RINSE & REPEAT

Power and clarity are key and the fundamentals of the live show mix have been fastidiously fine-tuned and balanced to within an inch of their lives. It’s a ‘unity mix’ as Cam describes it. Spark up the Avid S6L, set all the input faders to unity and let ‘er rip.

It doesn’t mean that Cam gets to phone his mix in from a room at the Hyatt. It just means that anything and everything that can be nailed down has been… meticulously. Instead, Cam spends the show with all eight digits hovering over the centre section faders. All eight faders pertain to Tyrone’s vocal performance, including FX returns. The way Cam describes it, his routine sees his focus flip from mixing those faders and tweaking the system EQ: “I’m balancing the subtleties of all of those effects returns; precisely anticipating the delay throws; and then constantly critiquing the tonal balance of the front of house mix like a mastering engineer. I’ll always flip between the graphic EQ, the parametric EQ, then the system EQ and I’m forever massaging it; I’m making changes throughout the whole show. I never sit static: mixing the vocal, tweaking EQ, mixing, EQ.”

VOCAL SIGNAL PATH: WAVES

Now that you’re getting a sense of Cam Trewin’s perfectionist tendencies, you won’t be surprised to hear that his vocal signal path is specific and involved.

Cam relies on a suite of Waves plug-ins that take care of all the corrective EQ and dynamics… actually, I’ll let Cam explain:

“I run two lots of inserts. Some primary Waves plug-ins that are hosted inside of the S6L and I use these tools more for sonic surgery or noise suppression. The chain starts with the Waves C6 multiband compressor and then goes into an instance of Waves Tune vocal pitch correction. All these plug-ins are snapshot recalled between each song, depending on how much time Tyrone spends in falsetto, for example.

I then go into a Waves WNS noise suppression plug-in. It’s intended more for post production dialogue work but the fact it’s multi-band works for me. You can target specific spill areas and dial that band’s fader in and out. That said, I also use the Waves NS-1 noise suppressor. It’s bit of a push/pull relationship and I juggle them to find the best balance. Get it wrong and you can really choke the tone. Those settings are automated from song to song as well.

“Next is the Waves F6 dynamic EQ. I love this plug-in. It’s really subtle and really transparent but does its job really, really well. Post that, I have a high-frequency limiter that works as a de-esser. Finally, there’s just a little bit of channel EQ and I tend to chase this from show to show, depending on the spill and how Tyrone’s feeling on the night.”

VOCAL SIGNAL PATH: UAD

“Post that insert, I go into a separate Universal Audio chain and this is not snapshot recallable — effectively, it just sits like a hardware insert over his vocal throughout the show. First up, I’ve got a Fairchild 670 (the Legacy version) applying a little notch EQ. That goes into an 1176 (the AE version) and I really like the sound of this. And then at the very end is the Chandler Limited Curvebender with just a little bit of air and some other little bits and pieces to restore some frequencies that may have been hit by previous processing. And that’s obviously all fed back into the console.

“From an effects perspective: vocal effects include a short room and a longer verb, in this case a UAD EMT140, which stays pretty static throughout the show. I really love the sound of that. I have a couple of delays as well, which change from song to song: a high- and low-passed ping pong quarter-triplet delay that I throw and another, long-note delay.”

What about Tyrone’s vocal mic? It’s a Shure KMS9HS and has been for more than five years. “The KMS9 has won multiple shootouts we’ve conducted. It sounds good but it’s the off-axis rejection that is the biggest winner. I recently tested a new DPA de:facto handheld and it’s a gorgeous-sounding microphone but we were picking up too much spill — when you’ve got James on drums smashing 16ths on the hi-hats right next to him, that’s a big factor, in fact, it’s a bigger deal than subjective sound quality.” 

AVID CONSOLE CONSUMER

Cam’s S6L is pivotal to his workflow. He was an early adopter, touring the first mixer in Australia, and willing to forgive the odd quirk in exchange for the seamless ProTools integration, just for starters.

“We tour a full content team — videographers, photographers, a creative director, and more — which means all the socials, every piece of content, is generated internally. That, of course, includes audio. So I record each night into Pro Tools and I can generate broadcast mixes for whoever needs it based on the desk mix — I have a portable Pro Tools rig in my hotel room that allows me to do a quick master on the two-track mix. I’ve managed to automate/sidechain the level of the ambient mics in the mix and that saves me time finalising those two-track mixes.

