If you want a quick round-up of some of the hottest new software releases for use in music and post-production then at Production Expert we've created this summary. We tell you what the brand says and what we think, we also include links to help you find out more.
This week we take a look at:
Sound Credit Software, Plug-in, and Portal from Soundways
What Does Soundways Say About Sound Credit?
Sound Credit is the credits, liner notes, and cover art platform for the modern music industry. Finally, crediting is available to professionals at all levels. Sound Credit provides tools for engineers, producers, managers, labels, and more. In the age of digital distribution, the stories and artwork once included with music have disappeared. Sound Credit is the next generation solution, allowing you to collect and track credits as they happen and publish them easily to the web alongside art and liner notes.
What We Think About Sound Credit?
Finally, there is an affordable front-to-back way to log credits then self-publish them online. DDEX and RIN are proven, vetted standards that have garnered industry support from engineers, artists, labels, to streaming services.
The logging interface is well-organized and improved over the original RIN-M plug-in. You can pay for the PRO version ($49) or get the logging software free (minus some features.) At $99 the portal is a true bargain. For $8.25 a month you can add your credits to a growing database that wends its way down the data stream to the consumer. - Kevin Becka
Pros:
Well organized production-to-consumer system
Simple credit-logging software in plug-in or free-standing format
Plug-in comes in AAX, VST, and AU formats
Affordably priced
Cons:
Process is labor intensive at first but gets easier to use as you save profiles
Portal has limited resources so far
The Verdict
Other services exist, but Sound Credit is the first to provide an affordable way to log, then post credits, album art, and liner notes internet-wide. If you intend to put your name on your work permanently, be it as an artist, musician, producer, composer, manager, or studio owner then Sound Credit should be part of your workflow. How much can you hate money?
Learn more about Sound Credit on their website and read the full review of Sound Credit here.
Learn more about logging credits and documentation.
Pro Tools 2018.7 from Avid
What Does Avid Say About Pro Tools 2018.7?
Forget scrolling through lengthy menus to find the plug-in or bus you need. With tag-like search capabilities integrated into the Inserts, Sends, Inputs, and Outputs menus, you can simply start typing and Pro Tools will instantly display all matching items, enabling you to assign VIs, effects, and busses much faster than before.
Pro Tools now makes it easy to select multiple items in a menu in one fell swoop to boost your workflow speed. Control-click (Mac) or Start-click (Windows) on a track Insert, Send, or I/O mapping slot and select as many items as desired from the context menu. And quickly select multiple view, toolbar, window, and other preferences using checkboxes in pop-over menus.
Don’t want everything to perfectly align to the beat when rearranging a session? You can now have Pro Tools maintain the relative grid position when copying, cutting, and pasting audio and MIDI clips and note selections. Not only does this expedite the editing process, it preserves the perfectly imperfect feel of unquantized music by retaining all correct offsets established in your timeline.
Mixing large-scale audio post or Dolby Atmos productions on a console that uses the Sony P2 9-pin protocol? You can now remotely arm, mute, and solo up to 112 tracks—up from 64—to handle today’s bigger, more complex sessions. Without having to forge workarounds or abandon your trusty old analog console.
What We Think About Pro Tools 2018.7
Although the headline features like being able to search plug-ins, busses etc. will be very useful, as well as being able to turn on and off elements of the Edit and Mix window. The highlights for me are the items that are in the Other Improvements category. First the changes to the Low Latency Monitoring in Pro Tools Standard. Julian has taken a very close look at this in his article Have You Seen The New Low Latency Monitoring Options In Pro Tools 2018.7? Why Hasn't Everyone Noticed How Important It Is? Free Expert Tutorial.
Then with all the discussion about CPU peaks and throttling that we have seen with the release of the new 6-core MacBook Pro Avid have added a useful little feature in the System Usage window. Pro Tools 2018.7 now provides a 3-second peak indicator for visual indication of peak CPU usage, Clip Gain processing, and Native plug-in and mixer processing displays.
Pro Tools 2018.7 now lets you change the Edit Window Scrolling mode during playback and recording. This means you no longer need to stop playback, you can select the desired Edit Window Scrolling mode from the Options menu.
