Course: Advanced Pro Tools and Productions I & II

General

Advanced Pro Tools & Productions

APT - 201

Advanced Pro Tools course is designed to expose the students to advanced mixing and mastering techniques using Digidesigns Pro Tools DAW system. Current projects will be reviewed and the advanced techniques will be applied to each project as required. Students will be bringing in their projects from the Advanced Projects class for the remainder of the Advanced Pro Tools class for review.

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APT - Q & A Forum

Post and search for questions and get answers from teachers and students
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Project Grading Rubric URL
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Artist to Client Form URL
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Announcements Forum

TOPIC 1 - Introduction & Orientation

- Overview of what to expect from APT
- Projects Pace
- Levels of graduation
- Program requirements
- Video Project general info

Topic 2 - Pitfalls of Digital vs Analog

- Common mistakes of working the box
- What is headroom/clipping and why it is important
- What is Peak Level and why/how do we have to pay attention to it while working in the box?
- Sample Rate/Bit Rate
- Clip gain fader vs Mix fader
- Digital distortion vs Analog Distortion

Topic 3 - Drum Mixing/Intro to 3D Mixing - (The Horizontal Dimension)

- Horizontal Dimension - Stereo - Panning and balances
- Fundamentals of Drums
- Drums Room
- The Microphones limitations

Topic 4- Digital Parametric EQ (The Vertical Dimension)

- Different types of EQs (Focus on Infinity EQ by Slate)
- How the frequency spectrum breaks down - Gain vs Frequency area
- Introduction to the human frequency spectrum regions - Subs, Low Mids, Upper Low Mids, Mids, High Mids and Highs and what to expect from each region
- Strengths of Parametric EQs
- Using the power of EQ to balance - Enhance/reduce strengths or weaknesses in characteristics of different instruments

Topic 5 - Analog EQ (Vertical Dimension Contd.)

- Introduction to VMR Analog Emulation EQs - SSL, NEVE, API EQs
- Full eq plugin breakdown
- Pros and cons of Analog EQs vs Parametric EQs - Analog EQs are designed more for broad strokes of coloration vs Parametric designed more for surgical moves

Topic 6 - Drums Contd.

- Fundamental eq points
- How to use EQ in general to create more separation between the different instruments by emphasizing strengths or cleaning up weak areas of different instruments

Topic 7 - Reverb/Room (The Depth dimension)

- How to set up FX/Sends/Returns
- Reasons for using Send/Returns over inserts
- Reverb effects - Ambience for drums/Depth Imagery (Slate Verb Suites Series)
- Prefader/Post fader listening - when to use each and why
- The purpose of Decay, Pre-Delay, EQ inside the Reverb Plugin and different available presets for emulation of different spaces

Topic 8 - Compression

- What is a compressor? A Dynamics Controller
- Parallel compression w/ attack on drum shells
- What each knob on compressor does - Threshold/Make Up Gain
- Attack and release times and purposes
- How does Ratio work?
- Focus on Slate 401 as an example for a versatile VCA compressor
- Versatility of compressor technologies in the analog world and what causes limitations

Topic 9 - Distortion/Harmonics

- General overview - what is distortion? How does it happen? Apparent hearing frequencies vs harmonics? How do these harmonics affect our hearing?
- Drum shells mixing in parallel dist fx aux (Lofi plugin dist/sat - comes with basic protools)
- Distortion for the purpose of “eq” Impact by making harmonics more apparent - Not necessarily for obvious distortion effect style like common in Gtrs
- Perceived loudness (RMS) vs peak level and how distortion raises the RMS of our signal to make an instrument more present in the mix while shaving off its peak level

Topic 10 - IN THE BOX mixing

- How to isolate Sub frequencies for bass instruments and pull out more sub information IF needed in Snd/Return