“If someone needs something specific, then I can generate a multitrack mix as well. That said, the desk mix actually translates really quite well and I often end up using that as a reference on my multitrack mix. I think because it’s just so refined — there’s so much programming that’s gone into that desk mix.

“So you can see why I’m so wedded to the S6L, it’s not just a mixing console to me. Saying that, it’s a damn good mixing console. The level of programmability, in the snapshots, even through to the event control, is amazing. For example, I have a Show Start event that will prompt the console to put Pro Tools into Record, and it will flash the console to tell me that we’re in Record. Plus, it’s the only console that allows me to host the Waves plug-ins inside the console.”

THE FEELS

I was anything but revolted the first time I plugged into the ReVolt Guitar. Quite the opposite, in fact; I was amazed how darn close it felt to playing through a quality amp via the balanced output with Cab Sim activated. Big clean chords presented richly with soul-warming lusciousness, purity and tight lows, while a harder pluck or strum revealed a snappy edge with biting transients. 

Then there’s the Crunch channel – a gorgeous harmonic mess, dripping with complexity and clarity in equal measure. The gain knob here is wide enough to cover all flavours from a gently broken up Stevie Ray Vaughn tone to a Hendrix-esque wall of grit. A gentle roll back of the volume pot on my PRS hollowbody neatly cleaned up the overdrive while preserving the tone’s integrity. The Lead channel builds nicely on the Crunch with the Bass, Mid and Treble knobs letting you dial in a creamy or fizzy tone based on your taste. Sustain lasts for days on this channel, and even more so when you switch on the Boost. 

All this is with the cabinet simulation plugged straight into my audio interface and through my studio monitors. At the time of writing this paragraph, I still haven’t tested the ReVolt with my amplifier – and, to be honest, I’m in no hurry. After adding a GFI Systems Specular Tempus effects pedal to the ReVolt’s FX loop, I am utterly content to forego any extra hardware. Three variants of top-shelf electric guitar tone (six if you count the Boost) feeding cleanly into my interface via a balanced XLR output (no extra DI box, don’t you love that?) with tasty reverb and delay on tap. What’s not to love? There’s even a 3.5mm headphone output and aux input for silent jams. Within minutes I caught myself daydreaming about how stage-friendly this rig is. Not long after I was dangerously close to admitting that when two pedals can sound this good, lugging a big amp and cab into a venue is simply not worth the trouble. Plus, the FOH engineer would love me forever. Hmm, I wonder how much my amp would sell for on Marketplace…

AMPED UP

Perhaps you’re a little more attached to your beloved amp and cab (or amps and cabs). ReVolt still very much has a place in your life. Those three channels can become a solid foundation of tonal options either to augment or revamp an amp’s potential. And you can build tonal complexity on this foundation by virtue of pedalboard goodies. 

Since ReVolt’s unbalanced TS output is void of any cab simulation, this makes the perfect scenario to take this into a virtual cab impulse response, or a physical cabinet through a power amp. I already mentioned Two Notes’ C.A.B. M+. The company also has a plug-in called Wall Of Sound, featuring over 600 virtual cabs with eight mic options for each. Each cab is enormously tweakable thanks to the innovative DynIR format which combines the realness of impulse responses with the flexibility of dynamic adjustment.

Included with a purchase of ReVolt Guitar is the Series-G DynIR Cabinet Collection with 10 impulse response captures of famous cabinets which can be used with C.A.B. M+. You also get a lifetime license to the Wall Of Sound cab simulator plug-in.

What I haven’t talked about yet is the ReVolt’s MIDI functionality. Two 3.5mm MIDI connectors on the rear allow integration into larger setups. Two Notes gives you extensive control over the MIDI behaviour, such as per-channel control of the default FX loop state, channel change messages, bypass states, and MIDI Learn. Accessing these controls is through the typically cryptic method of footswitch presses and combinations – you’ll need the User Manual for this!

ALL BASES COVERED

It’s hard not to fall in love with the Two Notes ReVolt Guitar. Playing through the unit quickly brings a guitarist back in touch with what it’s all about: the pure joy of great tone, which spontaneously invites creative expression and experimentation. 

