Metric-halo Production Bundle User Manual

Production Bundle Users Guide1017.1. Swept Knob ...

Operation100The traces are:• White: Instantaneous display• Yellow: Average displayThe instantaneous trace updates in real-time, allowing you to see th

10121. ProcessingA Detailed DescriptionIn this chapter we'll discuss how the controls work.InputListen To:OutputSpectraFooCompressorFilterDeEssed

Processing102Figure 21.3: Compressor ControlsThreshold ControlThe “Thresh” knob controls the level at which the de-esser begins to process audio. When

Part VIII. TransientControl

104Table of Contents22. Introduction ...

10522. IntroductionTransientControl is a plug-in for digital audio workstations which provides a unique dynamic shaping tool.Figure 22.1: TransientCon

10623. OperationThe TransientControl user interface uses a few different control elements to control its processing. These ele-ments are:Control KnobF

Operation107This button switches TransientControl's user interface mode. There are three modes available:Figure 23.4: Basic: Provides the Minimum

Operation108Tooltip ControlFigure 23.7: Tooltip ControlThis button toggles the tooltip display. When enabled, tooltips wil be shown when the mouse hov

10924. ProcessingA Detailed DescriptionIn this chapter we discuss what each processing block does and how the controls work.OutputGainSustainDetectorO

11List of Tables25.1. Pro Tools Key Commands ... 114

Processing110The Fast Release and Slow Release controls define the thresholds that the audio must be within to be considered“sustain”, while the Attac

Part IX. Working with Hosts

112Table of Contents25. Pro Tools (Mac/Win) ...

11325. Pro Tools (Mac/Win)Your Pro Tools software provides a standard interface for controlling various aspects of AAX plug-ins. Whileyou should refer

Pro Tools (Mac/Win)114Figure 25.3: Automation Window, Showing Character's ParametersThis dialog box allows you to enable any or all of the proces

11526. AU Hosts (Mac)The Production Bundle is compatible with any Core Audio compatible host. Support for features like sidechainsdiffer between hosts

Part X. Appendices

117Table of ContentsA. Key Commands ...

118A. Key CommandsThere are several key commands used as modifiers combined with mouse actions:TableA.1.Tooltip ControlCommand Mac Key Sequence Wind

119B. Service and SupportMetric Halo takes great pride in the reputation for customer service and support that we have built. If you haveany problems,

Part I. Installation

120C. ChangelogPlease note that this changelog incorporates changes for all plug-ins across all supported formats.1.0.5:• Fix alignment issue with som

Changelog121• Soft Interpolation of band Bypass in ChannelStrip EQ• Fix slight transparency on some controls• Fixed problem with tool-tip tracking• Fi

Changelog122• Signed installer for Mountain Lion compatibility1.0: Initial release for Macintosh AAX

13Table of Contents1. System Requirements ...

141. System Requirements• Pro Tools™ (Macintosh): Pro Tools 10 or higher running on a Macintosh computer. This software sup-ports Native and AAX DSP o

152. InstallationMacintoshPlease note – The following graphics show installation on an OS 10.7 system; the process may be slightlydifferent in other v

Installation16Figure 2.3: License AgreementAfter you have read it, click “Continue”…• Next click “Agree” to accept the License Agreement:Figure 2.4: A

Installation17Figure 2.5: Selecting the Installation DiskWe recommend installing for all users unless you have a specific reason not to. Select the dr

Installation18• Plug-ins – (drivename)/Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins/MH Production Bundle• Presets – (drivename)/Library/Application

Installation19WindowsThere are two versions of each Windows installer:• Installers that end in .msi are intended for 32 bit versions of Windows, and i

Production Bundle Users GuideMetric HaloRevision: v1.0.5Publication date Mon Jun 24 12:11:12 EDT 2013Copyright © 2013 Metric Halo. MH Production Bundl

Installation20Figure 2.11: Permission to Write FilesClick “Yes” to begin the installation.• Once the files have been written you will see the completi

213. IntroductionThe Metric Halo Production Bundle is a collection of seven great sounding plug-ins:• Character• ChannelStrip 3• Haloverb• Multiband D

Part II. Character

23Table of Contents4. Introduction ...

244. IntroductionCharacter is a modeling plug-in for digital audio workstations. We measured a number of our customers'favorite analog signal pr

255. OperationThe Character user interface uses a few different control elements to control its processing. These elements are:Character Model MenuFig

Operation26For the main output stage of Character we have provided meters driven with SpectraFoo metering technology.These meters show, in addition to

276. ProcessingA Detailed DescriptionIn this chapter we discuss what each parameter does and how the controls work. While Character has a fixednumber

Processing28• California Tube Line: American designed tube line input.• Modern Tube DI: Mastering quality tube DI.• Modern Tube EQ: Mastering quality

Part III. ChannelStrip 3

3Table of ContentsI. Installation ...