Topic 11 - Bass Mixing

- Role of the bass in the mix and fundamental frequencies - Subs/Low Mids for clean bass and Mids for articulation and clear notation
- Two instruments in one - Rhythmic/melodic/harmonic instrument compared to drums (rhythmic only) and others (melodic/harmonic)
- Relation to kick drum
- Compression techniques (Ex. fast attack/fast release for the purpose of more control on peak levels and pulling out more body)

Topic 12 - Midrange Instruments

- Gtr/Keys/etc - fundamental frequencies and masking areas - Subtractive and Additive EQ
- Panning - Center vs L&R
- The use of Ambience FX for mid range instruments - Verb/Delays - to create depth/width and back end imagery for your mix.
* Out of class work - Try mixing and placing all the midrange instruments in your mix at home

Topic 13 - Review

- Review student's attempted work and ambience processing further.
- Listening to Ambience EFX in Pre to determine how to EQ them.
- Midrange Parallel compression/dist vs insert compression/dist - when and why.

Topic 14 - Vocals

- Steps of treatments - Subtractive EQ, Compression Options, then Color EQ & Deesser (Slate’s Deeser)
- Snd/Return Parallel EFX for placement of the vocals in the mix - Verb/compression/distortion (Verb Suites by Slate/FG401 or Distressor by Slate/Kilohearts Distortion or Decapitator by SoundToys)

Topic 15 - Delays/Automation & Projects 1-5 Review

- Snd/Return Delay for Vocals - creating Depth & Width
- Reviewing Host vs milliseconds setup - feedback, high pass/lowpass/color and pingpong plus different presets available.
- Lead vocs vs backing vocs & Harmonies
- Creative FX like Chorus, Flanger, Tremolo etc. (A lot of options in Slate’s TH-U plugin for guitars).
- Automation tools - drawing on Edit window vs Touch/Latch functions.
- Delay channel automation for dynamics and Ear Candy
- Plugins automation - How to activate different modes and uses

* Start of Video Project

Topic 16 - Finalizing Mixes

- VCA masters uses for final group balances
- Last things to look out for before going to mastering

Topic 17 - Mastering

- Overview - Mastering studio vs Mixing/recording studio
- 5 Pillars of mastering - the objective aspects of quality in music a mastering engineer observes and corrects.

- Volume (loudness wars overview)

- Birds eye EQ (broad)

- Dynamics

- Balances

- Textures

Topic 18 - Mastering Contd.

- Limiters importance and usage (Slate’s FGX1 and FGX2)
- RMS vs Peak vs LUFS
- EQ minimalism (Infinity EQ and Pro-Q3)
- EQ vs Balancing (Can I solve with EQ in mastering or do I have a balancing issues that requires going back to tweak the original mix)
- Distortions (Lofi (basic protools), Revival in Slate’s VMR)

Topic 19 - Mastering Contd. Compression, Multiband

- Multi Band EFX - compressors/limiters/Distortions - MOTT by Slate
- Color compression/Vari-Mu compressors - Slate VBC Rack
- Analog style compressor advantages - Why are Vari-Mu compressors used mostly in Mastering

Topic 20 - Exporting

- Dithering
- Final loudness
- Being Mindful of Differences in genres of Music
- How to read LUFS meters (Youlean Loudness Meter)
- Gracenote
- ISRC codes

Topic 21 - Video project - Introduction and Requirements

- Try to connect w/ film person if possible or Pick 2-3min video from Film/TV show/Video Game from Youtube and we’ll mute the audio in Pro Tools to rebuild from scratch - Sound FX, Dialogue, Music etc.
- Review Previous students' Video Projects for context.

URL

Introduction to the World of Post Production: URL

Topic 22 - Video Project workflow in Pro Tools

- How to import video and general useful fast keys
- Timeline uses, general workflow approach, memory locations and Feet and Frames Grid for film
- Chase SFX and placement in timeline
- LUFS/Peak Level general standard requirements for TV/Film
- Exporting the Film in Pro Tools