1O Years ago i went to youtube to look for ableton how to , today after a long time i had to do something in ableton , and you came to my mind , i learn so much with in past about ableton , i'm really happy you still busy with music after so long , i hope you and your family are fine , greetings from belgium
Hey Santiago. Nice to hear from such a long-time subscriber! Yeah mate, it's been about 10 years since I've been on UA-cam. Glad to hear you're still at music too and you've learned a lot about your craft. Thanks for the kind words and well wishes. I hope you're doing great and staying safe and healthy as well. Cheers!
Happy to help out. I also was looking for a way to do this for ages. I'm stoked my experiment worked and that it's something useful I can share with fellow producers. Thanks for watching!
Great tutorial, many thanks for this :). One thing to mention is that you need to enable the Groups Bar too in Voxengo Span. You can do it by ticking the "Show Groups Bar" in the "Information and Settings menu, that appears when you press little square in top right corner of Voxengo Span VST window (the one with three horizontal lines). Just saying, hoping it will save some time to someone. Cheers!
@@warpacademy iguess i never understood Voxengo, example if tracks are in diffrent keys, first u need to know what frequency each note is in right? Then how much extra frequency is being added or removed from that note, to know how much extra eq needs to be added/removed to each note to come closer to your reference track right? Humm, am i complicating things? Haha 😄 Thx for video anyways, i might watch again.
Thank you, Isabella!!!!!! I'll try to discover what you mean ASAP... Between you and me, I think that those guys from "Voxengo" are testing us, that's why this great tool is free... The first one to set that multitrack vision properly without any problem, those guys will make him(her) their president, or maybe send him to Mars... ...I don't know... That is not a setup, that's a hardcore-level puzzle.
SUPER HELPFUL! I put off doing this because of all of the different analyzers available including the best of all reference plugs (IMO) metric ab... but I finally went and did this today and it gave me a whole new perspective. It just simplified everything. Thanks for putting this video out!
Excellent helpful content as usual sir. Great tip at the end about not obsessing over the minor details whilst comparing your tracks, I have been guilty of this and you have just snapped me out of it. Thank you
One of the best tutorials I have watched lately. Easy to digest and entertaining. Thanks a lot! I am in my bed now ready to sleep and I cannot wait to wake up tomorrow to try this with Span. You got a new subscriber 👌
the simple fact of changing the Avg time, smoothing, and "Type" alone makes a world of difference. i think it should be mentioned..(unless I missed it), that the 'slope' at 4.5 is a good middle ground for modern music, but can be gentle adjusted if you want the low end to read a little more 'even' across the board...granted, if you're referencing another mix, then you'll probably be fine with tweaking to obtain a similar curve, but I like to 'flatten' things out visually if I'm happy with the overall balance I'm trying to achieve. very solid tutorial!
Glad you liked this one. As this is just a single tutorial, and not an exhaustive "how to use Voxengo SPAN" course, I did limit what I conveyed. As you pointed out, averaging time has a huge impact on spectrum reactivity. On my mixes/masters, I use a series of SPAN instances with different averaging and sometimes smoothing selections. Agree that this is a useful approach. Cheers!
Thank you for this. Experiencing hearing loss of certain frequencies along with crazy loud high pitched tinnitus so needing to find ways of SEEING the sound for accuracy where my ears dont HEAR it as it souns to others.
For those who working in Logic X, it's really easy but u must have the plus version. Just send all the reference tracks to a bus and enable SPAN on that bus. Go to Import/Export settings and create a name called let's say REF with the Export To 1 setting. Now you go to your master track with SPAN selected and choose Import From 1 REF in the Import/Export section. Just toggle the tracks with the mute buttons to get the spectrums from the different reference tracks.
