Tutorial 2

The handling of
VSL AUDIO

March 2005
Beat Kaufmann

http://www.beat-kaufmann.com

Tips and tricks

How to use VSL AUDIO

Room settings and mixdown with VSL

Dear VSL-user
The following pictures, texts and sound examples will show you the way.

Yours
Beat Kaufmann
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After reading this tutorial...

You can

You know

pan signals and

set instruments in the stereo-field
set instruments from stereo to mono
create different depths for instruments
set EQs for near and far

If you want to follow this tutorial by doing all the steps on your own system you
will find all needed files on this page (Step1).

Overview (jump to a step X by clicking on it)

Step 1: Loading down the necessary files

Step 2: Install the files in your sequencer
Step 3: The setting up of "our" orchestra
Step 4: Place strings at their positions
Step 5: The farther the mono / place the winds
Step 6a: SIR, Convolution, Ambiances
Step 6b: Routing signals
Step 7: EQ-ing supports room impression
Step 8: Reverb with the "Send" function
Epilogue
Services

Tip: There is a "printout - function" of this tutorial. You will also find the possibilitiy
to download a PDF-file. Jump to Services
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You will be guided through the tutorial from the starting - file
Play:

...to the final audio file which sounds like this...

Play:

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the setting up of an orchestra.

the coherence "Stereo-Mono-Samples" in the stereo field
something about the physics of the sound in rooms
something about the usage of busses (sequencers)
something about the EQ-ing of instruments

Step 1: Loading down the necessary files

All the next steps are based on these XX.mp3- files. If you like it, please load them down
from this page into your PC / MAC.

THE INSTRUMENT FILES

Oboe 1 + Oboe 2 + Bassoon [820 KB] the Solo Violin [820 KB] the Celli + Bassi [820 KB]
the Viola [820 KB] and the Violins 1 + Violins 2 [820 KB] .

THE CONVOLUTION FILES

Medium Ambiance (*.wav) [228 KB] and the Concertgebouw BC FAR fst (*.wav) [382 KB]

For downloading SIR, a free Convolution Reverb , please use

this link: http://www.knufinke.de/sir. That's it! Here we go...

Step 2: Install the files in your sequencer

Important: Your sequencer must be able to load mp3-files. If not try to convert the
mp3s with a converter into the *.wav-format first.

Open your sequencer (Logic, Cubase or what ever) and create 5 empty audio-tracks.
Then import or load up the five mp3-files:

Track 1: Oboe 1 + Oboe 2 + Bassoon

Track 2: Solo Violin
Track 3: Violins 1 + Violins 2
Track 4: Viola
Track 5: Celli + Bassi

Please mark the audio-tracks with the instrument names too. Further on you need to
have 4 Bus-tracks (Logic) or 4 Group-tracks (Cubase). Please name them like it
is shown in the pictures below.

Click on the picture you want to enlarge!

Name tracks

Load

1. Please mark the audio -tracks 2. Load or import the 5 audiofiles:

Winds, solo Violin, Violins,
Viola, Celli+Bassi

Install 4 group tracks

3. Install 4 Bus- or Group- tracks

Name them please as shown in the
upper picture. You will use them
later on for mixing the reverbs and
ambainces.

If you have done everything correct, your sequencer should now play the

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following sound: Room settings all tracks - no depth [821 KB]

or Play:

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Step 3: The setting up of "our" orchestra

There are several ways of setting up an orchestra, depending
on the epoch of the piece played, the type of the piece and the
instruments it requires - and even on the conductor's
preferences.
The picture shows one of the more common setups, which can
be taken as a guideline for mixdown of a composition, when

A Symphonic Orchestra (Layout)

you position the instruments in the stereo field and add reverb
according to the size of the concert hall you want your piece

Our piece - The Water Music, No7 Bourre, G.F. Handel containes
fewer instruments than in the upper example. So the layout is
reduced
as it is shown just on the right.

Further on I have marked three depths which we want to create

later on (Step 6).
Water Music, Handel > Orchestra Layout

If you are the listener then you recognize the solo violin- just in
front of you and a little left. Let us say to this placementdepth 1.

Behind the solo violin and a little more left you notice the violins.

So farther away means in our case depth2. In the same depth

as
the violins but in center you see the violas and on their right are
the cellos and basses.
And finally behind the strings (depth 3) you will notice the
woodwinds.

It's now up to you to create these positions from left to right and
from
depth 1-3, together with the built in effects of Cubase, Logic etc.

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Step 4: Place strings at their positions

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to be played in.

1. At the VSL-studios all the

samples were recorded in stereo.
That means the 6 chamber violins
are recorded in their total with of
the stereo field from left to right.

2. But we want to simulate the

situation in our assumed concert
room.
We have to restrict the violins
stereo with as shown in the upper
picture.

3. Then we have to shift the violins

to the left as you can see in the
upper picture as well.
The same process should be done
with the viola section (let it in
center) and with the Bassi.
They have to be placed on the right
in our virtual room.

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How to do this in Cubase?

A very good VST-effect to "monoize" signals is the

Surround Pan. Load it into the effect way and make the signals

near mono by shifting the balls near the center line.

The effect is, that we can more precise the location of such a
monoized intrument. That is exatly what we want to have.

Listen to the violins sound from stereo to near mono

Click: Violins stereo to near mono [185 KB] or
Play:

VST Surround Pan in the sequencers effect

way

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The final stereo<>mono settings for all instruments

I took the following values with Surround Pan, for:

Woodwinds: L/R 24
soloViolin: L/R 16
Violins: L/R 30
Viola: L/R 30
Bassi: L/R 30
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To adjust the balance (shift to the right or to the left) you use
the

balance-knob/bar of your mixer. With Cubase I took the

following values:

Woodwinds: >C<
soloViolin: L 40
Violins: L 40
Viola: >C<
Bassi: R 52

"Why Bass R52 instead of R40?", you may ask.

You can't locate low frequencies very well. That's why the bassi
should be shifted a little bit more to the right than the violins to
the
left. In this case our ears do not have an unbalanced
impression.

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Sound before
Click Strings not balanced [181 KB] or
Play:

Sound after all our processes:

Click Strings balanced [181 KB] or
Play:

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With Logic you have the little helper tool "DirMixer" (V5.5),
like the picture shows it.

For shifting singnals to the left or to the right you can use the
mixers balance knob. For Logic I unfortunately have no values.
But from left to right you have 128 steps (196 with Cubase).
This gives us a factor of 0,65. > So try for the
Woodwinds: >C<
soloViolin: - 26 (?)

Violins: - 26 (?)
Viola: >C<
Bassi: + 34 (?)

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Step 5: The farther the mono / place the winds

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Now all instruments have their positions in the stereo field!

...Do it as in step 4 already shown.

Place the Winds

Mono/Stereo L/R 24 (SurroundPan)

Balance: >C<

Sound after all our processes (strings and woodwinds):

Click Strings and winds balanced [245 KB] or
Play:

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Step 6a: SIR, Convolution, Ambiances

Most reverb generators are just a series of digital delays
looping
together. Convolution offers an other way to produce reverb it
uses an actual recording of a room. You can import the
"impulse"
of any room, signal processor or other device for processing
SIR Free Convolution Reverb

using the SIR plug-in. SIR can make your arrangement sound
like
a room full of musicians performing onstage. It depends on the

room impulses you use. SIR allows you the orchestra sound
and
the room impulse to "morph" into one sound.

Listen to such a room impulse

Click to Concertgebouw - impulse [43 KB] or
Play:

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An interesting thing: The farther an instrument

the more mono it is. The upper picture shows
this fact very impressively. This means: Our
Woodwinds must be restricted near to mono.
Our ears (and our brain) know that a mono
signal in stereo field must be from farther away.

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For ambiance simulations you choose ambiance impulses. Those impulses will give
your music a room feeling without reverb and you can place instruments in front
or in the depth of the room. There are lots of ambiance impulses.
You will find them at: http://www.noisevault.com/ I've choosen for our example
the Medium Ambiance (*.wav) [228 KB] . It is an example from the package:
Lexicon Impulses 960ambiance.rar

The setting up for a

near played Simulation

The setting up for a

far played Simulation

Play the violin with the settings of the "near-situation".

Click Violin just in front of you [264 KB] or
Play:

Play the violin with the settings of the "far away situation".
Click Violin far away [264 KB] or
Play:

As you can see, I've brightened the parameter "Predelay" and the "Relation dry/wet".

"Predelay" means the delay time between the origanal sound and "ambianced" sound.
It gives us the imagine of the roomsize. There are lots of discussions in the VSL
-forum
whether this parameter makes the distance "listener-instrument" or not.

"Relation dry/wet" explaines itself. The more wet the more ambiance. See also
informations at Step 8 about reverb and reverb theories.

To make it short: You have to fiddle around with these two parameters. Take your ears
and - important!!! - loudspeakers to reach best results. With headphones it wouldn't
work properly (my experience).

You can use the parameter Envelope for shorten the fade away of the ambiance impulse.
Try it out: Set the "Envelope" to 100% > It will "dry" your room without taking away the depths.

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Below you have two different settings:

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I prepared 3 depths with SIR and the "Medium Ambiance.wav" for

our assumed concert room:

Front > Middle > Back

Down here I've listed the SIR-settings for these 3 "reverbs"

X = dito "Front" settings

WET
SIR EQ

FRONT
medium ambiance
0 ms
100%, 0ms
100%
100%
100%
100%, 100%
0dB
- 9.0 dB
flat

MIDDLE
X
16 ms
X
X
X
X
X
X
- 7.5 dB
55Hz>12dB,
350Hz>0dB
(Set these 2 points)

BACK
X
33 ms
X
X
X
X
X
X
- 4.8 dB
like "MIDDLE"

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Step 6b: Routing signals

Load a SIR-effect with its parameters for "Front" into the

"Front-group-channel" ... And do it so for the Middle- and
the Back-group channel.

Then you have to manage it that...

- the solo violin is routed through the "Front" group channel,
- all strings are routed through the "Middle" group channel and
- the woodwinds through the "back" group channel.

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Opend file
Predelay
Attack
Envelope
Length
Stretch
Stereo In/R
DRY

If you have done all steps correct you should have that ambiance sound:
Click Room settings Final -Track depth dry [819 KB] or
Play:

Step 7: EQ-ing supports room impression

Perhaps you know the "Near-Mic-Effect". If you speak near a microphon
the lower frequencies seems to be preferred. The farther you are away
the more you can't notice this bass boost.
The reason is, that low frequencies have a higher energy than the high ones.
Because normally no instrument is played only 10 cm from our ears we are
accustomed to notice instruments without this bass boost.

Please listen to the following example.

First sequence: Voice, distance voice - mic = 10 cm
Second sequence: Voice, distance voice - mic >1m
Click: Voice low freq boosted [120 KB] or
Play:

In a similar way as the voice in the upper example are the

instruments
recorded - especially the solo instruments. In our case thesolo
violin
should be 3 - 5 m away from us. To reach this impression it

helps to
cut the very low frequencies of this instrument.

The bassoon and the two oboes are also farther away than
the strings.
These instruments are recorded as solo instruments. This
means near
to the mic too. In our case these three instruments play in a
distance
of around 15 meters. So also here it helps the impression "far

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away"
to cut the very low frequencies. In addition to the solo violin
the woodwinds have also lost their brilliancy. The highest
frequencies
are already damped by the air. We simulate this by cutting the
highest
frequencies for far away played instruments.
In the current case I filtered 2 oboe-frequencies (1291Hz and
3475Hz) too.
The sound had an unpleasant sharpness without these two
"cut-offs".

Note: EQing is more complicated as I showed it here.

Step 7 want to show, that far and near also something have to
do
with damping/boosting frequencies - with EQing.
I suggest: Try and make your own experience by hearing your

monitors.
Check out other recordings with near- and far played

Which frequencies are damped? In which way?

And finally a rule: Less EQing is better than to much.

The VSL-samples are recorded in a very high quality. You will
lose this
quality with too much EQing. And: Ensemble-Instruments like
the
14 Violins are recorded just in the right distance. You have
nothing to
do! Ensemble samples normally don't need a "low -cutEQing"!

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Step 8: Reverb with the "Send" function

To learn more about early reflections and reverb visit please this page
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/manual -1.2/effects_reverb.html

While the ambiance-files with SIR give us some room impression and
also a first feeling of depth, the reverb completes the full room
impression.

The farther an instrument the more indirect sound we have.

So there are two levels:
The reverb level: It is more or less constant in the hole room.
The direct sound level: It depends on your position in the room.
The farther away from the instrument you are the more decreases
the direct sound level.

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instruments.

Please listen to this example. Click:Direct to indirect sound [328 KB] or

To give our piece a little more room than "only" ambiance we load
one more instance of SIR in the unused "Reverb"-group. With SIR
we load the Concertgebouw back front (*.wav) [382 KB] (more impulses are
available at Noisevaulthttp://www.noisevault.com/ .

Because we want to make this reverb as a send effect you have to

manage this with Cubase or *Logic. Attention: In this case the "Reverb"SIR - dry - parameter should be set to -dB. We will regulate the
reverb with the "Send-"parameter.

*I don't know whether this works with Logic or not. Version 5.5.1 does
not have a "send"-function in the busses.

This send function allows us to give the woodwinds in the back some more
reverb than for example the solo violin which plays just in the front - near us.
This supports the "three-depth-impression" in a further and supplementary way.

Finally we have to adjust the instruments. Perhaps

the viola section is too loud because it sounds from
left and right (center). Maybe the Woodwinds are too
loud because they should be "behind" the strings.
My final mix had this volume positions...

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Play:

Listen now to the final example with pannings, EQ -effects, ambiance and reverb.
Click Room settings Final -Track depth wet [826 KB] or
Play:

Epilogue
This completes the first introduction in "How to use VSL Audio".

Dear VSL-user
This tutorial is not the Audio-Handling-Bible. The theme "Room and Reverb" is
a hot potato. Everybody make/made his own holy experiences-. OK.
You will make your own experiences too and you will also find tricks and ways
to reach your ideas. The result is important, not the way.
This tutorial will help you to start creating more realistic orchestra productions
with freeware, Cubase and Logic effects.
If you would like to spend money you will find lots of reverb effects
on the market which can help you to create even more realistic rooms as
you've seen above; effects likeGigapulse, Altiverb, Prosonic Rayverb,
PristineSpace and so on. VSL has something in the pipeline too. It's called
"the MIR-project"...

I wish you good results with the existing free roomimpulses, with SIR or with other
convolution reverbs.

Yours
Beat Kaufmann

http://www.beat-kaufmann.com

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