In this free extract from Vance Powell’s new Start To Finish Series in which he records Sweet Beast’s Illiterate Light from pureMix, Vance demonstrates how quickly the Little Labs IBP can be used to correct the timing difference between a mic and a DI bass track.

Instead of measuring the offset between the waveforms using his DAW and nudging one track relative to the other Vance uses just the Delay control in combination with the polarity invert button to quickly find the “null” - the point at which the two sounds cancel the most and by switching out the polarity invert achieving the opposite effect - maximum summing. Quick and effective.

If you want to find out more about the Little Labs IBP and how an All-Pass Filter can be used to rotate the phase of a signal and fine-tune the frequencies at which maximum summing occurs check out this article from Production Expert Fix Phase Issues Between Mics With The Universal Audio IBP and the videos below which demonstrate the effect of an All-Pass Filter, like the one found in the Little Labs IBP. Once you understand what that does, the effect of the unique Pi from Sound Radix becomes easier to understand, it is a dynamic phase rotator, an all-pass filter, which analyses the phase relationship between different audio tracks and adjusts itself to maximise the summing between those source tracks, something which can improve the relationship between unrelated tracks. For related tracks like a DI and a mic on the same bass guitar, the relationship is static so a fixed delay or phase rotation is all that is necessary.

Start to Finish: Vance Powell

In this Start To Finish series featuring world-renowned producer and engineer, Vance Powell, and the high energy rock duo, Illiterate Light, head into the amazing Sputnik Sound in Nashville, Tennessee to record the song "Sweet Beast".

Starting with the raw demo recorded by the band, Vance and vocalist/guitarist Jeff Gorman and drummer/back-up vocalist Jake Cochran dissect the song to create a powerful arrangement full of twists and turns to that set the stage for a wild ride.

Once the song is record ready, Vance gets the band set up with his unique set of tools that create the high energy sound he has become known for. You'll see the raw tracking process, overdubs, mixing, and finally, travel across town with Vance to Infrasonic Mastering to put the final touch on the track with mastering engineer, Pete Lyman.

This is your chance to head into the studio and watch as Vance Powell works with an artist all the way from the song's structure, to the final master.

How Do I Watch Start To Finish: Vance Powell

This video tutorial is available to Pro PureMix members and can be accessed by signing up to a PureMix subscription for as little as $25 a month.

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