For those using Reaper, I was able to get this working using SPAN v3.10. (FYI - I used the 16-bit, VST2 Windows DLL.) The SPAN plugin must be on the Master track to see all the routing options. (Not sure why. *) Then, to send the reference track to SPAN's sidechain group, click that track's Reaper routing button and change the "Parent channels" to "3-4". TIP: If you want to compare with multiple reference tracks, set all their parent channels to "3-4", then ALT+Click the tracks routing buttons to toggle them so only one is being sent to the (Master) track at a time. * UPDATED: SPAN can actually be placed on any track, but that track must be set to use 4 or more channels. (Click the track's Reaper routing button, and set "Track channels" to 4.) You might have to do this even for your Master track. My master was set to 8 channels by default, but I'm not sure this is always the case.
Oops! I was using the vst3 version and had to do even more complex routing than this but this is so much easier. Thanks you so much. You're a bloody legend!!
if you buy Span Plus, there is another routing option wich is easier and more intuitive...like in the Gliss EQ...that`s why i bought it...it`s with the import/export section
Hey Badini! Nice to see ya round the channel mate. Glad this one's useful for ya. I definitely was looking for this for a LONG time and finally experimented until I figured it out. Cheers mate!
Hey mate. For sure it possible. You put the plugin in an Audio Effects Rack, then save that to your user Presets folder. It'll load the same way every time. Check this video out where I use it as a preset: ua-cam.com/video/EFQPJjhVyD0/v-deo.html
Was already a really important intro for me - about why is so important to use an analyser - thanks was easy to listen for me ( I am German) - one question - I tried AU, VST and VST3 no plug had a side chain - what can I do ?
Hey hey. I'm using the most recent version of the VST2 plugin. Did you follow the exact same process I did to edit the Group names in the Routing area? Make sure you didn't miss a step. If in doubt, update SPAN to the current install from Voxengo's website. It may also behave differently in different DAWs. For the color, I explicitly showed this in the video. Make sure you don't skip around and that you watch carefully. It's easy to miss something. Let me know how it goes. Cheers!
We are new to all this but finally saw how to change the view! lol Holy technology! Still wondering how to get the bottom to appear? we must have missed something!
@@GreatestSportsHighLights Glad you got that working. For the Group Names they've always just shown by default for me and I can find no option to turn them off. So I'm not sure why they wouldn't be showing for you I'm afraid. You could always contact Voxengo.
@@GreatestSportsHighLights Please see top right corner the 3 lines bar. Press that and select 'Show Groups Bar" to make them appear manually. Note also if you aren't using the latest Ableton version, older versions don't show the 'Sidechain option' shown when using Vst2.
You need to enable the Groups Bar too in Voxengo Span. You can do it by ticking the "Show Groups Bar" in the "Information and Settings menu, that appears when you press little square in top right corner of Voxengo Span VST window (the one with three horizontal lines).
Maybe a silly question but: does not the fact that you put the references in mono make the tonal balance of them change?? pd: i have checked and it hardly changes, but my brain says it has to (isn't the button mono of ableton summing the L + R channels in a way?). Why is that the way it is?
Hey hey. Because the side channel is substantially quieter than the mid channel it doesn’t usually change the overall spectral balance in my experience. The mono sum is (L+R)/2. Isolating the mid channel is L+R and the side channel is L-R.
Thank you very, very much. I am still looking for a GOOD tutorial about the NASA astrophysics level on how to set Voxengo SPAN as a multitrack analysis tool on Reaper. This should be very, very easy. It it's rocket science to me... Your explanation seems to be really good, but when you start spelling C, E, E, and D, and talking about your DAW connections, my nightmare gets back...
Glad this was helpful to a degree. Consider that you’re using a piece of freeware here and that comes with its limitations. Perhaps it’s time to consider a paid plug-in for multi channel work and to choose a company that allows you to access support to help out connecting it. I use paid tools every time I need to use more than 2 channels.
Hey Andrea. The one listed by Voxengo as "VST" is actually VST2. When you install their main OSX installer, you'll see it appear under your VST folder in Live. It's just referred to as VST.
I'm just getting into production (uplifting trance stuff). Haven't got the hang of EQing yet. Will using SPAN help me know where to cut frequencies on kicks, bass, pads, leads etc? Or is this just useful for mastering?
I use it mainly for looking at the stereo spectrum of a master. Not on individual tracks as much. Most EQs have a built in spectrum that you can use to help guide EQ decisions.
Hey Paula. Nice to see you around the channel. As you're producing, using SPAN will definitely help you to understand how your music's spectrum is comparing to that of other songs you like. A useful tool.
@Warp Academy SPAN is giving a false reading - if you play a duplicated sample (i.e., use the sample as both your reference and as the master) the graphs are not identical (but they SHOULD be). I have checked I have all settings correct, but I get a slightly different graph. I have even observed this when both are playing in Mono... - Could anyone please check and confirm they are getting this too? (Settings for both Ref & Master) Type: AVG Block Size: 8192 Smoothing: 1/3rd Oct I have duplicated a track and have assigned one to the Side Chain. Both are Mono. Their graphs SHOULD be identical - but they are slightly different. This would effectively mean you are not getting a true reading when referencing against a particular track (!)
My settings and routing menu in span looks nothing like yours and I have just downloaded the latest version I am also using the Vst 2 version, even the Vst 3 version I have does not have the same menu and routing drop downs??? so frustrating.
@@warpacademy Win 10 64bit high spec, if there are different vst plugin settings between OSX and win 10 then win 10 users will not be able to follow your tutorial good as it is.
@@warpacademy Dan Worrall published this technique over 2 years ago using a similar work flow and it worked very well if you could manage to replicate his settings which are similar to ones in the version I have. Perhaps have a look, and compare.
Fair point, which is why it's only one of many tools in your toolbox. All tools have their limitations, including your own senses. This is meant to supplement, not replace.
Hey Morten. I prefer it, yes. I find the iZotope implementation of the interface for Match EQ and Tonal Balance to be difficult to analyze. SPAN is very configurable and the ability to hover your mouse over an area and see the frequency and level is very useful. SPAN's resizable interface is also ace. Cheers!
@@khelmeri Not necessarily. You might create a blank audio track with permanently active monitoring just for span and route the other tracks from the master to the track on Track In input and 3/4-SPAN. And you could even go so far to use return tracks routing to visualize any two tracks via sends. No Live 10 or VST2 needed here. Edit: Just make sure the span track is muted. And if you wanna hear the individual tracks within the send/return method, put these return tracks to pre fader in the master section and use the track faders or the crossfader to mute them.
Great video. Anyone from Pro Tools here? For me, it does not work as it should :( I set up two instances on Ref track and Master as in video and nothing.
I have no idea what version of the plugin you're using, what environment you're on, or whether you're using VST, VST2, or AU. So please contact Voxengo for help. Cheers.
I was going to write a comment explaining all the flaws with this technique and how it’s mostly useless in most cases, but your additional words in the end covered most of what I was going to say. However I do believe that averaging a spectrum rarely yield actual meaningful data to compare. Here is an example: With the technique you demonstrated you could get the exact same spectrum by A: playing white noise at a given volume for a given time and B: the white noise spectrum split in two parts, played each for half the given time at twice the volume. In this example you would be able to recognize the error pretty easily but more subtle error would probably be almost unidentifiable. (Think about really slow filter modulations for example) You get the idea. My point is that I don’t believe that an averaged spectrum is a meaningful metric for reference tracks.
Hey hey. Always happy to hear feedback and debate the finer points. So, this technique is mainly about applying the routings, and then how to use overlaid spectrums to compare masters. How you set the spectrum response to get the information you need is up to you. You can easily just tweak the spectrum to RT Average and apply some temporal smoothing with the averaging time parameter. Both are useful, however, the latter technique has already been covered in the 2 tutorials that I referenced and linked to. At no point did I say that you should only use an averaged spectrum.
You must be using the wrong version. SPAN has a paid version and a freeware version. Also, I've said this only works with the VST version. Not the AU or VST3. Make sure you follow my instructions. This does work and thousands of other users are doing it (look at the comments).
I put chapter markers in so just skip to what you want. There are lots of beginners out there who need to understand the context. If that's not you, just skip to the bit that interests you.
This is advice I hear all the time and honestly, it's so misguided. It's propagated by people who seem to have no idea about acoustics. Your room and your speakers influence the sound you hear heavily. It's not uncommon to have 20-30 dB peaks and nulls due to the influence of room modes or stacked room modes. Then you also have modal ringing - room resonances - where some frequencies decay at a much longer rate. Most rooms that people are mixing in have significant issues, especially in the low end. If you "mix with your ears" you'll often be chasing ghosts and making substantial errors correcting for acoustical issues with your ROOM not your SONG. Mixing with visual aids like this helps you to ensure your mixing is on point and it's an essential part of the process. I'm a professional working in a highly treated and acoustically optimal control room with full range Neumann KH420 monitoring, and I use SPAN and other visual aids all the time. They're essential. They're even more essential when you're in an acoustically non-ideal environment. Additionally, you cannot mix only by ear when you're a beginner or even intermediate mixer because of psychoacoustics. For example, if you're mixing too loudly or too quietly, you will also make errors because our psychoacoustic perception of balanced sound is SPL-influenced heavily. The human ear is not flat and linear and this phenomenon is highly frequency dependent.
1O Years ago i went to youtube to look for ableton how to , today after a long time i had to do something in ableton , and you came to my mind , i learn so much with in past about ableton , i'm really happy you still busy with music after so long , i hope you and your family are fine , greetings from belgium
Hey Santiago. Nice to hear from such a long-time subscriber! Yeah mate, it's been about 10 years since I've been on UA-cam. Glad to hear you're still at music too and you've learned a lot about your craft. Thanks for the kind words and well wishes. I hope you're doing great and staying safe and healthy as well. Cheers!
I’ve been trying to get span to do this for the longest time, now I finally know how! Thanks for the video!
Happy to help out. I also was looking for a way to do this for ages. I'm stoked my experiment worked and that it's something useful I can share with fellow producers. Thanks for watching!
Great tutorial, many thanks for this :). One thing to mention is that you need to enable the Groups Bar too in Voxengo Span. You can do it by ticking the "Show Groups Bar" in the "Information and Settings menu, that appears when you press little square in top right corner of Voxengo Span VST window (the one with three horizontal lines). Just saying, hoping it will save some time to someone. Cheers!
Thanks for sharing! Yeah, that's an important step.
Can't thank you enough for this :)
@@warpacademy iguess i never understood Voxengo, example if tracks are in diffrent keys, first u need to know what frequency each note is in right? Then how much extra frequency is being added or removed from that note, to know how much extra eq needs to be added/removed to each note to come closer to your reference track right? Humm, am i complicating things? Haha 😄 Thx for video anyways, i might watch again.
Thank you, Isabella!!!!!!
I'll try to discover what you mean ASAP...
Between you and me, I think that those guys from "Voxengo" are testing us, that's why this great tool is free...
The first one to set that multitrack vision properly without any problem, those guys will make him(her) their president, or maybe send him to Mars...
...I don't know...
That is not a setup, that's a hardcore-level puzzle.
7:24 I was going crazy not finding the sidechain option for AU in Logic. You're the only one covering this big issue! thanks
Glad it was helpful. Cheers!
SUPER HELPFUL! I put off doing this because of all of the different analyzers available including the best of all reference plugs (IMO) metric ab... but I finally went and did this today and it gave me a whole new perspective. It just simplified everything. Thanks for putting this video out!
You're very welcome!
Man, thank you very much for the tutorial, that is very helpful!
Glad it was helpful!
I had to put the bong down for this one 😂💚🤙
Hope it made sense. Cheers!
Excellent helpful content as usual sir. Great tip at the end about not obsessing over the minor details whilst comparing your tracks, I have been guilty of this and you have just snapped me out of it. Thank you
Glad it was helpful! This process of using SPAN has been really useful for myself and many others. All the best with your mixes!
This is brilliant! This is a welcome gen for any producer. Thank you for sharing the knowledge.
My pleasure.
One of the best tutorials I have watched lately. Easy to digest and entertaining. Thanks a lot!
I am in my bed now ready to sleep and I cannot wait to wake up tomorrow to try this with Span.
You got a new subscriber 👌
Glad it was helpful!
Amazing video as always
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching and commenting.
very nice tip! and props for plugging ahee! ive been using his templates for a long time now. his racks are insane!
Glad you enjoyed this one. Cheers.
Thanks sir!
Great voice n presentation!
the simple fact of changing the Avg time, smoothing, and "Type" alone makes a world of difference. i think it should be mentioned..(unless I missed it), that the 'slope' at 4.5 is a good middle ground for modern music, but can be gentle adjusted if you want the low end to read a little more 'even' across the board...granted, if you're referencing another mix, then you'll probably be fine with tweaking to obtain a similar curve, but I like to 'flatten' things out visually if I'm happy with the overall balance I'm trying to achieve.
very solid tutorial!
Glad you liked this one. As this is just a single tutorial, and not an exhaustive "how to use Voxengo SPAN" course, I did limit what I conveyed.
As you pointed out, averaging time has a huge impact on spectrum reactivity. On my mixes/masters, I use a series of SPAN instances with different averaging and sometimes smoothing selections. Agree that this is a useful approach. Cheers!
Very clear and insightful ! Many thanks 💚
Happy to help. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for this. Experiencing hearing loss of certain frequencies along with crazy loud high pitched tinnitus so needing to find ways of SEEING the sound for accuracy where my ears dont HEAR it as it souns to others.
This was exactly the information I was looking for. Great video, edited and presented really well. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
thank you :)
Great job mate, really helpful !!!
Thank you so much for this thorough, step by step explanation for this feature. Been looking for this info for quite a while.
You're very welcome!
This has been so useful. Thank you. I've never heard this task explained more clearly.
You're very welcome!
For those who working in Logic X, it's really easy but u must have the plus version. Just send all the reference tracks to a bus and enable SPAN on that bus. Go to Import/Export settings and create a name called let's say REF with the Export To 1 setting. Now you go to your master track with SPAN selected and choose Import From 1 REF in the Import/Export section. Just toggle the tracks with the mute buttons to get the spectrums from the different reference tracks.
Thanks for the comment! Too bad it requires the paid version to do that. But makes a good case to upgrade!
For those using Reaper, I was able to get this working using SPAN v3.10. (FYI - I used the 16-bit, VST2 Windows DLL.)
The SPAN plugin must be on the Master track to see all the routing options. (Not sure why. *) Then, to send the reference track to SPAN's sidechain group, click that track's Reaper routing button and change the "Parent channels" to "3-4".
TIP: If you want to compare with multiple reference tracks, set all their parent channels to "3-4", then ALT+Click the tracks routing buttons to toggle them so only one is being sent to the (Master) track at a time.
* UPDATED: SPAN can actually be placed on any track, but that track must be set to use 4 or more channels. (Click the track's Reaper routing button, and set "Track channels" to 4.) You might have to do this even for your Master track. My master was set to 8 channels by default, but I'm not sure this is always the case.
Thanks for explaining the process in Reaper. Cheers!
Oops! I was using the vst3 version and had to do even more complex routing than this but this is so much easier. Thanks you so much. You're a bloody legend!!
Glad it helped!
The VST2 thing about having side-chain option is new to me to. :) Thanks!
thanks for sharing this great hack! luv it!
You are so welcome!
you are amazing brother!!!!
Cheers!
my input routing only has two things L and R and I can't select a C
The routing is needlessly painful in this. Thanks for making it clear
Happy to. Yeah, the manual really doesn't go into the routing at all. And it's certainly not intuitive.
if you buy Span Plus, there is another routing option wich is easier and more intuitive...like in the Gliss EQ...that`s why i bought it...it`s with the import/export section
Very articulate and informative presentation. Thank you - subscribed!
Awesome, thank you!
ive always just looked at two spans next to each other this will be so much better
Hey Badini! Nice to see ya round the channel mate. Glad this one's useful for ya. I definitely was looking for this for a LONG time and finally experimented until I figured it out. Cheers mate!
@@warpacademy I think I've tried before and given up haha so thanks for doing the hard work lol
@@badinibeats5939 Happy to! Yeah, it took a lot of experimentation. The manual doesn't cover this at all. Cheers!
Thanks man, really good tutorial, cheers
You're very welcome. Thanks for watching.
I am going to save this.
Great tutorial, thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
Just came across this tutorial....Excellent..! 👍
Awesome, thank you!
This was really awesome
Thnxxx alot
Gracias.
Teniendo Ableton que plugins recomiendas que no cubra este daw.
Ejemplo veo que utilizas "Span de voxengo y youlean"
Un saludo
Great tutorial. One question though: I can't save it as a preset in Ableton. How did you guys achieve this? Is it even possible?
Hey mate. For sure it possible. You put the plugin in an Audio Effects Rack, then save that to your user Presets folder. It'll load the same way every time. Check this video out where I use it as a preset: ua-cam.com/video/EFQPJjhVyD0/v-deo.html
wicked much love, very much appreciate your efforts sir!
Much appreciated Manj!
Thank you.
Was already a really important intro for me - about why is so important to use an analyser - thanks was easy to listen for me ( I am German) - one question - I tried AU, VST and VST3 no plug had a side chain - what can I do ?
not true - sorry ... juchuh found it with VST now...
Glad you found the right one!
Good tutorial. Many thanks for creating and sharing 👍👍👍
Many thanks
Thanks, it's really usefull.
Glad it was helpful!
Nice stuff
great video but our ref groups don't appear at the bottom! What kind of version are you using!?
How did you change the color and ect
Hey hey. I'm using the most recent version of the VST2 plugin. Did you follow the exact same process I did to edit the Group names in the Routing area? Make sure you didn't miss a step. If in doubt, update SPAN to the current install from Voxengo's website. It may also behave differently in different DAWs.
For the color, I explicitly showed this in the video. Make sure you don't skip around and that you watch carefully. It's easy to miss something. Let me know how it goes. Cheers!
We are new to all this but finally saw how to change the view! lol
Holy technology! Still wondering how to get the bottom to appear? we must have missed something!
@@GreatestSportsHighLights Glad you got that working. For the Group Names they've always just shown by default for me and I can find no option to turn them off. So I'm not sure why they wouldn't be showing for you I'm afraid. You could always contact Voxengo.
@@GreatestSportsHighLights Please see top right corner the 3 lines bar. Press that and select 'Show Groups Bar" to make them appear manually. Note also if you aren't using the latest Ableton version, older versions don't show the 'Sidechain option' shown when using Vst2.
You need to enable the Groups Bar too in Voxengo Span. You can do it by ticking the "Show Groups Bar" in the "Information and Settings menu, that appears when you press little square in top right corner of Voxengo Span VST window (the one with three horizontal lines).
Span Plus can easy routing this with export / import , no need such a complications and monoing the tracks and so on...
Indeed it can. But it's also a paid plugin. Most people I know use the freeware version and for whatever reason it's much more complex to set up.
Superb! Many thanks.
Our pleasure!
Woww ❤sooper thanks 👍👍👍👍
You're welcome.
Maybe a silly question but: does not the fact that you put the references in mono make the tonal balance of them change??
pd: i have checked and it hardly changes, but my brain says it has to (isn't the button mono of ableton summing the L + R channels in a way?). Why is that the way it is?
Hey hey. Because the side channel is substantially quieter than the mid channel it doesn’t usually change the overall spectral balance in my experience.
The mono sum is (L+R)/2. Isolating the mid channel is L+R and the side channel is L-R.
Thank you very, very much.
I am still looking for a GOOD tutorial about the NASA astrophysics level on how to set Voxengo SPAN as a multitrack analysis tool on Reaper.
This should be very, very easy. It it's rocket science to me...
Your explanation seems to be really good, but when you start spelling C, E, E, and D, and talking about your DAW connections, my nightmare gets back...
