Noise Reduction - When Using Hi-Gain Guitar Sims

A Simple Alternative

When it comes to tracking any Hi-Gain guitar tones there's one obvious thing that causes most audio engineers a headache and that is unwanted hiss & hum coming from the amp/speaker cabinet. This can even be the case with Guitar Di's as the noise floor can be raised by the pre-amp or audio interface it's plugged into.
I've seen some very elaborate methods employed in the attempt to eradicate it, some good, some bad, but there's one simple method that is usually overlooked.... inserting an Expander.

Now for Studio One users this proves ever so simple to implement as S1 comes with a free Expander plugin and for most, on a tight budget, you can't get better than having something offered for free. Firstly lets try and explain what an Expander does.

Expanders increase the dynamic range of a signal such that low-level signals are attenuated (Volume decreased) while the louder portions are neither attenuated nor amplified. This is effectively the opposite of compression. Use an Expander to decrease the levels of unwanted noise or bleed from other sources or to restore dynamic range to a compressed signal.

Now to keep things really simple and uncomplicated S1's Expander plugin comes with a built in preset called 'Noise Removal'. That, like all presets, is a great place to start. Watch the video below as I demonstrate how best to use it to achieve an optimum signal to noise ratio.

The secret is eradicating the noise without eradicating the guitar signal.

For those who want a bit more extensive read on what all the controls on S1's Expander plugin do here's the list below taken direct from the wonderful Free Studio One User Manual.

The following parameters are available for the Expander:

• Threshold Adjusts the maximum amplitude at which processing occurs. Variable from -60 dB to 0 dB.
• Range Adjust the maximum amount of attenuation applied to the signal. Variable from -72 dB to 0 dB.
• Ratio Adjust the ratio of the Expander. Variable from 1:1 to 1:20.

• Look Ahead Click to engage/disengage 2 ms Look Ahead function.
• Attack Adjusts attack time for dynamics processing, reaction speed to falling signal. Variable from 0.1 ms to 500 ms.
• Release Adjusts release time for dynamics processing, reaction speed to rising signal. Variable from 50 ms to 2 s.

• Sidechain Engage by clicking the [Sidechain] button at the top of the effect window to allow other sources control the Expander.
• Sidechain Channel Display Displays the current sidechain channel source.

• Filter Click to activate internal sidechain filtering (for frequency-dependent expansion). Uses 48 dB/octave filters.
• Listen Filter Click to listen to the filtered control signal of the internal sidechain. This helps find a specific target frequency for the control signal when de-essing, transient damping, etc.
• Lowcut and Highcut Frequency selection for internal sidechain filters. LC variable from Off to 20 Hz to 16 kHz; HC variable from 20 Hz to 16 kHz to Off.
• Swap Click to swap the frequencies used for LC and HC.

Is This The Greatest 1176 Compressor Plugin Ever?

1176 Hardware

The iconic 1176 compressor is a well renown stable piece of audio equipment that is found throughout most professional studios. It was the one go to compressor that could be used on just about anything from bass to vocals due to its fast attack time.

What really got people excited about the 1176 was not just how it compressed things or the 'All four buttons mode' but how it injected character into any audio passed through it. Some engineers engaged it's circuit without using any of it's compression/limiting abilities just to have the character, of it's all transistor circuit, effect the audio travelling through it. 

The 1176 is said to brighten the audio going through it almost acting like an Eq move but most definitely gives audio clarity and improvement in the top end that most engineers find a welcome addition to their workflow.

However you feel about it there's no getting away from the fact that this is a stable piece of equipment and completely deserving of it's iconic status. The simplicity of operation, compression, limiting that it has makes it a highly desirable piece of outboard gear.

1176 Plugin

For those of us who haven't got thousands of pounds/dollars to splash out on an iconic 1176 hardware compressor we are left with one other option and that is a plugin software emulation. There have been many various attempts to capture the essence of what the real world counterpart does to audio but they have always been a little off target.

Whether it be the response or the actual character, that hasn't been just right, plugin manufacturers are still pushing the boundaries and with more powerful CPU's being fitted to home computers are making gains toward being 100% accurate on simulating these hardware units.

There have been many versions from companies like Waves, UAD (The original hardware manufacturer), Softube, IK T-Racks and others but while they have come close there was always that little something missing. Now step forward the new contender to the throne PSP Audio FETpressor.

PSP FETpressor 

Is a FET feedback type compressor plug-in. It’s designed to provide accurate, almost instant compression with lots of character. Great for vocals, guitars, bass, drums, and whenever a classic 1970s-style FET compressor is needed. PSP FETpressor contains everything you’d expect from a FET compressor: an internal side chain high pass filter to control amount of low frequency pumping, smoothly adjustable compression ratio, ability to select which channel to process, and a link switch. This compressor also contains a dry signal blend for parallel compression. Additionally PSP FETpressor contains makeup amplifier and output transformer emulations to add subtle character even when set to 1:1 ratio.

Now I'm not one to endorse or advertise any software save that of Studio One or be a victim of the 'This plugin will change your mix's from amateur to pro', but after trying this out (Demo available here: PSPFetpressor ) I have to say this is the closest thing I've ever heard to a real 1176 hardware unit. It definitely has the character and the compression/limiter down to a 'T' and has become my go to compressor for everything even on the Masterbus. It can be a monster runaway train that pummels you to the ground or as subtle as a feather landing on your head and offers a wider range of options than an original 1176. But the one thing that sets it apart for me from the rest is the character it imparts. Just like the real unit and that is something extra special.

