After a small break, it is time to get back on writing blogs and making youtube videos.
For the first topic I would like to introduce you StandardClip
StandardClipp is a plugin that can help us a lot for reducing the peak level of any desired stem/channel needed.
Why Peak reduction is so important in today's music production?
Last few years, as many years before that, we were facing loudness war. Many engineers will actually say how bad loudness war it is, and how everything changes.
My personal belief is that all the things are changing while time is passing and that we should change in a way to adopt for the new things that are coming. I have spent a lot of time in research in order to get useful information that will help me to get a better sound, and most of the information I came by was good for only specific kinds of music (bands, symphonies, orchestras, movie music) where the standards are 180 degrees from what we are dooing. I came to the conclusion that we are the generation that will need to write down new rules for Electronic Music that is totally in the box, or that use hybrid setups where all processes are ITB (in the box) and use some OTB (of the box) equipment only for specific processes only, but the main workflow is ITB.
I could read a lot about Bob Khatz theories about dynamic range, and how we need to save our dynamics and how that process is important. After some time I realised that I'm giving a lot of attention to save my dynamics in tracks and that after I send to mastering engineer I get back my track mastered on -5rms or even -4rms. So I gave my best to save the dynamics of a track that will end up with only 5db or 4db of dynamics.
So I realised that Electronic Dance Music standards are actually new standards and that those old laws and rules are not that much applicable in our music. I decided to start breaking all those rules and start looking for the best solutions by making a lot of tests and comparing all those tests.
My biggest conclusion is that instead of keeping the dynamic of a track, that best results I got when I did completely opposite, I started reducing the dynamic of each channel, and that way I was preparing my track in the mix to end up on those levels, without a possibility that limiter does that on the way limiter does it. This is where the power of Saturation, Distortion and Clippers are coming, as they can reduce those peaks on any channels in a way that they don't change the sound much. So those plugins allow us to make more space for our master and allowing us to bring the whole track to louder levels without destroying our peaks. I believe that this process is ma be the first rule of good digital mixes and something that will give you results straight away.
Check the full video: