I just found out that the XT-SC compressor works incredible well on a double bass that's sounding deep muddy, with ambience and very dead thanks to a bad recording!
I'm currently mixing and partially mastering a whole bluegrass album where the bass sounds as described above. I've tried all sorts of EQing, compressing, limiting and processing, including the XT-BC Bass Character and also non Harrison pluguns, such as u-he Presswerk and Calf Bass Enhancer (which is quite good for this kind of job).
I suddenly got the idea to try the XT-SC compressor and BANG, the bass fit into the mix!
[
attachment=1089]
Whell, I go to sleep now and continue tomorrow, good night! :-)
(05-04-2017, 04:14 PM)Jostein Wrote: [ -> ]I suddenly got the idea to try the XT-SC compressor and BANG, the bass fit into the mix!
Cool tool! I used it on a nasal voice with neither features in the top nor bottom range. With nasal it was annoying and if you took the nasal out it was quite dull and dead. Voice character failed: where there's no body there's nothing to enhance...
With calf exciter followed by the SC I could get something out of it (basically a bright voice which fitted in) without making it harsh.
MMM
(05-04-2017, 06:27 PM)madmaxmiller Wrote: [ -> ]Cool tool! I used it on a nasal voice with neither features in the top nor bottom range. With nasal it was annoying and if you took the nasal out it was quite dull and dead. Voice character failed: where there's no body there's nothing to enhance...
Yes, I will test in on anything from plosives and essing to fretboard noise and a lot of other stuff. I can't believe that I did not test this plugin before now!
Of the Harrison x-tools plugins, it's probably my favorite. Very versatile and you have to try hard to make something sound bad while using it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
(05-04-2017, 04:14 PM)Jostein Wrote: [ -> ]I just found out that the XT-SC compressor works incredible well on a double bass that's sounding deep muddy, with ambience and very dead thanks to a bad recording!
I've used it in the same manner - it's great. You can also try using it on the master channel and compress(Mid) up to 2 dB from 468 - 825 Hz and maybe 0,5 dB on the adjacent bands. It could bring some "air" and clarity into your mix.
Steinar :-)
I used it for the first time today on the master bus, and it worked remarkably well, and for a similar reason - taming back some low end which made the midrange of the mix punch a lot more.
+1 on spectral compressor on upright bass
I use the XT-SC quite often. I find that light touches in the proper range enhances complex sounds as well as group of instruments in mixbusses or even the master bus. In that by bringing forth and/or laying back certain aspects. Much more flexible than a typical multi-band compressor, more at the instrument characteristics level.
I just purchased the XT-SC yesterday, and I'm finding it excellent in pushing forward vocals. Works well as a second compressor, too, in a chain, giving that extra rise in volume and presence without blaring.
It makes me want the same ability for live sound in a club to give the vocal more definition and lift it above the din. Any suggestions for a hardware multilband compressor that can work this bit of magic?