AC1? How do you set it up?

[JFernandez]

Hello Charles!
Welcome Back!I Know you've mentioned this some where else but,how do go about setting up the AC1 in initial part of you mixes (input/output/Drive/Compression) ? as well as you go along. Also how loud (at what levels?) are you laying off your mixes for your masters ? if you can share some insight it would be much appreciated.

[JFernandez]

Hello !

[Charles Dye]

J,
Hi back. I'm trying to catch up with all the posts. I've not forgotten you. You were on my list (and I really have a list). You've maybe noticed that for these kind of technique questions I usually end up writing longer posts. I will answer. I promise.

Thanks for your patience.

[JFernandez]

Thanks Charles!

[The MPCist]

bump.

[Charles Dye]

Originally posted by JFernandez
How do go about setting up the AC1 in initial part of you mixes (input/output/Drive/Compression) ? as well as you go along. Also how loud (at what levels?) are you laying off your mixes for your masters ? if you can share some insight it would be much appreciated.

MPCist, thanks for the reminder.

For my entire column discussing the topic of the stereo bus check out The Big Picture... Show — Stereo Bus Processing. Below is the part of that column that discusses AC1 + the mix bus:

From Hard Disk Life: The Big Picture... Show — Stereo Bus Processing

The PT Mix Bus

For me, the key to working with digital recording is understanding what it does and does not do. The soundtrack we all have in our mind's ear that we compare our work to is made up mostly of records made on analog gear. To get comparable results with digital, we have to either add that kind of color going in and/or add it by using saturation plug-ins (DUY DaD Valve and Tape, McDSP Analog Channel, Sony Inflator, or Crane Song Phoenix, for example) as discussed in HDL 5 — Distortion of Reality.

When mixing on PT the same applies. The PT mix bus does not add any character or warmth to the mix — and it's not supposed to. Much of what we compare our mixes to were mixed on analog consoles that had that analog punch to them. So when I mix inside Pro Tools, I usually use at least one or more analog-style plugs across the stereo bus.

The first plug-in I use is McDSP's Analog Channel AC1 with either the Console 1 or Console 3 presets as starting points. AC1 emulates solid-state console saturation, and it really helps glue the mix together. But the way I use it might not be exactly what you'd expect. I've found that the key to getting the best out of AC1 on the stereo bus is to place it on the Master Fader at the beginning of the mixing process and essentially mixing "through it," instead of completing the mix and then inserting it.

When inserted afterwards, the effect of AC1 seems so subtle that it almost does nothing, or it seems to smooth out the mix in a slightly detrimental way. On the other hand, when inserted first, all mix decisions are based on how it affects each track, which really brings the mix together much more quickly. By "pushing" a mix through it, it drives the stereo bus in a different way than when inserted afterwards.

At the end of a mix, if I bypass AC1, the mix often falls completely apart (becoming very wimpy and "lite" sounding. Yekk.). This is because I was driving AC1 so that it colored the mix in a way that influenced my EQ, compression, effects and automation, giving me a very punchy and gelled sound. AC1's saturation kind of "tracks" with the dynamics of your mix — so not only does it add slight distortion to the kick and snare hits, but the distortion is also added to the instruments underneath (in a very analog console way) as it tapers off after those dynamic high points. The sound difference between hearing the mix sent through AC1 and then bypassed (thereby hearing the naked digital bus) is really very dramatic.

For an even more analog type of sound when using AC1 on stereo faders — especially the Master Mix Fader — use it in Multi-Mono instead of Stereo mode. This more closely emulates the way that analog stereo busses work because they are actually two mono busses. The left and right channels each saturate independently and Multi-Mono AC1s emulate that type of saturation.

To answer your question re: settings, other than using Console 1 (pretty much my first choice), the only adjustment I make is to the Input which I will turn up to drive the console hotter. I put the meter on Gain Reduction and shoot for it maxing @ -1dB of reduction in the hottest sections. I also watch the lights between Drive + Comp and like it when the yellow light is bouncing fairly evenly in the loudest parts of the song.

Without using a limiter (e.g. L1/L2) I lay my mixes off @ the hottest possible level w/out clipping. I leave mastering to the mastering engineer.

Hope this helps.

[JFernandez]

Thank you Charles! Wow what a diffrence.its incredible what you can hear,when you learn how to use something,i use to struggle using this plug-in (I Couldn't hear the diffrence) but now...Skys the limit.By the way when are you going to write that book?

[Charles Dye]

Pretty awesome plug-in! Right? Once you start using it you realize how you could never mix w/ out it again.

Re the book, I just haven't had the time. But I still really want to do it.

Thanks for asking!

[JFernandez]

Do the Book Charles, It will be a huge success! Also,do you follow it up with the compressor? what kind of attack, release, ratio and threshold settings are you using? it seem's like you dont need a lot of (or no) compression after the AC-1. Sorry for all the questions.