It’s a good time to point out, though, that if you subscribe to Hometracked updates via RSS (click here, or use the links on the left), you take Dreamhost’s whims out of the equation. I publish a full feed, so you can read all Hometracked’s articles in their ad-free entirety within your feed reader.

Anyway, back to the good stuff!

So, listen here to 10 of pop music’s most blatant auto-tune abuses:

If you’re unfamiliar with Auto-tune, and especially if you listen to much pop and rock, you might not hear it initially. When overdone, the effect yields an unnatural yodel or warble in a singer’s voice. But the sound is so commonplace in modern mainstream music that your ears may have tuned out the auto-tune!

The songs in this clip, in order, and the phrases most affected by auto-tuning to help you spot them:

Dixie Chicks – The Long Way Around – Noticeable on “parents” and “but I.”

T-Pain – I’m Sprung – Especially obvious on “homies” and “lady.”

Avril Lavigne – Complicated – Listen to “way,” “when,” “driving,” “you’re.”

Uncle Kracker – Follow Me
The whole vocal sounds strained, but especially the word “goodbye.”

Maroon 5 – She Will Be Loved – Listen for “rain” and “smile.”

Natasha Bedingfield – Love Like This – “Apart” and “life.”

Sean Kingston – Beautiful girls – “OoooOver” doesn’t sound human.

JoJo – Too Little Too Late – Appropriately, “problem” stands out.

Rascal Flatts – Life is a Highway
Every vocal, foreground and background, is treated, but “drive” in particular.

New Found Glory – Hit or Miss – “Thriller”, and every time Jordan sings “I.”

The Cher Effect

When used noticeably, an auto-tuner produces what most call “The Cher Effect“, named for her trademark sound in the song Believe*. (In essence, we named the effect like scientists naming a new disease after its first victim.) Treated this heavily, a vocal track sounds synthetic, and obviously processed.

But not all auto-tuning is so blatant. In the sample above, it’s harder to hear the pitch correction on Uncle Kracker and Avril than on T-Pain and Bedingfield.

Tasteful Uses

As with any tool, a little care can yield great results. Some simple things to keep in mind about pitch correction tools:

• Performance: Most importantly, an auto-tuner isn’t a shortcut to a perfect performance. If you can’t sing the song properly, no amount of post-processing will make it sound like you did. So when your pitch matters, and you don’t want to correct it with an effect, you’ll need to work on your performance until it’s right.
• Less is more: The fewer notes you correct, the less obvious your use of an auto tuner will be. Consider automating the plugin so it acts only when most needed.
• Graphical mode: If your pitch correction software offers a graphical mode (like Antares Auto-Tune and Melodyne,) learn how to work with it. The default “auto” modes are OK for basic corrections, but often produce noticeable yodeling.
• Backing vocals: In general, you can get away with more pitch correction on backing vocals than lead vocals.
• Outdated: Obvious vocoder-style autotuning is dated, and borders on kitschy. The synthetic warbling vocal sound marks songs as having come from a specific era, the same way gated-reverb on drums instantly places a song in the 1980’s. Remember: If you make the auto tuner obvious, people will say your song uses “the Cher effect.” Let this be a guideline.

Be sure it’s needed

Two songs have auto tuners on my mind today: Snoop’s Sensual Seduction (because of Anil Dash’s ruminations on the death of the analog vocoder,) and Natasha Bedingfield’s Love Like This, which I heard on the radio. In the former, the auto tuner is clearly a gimmick. But every time I hear Bedingfield’s song, I’m struck by the same question: Why do that to her voice?

She’s a fantastic singer, and once you’ve heard the song without the cheesy auto tuner effect, it’s hard to take the radio single seriously.

And there’s a lesson in that for home recordists, (even those of us who don’t write pop music,) which echoes the rule of mixing: If an effect significantly changes the sound of a track, especially one so important as the lead vocal, be sure that change improves the song before committing it to the mix.

See Also: The Rule of Mixing

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Some engineers even argue over which type of dither is best, claiming this algorithm is more airy sounding that that one, and so forth. But just because everyone believes this, does that make it true?

That quote comes from Ethan Winer’s great summary of his position on the matter – he’s squarely in the “dithering is usually not needed” camp.

I tend to agree with Ethan. Responsible mixing engineers don’t apply processing to a mix if they themselves don’t hear the effect of the processing. Simply put, if you can’t hear a difference, don’t make the change.

