Benefit Studio Engineers?

So if it is okay to use Auto-Tune as a creative tool to change the way a person’s voice sounds, and if it is okay to use it as a safety net during live performances, then in what other ways can we benefit from it?

Some studio and recording engineers (including myself) have adapted Auto-Tune as a way to give an artist instant feedback. With softwares such as Melodyne or ReaTune that has visual as well as sonic feedback on each of the recorded notes, it has become extremely easy to identify problem areas in a recording. After doing a recording, I normally apply an instance of Melodyne to the track, and then I ask the vocalist to come and sit with me as we work through the recording piece-by-piece. After using the softwares help to identify areas where the performance can be improved, I ask the vocalist to take mental notes and focus on these areas. This way you can work together to get the perfect take without actually adjusting the pitch of any of the notes.

Is Auto-Tune Right For You?

When it comes to any form of pitch correction, the most important thing to do is to always keep an open mind. Softwares such as these are developed as a tool to help you, and if you don’t want to use it or feel that you don’t need it, then you don’t have to. However, you should always explore and make your own conclusion, whether you want to use it to get the iconic “T-Pain Effect”, as a backup during live performances, or as a way to check your performances in the studio, you have to play around with it and decide for yourself.

Remember the old saying… What goes into the microphone comes out of the speakers… If you start with something bad, then no amount of ‘Studio Magic’ can fix it.

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Are Hybrid Events the way forward? by Uys Scholtz

November 15, 2021by Grant0 comments

According to market research it is clear that in-person events are likely to overtake virtual events in popularity by 2022, however that said offering a hybrid solution will be the most successful event model going forward.

With hybrid event models combining the option of having in-person attendees and virtual attendees are likely the most effective way to engage prospective clients and attendees.

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This past week we’ve been fortunate enough to be part of a hybrid congress hosted in Cape Town consisting of 350 delegates attending the congress in-person and just as many joining the event virtually. With the current restrictions this was a well-planned event with a lot of logistics involved hosting attendees over 8 venues which included both live and overflow streaming venues, ensuring all protocols and regulations where followed throughout the congress.

It was interesting to see the large demand and interest of in-person attendees and those preferring to attend virtually; this is a clear indication that there is a high demand for hybrid events.

What is it like being involved with a hybrid event? On arrival all of the technical crew needed to go through the normal Covid screening process of having their temperature taken, sign in on the attendance register and get their access pass with their temperature reading on it and a reminder to regularly sanitize. Next came the load-in process and I can personally say this was an adjustment having to move around equipment while wearing a mask, with equipment having to move up or down two flights of stairs but we managed. During the entire load-in process it became a habit to sanitize regularly while handling equipment and to have enough social distancing between all the crew members.

The four-day event took place seamlessly with engaging discussions hosting both virtual and in-person guest speakers and also created an engaging platform during the Q&A sessions allowing everyone to raise their questions or opinions. This was the perfect platform as some of the guest speakers where unable to attend due to international travel restrictions.

Is there a future for hybrid events? The short answer is definitely!

One thing I would mention about hosting any hybrid event is to ensure you budget for the additional expenses that goes along with it. In order for a successful event to take place you are most likely going need additional equipment, more technical crew, access to a suitable venue hosting the number of attendees in accordance with Covid regulations, having a dedicated internet connection ensuring you can stream a quality program to the relevant platforms be it Facebook, Vimeo or Zoom to name a few. Remember whether your audience attends your event in-person or online, the experience needs to be seamless across all platforms. Ensure that you find ways to meet their expectations and keep them engaged.

With the increase in hybrid events being hosted it’s important to allow attendees to attend in-person or online with multiple ticketing options to suite different preferences. Everyone will not be able to or want to attend your event in-person meaning your business needs to provide flexible options for participants.

We are most certainly seeing more of the corporate events returning to the calendar in its new format. If you are a corporate events organizer or events planner; do not let the pandemic get the better of you! With proper planning your event can be a success too.
Let’s all rise again; one event at a time.

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You are Never Alone! – by Kirsten Hunneyball

May 20, 2021by Grant0 comments

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You are Never Alone!

Recently I found myself stuck on a particular audio edit for dialogue that was driving me mad. I could not seem to clean up the ambient noise without severely destroying the quality of the vocals. I could have added some iZoptope Rx or something to de-reverb, however my budget does not allow for such treats!