Glad this was helpful to a degree. Consider that you’re using a piece of freeware here and that comes with its limitations. Perhaps it’s time to consider a paid plug-in for multi channel work and to choose a company that allows you to access support to help out connecting it. I use paid tools every time I need to use more than 2 channels.
amazing tutorial! could you do a video on the uad neve 88rs and how you‘d mix with it?
I don't use the UAD platform. Sorry.
Thanks, very well explained. Your cap seems to be on backwards though.
Thank you so much for this. Where can we get the VST2 version? I only see the VST and VST3 versions on the Voxengo website. I'm on a Mac, btw.
Hey Andrea. The one listed by Voxengo as "VST" is actually VST2. When you install their main OSX installer, you'll see it appear under your VST folder in Live. It's just referred to as VST.
Hello, another great tutorial. However in the setup of Span I only get input routing A(L) and B(R). How can I show IN3, IN4 etc?
Make sure you're using the same version as me, and not the AU or VST3 version.
I'm just getting into production (uplifting trance stuff). Haven't got the hang of EQing yet. Will using SPAN help me know where to cut frequencies on kicks, bass, pads, leads etc? Or is this just useful for mastering?
I use it mainly for looking at the stereo spectrum of a master. Not on individual tracks as much.
Most EQs have a built in spectrum that you can use to help guide EQ decisions.
What is the controller to your left with the red and gray encoders? Thanks.
It's a DJ Tech Tools MIDI Fighter controller with custom knob caps :). Highly recommended.
Hola en la ultima versión de live no sale el enrutamiento aunque lo instale en vst2
How easy would this be to use for a beginner. I am still trying to understand EQ. I have not gotten to Mastering yet.
Hey Paula. Nice to see you around the channel. As you're producing, using SPAN will definitely help you to understand how your music's spectrum is comparing to that of other songs you like. A useful tool.
You're awesome! Thank u
You're welcome!
@Warp Academy SPAN is giving a false reading - if you play a duplicated sample (i.e., use the sample as both your reference and as the master) the graphs are not identical (but they SHOULD be). I have checked I have all settings correct, but I get a slightly different graph. I have even observed this when both are playing in Mono...
- Could anyone please check and confirm they are getting this too?
(Settings for both Ref & Master)
Type: AVG
Block Size: 8192
Smoothing: 1/3rd Oct
I have duplicated a track and have assigned one to the Side Chain.
Both are Mono.
Their graphs SHOULD be identical - but they are slightly different. This would effectively mean you are not getting a true reading when referencing against a particular track (!)
My settings and routing menu in span looks nothing like yours and I have just downloaded the latest version I am also using the Vst 2 version, even the Vst 3 version I have does not have the same menu and routing drop downs??? so frustrating.
What OS are you on? Windows? If so, I'm on OSX and they may look different.
@@warpacademy Win 10 64bit high spec, if there are different vst plugin settings between OSX and win 10 then win 10 users will not be able to follow your tutorial good as it is.
@@warpacademy Dan Worrall published this technique over 2 years ago using a similar work flow and it worked very well if you could manage to replicate his settings which are similar to ones in the version I have. Perhaps have a look, and compare.
One mix's high end content is another mix's brittle, stabby nightmare. Yet the analyzer can appear quite similar.
Fair point, which is why it's only one of many tools in your toolbox. All tools have their limitations, including your own senses. This is meant to supplement, not replace.
I have wanted to be able to do this for 5 years
It sure makes things easier when mixing.
Do you think using SPAN is more accurate than using Izotope Tonal Balance Control?
Hey Morten. I prefer it, yes. I find the iZotope implementation of the interface for Match EQ and Tonal Balance to be difficult to analyze. SPAN is very configurable and the ability to hover your mouse over an area and see the frequency and level is very useful. SPAN's resizable interface is also ace. Cheers!
Thanks!
No problem!
So it's only works in Live10? Because the arrow doesn't open up internal routing in Live9
Yes, as I said in the video, the audio sidechain for plugins is a feature exclusive to Live 10.
@@warpacademy oh I must have missed that Thanks!