Unmitigated awesome: Daved Lee Roth’s vocal track from Runnin With The Devil, solo’d.

Converting Ikea bedside tables into studio racks: “the Rast bedside table makes a snug rack for music machines.”

Two unrelated sites feature famous songwriters discussing what went on behind the scenes as they wrote:

First, Joni Mitchell on the writing and recording of her most recent album:

When I recorded it, I was sick so a doctor prescribed some penicillin, which I had an allergic reaction to. I was delirious, stressed out, and we worked all night long. I was so delirious that I was playing way back on the beat… [I]n January 2007, I had demos of the Shine songs with me and played them to some friends at a party afterward. James Taylor told me that he had to play on this song. I wasn’t sure if anyone could because it was created in such a rare spirit. But James came in anyway and I asked him to play short figures like a saxophone. So you can hear fractions of James’ guitar playing here.

Jim Vallance’s site has some fantastic insight into the mind of a professional songwriter. Jim, who’s worked with Aerosmith, Ozzy, Bryan Adams, The Scorpions, and Thornley, meticulously lists every song he has ever written. The site is full of anecdotes and details about his creation process.

On our very first basement demo of “Summer of ‘69″ we started the song with the 12-string riff, exactly like the “break down” section in the middle of the song … but on subsequent demo’s we replaced the 12-string with a chunky 6-string intro. In fact, we toiled over the musical arrangement for several weeks, maybe longer. We recorded the song three or four different ways, and we still weren’t convinced we had it right! Bryan even considered dropping the song from the Reckless album.

Now, 20 years later, when I hear “Summer of ‘69″ on the radio, I honestly can’t remember what bothered us.

In particular, I own and love Naomi Epel’s Observation Deck. If I sense a creative lull creeping on, I pull out a card and ponder its message (for example, “think in reverse,”) and invariably, almost like magic, my brain’s off and running again.

The Observation Deck isn’t free. But these 3 web sites, offering similar imagination exercises, are.

Mixer’s Block

It turns out that, along with helping writers, these tools are great for halting mixer’s block. Mixer’s block is exactly what it sounds like: The mixing engineer’s version of writer’s block.

You’ve likely found your mixes fall into two categories: Those that take care of themselves, and those that take years off your life. No amount of knob tweaking and fader pushing seems to bring resolution to those in the second category. Blocked mixes instead wait interminably on a flash of creative insight, for despite its technical nature, mixing is often art more than science.

Like its counterpart for authors, mixer’s block is frustrating and energy-zapping. And this is where the tools above come in. They’re designed to help shift your thinking, to inspire ideas from parts of your brain you’ve forgotten to use. Like a “virtual outside opinion,” it’s often all a stalled mix needs.

In practice

Let me illustrate with an example: I pulled hair out mixing Pushed Around. The mix wouldn’t jell. After fighting with it for hours, I decided to consult the Observation Deck, which told me to “create a conflict.”

Instantly, I realized the acoustic guitars were in conflict, fighting each other for the listener’s attention. I nudged the guitar tracks into better alignment, added the shaker to emphasize the beat and distract from the guitar strums, and the mix immediately righted itself.

This can work for any mix. So the next time you find a troubling mix uncooperative, consider setting the technical details aside and letting your imagination suggest new approaches. “Try faking it,” perhaps (a personal favorite,) or maybe even “think about the last time you cried.”

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The most common symptoms of a loose ribbon are low output and decreased low-frequency response. With your mic open, it’s easy to see if the ribbon sags. But with sealed, un-modded mics, the protective mesh hides the ribbon. So If you suspect your ribbon needs tightening, but don’t want to disassemble the mic to check, Michael recommends a quick and dirty test: Connect the microphone to a mixer, and listen through headphones while rocking the mic back and forth. If the ribbon is slack, you’ll hear a clanging sound when the ribbon hits the magnet.

Ribbon repair

Repair is straightforward, though requires a delicate touch. Read the discussion, again thanks to Michael, on Gearslutz (and a similar TapeOp thread):

One or both of the ribbon clamps must be loosened and removed. Then the ribbon pried gently away from the lower clamp surface. Occasionally the ribbon is fused to the clamp surface and cannot be moved without tearing. In this case the last resort is to hope the other end of the ribbon can be freed from the clamp and pulled taught.