Anyway, whilst stuck in this “loop” of frustration, I decided to google some simple questions to try help with me with the edit. Within 5 minutes I was able to land on a tutorial video that helped me start resolving the issue at hand. This got me thinking – Why had I allowed almost 3 hours of endless “tweaking” consume me? Why hadn’t I just Googled the problem in the first place? I recognised the answer (well at least for me), was that I was trying to fix a problem that I did not have the skillset for and for some reason, I did not think to ask for help.

It highlighted a common pattern for me. I often waste precious time trying to solve an issue because I think I “should” be able to. I guess this extends beyond my audio editing skillset. It moves into all areas of my life. The belief that when I have a problem, asking for help is not an option. I am sure many of you have experienced this in one form or another in your life?

The reason I am speaking about this is because I want to encourage you, that whatever you are struggling with, asking for help is sometimes the most humbling, most efficient, and most effective way of getting to the route of, and solving your problems. Whether it is in your career or in your personal life. It takes a certain amount of ego-bashing, to admit you don’t know how to do something, but at the end of the day, you find the solution SO much faster, and you encourage the idea of connection, which is in essence how we as humans thrive – through connection to others (you can see the importance of this over the past year and a half where we have craved human connection during the pandemic of COVID).

Having the absolute honour of studying at Abbey Road Institute this year in Johannesburg has also taught me that the number one key to success in the audio industry is connection. At this Institute they emphasize the importance of connection and collaboration, and there is never a time when I have an audio issue that I will not be given undivided attention to help solve my issue. This industry is tough, yes! BUT it is also one filled with genuine people who are willing to help you, should you simply ask. There are also numerous online resources that are available to us all for help in the audio field. Community pages such as this one on SoundDex, Places like Image-line or ProTools Expert for DAW specific tips and queries, Organizations such an SoundGirls.org for female audio engineering support, YouTube channels like Produce Like a Pro, In the Mix and Recording Revolution, Facebook groups like South African Sound Engineers (for those in SA), Instagram profiles like @producerfocus – the list goes on.

So next time you feel stuck in a rut with your project – or in any other area of life, do not forget that reaching out for help is often the best and fastest ways to see results.

Struggling with mental health in your career? That is where I step in! I am passionate about supporting people with their mental health in the creative industry. So, get out your comfort zone today – reach out, what is the worst that could happen?

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Divided Attention and How it is Messing with Your Sanity – by Kirsten Hunneyball

March 23, 2021by Grant0 comments

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Divided Attention and How it is Messing with Your Sanity:

During a conversation with a friend last night over dinner I came to realize that I am generally a happy person. This is not to say I do not have my bad days, but rather that my state of being generally leads toward positivity. However, last year was a particularly challenging year for me mentally and I could not figure out why. I could not pinpoint the reason as to why I felt constantly drained, super wired, disconnected, and stressed a lot of the time. I would “go, go, go” for a few weeks and then crash in a meltdown for “no reason”. At the time, I failed to recognize that I was simply dividing myself amongst too many things. I had the mentality of “If I am capableof doing something, it means I haveto do it” or, “saying no to people is not an option”.

After an incredible session with an International Intuitive Life Coach, Heather Alice Shea, mid-year 2020, I came to realize the thing hindering my ability to move forward in life, was the fact that a) I was not following my true calling in my career – but that is a story for another day, and b) I was not focused.

I recall Heather saying to me “You know, Kirsten, you are full of joy and potential which needs to be shared with the world, but you need to focus!”. The words sank in like nothing ever before. I realized that my entire life had thus far consisted of trying to do, or complete around 5-6 projects, courses, or goals at a time, all of which had vastly different areas of focus, a lot of which I never did finish.

The only way I could describe it was that I felt “divided”. However, having always been an overachiever, I knew no different. Here are some of the key elements of success that I could not connect with:

1: Things take time! Fast does not always mean better.

2: Just because I have spare time, does not mean I have to fill it with something!

3: I cannot enjoy my life if I am not present.

4: If I focus my attention on one thing or area, I am more likely to achieve it.

5: Consistency is key.

6: Do, and finish one thing at a time

Funnily enough, I could see how this reflected in my Music life as well. I would sit and try and write a song, and if I did not get it all perfectly in one sitting, I had let it go and never touch it again. I gave it no time to gestate.

I did not realize that sometimes effective silence and stillness are more beneficial to my mental sanity and ability to complete tasks effectively than rushing through the day without a wink of sleep and 10 cups of coffee.

