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StudioPro4.0 Manual - Mixman Site

1. APPENDIX 2 THE FX ALGORITHIMS Appendix 2 The FX Algorithms Auto Pan Speed Speed of auto pan Panning reflects a sound s relative positioning between the left and right speakers in a stereo field Auto panning a sound automates the movements from right to left or vice a versa over time Adjusting the speed parameter will effect how fast the sound travels between the two speakers Band Pass Filter Freq Center frequency of the band pass filter Resonance Amplitude boost around the center frequency Gain Gain of the input to the band pass filter A band pass filter allows only a band of frequencies to pass through Frequencies not included in the band are eliminated A band pass filter creates an effect that is similar to a telephone When you talk normally your voice has low mid and high frequencies When your voice passes over a telephone the person on the other end hears only the mid range of frequencies coming through The telephone acts as a band pass filter only letting pass the midrange frequencies of your voice Adjusting the center frequency changes the center of the band of frequencies that are passed through the filter Increasing the resonance creates a distinctive ringing sound as the center frequency is amplified Since adding resonance can increase the amplitude of your signal a gain control is provided to eliminate unwanted distortion If you hear distortion bring the gain down Delay Time Delay
2. To load a sound into the FX Studio 1 Click the sound in the Remixing Studio to be processed then click the FX Studio button fig 4 2 For instructions with using the FX Studio see page 24 3 For a listing of available FX algorithms and their descriptions see Appendix 2 on page 33 Using the crossfader Crossfaders are a common feature in most of today s DJ mixers For a DJ the primary use of the crossfader is to gradually fade from one record to the next As DJ styles have evolved the function of the crossfader has expanded It is no longer just used for transitioning between songs in fact in the hands of a skilled DJ it can be used to produce a variety of effects In StudioPro the crossfader controls the relative volumes of the sounds on each turntable When the crossfader is in its center position the volumes of all sounds are 100 of their set volumes When the crossfader is all the way to either the left or right side sounds on the turntable closest to the crossfader knob are 100 of their set volumes while sounds on the opposite turntable are all silent regardless of their set volume Remember 100 of a low volume is still a low volume Mixman StudioPro 4 0 19 THE REMIXING STUDIO Crossfader performance data translates to specific volume changes in the Editing Studio When playing back a Mix in the Editing Studio tracks that were locked while the Crossfader was at 0 will be silent To us
3. Blue Light means pitch shift engaged a Unlit X means no track loaded Unlit Circle means track loaded but not being played Mixman StudioPro 4 0 41 APPENDIX 5 CREATING YOUR OWN TRACKS Appendix 5 Creating Your Own Tracks Mixman StudioPro comes with a large set of TRKs tracks in a variety of styles to get you started but for those people wanting to take their music to the next level this appendix explains how to create custom sounds to use in Mixes Mixman Singles Mixman Singles are remixable digital songs Each Mixman Single comes with 16 or more TRK files from a particular song They are available online at www mixman com Mixman Soundiscs Soundiscs are the easiest way to build your Mixman Sound Library Each Soundisc has 175 or more TRK files by a specific artist or in particular style specially produced to work seamlessly with StudioPro They are available at www mixman com and musical instrument shops Convert WAVs into TRKs To convert WAV file loops into proper Mixman TRK files you need to convert them using a program specially designed for that purpose ReCycle 1 7 and Wave Surgeon are currently the third party programs that export to TRK Check www mixman com for availability Save a TRK with FX FX Studio By altering TRKs in the FX Studio sounds that are unrecognizable from their source can be created For example the Beat Twister can rearrange the individual samples alter the