You might also need the previously-noted page about replacing the ribbon element in a ribbon microphone.

(And the easiest way, especially if you’re all thumbs: Have OktavaMod repair the mic for you.)

Should you do this mod?

Whether or not you should modify your own ribbon mic depends largely on your answers to 2 questions:

Can you hear a difference in the samples? If not, then you’re unlikely to gain any useful improvement to your recorded sound by modifying your mic.

Are you comfortable with a screwdriver and pliers? You can easily destroy the ribbon. If that prospect upsets you, then it’s probably best to leave your mic alone.

Transformers

As I mentioned in part 1, an upgraded output transformer can also improve the sound of a low-end ribbon mic. The transformers most commonly recommended for this mod (which I’ll demonstrate in a future article) are:

• The Lundahl LL2911, available from Kevin Carter’s K&K Audio
• The Cinemag CM-9888, available directly from Cinemag
• The EDCOR RMX1

Here are some basic instructions for upgrading the transformer (from Jon Ulrigg, who manufactures Shinybox ribbon mics.)

Michael Joly, a regular on the Gearslutz and Homerecording.com forums, also performs mods for most of the cheap Chinese ribbon mics through his OctavaMod Shop. The site also has galleries and samples.

Ribbon mic resources

Finally, here are some helpful resources and ribbon-related DIY projects if you’d like to learn more about ribbon mics:

• Here’s a technical explanation of how ribbon microphones work.
• Instructions on replacing a ribbon, which would also be handy if you fancy building your own mic from scratch.
• Warren Dent’s cheap ribbon mic shootout offers sound clips recorded through several of the most popular low-end ribbon mics.
• The GroupDIY Mic Meta thread links to dozens of microphone related projects, many specific to ribbon mics.

Previously: Ribbon Mic Mod – Part 1, Ribbon Mic Mod – Part 2

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Methodology

I recorded each pair of clips below simultaneously, which makes A/B comparison easy: Line up the beginning of both clips in your DAW, and flip between them while they play. I choose this over a standard “before and after” approach because the performance in each pair of clips is identical, which makes it easier to concentrate on the sonic differences without being distracted by performance nuances.

I should note that this approach makes two assumptions:

• The unchanged stock mic ribbon has the same response as the modded mic ribbon: I’ve used these mics as a stereo pair in the past, so I know they were, for all purposes, identical. (In hindsight, I should have recorded an A/B clip with both mics before modding one, for comparison.)
• Phase anomalies are minimal: It’s impossible to completely eliminate phase effects when dealing with multiple mics. However, I took care to ensure the ribbon of each mic was exactly the same distance from the sound source. You can load the WAV files in a DAW yourself and confirm that the transients strike each mic coincidentally. Further, the characteristics of each mic are consistent across the samples below, even though I recorded different instruments, with different configurations. So it’s reasonable to assume that audible differences are due to the microphones’ properties rather than my recording setup.

Before / After Clips

I tried to represent both musical and percussive sources, as well as fast and slow transients. Note, though, that I haven’t applied any post-processing to the sounds. They’re rough … but accurate.

If you have difficulty hearing differences between each pair of clips, import the WAV files into your DAW, line them up to start together, loop a small section, and listen to each file 3 or 4 times before switching to the other. As your ears adapt to the similarities between each clip, the differences will become more obvious.

Acoustic Guitar – Hard strummed
This sample is both percussive and musical, to highlight differences in the modded mic’s transient response, as well as its broadband frequency response. Listen particularly to the lower frequencies.
  Stock mic – Acoustic guitar strummed [2.6Mb]
  Modded mic – Acoustic guitar strummed [2.6Mb]

Acoustic Guitar – Finger picked
This sample has much slower transients than above. Notice how the modded mic sample sounds less restricted.
  Stock mic – Finger picked guitar [2.4Mb]
  Modded mic – Finger picked guitar [2.4Mb]

Cymbals (crash, then ride)
In this sample, focus on the high frequencies. I find the differences obvious in the cymbal decay, where the stock mic exhibits some high frequency distortion. (Not necessarily a bad thing for a cymbal mic. In fact, I’d probably prefer the stock mic here for close-miking a hi hat.)
  Stock mic – Cymbals [3.8Mb]
  Modded mic – Cymbals [3.8Mb]

