Creative Audio Processing
09 - Processing : software issues

 

 

 

Let's get back to a sentence from chapter 05, concerning studio processing tools : "Out of experience, it turns out that the simplest tools often give the more powerful results." There are numerous complex and powerful digital processing tools on the market. Let's consider a few of them, and see why they can cause many problems.

 

- GRM Tools plug-in suite On the GRM Tools website, there is this quote : Garbage's Billy Bush Talks INA-GRM : "The GRM Tools package is so hardcore, it's unreal, the coolest thing ever" That's perfectly true. GRM Tools plug-ins are *hardcore*, and it's as much a great quality as a great drawback. Using GRM Tools plug-ins can seem very easy, but it's actually very difficult - the difficulty resides in the fact that such extreme plug-ins are easily recognizable. They tend to get *typical*. And there is a major trap when using those plug-ins : they're so spectacular that it's very easy to forget about the original intention. The result is that instead of doing your thing, you end up doing GRM Tools sound design - and that's definitely not good ! Also, it's quite easy to end up doing "GRM Tools pulp", completely losing the sound's original timbre. That's especially true with the more radical GRM plug-ins such as Pitch Accum.

 

- Object oriented graphical interfaces This designates software such as Max MSP, Pure Data or Reaktor. Such software is always very attractive. Extremely powerful, entirely customizable... it's very tempting to spend hours or even days creating your own processing tools. But it's not necessarily a good idea. Why ? - Never forget that the more time you spend making your own tools, the less time you have for actual production. Unless you have a very specific need, are you sure that you can't find a quicker solution ? - Let's say that you spend a lot of time doing a special processing module with Reaktor. This module will naturally rely on Reaktor's audio engine, as will all the modules that you will do on Reaktor, as will all the modules everyone will do on Reaktor. Same audio engine : all those modules will have the same grain. They will be likely to have the same behavior in non linear zones. In short, they're likely to sound "Reaktor". In case of audio instrument design, this wouldn't be so much of a problem. Audio instruments don't rely solely on grain. But in case of processing tools design, that's a problem. And the problem is even more critical when using Max MSP, whose audio engine is not very good. Processing tools designed on Max MSP always have a strong tendency to sound "gray" and "flat", without brilliance or personality.

 

- More generally When using such powerful tools for building processing modules, keep in mind that they are very dangerous. Never forget your original artistic goal, otherwise you'll easily get lost.