4. LSO ny NA Mixman StudioPro 4 0 PC USER GUIDE Mixman StudioPro 4 0 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents Welcome 0 0 0 1 Chapter 1 Installing Mixman StudioPro 2 System Requirements 0cc cece ee ence o 2 Installation Instructions 0 00 cece eee eee 2 Getting the best performance from your PC 2 Chapter 2 Concepts 000ee 3 Chapter 3 Interface and Workflow 5 Chapter 4 Quickstart 7 Chapter 5 The Control Room 11 Creating a new Mix 0 cece cece e eee eens 11 Opening a saved Mix cece cece eee eens 11 Saving your WOrK 0 ccc cece cece eee neces 12 Archiving your Work 0 0 c cece cence eee 12 Exporting your music various formats 12 Options 208 cocoa ais 14 Auto panning cece cece cnet n eee ena 14 Long Felease roere usa tops eyed tere eee ote 14 Default folders 0 ccc cece eee eee eee 14 Latency Setting ccc cece eee cece eee eens 14 Chapter 6 The Remixing Studio 15 Included Track files trk 2 00 0 cee eee eee eee ee 15 Loading Sounds 0 ccc cece cece E e ees 15 Understanding the auto beat matching settings 16 Recording custom sounds 0 00eeeeeeeee 16 Keyboard controls 0 cece eee eee ene e o 17 Performing a MIX 0 cece cece eee eee eens 17 Trigge
5. Story House mix Fun for kids of all ages Scratch pad VFX Koas remix Satchmo B LAZY eye Reviews Scratch Pad Strange love show Aesthetic a Fanta PA Pretty awesome just wondering what did you use to make that sawtooth wave sound spinmaster Intergalactic Voyage Gold Fingiz posta What a beautiful melody Keep it up chris kerfoot messace soano photo aLeum y memmxzone eMix e 8 Internet Step 1 Make a Mix To upload to Mixman Radio you must first create a Mix in Mixman StudioPro Mixes for Mixman Radio must contain performance data To record a performance click the Record Mix button in the Remixing Studio and perform your mix You may also use the Draw tool in the Editing Studio to draw in performance data Step 2 Export the Mix From the Control Room click the Export Mix button Select Upload to Mixman Radio and click OK Step 3 Creating an Account Type in your email address and choose a password Click Next Note A valid email address is required Your account will not be established without a valid email Authentication will be sent to the provided email address Step 4 Personal Info Fill in the fields with appropriate information Note This info will actually be displayed online Step 5 Mix Info Type your Artist Name Title of your Mix seclect the style of music from the pull down menu and type in any description or comments Click U
6. button To load a sound directly from the FX Studio fig 6 1 Click the Load Sound button 2 Browse and select a sound to process Loading FX presets The architecture of the FX Studio is simple yet powerful Each sound in a Mix may be individually processed with up to five FX algorithms There are 25 FX algorithms and over 100 FX presets from which to choose Processing is handled one sound at a time To control which sound is being processed use the sound selector to choose between the different sounds loaded in the Remixing Studio To load an FX preset 1 Double click on the first Empty FX slot fig 6 2 Double click the desired FX algorithm 3 Double click the desired FX preset 4 Press the Play button to hear the processed sound 5 To keep the changes and load the processed sound back into the Mix press the Load to Mix button 6 Processed sounds in the Remixing Studio may be loaded back into the FX Studio and their settings changed at any time Signal Flow In order to get the most out of the FX Studio it is important to understand the audio signal flow Sounds are processed by the first FX algorithm the one on top the output is then passed to the second FX algorithm and so on FX algorithms connected this way are said to be chained together The parameters of any of the five loaded FX algorithms are changeable at any time The original sounds are never altered or dest
7. THE REMIXING STUDIO a Chapter 6 The Remixing Studio Tracks FX Studio Options Editing Studio Recording Studio Master Volume Copy Delete Cut New Mix an Paste Mix Display W A R P Help Quit fig 4 Stop Play Record Volume Overview fig 4 The Remixing Studio is the live performance part of StudioPro This is where sounds are loaded and music is performed in real time Notice how the computer keyboard takes on instrument like qualities Included Track files trk StudioPro comes with a large library of Tracks to get you started High quality music can be made performed and created right out of the box Take a moment to listen to some of the included sounds The included sounds are sorted into folders according to musical style like House and Hip Hop Within each folder are subfolders sorted according to instrument families like bass and drum loops Finally inside each instrument family folder are the tracks themselves To see how individual sounds are used in a Mix first try opening one of the included Mix templates Pitch Open Save Back Tempo Loading Sounds The two turntable interface is where sounds are loaded Each of the 16 X shaped track indicator lights is a slot into which a sound can be loaded Sounds can either be Mixman Track trk or PC wave wav format The advantage to track files is that their tempo is automatically matched to the tempo of the current Mix as well as providin