Electric Guitar
I played this on a Les Paul through a Peavey Classic 50 almost fully cranked, with just a hint of saturation. Personally, I think this sample illustrates the best use of a cheap ribbon mic: Loud guitar! The differences between each sample, though, are minimal.
  Stock mic – Electric guitar [2.3Mb]
  Modded mic – Electric guitar [2.3Mb]

Full Drum Kit
Finally, here’s a full drum kit sample. Listen for differences in the low bass (especially the kick drum,) and cymbal tails.
  Stock mic – Full kit [3Mb]
  Modded mic – Full kit [3Mb]

Observations

I wouldn’t call the change night and day. This mod certainly won’t turn an Apex or Nady into a Royer. But given the minimal effort required, I’d say there’s no question the mod is worthwhile.

As I noted, the changes to the mic’s response are most obvious at the ends of the frequency spectrum. The moded mic has a beefier bottom end, and a softer top end. Through the modified mic, acoustic guitar has clearer low-mids, kick drum has much more punch, and cymbal tails are a little less brash. High frequencies through the stock mic almost sound distorted in comparison.

Overall, the modded mic yields a slightly richer, less “pinched” sound.

Next, my Closing thoughts which you might find helpful if you’d like to try modding your own ribbon mic (even if it’s not an Apex 205)

Previously: Ribbon Mic Mod – Part 1

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• Remove unnecessary screening from the mic
• Replace the transformer

I recently performed the first modification on one of my mics, and left the other mic alone with the intent of doing a real A/B comparison. That is, with both mics on the same sound source, at the same time. Here, I’ll walk you through the mod, before discussing the changes I found in the mic’s response. (Note: I plan on performing the second modification, for further comparison, in the future.)

Background

The ribbon in a ribbon mic damages easily. One errant wind blast is enough to stretch or tear the ribbon. So the manufacturers of these cheaper mics include extra wind screening to guard the ribbon, knowing that many buyers are first-time owners likely oblivious to the care a ribbon requires. However, if you understand the mic’s delicate requirements, you don’t really need all the extra screens, and their effect on the mic’s response.

Modding your mic

Removing the screening is straightforward. (And it’s the easier of the two mods mentioned above, as it requires no soldering.) You’ll need:

• A Philips head screwdriver
• A pair of pliers
• Possibly a pair of metal snips or wire cutters
• Optionally, some foam
• A clear work area

Step 1: Access the ribbon assembly

The Apex 205 has a 2-part casing: A mesh basket (the top) which houses the ribbon and ribbon motor, and a blue canister (the bottom) which houses the transformer and electronics.

To disassemble the mic, first remove the 3 screws holding the mesh basket to the base – one under the engraved figure 8 and two on the back (marked “a” in the picture below. Click the image for a closer view.)

The ribbon housing is attached to the inside of the mesh basket by the remaining screw and the top of the mic stand mount. Unscrew both of these (marked “b”,) and you can remove the ribbon assembly from the case.

Step 2: Remove the wind shields

The ribbon assembly consists of 3 main parts: The saddle (my name for it) which is the metal frame to which the transformer is also attached; The wind shields, which you’ll be removing; and the ribbon motor.

There’s no trick to removing the shields. They’re attached to the ribbon assembly with a few small nuts which loosen easily (though may require gentle coaxing with needle nosed pliers to get them started.)

Working slowly so as not to agitate the ribbon, first remove the nuts that hold the ribbon motor to the saddle.

Then, remove the nuts that hold the screens in place, and slip the screens off the ribbon assembly.

You may need the pliers again to loosen the barrel nuts holding the top screen in place.

With the screens removed, you can reattach the ribbon motor to the saddle. (You don’t need to replace all the nuts that held the screens in place, though you can if you want.)

Step 3: Remove mesh screening

This step is a little trickier, and messier. Truthfully, I’m not convinced it’s necessary. I can’t tell the difference in sound between a 205 with and without the inner basket mesh. (Though this is not true for the wind screens, above. Those metal screens definitely affect the sound.) So if the sight of wire cutters in the picture below makes you anxious, you can skip this step.

To remove the mesh, press gently on the outside of the basket just enough that the mesh comes away from the rim on the inside. Slip a screwdriver under the inner mesh and pry it away.

Depending on your mic, there may be two layers of mesh. You can remove one or both of these. (Again, in my experience, the choice makes minimal, if any, difference to the final sound of the mic.)