Rushing also meant that I could not enjoy the process of creation. The feeling of dividedness is also reflected in my physical environment. I would have 20 tabs open on my browser during work, I would leave crap in my car because I was “too busy” to take it with me inside. I felt stressed and overwhelmed. As soon as I adopted the mentality of focusing on one thing at a time and intentionally creating time and space for stillness in my day, no matter what, I found that things started falling into place more smoothly, projects felt less overwhelming, and my stress levels decreased significantly.

So, next time you are feeling overwhelmed, perhaps ask yourself, “Where am I focusing my energy, and am I dividing myself into too many parts?” If you can bring awareness to the areas you should be prioritizing, give your undivided attention to them, and create space in your day as a fundamental ingredient to your mental health, you may find that the overwhelm of life could start to feel a little more normal.

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Don’t rush to blame the sound guy by Jaime Lopes

March 23, 2021by Grant0 comments

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While I’ve done a handful of ‘real’ events the bulk of my experience in live sound is in churches, and as much as I hate to admit it, churches are often home to really bad ‘sound’ and I am often asked to give advice or train church sound guys. I could make the argument that the bad sound that these churches experience is because they are often on a tight budget, have ammature musicians on stage and volunteers behind the sound desk but, instead I’m going to tackle this from another angle completely. Before you even get to the skill of the band or the ear of the engineer etc, there are 3 things to consider about the room and the sound system itself (you can apply most of this to any live music event). If you are having issues with sound at your church you have to think about these things before you rush to blame the guy on sound!

Ambience | Coverage | Intelligibility

Ambiance (say this with a french accent)

Now for any engineers reading this… I’m referring to the mood or ‘atmosphere’ that is desired in the service as opposed to reverb time although they are related!

Some churches want an immersive experience, dim house lights, bright stage lights… while some want a more community feel, bright house lights, no stage.

Whichever approach a church takes, the point is that a venue and it’s sound system should serve the vision of the church and not be what dictates the atmosphere.

When it comes to the ambiance this is primarily determined by the room acoustics. A very ‘echoey’ room can be helped, but not completely fixed by choosing the right PA. The layout of the room, where the band (read: drums and guitar amps!) are positioned, what type of loudspeakers are used and where they are pointed are all very important. However, if you walk into a venue and can barely hear what the person next to you is saying because of the din of noise just from people talking to each other, there is a lot to work on before fixing what is going through the PA!

Churches meeting in school halls tend to have only minor challenges when it comes to room acoustics, it’s the churches that are meeting in converted offices with low ceilings or warehouses with hard concrete floors and large flat walls.

Providing an answer to your acoustic problem is outside of the scope of this article, but if you look through the listings here on SoundDex you’ll find someone who can help you!

Coverage

In an ideal world… or in my perfect venue, every ‘seat’ in the room would have the same ‘experience’ of a service. Of course this may not be what you want for music in church, but it certainly is what you want for the sermon.

Sometimes having ‘cold’ zones for music is helpful for people sensitive to high volume. Not that the hot zones would be excessive but that the cold zones would be slightly quieter.

Nevertheless the goal is that the tone and volume level of the sound system is reasonably consistent throughout the venue.

Coverage is determined by the PA itself and where it is positioned but also again it can significantly influenced by the room acoustics, especially in the low end.

Check out these plots of volume for 2 PA systems in different positions in the same room:

Two speakers mounted in the corners:

One single speaker mounted in the center:

If you are setting up a new venue, choosing the right PA is crucial to obtaining even coverage and ensuring that each person can hear properly!

If you haven’t got the room acoustics right, the room is going to hinder your ability to achieve even and consistent coverage… and If you have the privilege of designing the room before it is built, you have the opportunity now to avoid the pitfalls of bad room acoustics!

Allow me to chase a rabbit briefly here! The positioning of the sound desk, or sound guy might not have a huge impact on coverage, but it’s a really bad idea to put the sound guy in a place where the coverage is really bad! I often see sound guys at churches pushed into a corner, on a balcony or even worse… in a booth at the back. If the sound guy can’t hear what everyone else is hearing, they can’t mix for everyone else! Please consider moving your sound guy into an area where they can clearly see the stage, and clearly hear what everyone else hears in the room!

Ok rabbit caught, let’s move on to the final issue to consider:

Intelligibility

Some like to put it that the goal for a PA system reproducing any kind of spoken word is that at least 8 out of 10 words are heard perfectly and understood. I would imagine that in a church, people missing 20% of what the preacher says could be a significant problem!

In a church venue, intelligibility should be very high on the priority list as spoken word is often the majority of a service.

