like a record

[ubertar]

I'm doing the music for a short film, and at one point one of the characters puts on a record. I'm going to make some original music for what the record is supposedly playing-- how do I create the illusion of it sounding like vinyl? I'm recording digitally, into Samplitude. I plan on recording the sound of a real record being played, from a section with no music, just to get the sound of the needle in the grooves. What about eq? Compression? Expansion? Anybody know any tricks for this? I'd really like it to contrast with the other music I'm doing for the film. Thanks.

[theposterkid]

There are a thousand plugins out there...just do a search for "vinyl" or something to that effect. Although I suppose you could just mix in a real record during a part with no music. Haven't tried that before.

[pedrohead]

Although I suppose you could just mix in a real record during a part with no music. Haven't tried that before.

actually, i have tried that before, with pretty good success. just threw on the front end of "rubber soul" with a pair of MC012's on ye ol' bookshelf speakers. cut up the part before the music came in, figured out where a few full revolutions of the record started and stopped, and just looped it (all of this in PT by the way).

worked quite nicely.

[aurelialuz]

we used a 78 for max crackle. did a couple different ones into doktor sample, then "played" them during the part where we wanted the effect. the random nature of playing them took out the looped aspect we had doing only one.

[flanneljammies]

Izotope Vinyl VST plugin. Sounds great and it's free.
http://www.izotope.com/products/audio/vinyl/

[ubertar]

Hey thanks. Just downloaded it.

[ubertar]

The film has been shot and edited. This is post-production. I could re-amp it through a stereo but it would be a different stereo in a different room. It wasn't made locally. Vibrato sounds like a good idea, it looks like the Izotope plug-in has the whole shebang.

[Slider]

The Izotope should work well.
I thought I'd share an old school storie of getting this sound before plugins were around.

I remember my friend crumpling paper into a microphone then sending that signal into a compressor (sidechain) that was on the stereo mix.
That made the pops kind of duck the audio a bit like a record scratch really does.
Then the mix was filtered to sound more like an old record.
We were so impressed with how good this worked back then.
Now you just insert the plugin and move the sliders.

[ubertar]

Izotope kicks ass. The presets are really good, then you can tweak them. Perfect for this film. Thanks!

[spectralgrey]

Make a cone out of a sheet of paper, then slide a sewing needle into the pointy end and tape it into place. Proceed to slide this primitive record player, needle down, across a rug. Set up a mic to record the result. Voila! Totally random record crackling.

You really can play records with that thing, but rather than scratching my records into oblivion, I prefer making weird sounds with it.

[LeedyGuy]

Izotope Vinyl VST plugin. Sounds great and it's free.
http://www.izotope.com/products/audio/vinyl/

this thing is amazing. i already plugged my tune on this board somewhere where i used this on vocals at the very end of the tune, but check it again. this may help you in some way if you have other original music and you want to add record stuff to parts of it to remind the listnener of that record scene?

http://www.greentothink.com/music/alison_rose.mp3

[cashed checks]

Izotope Vinyl VST plugin. Sounds great and it's free.
http://www.izotope.com/products/audio/vinyl/

no love for Mac users??? bummer. sounds pretty cool.

[ubertar]

Nice work, kentothink. I can hear a Beatles influence.
It's funny-- the generation coming up and those after it probably won't get the sonic reference (to records) at all. I've taught kids who thought records were "big cds".