Oh, and don't forget the huge list of bug fixes Avid have been able to include in the 2018.7 release and we understand that Avid have more new features that they are working on that they aim to bring to us very soon. - Mike Thornton
Pros:
Lots of useful little features added as well as the headline features
Low Latency Monitoring improvements a real stand-out
Loads of bug fixes included
Good to have more new features added as last two upgrades were rebranding and bug fixes.
Cons:
Still no support for macOS 10.13.4 and above.
It's a shame that some of the popular requests on the Pro Tools Ideascale haven't been added
Learn More About Pro Tools 2018.7
If this update has passed you by we have a very comprehensive news story Avid Release Pro Tools 2018.7 - You Can Now Search For Plug-ins And Busses In Menus And More - Check It Out Today
We have a complete list of all the bug fixes included in Pro Tools 2018.7 Pro Tools 2018.7 - We Have The Full List Of Bug Fixes For You From Avid - Check It Out Today
We have a detailed look at some new workflows Avid Speed Up Workflows With More Shortcuts - Work Faster Using These New Pro Tools 2018.7 Shortcuts Now
Julian Rodgers has produced a detailed tutorial on the new Low Latency Monitoring features added in Pro Tools 2018.7 Have You Seen The New Low Latency Monitoring Options In Pro Tools 2018.7? Why Hasn't Everyone Noticed How Important It Is? Free Expert Tutorial.
Genelec 8331 SAM & 8341 SAM "The Ones" Studio Monitors & GLM™ 3
What Does Genelec Say About "The Ones" Studio Monitors & GLM™ 3?
For applications calling for extraordinary imaging, extended frequency response, short to medium listening distance or long, fatigue-free working hours, The Ones - 8331, 8341 and 8351 - are in an elite league of their own. All being ultimate point source monitors, they combine a number of unique Genelec innovations with sustainable manufacturing, but without a single compromise on sound. The Ones not only promote faster and more consistent production decision making but also longer listening time than traditional loudspeakers, because unnatural imaging, a main contributor to listener fatigue, is minimized. Dispersion is controlled over an unusually wide frequency range thanks to the large integrated waveguide (DCW™) with the hidden dual woofers and orientation may be either horizontal or vertical. Their looks are striking too, either way, you turn them.
Features
Acoustically Concealed Woofers (ACW™) Technology
Reflex Port Design
Minimum Diffraction Enclosure (MDE™) Technology
Smart Active Monitor (SAM™) Systems
Versatile Mountings
Protection Circuitry
Optimized Amplifiers
Minimum Diffraction Coaxial (MDC™) Driver Technology
Iso-Pod™ Stand
Intelligent Signal Sensing (ISS™) Technology
Directivity Control Waveguide (DCW™) Technology
Active Crossovers
What We Think About "The Ones" Studio Monitors & GLM™ 3
It was really hard to write this review, trying to avoid all the endless cliches you get when reading monitor system reviews - "I heard things I've never heard before", "crystal clear clarity", the list goes on. That's because these monitors deliver all these things, in spades.
GLM 3 turns a brilliant loudspeaker into an utterly incredible monitor system. The monitor level control with delay compensation and all the tweaking abilities are worth it in itself.
Where these monitors absolutely excel is in the imaging. As well as hearing added detail in the sounds I've noticed the enhanced detail in the placement of these sounds in the sonic stage, and stereo mixes take on an almost immersive quality as if I were listening using a discrete surround system. This excellence in imaging doesn't come courtesy of the GLM 3 correction - it's deeply embedded in the base design of the entire "The Ones" series. So if you bypass the correction you don't lose the imaging.
The GLM 3 correction has transformed my opinion of rear ported speaker designs. Now, there is a set of monitors I would trust in a typical post-production installation, hard against a wall or behind a screen. It's because the GLM 3 system only has to worry about acoustic response and not imaging, as well as having deep control of the internals of the monitor, that it does so well, and is so simple to use.
As for "the sound", well, I would recommend that any hardened Genelec-detractors take a listen to these. And not just a short demo with your favourite mixes - get the dealer to let you have them in your studio or home for a couple of weeks.
I love the consistency in sound and imaging between the 8331's and the 8341's, taking mixes between the two systems, each in very different but challenging environments and not getting any nasty surprises. Compatibility wise, mixes I balanced using these monitors translated very well to televisions, Bluetooth docks and mobile devices.