Intelligibility again is influenced by the choice and positioning of the PA. Sitting on one of those blue zones in the images above would certainly result in you failing to hear what is being said! However, I want to once again make the case for the impact of room acoustics on the clarity of a PA. Rooms with a lot of hard surfaces and very little soft material to absorb sound will allow sound to continue to bounce around for a long time before it dies out. This time is often measured by calculating how long a sound takes to reach 60dB lower than when it started.. or Reverb Time 60 (RT60).

Roughly predicted the RT60 for the room in the plots above is at worst is 3-4 seconds, at best, with people in it, maybe around 2s but with social distancing for covid… good luck hoping that people will fix the problem!

In terms of intelligibility for music listening It’s recommended to have a maximum RT60 of around 1.2s and for speech/dialog this should be around 0.6s, so a room like the above would definitely benefit from having some acoustic panels to absorb some of the sound and get the reverb time down.

Hopefully by now I have made my case for prioritizing the room acoustics in your venue!

Time and time again I’ve watched people setup in a room, crank everything up and blame the sound guy, the PA or the band for what is actually an acoustics problem that cannot actually be overcome by a better mix, a better speaker or a better band.

Sure, a good engineer will tweak a mix to compensate for problems in a room, the right speaker array will provide better coverage and reduce interaction with the room and a great band are going to be entertaining even if sound is bad but at the root, at the core of the problem is a room made of brick, mortar and steel… not very flexible, not very easy to negotiate with…

If you have the luxury of designing a venue before it is built, no matter what the size, then remember this, walls are hard to move so make sure you put them in the right place.

Don’t blame the sound guy!

About The Author:

Jaime has been fiddling with gadgets all his life but found his passion for sound when he joined the sound team at his church. He has spent the last 23 years carrying speakers and mixing sound almost every Sunday. He now consults for various churches on everything media and tech related.

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How To Add Music To A Video Without Ruining The Audio Of The Video By Alwyn Nienaber

February 21, 2021by Grant0 comments

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So, you are educated in Sound Engineering… And when it comes to mixing – you really know what you are doing. But what happens when you get a new client that sends you a video and asks you to add music to the background without ruining their voice over?

In this article I will be going through a step-by-step guide of the process I use to add background music to videos. The software that I will be referring to in this article is called Davinci Resolve (which is a free video editing software with a fully kitted DAW built-in), and we will be talking only about the “Fairlight” section (audio editing section) of the software. However, all of the steps below as well as the plugins used can be applied to any video editing software or DAW with a built-in video player (such as Mixcraft).

Step 1: Improve the original audio of the video.

Whether your client asked you to work on the original audio of their video or not, it is always a good idea to check for errors in the sound. Take the initiative and go the extra mile – doing this will surprise your client and more likely than not end up being the reason that they prefer you over the other engineer that they have been using. Besides, if they don’t like it – you can always go back and remove what you’ve done.

Balance audio levels.

A lot of video creators and editors have no idea what they are doing when it comes to audio. Sure, they might have learned about compressors during their studies – but this doesn’t mean that they know how to use it. The first step to improve the audio of a video is to balance the levels of each element. Especially if the video contains a voice over, there is nothing worse than watching a video of someone speaking with inconsistent audio levels.

I like to start off with a soft clipper. This is essentially a compressor with a very low ratio. Get the threshold to a stage where it just-just tickles the audio. You want the soft clipper to simply reduce the peaks of the audio file.

Next, I’ll add a multiband compressor. This will help you balance the different ranges of the frequency spectrum.

Improve the quality of the sound.

Now that the audio levels are more controlled and balanced, let’s add what Resolve calls a Dialogue Processor. The Dialogue Processor plugin is probably the plugin in Resolve that I use the most. It’s got the following settings: De-Rumble, De-Pop, De-Ess, Compressor, Expander, and Excite. If you are working with voice overs in Davinci Resolve, then this plugin will be your best friend. I often use it to remove unwanted noise in the backgrounds of videos.

The Expander setting is my favorite, and it acts as a very easy to use noise-gate.

Please note that you should be careful not to over compress the sound at this stage of the process as we’ve already compressed it twice.

Make the audio louder.

The last plugin we will be adding is the Limiter. Now that you have the audio sounding great, let’s work on the loudness. I like to mix my voice levels in videos to -6dB. This gives us enough headroom to make sure that the voice won’t clip when we add our master limiter. Set your threshold to the level that you want the voice to be at, and then play around with the input level on the limiter. Again, you want the reduction to just-just tickle the audio so as to calm down the peaks in the sound file.

