Warming things up without compression or EQ

[MoreSpaceEcho]

also remember to sum signals through busses - don't just dump 20 tracks straight to the master output, as the maths gets too much for the software to sum, and you lose stereo image etc.

i dunno if i agree with that. the busses are still getting added together at the master, and it's all addition anyway. and "the maths gets too much" sounds dubious to me, adding stuff together is what computers do best.

better off getting an old Tascam mixer or similar to act on summing duties.

i definitely don't agree with that.

[mfdu]

no worries MSE. you keep summing everything at the master output, and i'll keep bussing everything out to an external mixer in stems.

it sure seems to me that i get better stereo imaging, more coherent reverb tails and more punch out of the overall mix when i minimise the amount of summing that has to occur inside-the-box.

but to go back to the actual topic - Massey Tape plug. use it, delight in it, feel it.

c.mfdu

[MoreSpaceEcho]

no worries MSE. you keep summing everything at the master output, and i'll keep bussing everything out to an external mixer in stems.

nope, i simply must insist you do it my way!

[mfdu]

tee hee - oh ok then.

[wedge]

play with the Massey tape plug in. it's fake tape, but it's a good sound.

True that!

Also, I definitely think it's possible for tracks to be "musically" out of tune, so that, even out of tune, there's a pleasantness about them. I don't know if I'd call it "warm" or cold or purple, or whatever, but musical sometimes, definitely...

[roygbiv]

MDFU

(not that I know a lot about this, but I've had drink(s), so here goes:)

I've read that some of the latest versions of software DAW's (like Reaper) use 64 bit internal math processing, specifically to remove the congestion problems you are referring to in the mix buss.

In other words, your observations may be totally correct for your system, but may not be necessarily true for some others' systems.

[Wow, was that concilliatory mumbo-jumbo or what? Jeez, I think I"ve been living in Oregon too long.]

[KilledByAlbany]

Also, I definitely think it's possible for tracks to be "musically" out of tune, so that, even out of tune, there's a pleasantness about them. I don't know if I'd call it "warm" or cold or purple, or whatever, but musical sometimes, definitely...

Most certainly. The Stones "Between the Buttons" has a few great examples of this. I don't know if I would describe it as "warming up the songs" exactly, but it definitely doesn't detract from the overall listening experience. If anything it usually makes it all the more interesting.

As a result of this thread, I've started using the Massey Tape Head plug a little bit, and so far I'm pretty impressed. After being really underwhelmed when I tried using Magneto a few years ago, I had kind of brushed off tape emulation plugs as a silly waste of processing power. I stand corrected. It will never stand up against a good 2" tape recording, but it's a great way to thicken a digital mix.

I've so far only used it by setting up an aux channel, bussing the instruments there and then mixing it in under the "clean" tracks, but I'm excited at the prospect of finding more versatile ways to include it.

[wedge]

I've so far only used it by setting up an aux channel, bussing the instruments there and then mixing it in under the "clean" tracks, but I'm excited at the prospect of finding more versatile ways to include it.

That's exactly what I do... A most excellent thing that it does, whatever it is, and a good way to implement it in a mix...