Which brings us neatly to comparing the 8331 and 8341's. Consistency and compatibility aside, these two monitor systems are actually quite different beasts, with the 8341's being more suitable for mid-field than near-field in my opinion. The 8331's are absolutely astounding nearfield and indeed out of the sweet spot. Everyone I've played mixes to on the 8331's has been amazed, be they professional sound engineers or your average consumer. The results from these monitors engage everyone, across the board.
Where the 8341's excel is in their power and dynamic range. Playing "Foreplay / Long Time" from the classic Boston album is like standing in front of their guitar stacks. You feel the power in your chest, you feel your hair move and you feel absolutely everything in the room shake. And you can totally hear what a top-notch mix and master Boston produced, using just a 12-track, in the seventies. Hearing that album on these monitors should be compulsory for all sound engineers. - Alan Sallabank
Pros
Almost disturbingly accurate imaging
8331's ideal for taking on the road
Still sounds great in a challenging environment
Devastatingly simple yet effective correction and control system
Re-writes the Rule Book for rear-ported speaker placement
Cons
Price
I REALLY don't want to give these back...
The Genelec 8331 SAM monitors retail at £1,699 each and the 8341 SAM's retail at £2,149 each. The GLM 3 system Network Adapter and Microphone Kit retails for £232 (all prices excluding taxes) and are available through HHB Source Distribution, Jigsaw24 and RSPE.
Learn More About Genelec 8331 SAM & 8341 SAM "The Ones" Studio Monitors & GLM™ 3
There is much more to say about the Genelec Ones and the GLM 3 and you can read more in our in-depth review with interviews from Genelec R&D Director Aki Makivirta and Genelec Chief Technologist Thomas Lund, as well as an exclusive video where Alan demonstrates how simple yet effective the GLM v3 correction system is to use.
Audionamix IDC Instant Dialogue Cleanup
What Does Audionamix Say About IDC Instant Dialogue Cleanup
Unlike traditional denoisers that learn and remove noise profiles, IDC automatically detects and
separates speech regardless of the surrounding content. IDC therefore excels where other tools
struggle, and addresses complex audio issues including wind, birds or insects, car and plane
interference and troubleshooting distant, roomy recordings. Users can quickly and easily clean
up dialogue from production audio, field recordings, news and sports recordings and more,
making it the perfect tool for audio post professionals, dialogue editors, re-recording mixers and
broadcast engineers.
The feature set includes +/- 24dB independent gain control over separated background and
speech elements, allowing users to remove unwanted background content and preserve
separated speech. The separation strength parameter controls the amount of separated
background to avoid artefacts.
Instant Dialogue Cleanup by use of a single dial
Real Time, Cloudless Speech Separation Technology
Dramatic Cleanup (up to +/-24dB gain control)
Powerful AI Technology
What We Think Of IDC By Audionamix
A common criticism I have come across time and time again online in regards to Audionamix plug-ins is the need for Audionamix products to have an active internet connection in order to work and perform processing. Personally, this didn't bother me but I do fully appreciate how some users found this frustrating, especially for mix engineers who work on the road. Thankfully Audionamix has ditched this in IDC, in fact, this is Audionamix's first real-time cloudless plug-in which is great!
In operation, IDC couldn't be any simpler to use. All the heavy lifting is performed under the machine learning hood which simply separates speech and background components instead of denoising.
IDC replaces Audionamix's previous speech separation software ADX SVC, which we reviewed a few years ago and I really liked. IDC is a more elegant plug-in, it sounds great even under heavy load processing... by that I mean when we're close to overcooking the processing and I must say the artefacts, which are a common product of these types of plug-ins, are surprisingly minimal in IDC. A nice addition in IDC is the reverse of speech enhancement... we can bring the background noise up if we needed less VO and more surrounding sound. - Dan Cooper
Pros:
We no longer need an active internet connection to use Audionamix's speech processing
Results are mind-blowingly good and simple to achieve
This can be used to boost the background sound
Cons:
No trial download or demo available
Learn More About Audionamix IDC
In the coming weeks, we'll be putting IDC to the test across a variety of noisy applications. Keep your eyes on Production Expert for that video. For more information visit the Audionamix website