8. the new tracks in your Tracks directory Note many of these tracks are not royalty free and only for personal use Mixman Singles are available at www mixman com Using Mixman Soundiscs Although your own wav files can be loaded into StudioPro they lack the same level of interactivity as Mixman Track files To enable users to create music in a variety of styles Mixman has an extensive library of Soundiscs with Tracks in a wide range of musical styles These Tracks have been specially produced just for the Mixman family of music remixing products Since sounds use large amounts of hard disk space it is possible to load sounds directly from Soundiscs Soundiscs can be purchased from the Mixman Website To load a Track from a Soundisc 1 Double click on a track indicator light fig 4 2 In the load track dialog select the letter of your CD ROM drive from the pull down menu 3 Navigate to the various instrument families and preview or load a track Understanding the auto beat matching settings When loading Tracks their tempos are automatically matched to fit the tempo of the current Mix StudioPro automatically matches tempo by changing a Track s pitch or through the use of time stretching algorithms To control how a track is loaded 1 Double click on a sound slot the Load Dialog will appear 2 Click the Track Settings button 3 If Auto Pitch is checked pitch shifting is used to match the tempo
9. amount of actual performance data in a given cell is by changing the zoom level of the edit area When completely zoomed in each cell is 1 128th of a beat in length When completely zoomed out each cell is 128 measures long This cell based editing makes it very easy to clean up performance data and quickly create complex musical structures Using the editing tools The editing tools are the buttons located on the left and right sides of the user interface Each tool performs a different function Some tools have multiple options To select the different options for a tool click the button and hold it down for a moment like a pull down menu To change options just hold the mouse down and select the desired option Select fig 7 Use this tool for selecting performance data to be edited Editing functions operate on whatever cells are currently selected highlighted with a white border Draw Tool fig 7 Allows performance data to be drawn in using a pencil Both orange and green bars may be drawn The difference between orange manual amp green locked Track Bars When creating performance data from scratch using the drawing tools it is important to understand the distinction between orange and green tracks bars Orange track bars represent sounds that are manually triggered in the Remixing Studio When sounds are manually triggered they are heard immediately This Mixman StudioPro 4 0 29 THE EDITING
10. and time stretch parameters work the same as the checkboxes in the load track dialog When either is used the difference between the current tempo of the mix and the new tempo of the processed track is corrected Use Time Adapter to bring a jungle beat into a trip hop mix Random Pitch Pitch Down The range of random pitch shifting above the natural pitch of the sound Pitch Up The range of random pitch shifting below the natural pitch of the sound Random pitch randomizes the pitch of each slice of a Track trk file This randomization is done in real time while the track is playing so the pattern will never repeat Since the pitch shifting occurs in real time slices of sounds with delay or other time based processing will sound slower or faster Reverse Slice Reverses the individual slices of audio Order Reverses the order the playback of slices Align Attacks Aligns the ends of reversed slices to their start times Reverse allows you reverse the individual slices of audio in a TRK file You can also independently reverse the order in which the slices playback This creates the unique option to play the slices in reverse order while leaving the their sound unchanged When a loop is reversed the percussive starts of slices are moved later in time This can make the loop sound like it s lagging in the mix In order to solve this problem turn align attacks on This moves each slice so that the ends are moved in time
