Finalizing the FX Set Up (Making Dub With Computers Chapter 26)

MAKING DUB WITH COMPUTERS CHAPTER 26: FINALIZING THE FX SET UP
STUDIO DUBROOM TUTORIAL

WWW, September 11 2014 - The previous chapter gave us a little feeling about the Dub we're going to make later. We've set up a simple but effective Dub delay and this chapter we will add more effects. Before we will, though, let me separate between two kinds of effects and briefly explain their function in a studio where the purpose is to make DUB.

Let me exaggerate a little bit, just to make a point. Let's say that until DUB was first created (or perhaps even discovered by accident), effects like delay and reverb had the function to enhance the sound of instruments and singers. Still, in much form of musical recordings this is the way effects are used. With the introduction of DUB, the effects became instruments just as much as the engineer became a musician if you will.

I know, there's all kinds of "buts" and thing when it comes to the actual historical unicity of DUB when it comes to the transformation of effects from enhancements to instruments if you will, but for this tutorial it's more than perfect and the reason for that is, that you actually want effects that enhance the instruments while you want to keep playing with other effects. 

In our case, we will use a reverb which we'll apply just a little bit on every channel where we'll use the reverb we already created as a Dub reverb. We will also add just one more effect, preferably some sort of simulation of the Roland Space Echo. An echo device that in itself lets you do all kinds of weird things. When you do not use Reason 3.04 or up, you could use some kind of VST effect or something like that. It doesn't really matter, after all it is your inspiration and choice of effects that will make your sound. This is merely a guideline. 

We'll put the Space Echo on Aux 3 and the Reverb we'll use you enhance the sound of the instruments at aux 4. Make sure (if possible), you select aux 4 to Pre rather than Post. When you do so, opening aux 4 will give signal to the Reverb device even when the channel's volume slider is put all the way down. When you select "post", the volume of the aux out will correspond with the volume on the channel volume slider.

We'll also add two phasers. Or three, if you like. Since we made sub mixes, it should be possible to send an aux out from that sub mix to an effect device and route it back to the submix. We'll add a phaser to the horns and the skanks submixes. This will give us a phased skanks and horns rather than dry ones. It's just a little bit nice. Of course, you could add another effect like a filter or flanger, chorus, what have you. 

Take a look at the following video, where you can see everything in action. It sounds more complicated than it actually is, once you discover the logicalities behind everything. Remember, what we're doing is making it as easy as possible for ourselves so that when we're Dubbing we don't have to worry about anything else.

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