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[video] sidechain width in ableton live

Showing you a slightly more advanced technique: how to sidechain width in Ableton Live.
This means that when one sound plays, some other sound will lose its width while it’s happening.
Showing two ways to do it, one involving Max For Live, and the other only using Ableton Live’s native tools.

techstep weed – separate tracks (download)

Alrighty!
I upload all the tracks of Techstep Weed to my Dropbox as audio tracks.
A few buses are included (drums, bass, some synths).
Files are 24-bit, 44.1K with some headroom.

You can either use them as samples in your own music, or if you want to have a go at a remix, please do (I won’t promise reposting or releasing any but will def take a listen if you remix the shizz)!

Continue reading techstep weed – separate tracks (download)

vocal mixing chain

My favorite vocal chain right here.

• I always bring the level down to -18 based on peaks using Hornet Plugins VUmeter, so the analog compressors after it will have ample headroom, not introducing distortion (unless I want it, and sometimes I do).

• FabFilter ProQ3.
I use this to cut off the unnecessary mic lows and thumps as well as cutting out some of the low-mid room resonance that always happens, more or less. 
It’s amazing how a vocal immediately sounds way less “homebrewn” when you get the boominess 120–250 Hz out; I usually watch out for two separate peaks in that range.

• Universal Audio LA3A and LA-2 compressors. 
At some point I was experimenting with vocal comps, and just ended up having these two in a row: creates very transparent compression, and even if you squeeze the vocal really hard (7-8 dB), you literally can’t hear it. Just amazing.
Also, as a bonus, if you run the signal harder into these, the analog-modeled input stage creates this sweet distortion that can be so useful if the vocal sounds a little too tame and some vibe is required. Kind of “radio-ish” distortion.

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video: Ableton live gain staging, audio engine and headroom

Let this video explain and clarify things relating to how proper gain staging, headroom, and audio engine work in Ableton Live.
This video will show and explain to you those matters in order to remove and clarify related audio myths once and for all, as there is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding around those matters.

This is an excerpt from my Ableton Advanced video course.
Become an Ableton Live masterget my Certified-Trainer-quality masterclass videos.