Then there’s the flexibility, which to me, is as enticing as the tone itself. Enliven a tired old amplifier with the colours and flavours of ReVolt’s all-analogue circuitry – there’s nothing to lose, and lots to gain (pun intended). Take ReVolt to a gig with a handful of favourite stompboxes and leave the amp at home, safe in the knowledge that the tone out front will impress the punters. In the studio, plug straight into the console or audio interface for punch and presence without any physical miking. Or if you’re rehearsing at 11:30pm for tomorrow’s show, plug in your headphones and play your heart out – it’ll sound awesome, and the rest of the house can stay asleep. 

Whatever your setup, ReVolt Guitar will slide effortlessly into it, and most likely make things better – even if you aren’t in a tone rut. 

USE CASES

There are two main ways to employ the Studio L. Firstly, because it’s a 2×2 USB interface, the Studio L can receive audio straight from your computer while sending two channels back into your DAW as inputs. In this instance you’d press the ‘USB’ button above 2-TR Source Select to send the flow of audio from your computer to the Studio L’s outputs. Make sure to select the Studio L as the audio device in your DAW. If your intention is to record via the two inputs while using the Studio L as an interface, remember to press the REC SRC SEL button on the back near the power cable – this changes the USB recording source from the 2-track output to Inputs 1 and 2.

As an interface the Behringer Studio L offers little to complain about. Two inputs are perfectly sufficient for a product that’s chiefly a monitor controller. Plus it’s nice routing your computer’s audio output in via USB as opposed to requiring a separate conversion stage with a traditional analogue monitor controller. However, that also means your monitoring chain is now at the mercy of the Studio L’s D/A conversion. I sifted through Behringer’s documentation looking for conversion specifications to no avail. My ears suggest the conversion is on par with most budget interfaces and nothing to write home about. The premium converters on my Antelope Audio Zen Tour offered noticeably more detail – something to be aware of if you intend to rely on the Studio L as your primary DAC. 

Secondly, you can use the Studio L as a purely analogue monitor controller, allowing you to continue using your regular audio interface to manage conversion and I/O. In this case, once the main monitor outputs from your interface are connected to line inputs 3/4 on the Studio L, select 3/4 above 2-TR Source Select. You can still make use of the two Midas preamps thanks to the two 2-TR outputs which are line level sends of Inputs 1 and 2. Connect these back into two inputs on your audio interface. 

This use case is the preferred option if you want to keep Behringer’s conversion out of play. By inserting the Studio L in between your pre-existing interface and studio monitors, the signal chain remains analogue and it simply acts as the monitoring cockpit of your studio. 

Both of the above use cases aren’t either/or. The Studio L can accept and monitor audio from both the USB port and 3/4 simultaneously. In real-world scenarios that can be quite useful – in addition to monitoring your computer’s output via USB, you can also connect and monitor the return of a mixing desk, tape machine, turntable, digital piano, guitar multi-effects unit, or even an auxiliary device via the 3.5mm input. 

MIDAS PREAMPS

Onto the pair of Midas preamps: these are accessed via combination XLR/TRS connectors which permit line level signals as well (NB. no DI input). Bearing the Midas name does raise one’s expectations of the preamps’ sound quality, of course. They’re present and full sounding pres, responding well to both condenser and dynamic microphones with minimal noise even at high gain levels. Exact gain figures are nowhere to be found on the spec sheet. I had no issues pulling a usable level from any of the mics I tried but the huge spike in gain in the final micro twist of the knob makes it hard to be precise in the upper end. Phantom power (+48V) is switchable for both inputs simultaneously. The Stereo button pans both inputs hard left and right in the monitoring paths. 

Rather than considering the preamps as the crown jewels of the Studio L, they’re more a ‘nice to have’ on a product that’s otherwise focused on monitor control. 

HEARING IT ALL

Low noise is obviously a crucial aspect in a monitoring controller. The Studio L has a signal to noise ratio of -90dBu RMS which is matched by the Mackie Big Knob. On most monitor controllers the main volume knob is a big potentiometer, ie. a resistance-based component which attenuates the signal down to minus infinity based on the input level. In the case of the Studio L, the knob controls a VCA (voltage controlled amplifier). Not only does this mean the output level isn’t subject to the loudness of the input level, but things like phase coherency and stereo image translate with higher precision. Adjusting the volume is a pleasure and the stepped knob rolls up and down with precision. The three important monitoring controls – Mono, Mute and Dim – sit ergonomically underneath. 