30Table of Contents7. Introduction ...

ChannelStrip 331Sidechain Routing Button ... 49Sidechain

327. IntroductionChannelStrip is a plug-in for digital audio workstations which provides the essential basic channel processingfound in the channel st

Introduction33Figure 7.1: ChannelStrip's User Interface

348. OperationAs with most channel strips, ChannelStrip provides many copies of controls that are all operated in a similarmanner. The ChannelStrip us

Operation35You can change the value of each knob in a number of different ways. Click and drag the knob to change thevalue continuously. Dragging up o

Operation36Filter TypeEach filter band in the strip (6 EQ bands and 2 Side-chain bands) has a filter type control that allows you tochoose the shape o

Operation37Each sidechain routing switch allows you to control the signal sent to the sidechain input of its associated gateor compressor. By default,

Operation38ChannelStrip also uses a number of standard visual representations to give you feedback about what is hap-pening within the processor. Thes

Operation39For the main output stage of ChannelStrip we have provided meters driven with SpectraFoo™ metering tech-nology. These meters show, in addit

Production Bundle Users Guide4Sidechain Routing Button ... 44Sid

Operation40associated band. Mac ⌘ (Command)–click, Windows Control-click or double-click the dot to toggle the bandenable. Mac ⌥ (Option)–click or Win

Operation41The spectragraph analyses the signal post-filter, allowing you to see the effect of your EQ filter(s); the EQ'sspectragraph is also af

429. ProcessingA Detailed DescriptionIn this chapter we'll discuss what each processing block does and how the controls work.Figure 9.1: Signal F

Processing43faded between the uninverted and inverted states so the signal level will drop briefly when you flip the stateof the phase invert switch,

Processing44Gate EnableThis button is in the Master Enables section. When this button is off, the gate will not change the signal.Threshold ControlThe

Processing45Filter Band Boost/Cut ControlUse this knob (labeled “dB” in the illustration) to adjust the gain of the filter band for the peaking, high

Processing46important part of ChannelStrip because it allows you to test different processing scenarios quickly and easily.It also allows you to compa

Processing47When the Knee control is set to 0, the transfer function of the compressor is a classic “hard-knee” in whichthe compressor applies no gain

Processing48Manual Make-Up GainThe “O Gain” knob allows you to manually adjust the makeup gain applied to the signal after the gain reductionapplied b

Processing49Release ControlThe “Release” knob controls the release time of the compressor. This knob is calibrated in milliseconds andcan range from 5

Production Bundle Users Guide5Damping ...

Processing50(measured in octaves), not the quality factor (or “Q”). If you have been using Q controls, the numbers willbe backwards from what you are

Processing51Figure 9.8: EQ SectionTheory Of OperationThe equalizer in ChannelStrip work just like every other EQ under the sun with the exceptions tha

Processing52Master Enable ButtonThis button is in the Master Enables section. When this button is off, the EQ section will not change the signal.The o

Processing53Filter Band Boost/Cut ControlUse this knob (labeled “dB” in the illustration) to adjust the gain of the filter band for the peaking, high

Processing54The final processing block in ChannelStrip 3 is a limiter. The limiter can be used to ensure that the final outputof ChannelStrip doesn&ap

Part IV. HaloVerb

56Table of Contents10. Introduction ...

5710. IntroductionHaloVerb is a plug-in for digital audio workstations which provides a flexible algorithm-based reverb to adddepth and ambience to yo

5811. OperationThe HaloVerb user interface uses a few different control elements to control all of the processing. These ele-ments are:Control KnobCon

Operation59and dismiss the pop-up. Hit the tab key to confirm the value and display an entry field for the next control. ⇧-tab (Shift + tab) will disp

Production Bundle Users Guide6A Detailed Description ...

Operation60The HaloVerb provides a meter displaying the output level of the plug-in. The top segment of the meter (above0dB) is used as a clip indicat

Operation61Figure 11.10: Energy Time Curve

6212. ProcessingA Detailed DescriptionIn this chapter we'll discuss how the controls work.OutputGainInputOutputWet/DryControlReverbPre-filterFigur

Processing63Figure 12.3: Predelay of 0 msFigure 12.4: Predelay of 45 msRT60The RT60 control sets the overall reverb time in seconds; RT60 is a standar

Processing64Figure 12.7: Damping of 0%Figure 12.8: Damping of 100%DiffusionThe Diffusion control determines how dense the reverb is. A low diffusion s

Processing65Output GainThe Gain control allows you to vary the final output level of HaloVerb by ±20dB

Part V. Multiband Dynamics

67Table of Contents13. Introduction ...

