Leveling live tracks?

gtsoundcrew · Post by **gtsoundcrew** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 10:12 pm

Right now Im mixing a project from a live concert. The inputs coming out of the board were less than ideal. Levals are all over the place. I have been using DP for a while but not for resurecting audio from the dead. My question is there a better way aside from automating fades. Maybe something like PT's gain plug in. Another plug in? Or any native DP resource I can call upon. Keep in mind it's pretty consistant throughout the 8 hrs. of 24trk audio. I was not present on that stage, I was on the main stage and my stuffs beautiful. I hired out the second stage. Any help would be AMAZING... Thanks, Randy.

DP 4.6
Mac G5 dual 2.5 gig
Tascam FW-1884 / Presonus DigiMax
Reason 3.0
AudioFinder ( AMAZING APP!!!)
TOO MUCH CRAP TO LIST!! LOL.[/quote]

waxman · Post by **waxman** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 11:19 pm

there is a gain plug in DP...

If you don't see it you can download it from the DP site

Shooshie · Post by **Shooshie** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 11:21 pm

MOTU's Trim plugin might help you. You can get a lot of boost from it, and of course you can cut as far as you want, rebalance stereo tracks, flip phase (or polarity, for the purists who've been debating this lately).

I guess you're looking for a more automated approach, though, right? I can't think of anything; but it seems like such a thing would exist. But Trim is a pretty good way to get a track in the ball park, then using the faders for, well... trim.

Shooshie

gtsoundcrew · Post by **gtsoundcrew** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 12:55 am

Thanks guys. Yeah I was hoping to find a more automatic fix all magical plug in that does all the work for me. Hmm Im also getting allot of compresor "pumping" from the live board feed, epecially from the vocals. I used an iso split on everything I personally recorded but the second stage from this festival was neglected. I just couldn't be two places at once. Any suggestions on smothing things out. Right now Im working t a MultiBandComp and its getting close but it still sounds pretty crappy. Thanks for any advice. This is a challenging mix for me as I've only really worked with audio that I've personally recorded and never really messed with restoration...Never needed to. Again Thanks and I really like this site..been visiting for a while... Never posted anything...

stephentayler · Post by **stephentayler** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 1:49 am

I personally like Waves C4 multiband for controlling rampant audio, I have used it on many a live recording that I did not do. Particularly great for taming resonant or boomy sounds.

In DP I sometimes normalise soundbites, partly to make a more 'readable' waveform, but generally I use a trim plugin and zoom the waveform

Stephen

Shooshie · Post by **Shooshie** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 7:44 pm

stephentayler wrote:I personally like Waves C4 multiband for controlling rampant audio, I have used it on many a live recording that I did not do. Particularly great for taming resonant or boomy sounds.

In DP I sometimes normalise soundbites, partly to make a more 'readable' waveform, but generally I use a trim plugin and zoom the waveform

Stephen

For years the C4 was my favorite plugin. There's just nothing quite like it. Then they came out with the Linear Phase MultiBand Processor, which is like a C4 evolved to the next generation. Five bands, plus some subtle features not available on the C4, including phase coherency. I just love it. It's like taking sound made of modeling clay and reshaping it to what you really want.

Shooshie

bobf · Post by **bobf** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 3:26 pm

On each channel on the first insert I use the standard MW limiter. Put your track fader at unity (0db). Go the limiter's window by double clicking it and go it's menu. I use the 24 bit maximizer preset and then boost the input so that as the track plays, the red dot dances in the middle of the MW limiter screen's 45 degree line. I've used this on every channel of a live 24 bit 24 channel recording and not run into cpu problems. This seems to liven up everything and resurects tracks that were recorded low. I still have to tweak the faders to get to an overall ballpark mix. I leave the 2 hour project alone after eqing each channel and adding all the other reverb, etc. and save this as a master template. I also mark the start and end of each song. By clicking on a marker in track view you can copy a whole song (all 24 tracks of the song should be highlighted blue). I then make a new file using the concert master template for each song. You can paste all 24 tracks into the new song file (make sure you click on track one of the empty new song.) Then take a snapshot of the new sequence (which is one song) and now you can ride volume on the solos for each song. I set the drums during the drum solo passage or something that is consistent and cut out all unused tracks or parts of tracks like the vocals when nothing is there. It's not quick. I've been working on a 4 hour concert for months, but it is a labor of love.

gtsoundcrew · Post by **gtsoundcrew** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 4:32 am

Thank you all for the advice.. It is a labor of love!!....The mixes are coming along nice... lotsa tuning issues with the instruments.. bass, guitars. Any recomendations for tightening intunation. Vocalign? Thanks again for all the help guys. You guys are all "unsung heroes".
Sorry if this is missplaced