11. audio files for Creative Labs Sound Blaster family of sound cards To learn more about SoundFonts visit www soundblaster com When exporting a Mix as a SoundFont sf2 a SoundFont bank is created with each of the sixteen sounds converted into a separate SoundFont instrument Along with the SoundFont bank a companion MIDI file is also generated Exporting as a SoundFont allows the sounds and music created in StudioPro to be used with any Creative Labs SoundFont enabled sound card such as the Sound Blaster Live and AWE 64 Once the SoundFont bank is loaded into the sound card the MIDI file can be used to trigger the sounds from any MIDI sequencer allowing integration into a larger studio setup Exporting as a MPEG3 mp3 MP3 files are near CD quality compressed sound files Their small size makes them an excellent choice for giving high quality previews of your music over the Internet The highest quality MP3 file is 1 10th the size of the same music saved as a WAV file You can use your MP3 exported mix with any MP3 player There are a number of choices for the quality of the MP3 file to export Choose the quality that best suits your needs The choices are e Archiving with CD quality 128 Kpbs 44KHz Stereo e Portable MP3 Player 80 Kpbs 22KHz Stereo e 56 Kbps Internet Streaming 56 Kpbs 44KHz Stereo e 24 Kbps Internet Streaming 24 Kpbs 44KHz Mono Exporting as a Windows Media Audio wma This new format is anoth
12. eae Ctrl Q Activate Onscreen Help System Ctrl H ODEM rd Ctrl 0 New MID ox ion etl weaned y Ctrl N Save Mid ti Ctrl S Copy Selected Cells 0 cece cece ee ees Ctrl C Paste Selected Cells ooooooocooooooo Ctrl V Delete Selected Cells oooo ooooooooo Ctrl X Undo last Edit multiple undos Ctrl Z Mixman StudioPro 4 0 32 APPENDIX 1 KEYBOARD COMMANDS Select All Highlight All Cells Ctrl A Skip Backwards 0 ccc cc cece neces Ctrl J Skip Forwards sucias cate wise wie cda Ctrl L Type Position In Counter 0 cece eee eens 0 FX Studio Preview Sound with FX 00 c cece e eee eens Enter Stop Preview fsck ncebeas soos Wed he dis aaa dhe bh ESC Load Sound with FX to Mix 0e sees Ctrl L Launch Load Dialog 0 20 ee eee ee eee Ctrl 1 Back to Control Room n nunana anaana Backspace Save Track with FX as a New Track File Ctrl S Quit StudioPro veaa cece ees Ctrl Q Activate Onscreen Help System Ctrl H Delete Currently Selected Effect Delete Key Change Currently Selected FX SlotUp Down Arrows Go to the Remixing Studio o oooo o Ctrl M Go to the Recording Studio Ctrl R Go to the Editing Studio ooooooooo Ctrl E Mixman StudioPro 4 0 33
13. musical quality that comes with playing a Mix live that is difficult to duplicate by creating it from scratch using the drawing tools However nobody has robotic timing The quantize feature helps correct any timing in a recorded performance Quantizing works by snapping all performance data to a musical timing grid To quantize performance data 1 Select the desired performance data by clicking or drag selecting it with the mouse Click the quantize button 2 The quantizing value determine the resolution of the grid Mixman StudioPro 4 0 30 THE EDITING STUDIO Controlling volume pitch panning and tempo One of the most powerful features of the Editing Studio is the ability to automate the pitch panning volume and tempo settings over time This can be used to create volume fades pitch ramps and other effects Creating a volume fade fig 7 Volume fades are useful when trying to bring sounds in and out smoothly They can also be applied to all tracks at once to fade in the beginning or fade out the ending of a song To create an volume fade 1 Select the performance data to fade by drag selecting it with the mouse 2 Click the volume icon Type in a starting and ending volume The selected performance data will fade from the starting volume to the ending volume 3 To fade completely in or out click the appropriate Fade In or Fade Out button 4 A constant value for volume may also be set by