6813. IntroductionMultiband Dynamics is a plug-in for digital audio workstations which provides frequency based dynamicprocessing.Features i

6914. OperationAs with most plug-ins, Multiband Dynamics provides many copies of controls that are all operated in a similarmanner. The Multiband Dyna

Production Bundle Users Guide7B. Service and Support ...

Operation70Toggle ButtonFigure 14.3: Toggle Button (Off)Figure 14.4: Toggle Button (On)Toggle buttons are simple on/off switches. They light up when t

Operation71Tooltip ControlFigure 14.8: Tooltip ControlThis button toggles the tooltip display. When enabled, tooltips wil be shown when the mouse hove

Operation72Output MeterFigure 14.11: Output MeterFor the main output stage of Multiband Dynamics we have provided meters driven with SpectraFoo™ meter

Operation73The dynamic transfer function is a combination of a visual representation of how the plug-in is processing thesignal and an intuitive contr

Operation74The spectragraph analyses the signal post-output gain, allowing you to see the effects of the processors. Todisable the spectragraph entire

7515. ProcessingA Detailed DescriptionIn this chapter we'll discuss what each processing block does and how the controls work.HighCompressorOutpu

Processing76You may also adjust the crossover points in the dynamic transfer function:Figure 15.3: Dynamic Transfer FunctionSimply grab one of the han

Processing77Compressor EnableWhen this button is off, the compressor section will not change the signal.Band Solo ButtonThis button (the speaker icon

Processing78Figure 15.5: Knee Control at 0When you increase the Knee parameter from 0 to 1 the knee of the transfer function gradually softens until t

Processing79attack time to 0. Fast attack times will control the transients of impulsive sounds. Use longer attack times tolet the transients through

8List of Figures2.1. MH Production Bundle.pkg ...

Processing80toward the threshold level, the gain is reduced as determined by the knee control. The limiter knee is soft. Theratio increases as the dif

Part VI. Multiband Expander

82Table of Contents16. Introduction ...

8316. IntroductionMultiband Expander's features include:• Input level control• Three-way crossover• Three independent channels of expansion• Disc

8417. OperationAs with most plug-ins, Multiband Expander provides many copies of controls that are all operated in a similarmanner. The Multiband Exp

Operation85Toggle ButtonFigure 17.3: Toggle Button (Off)Figure 17.4: Toggle Button (On)Toggle buttons are simple on/off switches. They light up when t

Operation86Tooltip ControlFigure 17.8: Tooltip ControlThis button toggles the tooltip display. When enabled, tooltips wil be shown when the mouse hove

Operation87Output MeterFigure 17.11: Output MeterFor the main output stage of Multiband Expander we have provided meters driven with SpectraFoo™ meter

Operation88Dynamic Transfer FunctionFigure 17.12: Dynamic Transfer FunctionThe dynamic transfer function is a combination of a visual representation o

Operation89Figure 17.13: Spectragraph DisplayThe traces are:• White: Left channel instantaneous display• Red: Right channel instantaneous display• Yel

Production Bundle Users Guide99.7. Knee Control at -0.5 ...

Operation90Dynamics KneeFigure 17.14: Dynamics KneeMultiband Expander contains a Dynamics Knee diagram for each compressor processing section. The dia

9118. ProcessingA Detailed DescriptionIn this chapter we'll discuss what each processing block does and how the controls work.HighExpanderOutputI

Processing92Figure 18.3: Dynamic Transfer FunctionSimply grab one of the handles at the bottom of the display and drag to desired frequency. The orang

Processing93Expander EnableWhen this button is off, the expander section will not change the signal.Band Solo ButtonThis button (the speaker icon next

Part VII. Precision DeEsser

95Table of Contents19. Introduction ...

9619. IntroductionThe Precision DeEsser is a plug-in for digital audio workstations which provides a processor to tame excessivesibilance in vocal tra

9720. OperationThe Precision DeEsser user interface uses a few different control elements to control all of the processing.These elements are:Control

Operation98This button selects what part of the audio signal you are monitoring:• DeEssed Signal: The final output of the plug-in after processing• Es

Operation99Ess Band Transfer FunctionFigure 20.7: Ess Band Transfer FunctionThe ess band transfer function is a combination of a visual representation