How to get a Warm Sound?

XenzSneekerz · Post by **XenzSneekerz** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 10:28 pm

UAD baby all the way.

dj superflat · Post by **dj superflat** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 11:49 pm

run your mix out through a tube amp, any kind, on standby with signal back in. or get a zvex (or some other) tube pedal and run it through that. the digital processing can get you close, but if you want real analog warmth either go through a tube a some point or hit tape hard or something similar.

shaneblyth · Post by **shaneblyth** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 12:42 am

i love popping Izotopes Ozone in the whole song and using one of the presets with the exciter etc in it and choose analog rather than digital
If you get the demo and even listen to the standard demo song thats always come with live and throw ozone on there it makes the whole sound come alive and have clarity warmth and space without sounding procossed.. like i said try the demo out

tomperson · Post by **tomperson** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 6:33 pm

I think it has a lot to do regarding EQ. If you start with a harsh sounding mix, by putting it into a "warmer" plugin all you'll get is a warmer sounding piece of...harsh. In fact, it could end a lot worse. As it has been said, compression can help you. Try to pay attention to the sounds in the 2k/6k range. Lots of nasty sounds in that area. At higher frequencies (10k upwards) you should be careful, as you could kill the air in the mix.

I'd say, pay a lot of attention to the 40/1000 hz, most of the warm sounds lie there. Cut what's not needed in the 2k/6k area, unless you're looking for some particular sound out of a snare, guitar, whatever. Be subtle with the higher frequencies (10k upwards). Get a "warm enough" mix, and then (ONLY THEN) bring in your favourite warmer VST to add that little bit needed to make it sound glued and warm.

In my experience trying to make every sound in the mix "warm" creates a muddy piece of sh*t

My 2 cents.

mercyplease · Post by **mercyplease** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 9:37 pm

forge wrote: I read an interview where he said for some keyboard sounds he used to put them into a guitar amp then mic it up

course there's Ableton's new dynamic tube in L6

are you suggesting another so called warmer up plugin can replac a miced guitar amp. I hop eyou were being sarcastic

mercyplease · Post by **mercyplease** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 9:38 pm

zstowasser wrote: PSP Vintage Warmer makes things thick and fat..

Sure it does

knotkranky · Post by **knotkranky** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 11:10 pm

I'll tell ya, it doesn't matter what you use. Plugin, shmugin. Record it warm and chose warm sounds.
Today's recording and mix gear/plugs are not cold, but ones decisions may be. Vintage tube plugin ? Call it whatever.
I can't tell ya how many cold ass sterile mixes and recordings I've heard come from vintage Neve consoles,
pultec's and 2" studer's. It's a lot. I'm not saying that those plugins don't work, but it ls just some low pass
roll off, compression and some distortion pre set then fed back in. If you plop it on anything thats too bright
it will certainly work. Any one plugin warmer is as good as another. In that game there is no better, just differences.

A low pass filter is your best weapon. Concentrate on 100hz to 400hz with a parametric and add a Hi pass filter
for deep lows. Done. One can mix an entire record and get a great warm sound with just those three elements.
Know how to control with a compressor and it's over.

The point is if you have to put a "warmer" across your mix to get it right, you're better off backing up and getting it right on the
offending individual tracks (LPF). If you want to add an organic flavor, use small or very small room verbs.

Try this. put a mic up in your room. Solo the sound through your monitors and record the result on another track.
The more ambience you want, the farther away you put the mic from the speakers. Put it in the hall or bathroom.

I also like re-amping through a guitar amp. The studio speakers trick is something anyone can do right this second.

Pardon the plugin rant but it seems so tv dinner to me, though I will have one occasionally. Love the apple cobbler.

muscleandhate · Post by **muscleandhate** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 11:50 pm

sweetjesus wrote:
dubbyah wrote:put your speakers in the oven

other suggestions:

ketamine

lol.

Try recording your samples/tracks onto a casset and then recording them back into a high-quality digital format. Apparently, this is what AFX did (possibly inadventantly considering they were complied in the 80's) for Ambient works, and it worked rather well in my opinion.

romflom · Post by **romflom** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 12:17 am

The source has to have the warmth.

frisbeedisk · Post by **frisbeedisk** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 12:20 am

an old set of valves, give it some tube warmth, like and on tube compressor or the like!!

glitchrock-buddha · Post by **glitchrock-buddha** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 12:36 am

knotkranky wrote:A low pass filter is your best weapon. Concentrate on 100hz to 400hz with a parametric and add a Hi pass filter
for deep lows. Done. One can mix an entire record and get a great warm sound with just those three elements.
Know how to control with a compressor and it's over.

