Patch 1 - 1/8th note delay, Gated 16th note delay (Abelton)
2. Signal Flow
A. The two audio channels will be on the left side of the screen. Wavetable is a synthesizer that you can use to check out the sounds without external audio. The audio from your mic will come in to Audio in. Ensure the the red button on the base of the channel strip is illuminated to activate audio (fig. 4 “A.”) B. The Sends in the middle of the channel (fig. 4 “B.”) will send the audio you create with either the microphone or the synthesizer to the buses (or returns as they are labeled in Abelton) where processing of the audio occurs. Ensure that the virtual knobs are turned all the way up as shown. C. If the red button is on then the audio from your microphone will be sent through that channel. What comes through your selected output is represented in the Mixer channel on the far right (fig. 5). The audio channel sends unprocessed audio directly to the output as well as to the two return channels where the processing occurs. |
3. Processing
A. BUS A i. Bus A is a simple 8th note delay. It echos everything you play at a constant rate. Clicking on the channel will reveal the effect in the bottom of the interface. (fig. 6) ii. The Feedback knob (fig. 6 A) controls the number of echos that occur by changing the level of the signal that runs back through the effect after the first echo. So if the level is lower the echo will get softer sooner since the signal is being reduced more with each pass. iii. The ∞ button will loop all audio currently running through the effect and cut off further input. It can be used to set up loops that you want to continue under your other playing. B. BUS B i. Bus B has another delay effect at 16th notes, but this one sits behind a gate. The gate blocks all audio below a certain volume level from flowing through the effect. This means that you can “activate” the effect by playing an accent that goes above the volume threshold and opens the gate allowing the audio to flow into the delay effect. ii.Adjust the threshold knob (fig 7 A) to make the plug in feel natural with your playing. If all of your playing is being picked up in the delay effect, raise the threshold. If it feels like you need to work too hard to “activate” the effect, lower the threshold. Make very small adjustments of only 2 or 3 dB at a time to dial this in. Use the analyzer to the right of the knob to help gauge where your accents sit volume-wise. iii. The release knob controls how long the gate stays open after the volume falls below the threshold (fig 7 B). If the sound feels a little muddy it might mean that the gate is staying open too long and picking up more notes after the accented note. If the delayed sound sounds too bright or clicky it could mean that the audio signal is being cut off too suddenly and not picking up the full length of the note. Making small adjustments to this knob changes the character of the echos. |
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