- #Steinberg wavelab 6 demo full#
- #Steinberg wavelab 6 demo software#
- #Steinberg wavelab 6 demo Pc#
- #Steinberg wavelab 6 demo professional#
#Steinberg wavelab 6 demo software#
We all have them, and no matter how much equipment we own there's always one more bit of hardware or software out there that is guaranteed to give our demos that extra something, or, for the professional, a 'must have' bit of kit that's sure to get us more work. I've noticed that quite a lot of demos arrive at SOS Towers accompanied by a letter that tentatively mentions the limitations in the equipment used to produce the CD.
The end of the first track builds to a nice crescendo with two repeated backing vocals working in clever question and answer fashion the main vocal in the choruses is layered with a falsetto vocal an octave above a backwards effect runs into a harmony vocal section in the middle eight - what more do you need? Not only is the lead vocal sultry enough for a modern glum pop single by a guitar-led band, but the use of backing vocals is terrific. There are lots of positive points to this demo and it does a good job of illustrating Sean's skills as a songwriter and performer. It's a classic production ploy, but nevertheless well executed in this case. I also liked the use of reversed guitar to drive the arrangement along, appearing before choruses to give a feeling of rushing into the next section of the arrangement. In fact, this total separation of the guitars on the left and right stereo channels contributes to the non-homogenous sound of these mixes.
For the benefit of anyone checking out the audio clips of Sean's demo (see sidebar, right), try turning off the left side of stereo where the main chordal work is happening and listening to the right where most of the countermelodies occur. In particular, the use of countermelody throughout, mostly in the form of overdubbed electric guitar treated with effects, is excellent. There are many pleasing instrumental parts which are not immediately obvious on first listening. Examining the arrangement more carefully, it's easy to see why. However, as it stands, this demo still sounds very good. The Pod has a variable output which can be turned down enough to suit the operating level of a microphone preamp. In Sean's case, it might be worth running the output of the Pod through the Joemeek MC3Q. The tactics I employ to address the problem involve using valve outboard and analogue equalisation to add warmth, but these, I admit, are something of a luxury and not available to everyone. As the owner of a Line 6 Pod who also records to a computer-based digital audio system, I can vouch for the fact that it can be difficult to make the guitar sounds from the Pod sit in the mix. A keyboard part or a guitar sound with more bass could fill the hole and restore the warmth that's missing from the mix.
#Steinberg wavelab 6 demo full#
There is also a noticeable gap between the full sound of the bass and the lower frequencies of the six-string guitar.
#Steinberg wavelab 6 demo professional#
On the first song, the main casualty is the vocal which ends up sounding a little sibilant but, to be honest, no worse than some professional albums I've heard in the last couple of years. Certainly there are some technical problems - the mix on these tracks is overly bright as a result of excessive equalisation in the upper-mid and high-frequency areas. Sean Boothe claims that he is more of a musician than an engineer, but with this three-track CD he demonstrates that having a good ear is the sure-fire route to producing a good demo.
#Steinberg wavelab 6 demo Pc#
Equipment: PC running Steinberg Cubase VST v5.1, Joemeek MC3Q microphone preamp, Line 6 Pod, Rode NT1 mic, Behringer MX2642 mixer, Yamaha NS10M monitors.