Agreed. It's only just sunk in for me that this is the magic formula to "warmth" if ever there was one. Low-pass filter, compression, and some kind of slight overdrive. I'm guessing the popular warming/tube type plug-ins out there are popular simply because of their quality in these areas. It's just that they mix these elements together. But obviously you don't need 'em. Anyone can grab a decent filter, compressor and OD and should be able to get the same results.

I've still been on the search for something with these elements that really sounds great to my ears. Was leaning towards camelphat, but I wasn't sold in the end.

What's really intriguing me right now is izotope trash. I'm demoing it right now, and it is quite versatile. What's really impressing me is the compressor, mixed with tape saturation. I never looked at it before, as I thought it was only another distortion plug-in. But multi-band compression, filters, amp models, nice tape delays. And a pretty good sound.

Anyone using it? I only have ten days to demo it, and I'm pretty busy. But so far it seems like it could really take care of all your "warming" needs, as well your 'trashing' needs.

grb

Johnisfaster · Post by **Johnisfaster** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 1:08 am

glitchrock-buddha wrote:
knotkranky wrote:A low pass filter is your best weapon. Concentrate on 100hz to 400hz with a parametric and add a Hi pass filter
for deep lows. Done. One can mix an entire record and get a great warm sound with just those three elements.
Know how to control with a compressor and it's over.
Agreed. It's only just sunk in for me that this is the magic formula to "warmth" if ever there was one. Low-pass filter, compression, and some kind of slight overdrive. I'm guessing the popular warming/tube type plug-ins out there are popular simply because of their quality in these areas. It's just that they mix these elements together. But obviously you don't need 'em. Anyone can grab a decent filter, compressor and OD and should be able to get the same results.

I've still been on the search for something with these elements that really sounds great to my ears. Was leaning towards camelphat, but I wasn't sold in the end.

What's really intriguing me right now is izotope trash. I'm demoing it right now, and it is quite versatile. What's really impressing me is the compressor, mixed with tape saturation. I never looked at it before, as I thought it was only another distortion plug-in. But multi-band compression, filters, amp models, nice tape delays. And a pretty good sound.

Anyone using it? I only have ten days to demo it, and I'm pretty busy. But so far it seems like it could really take care of all your "warming" needs, as well your 'trashing' needs.

grb

I think I'm the only one that feels this way but I've always thought izotope trash was rather dull sounding. it is great for when you need that sound but to me it makes everything seem kinda lofi. which is awesome when you want lofi.. but not when you don't.

that said, I don't think it's an "all in one" distortion fix, I think it's a "I think that trash sound would be good for this occasion"

Johnisfaster · Post by **Johnisfaster** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 1:09 am

I'd say before you make any purchase descisions you should wait till L6 comes out and try the new saturator and dynamic tube. though I don't really care for dynamic tube too much as it's too subtle for me but saturator is rocking my boat right now.

forge · Post by **forge** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 1:26 am

mercyplease wrote:
forge wrote: I read an interview where he said for some keyboard sounds he used to put them into a guitar amp then mic it up

course there's Ableton's new dynamic tube in L6
are you suggesting another so called warmer up plugin can replac a miced guitar amp. I hop eyou were being sarcastic

no - they were 2 seperate comments

knotkranky · Post by **knotkranky** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 2:21 am

What takes the most work and is well worth it, is to keep homogenization at a minimum.
When the tracks are all recorded through something different it adds depth and organic
flavor. For instance, using the same mic on everything takes it closer to homogenization.

So switch up the mics a bit. Switch up the input pre's a bit. input into your computer
different analog paths. For internal sounds, filter them back through different stuff like
pre's, tubes, the previously suggested 4 trk, guitar peadals and amps etc etc. When some of
these sounds are juxtaposed against the other tight clean sounds, everything gels better and
is less homogenized. It mixes easier. It sounds expensive to do but it can be had with anything.

Try crushing an input with a sound then barely tap it for another. Even if you have one
single high end piece of gear, don't use it for every little thing or the same way. Mix it up.
The only rule I have for plugins is to use ones that use a lot of cpu. Fat algorithms that
tax the computer sound better most of the time, unless it's a bit crusher or the like.

Simply putting a few of the internal sounds through some analog stuff will de-homogenize
them a few steps and add organic warmth.

A simple example of this is bg vocals.
What has more character, one person od'd 20 times or 20 individuals?

How to get a Warm Sound?

Re: EQ is your friend