The mesh is affixed to the outer basket with epoxy, though how firmly differs from mic to mic. Sometimes both inner mesh screens peel off easily, sometimes you need some clipping to help them along.

Step 4 (optional): Pad with foam
This step is optional, though in my opinion worthwhile. Using a loose foam, like the kind used to pack electronic devices, fill the spaces between the ribbon assembly and saddle, and the space around the transformer in the base canister. This should dampen the effect of mechanical vibrations, such as footfalls near the mic stand, and help reduce resonance in the canister.

Step 5: Reassemble
In case you’ve lost your orientation, the picture below shows the front face of each component. The saddle mounts, figure 8, and Apex logo should all line up.

Re-affix the basket to the saddle (the green “b” screws in the first image above,) then attached the basket to the base (the red “a” screws above.) And that’s it. Your mic is now ready!

Your newly modded microphone

The mic is good to go at this point. However, because you removed most of its built-in wind protection, you’ll need to take some new precautions:

• Avoid windy locations: You’ve had the mic apart, and seen how delicate the ribbon is. Image what a stiff gust of wind, or blast from a strong fan, would do to that now-unprotected ribbon.

• Use a pop screen as much as possible: Obviously, you’ll need a pop screen when recording vocals. But other instruments can generate blasts of air strong enough to damage the ribbon. In particular, the speaker motion from a loud guitar amp, especially on hard, sharp sound, moves enough air to tear the ribbon.
• Don’t move the mic too quickly: When transporting the mic, or moving it about your studio, don’t make abrupt movements. Better yet, keep the mic in its protective bag unless you’re recording.

And finally, the obligatory disclaimer: This will void your warranty, and you can destroy your microphone if you’re not careful, both while performing the modification and in regular use thereafter. I won’t be held responsible if you attempt this procedure on your microphone, and damage it. I’m happy to offer suggestions or assistance if you run into difficulties (leave a comment, or email me: des @ hometracked . com.) But what you do to your microphone is all on you.

Next: Audio samples comparing the modded and unmodded mics

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Waves is targeting professionals, not home studios. That’s probably a good thing for the dozens of web forum posters I see every week ask “when would I use RenComp instead of RenEQ?” Generally, you know the answer to that question before shelling out $1,200 for the plugins.

However, if you absolutely must pirate a piece of software (“I need the SSL bundle so I don’t sound amateur …”) at least have the sense to buy it legally before making any money with it!

Spring and plate reverbs are the easiest designs to implement. Though depending on your skill with a soldering iron, you can also build an electronic reverb. And capturing the natural ambiance of a space, with a speaker and mic, offers almost unlimited possibilities.

Here’s a collection of links to the Web’s best plans for these homemade reverbs:

Spring Reverbs:

• The most comprehensive design I’ve seen: The Slinky Spring Reverb.
• Some variations on the Slinky design, including a stereo spring reverb.
• A cabinet-style spring reverb for guitar.
• The $2 spring reverb, built from a toy echo mic.
• And finally, a no-frills dirt cheap design.

Plate Reverbs:

• The definitive plate reverb design comes from TapeOp magazine.
• A no nonsense approach, from a poster on the electro music forums (copied here because the site is frequently unavailable.):

I got a sheet of steel, about the size of a very large refrigerator, this was about 1 X 2 meters more or less. I built a wooden frame of 2X4s. Two holes were drilled near the top of the plate and it was suspended to hang on two wooden dowels through rubber grommets.

I took an old 12″ speaker and cut the metal cage off of it and trimmed the speaker cone so as to only have about 1″ from the driver. Then I built a wooden cross member across the plate but not touching it to hold this speaker and glued the shortened cone to the plate. I attached a contact microphone to the plate. I drove the plate through a 50 watt amplifier connected to the speaker (glued to the plate) and took the signal from the contact mic. The placement of the mic is determined by experimentation. I built a simple wet/dry mixer. In those days people built their own circuits. Today I’d buy the mixer.

This entire apparatus was in the basement below my studio.

Electronic Reverbs:

• A collection of schematics for various reverbs.
• Many effects pedal schematics, including a few reverbs.

Natural reverbs:

• Electronic Musician’s Keeping It Real article describes some great approaches to capturing natural reverberance (including a washer or dryer, and an old Gibson guitar.)
• Upload an audio file to Silophone, and hear how it sounds played through speakers in a grain silo.