14. of incoming tracks to the tempo of the current Mix 3 If Auto Time is checked time stretching is used to match the tempo of incoming Tracks to the tempo of the current Mix 4 To change the time stretch or pitch shift value manually uncheck the appropriate check box and type in a value 5 Interesting effects can also be created by manually setting a value for one parameter and checking the Auto box for the other Track Name Rodes LFO 1 trk Tempo r Preview Song Track fizo gt Pitch and ins Ena Customize Time Shift 0 Ticks half a steps Loop Length 8 Beats Auto Time scale 1 0000 ratio Minimum Spacing 11920 Ticks MV Long Release r Way File Options ja Tempo fi 20 Jo oop lenat Beats Load Track Ja Gompute Tempofrom Beats Je PSprchronized Start ea Recording custom sounds To give your music a personal touch record custom vocal or instrumental sounds Sound recordings made in StudioPro are saved as 44 1 KHz mono wav files Once recorded the wav files may be edited using a wav editor Mixman StudioPro 4 0 THE REMIXING STUDIO Remember large recordings take up lots of space StudioPro puts all of the sounds into RAM if you record a sound that is too long it might not fit in the available RAM To record a new sound 1 Select a sound slot by double clicking the track indicator light 2 Click the Record a Sound button fr
15. overlay that shows which keys trigger which tracks 1 Click the Help button To trigger a sound 1 Click the Play button 2 To hear a sound press its corresponding key When the key is released the sound stops To lock a sound 1 Simultaneously press the sound s triggering key together with either the Spacebar or the key on the number pad 2 Once a sound is locked it no longer needs to have its key depressed and its indicator light turns green 3 Sounds may also be locked by clicking them with the mouse Mixman StudioPro 4 0 8 QUICKSTART Tracks FX Studio Options Editing Studio Recording Studio Master Volume Copy Delete Cut New Mix Paste Mix Display W A R P fig 2 Stop Play Record Volume To unlock a sound 1 Simultaneously press the sound s triggering key together with either the Spacebar or the key on the number pad 2 Sounds may also be unlocked by clicking them with the mouse To solo a sound 1 Simultaneously press the sound s triggering key together with either the Ctrl key or the key on the number pad 2 When the solo key is released the previously locked tracks will return Create a break by pressing the solo key without pressing any other keys To add real time FX W A R P 1 Make sure there is one or more sounds playing manual or locked 2 Select a W A R P preset by clicking on one of the 12 prese
16. roo Ctrl Shift 3 0 style Load dialog Alt Double click track Cross Fader Hard Left 0 0 0 ccc eee eee Cross Fader Hard Right cc cece eee eee Cross Fader Center 0 cece cece nen e ee eens Load Dialog Preview Track 2002 ce cece eee eee eee Spacebar Load Track to Mix ccc ccc cece eee eee Enter Change Active Button 00 0 cece cece eee ees Tab Scroll through Folders or Tracks Up Down Arrow Keys Track Settings Shortcut c cence ee Alt S Editing Studio Back to Control Room o ooooococcoco o Backspace Quantize Selection n an 0 0 cece cece eee Ctrl G Select Tool n n ccc ccc cece een ee ene Ctrl 1 Draw Orange Bar cece cece cece eee es Ctrl 2 Draw Green cece ccc cence cece ene Ctrl 3 Eraser endarrere aaae ea aa Pate ede Ctrl 4 Go to the Remixing Studio o oooo o Ctrl M Go to the FX Studio nnna cece cece eee Ctrl F Set Zoom Ratio 1 1 0 cece eee e eee S Zoom to Entire Mix ccc cece eee eee eens F ZOOM OUt a3 chicane e cae hale ena ceaa oem nays edt A Lo Pit a ee thew D Scroll Left One Cell 0 0 ccc ccc cece eee eee W Scroll Right One Cell 0 cece cece eee ee E Scroll Left Whole Screen 0c c cece e ee eee Q Scroll Right Whole Screen 0c ccc een eee R Quit StudioPro 0 ccc een
17. session So what exactly does it store Mix files store the names and locations of every sound used in a Mix They also store any FX processing settings that have been applied to a sound as well as any real time performance data that has been created Since Mix files are only storing control information and not actual audio data they are much smaller than the audio files they are able to generate For example a Mix file representing a five minute song may only be 100k while the five minute wav file version of the song would be close to 50 Megabytes This is a huge difference The small size of Mix files makes them a great way to archive music since hundreds of Mixes will fit in the disk space taken up by just one minute of digital audio Another great benefit to the small size of Mix files is their ability to enable sharing music with other people over the internet As long as the person at the receiving end has the same set of sounds as the sender the Mix file will play back exactly the same for both users From this tiny file anyone can recreate the audio on their computer by opening the Mix file in StudioPro Mixman users worldwide have already started exchanging Mixes To exchange Mixes with other Mixman users just visit the Mixzone on the Mixman website www mixman com What is a Remix In recent years there has been a significant amount of hype about electronic music remixes and DJ culture Record companies have always re
