Not only have the minds at Sound Particles just released a new music-specific version of their Air audio plugin, but also they’ve made it free to use. See and hear it for yourself in our exclusive first look video.
Mix Dimensions
Good engineers instinctively know when a mix sounds right, or when things need work, although what actually brings desirability can be harder to pin down. Aiming for a good (albeit subjective) musical balance is a given, however once this is achieved, other things come into play. For a mix to engage the listener, the other qualities of width, perspective, and spatiality should be present as well, with different genres placing varying importance on each.
Making Air
For those working with mics to capture their own sounds, perhaps the most obvious way to get a sense of perspective is to work closer or further from the source as appropriate. In the right acoustic, this simple technique captures several elements such as varying ambience and width (when working in stereo) which give their listener the cues they need when naturalism is the aim. Alongside these elements, a third element is also at play, and that is the air itself.
Faking Air
Over distance, air absorbs high frequencies (HF) more effectively than it does low frequencies, and as a result distant sounds can sound duller and quieter as a result. For example thunder, which at distance is a rumble, when experienced close at hand is more a a bang, or even a crack. So, not only are closer sounds louder, but also they are brighter, retaining more of their HF information.
In a mix with close-captured sounds, the engineer can use this to their advantage. A simple low pass filter to simulate this gentle rolloff can be a great way to accentuate depth by nudging drums, for example, back in the soundstage to let HF detail in the vocal bring the singer forwards. Combined with artificial reverb, there is much control over width, depth, and spatiality.
Sound Particles Air | Music Edition
Landing back in 2020, the Air audio plugin from Sound Particles seeks to give engineers a dedicated tool simulate the effects through the air of distance. Primarily aimed at those working to picture, it is perfect for placing sound effects where stuck-on sounding elements are not an option.
Today sees the launch of Air | Music Edition, which forgoes its big sister’s Temperature, Humidity, Location dropdown, and Dry/Wet controls, giving music mixers a large Distance control, as well as distance attenuation. This governs the amount of level drop with Distance. Air | Music Edition offers superior control over apparent distance compared to simple LPF filters. By linking the corner frequency and shape accurately with a real distance scale, the damping effect is totally authentic.
In the video we use Air Music Edition to place drums further back in the mix to demonstrate how using a simple low pass filter is only half the story.
Sound Particles On Air | Music Edition
This is a free version of one of our plugins, Air, which was mostly used in the world of post-production. However, in the past year and as we dove more into the world of music with our newest plugins, and after hearing some feedback on how the plugin worked amazing in music, we decided it could be a cool idea to modernize the plugin's look and make it easier and quicker to use to our users in the music world.
Air | Music Edition offers a breath of fresh air into your music, and it's incredibly easy to use. Add Depth to your Mix with one button Air | Music Edition removes the sterile feel of a typical studio setting (where vocals often get close mic-ed) by simulating air absorption, making your music sound natural, organic and clear, and by simulating the psycho-acoustic effect of air between the listener and the real-life music performance. Experiment with placing drums a few feet away from the guitars, or the vocals a few feet forward from the keyboard.
To explore Sound Particles’ full range of sound design tools, and to get your copy of Air | Music Edition, hit the button below…