ON THE PHONES

The Phones section on the Studio L is fantastic when recording. The Phones button determines what’s feeding the two headphone outputs: 2-TR (the USB source, line 3/4 source, or both) or Cue (a mix of the talkback mic and 2-track source). When tracking, press the button to Cue. Now you can use the Direct Monitoring knob to balance between real-time monitoring of the inputs and the 2-track signal to find the right balance for the artist. If you need to chat with them, adjust the Talkback level knob and press the momentary Cue button next to it. This ducks the 2-track level in the headphones while piping in the talkback channel. It’s a nice workflow that feels natural. The talkback mic is a bit roomy but picks up a voice nearby well. The only improvement would be if 2-TR and Cue could be set separately for headphones 1 and 2. Mysteriously, the Mono and Dim buttons don’t apply to the headphone outputs which will annoy those who like mixing on cans. On the plus side, the headphone outputs are gutsy, sound great, and will easily drive high impedance reference models. 

The overall experience of having the Studio L front and centre on my studio desk for a week proved enjoyable. It’s the immediacy that sells it for me. I like having such tactile command and control sitting 20cm in front of my keyboard, as opposed to reaching to the mixing console or rack on my left to turn my speakers or headphones up and down. Surprisingly, the 3.5mm input was a favourite feature of mine – I could plug in a camera, phone or field recorder in a flash to preview files. And, of course, the Studio L is just the device to integrate a fresh set of studio monitors (or the NS20s gathering dust in the shed) into your setup. 

HYBRID SOUNDS: ARKHIS, SEQUIS ET AL

NI appears to have really mastered some interesting sonic territory: that in-between zone of acoustically-based samples that, via the judicious use of effects processing and juxtaposition, achieve a hybrid modern sound. Nothing illustrates this better than Arkhis, an instrument that blends three sound sources to generate some stunning rhythmic and melodic effects. The source instruments are traditional, such as mandolins, hang drums and violins, but the outcomes can be very stylised and ‘now’ sounding.

Sequis uses diverse sources such as voices, mallet instruments and flutes to generate rhythmic and melodic arpeggios that are great song starters or feature hooks.

Lores explores softer organic textures that can take you to some very beautiful places through blending various instruments, including medieval pipes, hurdy gurdies and harps.

Yet another of these wonderfully open-ended hybrid instruments is Piano Colours. This is ostensibly a piano instrument but it can get you anywhere from off-kilter toybox tonalities to complex auto-arpeggiated percussion, to evolving atmospheres and, like its brethren, is highly tweakable if you care to delve beyond simply dialling up the eminently useable presets.

VOICE & MUSIC: OMNIA & MYSTERIA

Filling what was previously a bit of a gap in the Komplete universe, NI has brought several great choir instruments to the table here.

Omnia is a very versatile and beautifully-executed choir platform that allows for both subtle and overt manipulation of a multitude of basic choral tonalities. The combination of numerous vowel and consonant options and the onboard sequencer makes for very powerful and convincing results. When I first fired this one up I couldn’t help but to think about the many projects I’ve done over the years that would have benefitted greatly from this brilliant sample instrument.

Mysteria is a vocal instrument more focussed towards scoring and sound design with atonal atmospheres and chord clusters taking centre stage. Again the tonal range and choice of voicing makes for some very powerful and (you know you want to go there) unsettling effects.

Reaktor plug-in Knifonium. Sample instruments Glaze and Playbox.

ARCING UP

Moving somewhat sideways towards more synthetic sounds there are also some very tasty new offerings that are more overtly digital. Modular Icons is a ‘two-sample blend’ instrument with a more muscular digital signature. Perfect for hard hitting monophonic leads and edgy chord work. The filter and effects are also nice and punchy on this one.

Glaze and Playbox bring instant colour and digital sheen to the table, while Lo-Fi Glo and Stacks each have their own retro futurist vibe and pack a serious punch as pad or lead instruments.