@@khelmeri
Not necessarily. You might create a blank audio track with permanently active monitoring just for span and route the other tracks from the master to the track on Track In input and 3/4-SPAN. And you could even go so far to use return tracks routing to visualize any two tracks via sends. No Live 10 or VST2 needed here.
Edit: Just make sure the span track is muted. And if you wanna hear the individual tracks within the send/return method, put these return tracks to pre fader in the master section and use the track faders or the crossfader to mute them.
How to sidechain in studio one?
That's a platform we don't yet use, so I'd suggest you contact their support.
Thanks
No problem
Great video. Anyone from Pro Tools here? For me, it does not work as it should :( I set up two instances on Ref track and Master as in video and nothing.
How comes I only have 2 input in voxengo span PLUS ?
I have no idea what version of the plugin you're using, what environment you're on, or whether you're using VST, VST2, or AU. So please contact Voxengo for help. Cheers.
NICE
Thanks
Thank u!
Awesome ;-))
Haha yup that’s me. I live next to a rail way line 😩
Eeek. At least you can see the effect of low frequencies in your audio now.
so can't do this in Logic Pro then....
Unfortunately no.
@@warpacademy looks like I will get some tracing paper and just draw the screen and ref it that way lol
Ha!
I was going to write a comment explaining all the flaws with this technique and how it’s mostly useless in most cases, but your additional words in the end covered most of what I was going to say. However I do believe that averaging a spectrum rarely yield actual meaningful data to compare. Here is an example: With the technique you demonstrated you could get the exact same spectrum by A: playing white noise at a given volume for a given time and B: the white noise spectrum split in two parts, played each for half the given time at twice the volume. In this example you would be able to recognize the error pretty easily but more subtle error would probably be almost unidentifiable. (Think about really slow filter modulations for example) You get the idea. My point is that I don’t believe that an averaged spectrum is a meaningful metric for reference tracks.
Hey hey. Always happy to hear feedback and debate the finer points. So, this technique is mainly about applying the routings, and then how to use overlaid spectrums to compare masters. How you set the spectrum response to get the information you need is up to you. You can easily just tweak the spectrum to RT Average and apply some temporal smoothing with the averaging time parameter. Both are useful, however, the latter technique has already been covered in the 2 tutorials that I referenced and linked to. At no point did I say that you should only use an averaged spectrum.
Like being tired of hearing my song over and over. Oh my
Yep, that's a thing that happens when mixing and mastering.
what ta tops
dude this tutorial doesn't work and the program isn't free
You must be using the wrong version. SPAN has a paid version and a freeware version. Also, I've said this only works with the VST version. Not the AU or VST3. Make sure you follow my instructions. This does work and thousands of other users are doing it (look at the comments).
too much talking man, I thought you were going to go to the point with SPAN
I put chapter markers in so just skip to what you want. There are lots of beginners out there who need to understand the context. If that's not you, just skip to the bit that interests you.
I needed the step by step, thorough explanation.
Use your ears not your eyes.
This is advice I hear all the time and honestly, it's so misguided. It's propagated by people who seem to have no idea about acoustics. Your room and your speakers influence the sound you hear heavily. It's not uncommon to have 20-30 dB peaks and nulls due to the influence of room modes or stacked room modes. Then you also have modal ringing - room resonances - where some frequencies decay at a much longer rate.
Most rooms that people are mixing in have significant issues, especially in the low end. If you "mix with your ears" you'll often be chasing ghosts and making substantial errors correcting for acoustical issues with your ROOM not your SONG. Mixing with visual aids like this helps you to ensure your mixing is on point and it's an essential part of the process.
I'm a professional working in a highly treated and acoustically optimal control room with full range Neumann KH420 monitoring, and I use SPAN and other visual aids all the time. They're essential. They're even more essential when you're in an acoustically non-ideal environment.
Additionally, you cannot mix only by ear when you're a beginner or even intermediate mixer because of psychoacoustics. For example, if you're mixing too loudly or too quietly, you will also make errors because our psychoacoustic perception of balanced sound is SPL-influenced heavily. The human ear is not flat and linear and this phenomenon is highly frequency dependent.