Introduction to music production

INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC PRODUCTION

ASSIGNMENT #3CATEGORIES OF EFFECTS

SELF INTRODUCTION

Hi everyone, my name is Lulu from Vancouver. I am going to show you the categories of audio effects in the music production process.

FORMAT• There will be a brief introduction. I will introduce each

category, followed by individual effects, and pictures taken from Ableton Live 9 as examples for each. Then I will wrap up.• There are obviously way more effects than what’s covered

in this presentation, but for the purpose of this course I will only touch on those that we will be concentrating on.

AUDIO EFFECTS

• Audio effects, in this context, are devices that alter sounds.• Audio effects are used extensively in recorded music, and

even to some extent in live performances.

EFFECTS AND PROPERTY OF SOUND• Each audio effect category is directly in control of one of

the three properties of sound: propagation, amplitude, and timber.

CATEGORIES OF EFFECTS

•Dynamic effects•Filter effects•Delay effects

DYNAMIC EFFECTS• Affects amplitude over time• Can enhance the mix • Can damage the mix if overused• widely popular in commercial use

DYNAMIC EFFECTS• Compressors• Limiters• Expanders• Noise gates

DYNAMIC EFFECTSCompressors

• Compressors increase or stabilize amplitude by reducing gain for signals above a threshold

Limiters• Limiters limit amplitude by setting a

threshold

DYNAMIC EFFECTSExpanders

• Expanders increase the contrast in amplitude between tracks

• In Ableton Live, using a combination of other dynamic effects may attain the same result.

Noise Gates• Noise gates pass signals with levels

exceeding a threshold, eliminating unwanted low-level noise.

DELAY EFFECTS

• Controls propagation• Alter the timing of a signal

DELAY EFFECTS• Reverbs• Delays• Phasers• Flangers• Choruses

DELAY EFFECTSReverb

• Reverbs aim to recreate the sound of an acoustic space.

Delays• Delays store an input for a certain amount

of time before sending it out.

DELAY EFFECTSPhasers

• Phasers use a series of all-pass filters to create shifts in a sound.

Flangers• Flangers use two parallel time-modulated

delays to create swirls in a sound.

DELAY EFFECTSChoruses

• Choruses use two parallel time-modulated delays to create layers of converging sounds.

• Where the chorus effect differs from the flanger and the phaser is that it adds more delay.

FILTER EFFECTS

• Control timbre• Alter the frequency content • Enhance or diminish certain frequencies

FILTER EFFECTSHigh and low pass filters

• High pass filters pass frequencies above a threshold and attenuate frequencies below it.

• Low pass filters pass frequencies below a threshold and attenuate frequencies above it.

• In Ableton Live 9, the Audo Filter includes all three functions.

Band pass filters• Band pass filters pass frequencies within a

range and attenuate frequencies outside it.

FILTER EFFECTSParametric EQs

• Parametric equalizers control the level, the center and the bandwidth of frequencies.

Graphic EQs• Graphic equalizers consist of several

controls to boost or cut frequencies.

REFLECTIONSI think I may have learnt more than my fair share about effects during the preparation of this presentation, considering how little I know about sound effects…… well, music production in general. The slideshow may be a bit dry simply due to the nature of the material. Thank you for all for sticking with me thus far!