Conclusion

So all being said and done don't trust my ears or take my word for it go download the 14 day demo and see if you agree. It's what I've been waiting for a plugin counterpart, to the real world hardware unit, that undoubtedly ticks all the boxes when it comes to feeling like your actually throwing an 1176 onto something when tracking or mixing. So watch the video below as I demonstrate the FETpressor on a few tracks and don't delay, give it a go yourself and see if your not convinced there's never been a more exciting time to being a bedroom/home studio producer who simply hasn't got huge budgets.

Reverb... It's All About Timing.

Hello, Hellooo, Hellooooooo

 When it comes to using reverb a lot of mix engineers will give it a wide birth claiming they just can't get it to work for them and for many that is indeed the case. But despite an ever growing repugnance of reverb in favour of delay it still has it's place in the mix.
 So I want to re-address this dislike for reverb and show how it can be a great tool for any mix there's just a few things to understand first as to how to get the best out of it.

What is Reverb?

Think of it this way, in it's basic form it's just and echo. Imagine standing in a cave and shouting "Hello!" You hear all the reflections of the cave walls making your voice sound bigger as it tails away to nothing. Or have you ever stripped a room out in your house for decorating and suddenly you hear the echo and space in the room? That essentially is reverb, it's the reflection of the sound in a room. The less in a room the more reflections, the more in a room (furniture, people) the less reflection as they dampen the sound. So now you have a real world example of what reverb is now you can utilise that knowledge when using reverb in a mix.

The difference between delay and reverb is that reverb is generally real world rooms and spaces.

Types of Reverb

HALL: A hall is a large space either in length or height that has a long decay time and lots of reflections. Classically used on John Bonham's drums where they used the height of the hall and staircase to create the massive drum reverb sound loved by many. 

ROOM: A room is a much smaller space that can be dead or reflective, depending upon the material

that the walls, floor, and ceiling are made of or the amount of items in the room. It usually has a short decay time of about 1.5 seconds or less. This is the most useful of all reverbs especially if the band didn't get tracked playing live in the studio all at the same time. It can be of great benefit to recreate that by using a room reverb and sending all the instruments and vocals into the FX channel, adjusting the volume of each send to mimic the live band feeling.

CHAMBER: An acoustic chamber is a dedicated tiled room that many large studios used to build to

create reverb. Famous examples are the ones created by Phil Spector 'Wall of sound' at Gold Star Studios, sadly now gone and others like the one at Capitol designed by Les Paul revered by many mix engineers. Extremely expensive to build hence their scarcity but the bedroom producer can mimic it somewhat on a lesser scale utilising a tiled bathroom for instance. Sound was usually passed through a loud speaker and then a microphone would pick it up again, including the effects of reverb. Although this is still common the cons with this technique is that varying the reverb time can be more difficult. A chamber is usually a smaller physical space than a hall that results in more clarity

PLATE: Introduced as a cheaper alternative to building a chamber and the first artificially created reverb, is literally a 250kg, 4x6ft, hanging plate of sheet metal with transducers attached to it.  Early units had one pickup for mono output, later models featured two pickups for stereo use. The reverb time can be adjusted by a damping pad, made from framed acoustic tiles. The closer the damping pad, the shorter the reverb time. However, the pad never touches the plate. Some units also featured a remote control. The most famous of these was the EMT140 made famous by Abbey Road studios.

NON-LINEAR: Again another artificially created reverb and solely available on digital reverb units. The pros of these reverbs, such as the infamous AMS RMX16, is that they could create reverbs that just were not possible in the real world. They also allow for special effects such as the reverb tail being reversed so it builds instead of decaying. This gives them an advantage over their real world counterparts in that they can really produce some otherwise unobtainable special FX's.

So hall, room and chamber are all real world rooms whilst plate and non-linear are, like delay, artificial. When it comes to choosing which reverb to use well there are no rules but in general, room or a chamber on drums, a plate on vocals or guitars, and a hall on strings or keyboards are the most common choices.

It's All About Timing

Slapping a reverb effect on anything without addressing the timing is pure folly. You need to specify the matching time of the reverb to correspond with the beats per minute of your track. This will help them blend in better in the mix and sound more natural.
 Working out the timing of a reverb or a delay for that matter can seem daunting but fear not there are lots of lovely people who have offered calculators online such as Nick Favour that take all the hardwork out for you.
 For the more inquisitive a manual way of setting up timing is to send the snare to a reverb Aux/Fx channel. Solo the Aux/Fx channel and adjust the decay/release time on the reverb plugin/hardware unit. What you are aiming for is after the initial first hit of the snare, listen for the reverb as it decays and drops in volume. Now lower/raise the decay or release time of your reverb until the tail decay just about stops before the second hit of the snare sounds. Now your good to go.

The Importance Of Pre-Delay

Another feature of reverbs not to be ignored is the Pre-Delay control. Pre-delay means delaying the sound of the reverb slightly after you hear the source signal. So the direct snare sounds first and then shortly after that the reverb. The reason it’s used is so the source signal doesn’t sound washed out in ambience. With a little bit of pre-delay, you’ll hear the source’s attack, then the reverb, so the source signal has more definition. A good starting point is around 20ms maybe up to 40ms somewhere in that region. When setting up, pre-delay, is more important to the overall effect of reverb as it is the one thing that will blend and create a natural effect in the overall mix.

Conclusion

So reverb can be of great benefit to your mix when you gain an understanding of what reverb is, how to crucially set it's timing and how using Eq can shape it to suit. Watch the video below as I endeavour to show some of these ideas and how to implement them.