Finalization: Audio Mastering Template for Ableton Live

 I recently had the pleasure to provide a “Mastering Masterclass” via The Music Production Club. In preparing for it, I decided to craft an audio mastering template using Ableton Live native effects only that is up to the same standards as my own personal “Tasty Mastering” workflow (which has seen continual evolution in use on many professional mastering jobs).

 This rabbit hole (like most projects) ended up consuming more time than initially anticipated, partially due to honing protocols for implementations of fresh features that all PerforModule packs are gradually being updated with (macro variations, xyz control, consistent styling, etc). But it’s done now!

 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 is a self-installing Effects Pack and Template Set for Ableton Live Suite 12.4.1+.

 It includes seven bespoke custom effect racks, each meant for a specific purpose in regards to audio finalization and optimized for the highest-quality fidelity and most tasteful results possible. You’re not meant to use every single effect for every mastering job — but amongst the tools provided are all the capabilities towards such ends that one might ever need.

 𝐕𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐫.         Smooth out top end sharpness.
 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐄𝐐.  Unique multichannel EQ.
 𝐓𝐫𝐢-𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐒𝐩𝐥𝐲𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫.    Next-level effects layering.
 𝐖𝐨𝐨𝐟.         Low cut and boost duties combined.
 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐀𝐮𝐱 𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐇.    Auxiliary density injection.
 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫.       Inflator clone using Ableton’s Saturator.
 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭.      Seamlessly blend MS and LR Limiting.

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Guitaritis Pack Updated for Live 12!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬?
 Guitaritis is a deluxe suite of sophisticated amp racks, designed to make the most of Live’s Amp and Cab devices for electric stringed sounds, plus various effect racks to further modify and bolster them.

 It Includes…
𝟹𝟶 𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚋𝚘 𝙰𝚖𝚙𝚜.
𝟽 𝚂𝚙𝚕𝚢𝚝 𝙰𝚖𝚙𝚜.
𝟹 𝙼𝚒𝚜𝚌. 𝙰𝚖𝚙𝚜.
𝟹𝟶 𝚂𝚝𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚎𝚛 𝙿𝚎𝚍𝚊𝚕𝚜.
𝟷𝟸 𝙼𝚒𝚜𝚌. 𝚁𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚜.
𝟹7 𝙼𝙸𝙳𝙸 𝙲𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜.

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DeathStalker Released!

Finally.
After 2+ years since the conception of the idea thru research and development, the DeathStalker Audio Effect Rack for Ableton Live is finally here!

What is DeathStalker?

Quite simply, DeathStalker is an Audio Effect Rack that makes guitars sound better.

It’s optimized for heavier distorted guitar tones, but can also sound amazing on clean or modulated electric guitars, acoustic stringed instruments, or just about any instrument.


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8/08 Freebie: The Tuned 808 Kicker

Inspired by the on-the-spot pieces crafted by participants of today’s Music Production Club meeting (I was late and didn’t make a piece, but listened to the others and they were awesome), I spontaneously decided to share an upgraded version of the Tuned Sub Kicker from the free Sweetie Pies pack which has been lurking in my library, unreleased publicly, for quite some time — until now — at 8:08:08pm on 8/08 (my time).

Well, here you go!


>>>Download Tuned 808 Kicker for Live 10+<<<

It’s like the Tuned Sub Kicker, but more growly!

Dial it in to add incisive, tuned sub thump to any drum loop. It’s sick! And dope!

It has Bzork knob. What else is there to say?

Enjoy! 😊



Tempo Dynamics

When applying dynamic effects, we are rarely going to need the entire timing ranges available, depending on the tempo, right? The new Tempo Dynamics pack provides go-to racks with minimum and maximum values hard-wired to ranges most potentially useful, given the chosen tempo — avoiding values that are likely too fast or too slow to be helpful.

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Free Loudness Meter VSTs

“WTF are Loudness Units?” you may ask. Well, they are simply a measure of loudness, just like decibels.
One LU actually is equivalent to one dB. However, an important difference is that Loudness Units are “shaped” according to the human ear’s proclivity to hear certain frequencies more easily than others. Effectively, LUs tend to feel more consistent to our brains than dB will when measuring varying frequency content, and therefore LU meters are preferable to use (compared to, say, RMS meters) for assessing the overall loudness of music.

Below are shown six free LU (aka Loudness Unit) meters, listing features of each. The most important value when matching the loudness of songs is IL (Integrated Loudness), which is the average loudness over the entire course of given time (with very quiet material gated out).

These devices are available as VST effect plugins for any capable VST host (such as Ableton Live, for example).

~`~

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Live 11 Updates for PerforModule Packs.

[Almost] all of the PerforModule sale packs (and some of the freebie packs) have been updated for Ableton Live 11 (finally)!

Primarily, this means that racks which had less than eight mapped macros (resulting in some blank controls) have been tidied up to make use of Live 11’s ability to customize the number of macros shown.

Occasional effect racks have also had some macro variations (aka presets) added to them.

Live 11 versions of MasterBuss Cassette Tape and MasterBuss Vinyl Record from the Bussification pack.

The following PerforModule packs have all been updated for Live 11. If you own any of the sale packs, you can download the updated versions from your account at Isotonik Studios, either now or at any later date when you acquire Live 11.

Everyone is welcome to grab the free packs!

~`~

FREE PACKS UPDATED FOR LIVE 11
Emphasizers
ParallAux
Sweetie Pies
Turboencabulation
Utilification

SALE PACKS UPDATED FOR LIVE 11
Advanced Splytterz
Amplitude Operands
Bussification
Dephaultz
Drum Enhancerz
DynaMixing Ultimate
Empathy
Guitaritis
Harmonicality
Note Range Setters
One Knob Wonders
PMX FX
Testful Mastering
Uno Plus

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Ten More Youtube Channels Worth Subscribing To

Aaron Holstein

I met Aaron Holstein (aka VibeSquaD aka Backpact aka the bassist/keyboardist from Zilla) at the 2007 Sonic Bloom festival in Colorado, where my wife Lore and i were supplying coffee and tea backstage for the artists. I remember chatting with them after their awesome set with Sporque (one of my favorite live acts to dance to ever which also had Ooah from the Glitch Mob on beats and Jamie Janover on percussion), wherein i mentioned noticing that a certain bass synth note they kept hitting happened to resonate with the stage, causing this extra delicious rattle. “It was a C sharp!” Aaron told me later backstage. I’ll always remember that.

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