Over in the Reaktor plug-in lurk many more new sounds courtesy of deeply tweakable synths like Knifonium, Monark, Rounds, Super 8 and Prism to name but a few.

SAMPLE & HOLD

New additions to the sampled instrument content are headlined by the Spotlight Series East Asia. The tonalities of things like the Chinese Guzheng and Korean Janggu are stunningly realistic and this is another area where NI has really perfected the capture and playability of these types of acoustic sounds.

Komplete 14 also sees new additions to the range of Session Guitarist and Session Bassist libraries which expand these instruments into new areas. Keyboardists can now explore the realms of their fretboard brethren via Electric Vintage and Picked Nylon instruments among others.

THE BEAT GOES ON

Last but not least, the Komplete 14 Collector’s Edition brings some very welcome new beatmaking tools to the table. Butch Vig Drums is a plus-sized collection of heavily produced and hard-hitting pop-rock drum sounds. As well as sounding very, erm…’butch’, they are nicely balanced and fun to play with, lending productions a hyped quality that sits well with contemporary styles.

40s Very Own Drums supplies lots of modern synthetic beatmaking sounds, while Empire Breaks (my personal favourite) takes care of the hip hop side of things with some truly great-sounding ready-made beats and individual sounds.

If all that doesn’t yet satisfy your endless hunger for more tasty audio morsels, there are the 32 effects that come with the Komplete 14 Collectors Edition package. These include NI’s own extremely handy and great-sounding Solid EQ and Solid Bus Comp, Softube’s equally useful passive four-band EQ and Vari Comp as well as the bx range of processing plugs. The icing on the cake here is the Ozone 10 Standard dynamics and mastering plug-in courtesy of partner iZotope which takes very good care of the final spit and polish on your mix bus.

MY LIFE IS KOMPLETE (AS IS MY HD)

The Komplete 14 Collector’s Edition takes up a whopping 1.125 terabytes of storage for the full installation, and will cost you around two and a half grand. Before you recoil, remember that you could easily spend as much on a mid-range Fender Telecaster or a Dave Smith Instruments analogue synth. In fact, you could justifiably make the argument that this is the best value-for-money ‘instrument’ ever brought to market in the history of the world. The range and power of the tools in this package is outrageous and allows you to make cutting-edge music in just about every musical genre imaginable, from avant-garde soundscapes to electro pop to classical to trap to jazz to RnB to world music to classic rock. If you are serious about making music using a computer, then Komplete 14 is one of the main tools you should have in your kitbag. If you can stump up for the Collector’s Edition you won’t regret it.

ALL PAIRED UP

An important aspect of how we evaluate equipment is to ask how the product is relevant to us within our workflow. Let’s find out if these mics are your bag of chips. The ZPC-1 is very susceptible to wind noise, even when using the supplied windshield. This clip-on attachment features a foam ball that covers the mic diaphragm, but it doesn’t seem to offer enough protection, even against a gentle wind. This sensitivity makes them much better suited to a studio environment.

As a matched pair, capable of handling high SPL, the ZPC-1 begs to be used in the studio on piano, drums, and other acoustic instruments. I can also see these mics being useful in studio sound design and foley applications. In a pinch they could be used to capture a choir, but the nature of the diaphragms will see much better outcomes in closer mic’d scenarios.

While recording my piano I casually held both mics in a ‘V’ type pattern with my left hand and played the keys with my right. This may seem lazy, but it was intentional. When I test or review pieces of equipment I put them through their paces in adverse settings. I may test a microphone without using its intended windshield or suspension system, and often with no microphone stand because under these less-than-optimal conditions weaknesses can be exposed, and hidden strengths can be revealed.

As such, I found that the piano sounded clean and clear, with a really nice tone, and almost no handling or cable noise. This suggests to me that with an optimal setup they’d be capable of capturing a truly lovely sound.

ZOOM CERTIFIED

Zoom has entered an already crowded marketplace with this offering, but has managed to produce a paired set of condensers for about the price you’d expect to pay for popular dynamic microphone models — and then made them sturdy enough to comfortably knock around in the studio and at live performances. At this price-point I suspect that there will be plenty of musicians and producers who will see the ZPC-1 as an attractive option. For Zoom it is a natural extension of its range, with these microphones matching up perfectly with the F3 and F6 recording devices.