Great tutorial, but to be honest, when you’re processing the kick + bass bus with those expensive compressors and analog emulations, there is no noticeable difference in the sound at all. I don’t know if it is because of the audio quality of the video stream or not, but I have been producing long enough to know that those settings didn’t do anything noticeable to the sound.
Just my opinion on this, that’s often the case when producers really nail the use of those expensive analog emulation plugins, you should not really hear a big difference at all unless you’re aiming at getting drastic changes in the audio for sound design purpose.
Those tools when use wisely should only introduce very subtle & almost inaudible changes, it’s more about getting suttle saturation, color & compression to make the kick siting more in the all track than pushing it hard & getting very audible changes ( unless that’s what your aiming at of course ).
I do agree that hose plugins are expensive, but because of their design after real analog gears & all the engineering behind it, they are also valuable tools. There’s a lot of excellent cheaper or even free plugins that are also great but IMO smaller companies don’t always have the technology & expertise to model real analog gears & put them into high performances DSP using very good algorithms, and unfortunately, that cost money too. So yes, high end plugins are expensive for the user in the end.
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This is just my two cents, but in music, of you can’t hear it, it doesn’t matter. The Ssl comp did a lot, but the API and the tape saturator did absolutely nothing. Don’t believe me? Play the video again where he bypasses the API. Oh wait, he bypasses the WRONG PLUGIN and claims the API is making a huge difference. Even James can’t tell the difference. This is a classic case of “I spent so much money on this I will force myself to like it and use it”.
This is just my two cents as well, but I’m able to hear it. In fact, I did a check right before writing this. Woke up an hour ago, didn’t do any audio work yesterday so ears are fresh.
In short, most of the difference I can hear is in the upper mids to highs, as far as just the API 2500 bypassed off and on.
Also FYI, the saturators he uses on the Kick/Bass Buss have nothing to do with tape. The Waves (Nevo) setting is emulating the The Neve 5116 console.
This is not an entirely accurate statement.
Watch and listen between 7m40s and 8m20s on video 06. Within that 40 second time frame he is bypassing the correct plugin while setting the 2500’s threshold.
I am going to guess you have no idea how expensive all this used to be before the software existed.
Waves is probably the cheapest developer out of all of them in terms of cost. The API 2500? The hardware unit of that currently costs $3,388 (including sales tax). The Waves version currently cost $70 and that’s when it is not on sale. When I bought it, I got the API collection including the EQs for $70. – That is a steal compared to what most other developers would charge, likely $300-400.
– In a way, I slightly envy James for being 25 years old, and having all of this available. Back when I was still 25? FL Studio was called FruityLoops, and none of the software instruments used in this tutorial existed…and neither did computers fast enough to run them without crashing… you wanted decent sounding plucks, leads and pads? You needed the hardware, the rack space for the modules, studio space for the 49+ keyboards and hardware mixer, the cables to interconnect and of course the budget. – Wanted the sound of an SSL 4000? One needed an actual SSL 4000. – Count your blessings.
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Thanks for a very good tutorial. Been back and forth many times now. Love your track Mandalore, would love to see a tutorial about the creation of the Breakdown Vocals, and how you get that really nice snap to the transients as the lead filters in. Cheers from Norway - keep up the good work
Hey @James_Dymond
On Tutorial 4, what if i’m planning to make a song that starts with C? But the current sub bass that i used as per resources given which is Activa_Sub, its originally E2. How do change it to C note since its C on default, but they key is actually E? Please advice, thanks!
Hi @James_Dymond ,
A great tutorial! Thank you so much for sharing your skills and experience; you’ve debunked a lot of myths that never worked, and the track sounds great using Logic Pro. Looking forward to more tutorials like this. Thanks!
Hi @James_Dymond, Just to understand I use Abelton Live Suite and I always fail to gain stage during the setup phase. when you said you always mix low, do you mix at -6 ?
I learned a lot. Thank you so much.
Really great tutorial cant wait for Uplifting Trance 2020
Hi @James_Dymond, Thank you so much for this tutorial. I loved it and I learned a lot. Hope you come to Bergen, Norway 
That would have been awesome. Cheers
Super course, I use FL and am stunned at have fast you navigate around the work stations within the daw.
Really loved the content. Exactly the trance I love.
The transitions and automations were key to the track. I have a greater understanding of this; also, will try to simplify my sounds and use of effects, really found it interesting in what can be achieved with simple sounds and a light touch of effect and then cleaned up with EQ.
Will need to consider a plugins budget that’s for sure! Have started creating a wish list to help me get that sorted.
Cheers again, really enjoyed.
Julian
Awesome tutorial, super helpful and detailed. Thanks James!
The NLS stereo ( non linear summer) originally 300 $ is on sale for 30 $ !!! great tutorial and because your awesome and giving us these courses I just got an amazing deal. check it out at waves.com 5/7/2020
You’re a great teacher and this series is everything I need , thank you James!
Great great walkthrough. I’m happy that the smallest gripe was that the automations were a bit tough to follow. Also, very pleased at the use of the word “penultimate” on the Outro vid. Can’t say I’ve ever heard that in normal speech.
Thanks James for a very good tutorial.
In the final mixdown, it seems that there is no head room left, you are peaking at around 0 dB, right? How come - didn’t you say in the beginning of the course to leave between 3-6 dB of head room?
Hey there @Denvall
When referring to Head Room and the good habit to keep a 3 to 6 dB margin, it’s about Dynamic Range which is basically an average measurement of the loudest & quietest audio in the all Mix.
Peaks that you can read on Live’s Master Channel Meter are showing the audio signals “peaking” ( hitting a certain dB level in real time ), the meter doesn’t give you a read of your Head Room. So you could have some peaking values around 0 dBFS but still retain some Dynamic Range in a Mix.
That said, this Head Room thing is just a good practice habit, especially if you plan to send out your Mix for Mastering ( or do it yourself ) later on, but it could vary from one Mix to another and the goal you’re aiming at, so it’s not a rule set in stone.
You might be interested into this course perhaps : Loudness and Metering with Kirk Degiorgio
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Amazing course thanks so much @James_Dymond
I have a question please, I’m using Ableton Live and not FL studio, and I was wondering if you put your reverb and delay effects directly on each channel as inserts? It seems like it but I wasn’t sure.
Would you recommend to put (those effects specifically) as inserts directly on the channels or on a return/send track and send to them?
Thanks again