Finish off with an EQ.

The final step I like to take when improving the original audio of a video is to use the built-in EQ on the digital mixer inside of Resolve. I like to remove mud and boxiness in people’s voices – especially when it comes to voice overs. I also remove everything below 80Hz so as to remove any unwanted rumble and/ or plosives. If the room in which the recording was done had a fan or aircon going, then it’s generally a good idea to also remove some of the higher frequencies.

Dummy-Check.

Now that you are happy with the sound of the video, it’s time to check your work. In this stage of the process, I like to go back to each of the previous plugins – and turn them off. This allows me to hear the audio without them. I will then slowly turn each of them on again to hear what difference it made to the audio. This is a good way to make sure that the audio does infact sound better after everything that you have done to it.

Remember guys, only dummies don’t double check their work. That is why this part of the process is called the Dummy-Check!

Step 2: Add music to the video.

So, you’ve gotten the video’s audio to sound great, and you’ve selected the best songs for the video and the playlist is ready to go. You drag and drop the first song into the software and press play. Oh no! The music is way too loud, and now the voices in the video are super unclear. You drag the fader of the music track down – but now you can barely hear the music… What do you do? I use a simple three-step process to solve this issue.

Finding the right balance between the original audio and the music.

More often than not, especially when working with videos, you will need to spend a considerable amount of time finding the right balance between the loudness of each individual song and the video’s audio, but don’t worry – I have a quick and easy way to do this.

As mentioned before, I like to mix the levels of the voice to -6dB, and I have found (through a painful process of trial-and-error) that the optimal level for background music is -11dB (give or take). I use a Soft Clipper (yes, the same one that we used before) with a very soft knee. I then move the threshold around until I see that it is very slightly affecting the audio. Here you want to compress the sound a tiny bit, so make sure that it is not only affecting the music on the peaks, but also in the quiet parts. Once I’m happy with the location of my threshold, I will play around with the Output Level on the Soft Clipper and look at the “Output” bar. I then try to get the level to sit more-or-less on -11dB. Make sure that you are happy with the level at which the music is sitting respective to the level of the video audio. Use this article as a guideline, not a set of rules!

Balancing the individual songs.

You drag the next song into the project, and now this song is too loud… Or too quiet… You play around with the threshold on the Soft Clipper again, but now the first song is clipping. There is an easy fix to this. Simply click on each of the songs and adjust their gain. Open the Soft Clipper, and keep an eye on the “Reduction” bar as you adjust the gain of each track. Again, make sure that they are just-just being affected by the Soft Clipper. Doing things this way essentially gives you an “input gain” control of each individual song as they go into the Soft Clipper, and it’s an easy way to make sure that all of the songs will be at the same level. Alternatively, you could put each song on their own track and give each track its own Soft Clipper. This way you can simply adjust the threshold on the Soft Clipper on each track.

Making sure you can hear the video above the music.

You are happy with how the video is sounding now. You can hear both the original audio, as well as the music – but for some reason the music is masking (taking away from) the audio of the video.

This happens when frequencies in the music clashes with whatever sound the video has going on. To fix this, I like to use the built-in EQ and simply remove some of the mids in the music so that the voices in the video stand out more. You will have to play around with the frequencies and see what works best for you! In my case, I try to EQ out frequencies in the music between 500Hz and 2kHz. This is because most of the distinguishable frequencies in the human voice sits around this area. Don’t go crazy here as removing too many mids in the song will distort the sound and can reduce the quality of the experience for the listeners.

Step 3: Limiting the master bus.

The third and final step is to make sure that the combined audio of the video is at an optimal level. For this purpose, I use a Brick Wall Limiter with a threshold of -3dB. This allows for enough headroom space. I use -3dB as my clients upload their videos to their own website, after adjusting the volume of each video to the same level before uploading. So I want the video to be loud enough for them to work with, but not so loud that they have to turn it down a lot. However, different platforms use different levels for their audio. For Instance, the optimal level for audio on YouTube is -14 LUFS, whereas Spotify uses -11 LUFS. Davinci Resolve actually has a built-in LUFS meter, so do research on the platform onto which your video is going – and then adjust the threshold on the Limiter on the master track until the audio levels are sitting at the optimal position.

When you add a limiter to the master track, make sure that the audio is not clipping, but sitting very close to the threshold line. Please note that if the audio does clip once or twice in a 10 minute video, then most of the time that is alright. Just make sure that it does not get distorted.

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