18. the bass line actually has a different piece of digital audio for each bass note We call these pieces of digital audio slices Embedded in each Track file is also the equivalent of a MIDI file that knows the tempo and exactly how and when to play each slice This enables StudioPro to load Tracks created at different tempos and effortlessly pitch shift and time stretch them to match any tempo The way Track files respond to being triggered by the computer keyboard can also be customized It is possible to hear a triggered slice in its entirety regardless of when the key is released As well the minimum length of time between when a sound is triggered and when the next available slice is heard can be precisely controlled If this is starting to sound complicated don t worry Tracks are designed to do all the work for you It is not required to edit or change settings on a Track file in order to create incredible music in StudioPro nor is it required that users understand how the automatic tempo adjustments beat matching occur These descriptions are mentioned simply to let users know that there is a lot of hidden power under the hood of the StudioPro engine What is a Mix mix One of the things that makes StudioPro different than a traditional electronic music studio setup is the ability to store all of your work in one convenient file The Mix file stores all of the necessary information for a StudioPro
19. which the turntable rotates The faster the rotation the faster the song plays the slower the rotation the slower the song plays This speeding up or down of the song has artifacts it effects the overall pitch of the song Making it faster makes it sound higher Making it slower makes it sound lower StudioPro allows you to seamlessly add beats and other musical sounds to your Mix regardless of their tempo and utilizes powerful algorithms to automatically match the tempos The method of beat matching is also customizable Pitch shifting is still an option but tempo can also be changed using time stretching This auto beat matching happens automatically while loading Tracks into StudioPro The next chapter explains the StudioPro interface and its various components Before jumping in and actually starting to use the program take a moment and get familiarized with the different studios and their unique features Mixman StudioPro 4 0 INTERFACE AND WORKFLOW Chapter 3 Interface Program overview StudioPro blurs the lines between traditional sequencing and sampling products by combining them into one system The different parts ofthe program encompass the most important features found in a conventional electronic music setup For instance a conventional setup might include 1 Sampler for digitally recording and playing back sounds 2 MIDI keyboard to trigger the sounds in the sampler 3 MIDI sequencer to record the MIDI in
20. 0000 Slider Range Minimum Maximum 0 000000 20 000000 Cancel Changing FX slider ranges The range for each FX parameter slider is stored as part of an FX preset If the resolution of the slider is not precise enough or the minimum or maximum value desired is not selectable the slider range needs to be changed To change the range for an FX parameter slider 1 Click the name of the desired FX parameter green text above the slider fig 6 2 Type in the desired minimum and maximum values FX Parameter Setting x Minimum Frequency KHz fo1 00000 p Slider Range Minimum Maximum 0 000000 20 000000 Cancel Creating custom FX presets FX presets may be modified by moving any of the available parameter sliders The current settings for an FX algorithm may be saved as a custom FX preset that may be re loaded at any time Since presets are customizable the number of FX presets is endless To create a custom FX preset 1 Click the Save FX button with one FX algorithm loaded into the FX Studio fig 6 2 If multiple FX algorithms are loaded the setis saved as a multi FX preset mfx Creating multi FX presets Multi FX presets allow a complex multi FX algorithm processing set to be applied to different sounds To create a custom multi FX preset 1 Click the Save FX button with two or more FX algorithms loaded fig 6 2 If only one FX algorithm is loaded a sin
21. 1 Click the Save Mix button 2 Type in a name and click the Save button Save Mix File As 1 21 x Save in J House el Al c E El ia About Time mix Bid JailHouse FX mix bye Capitol P FX mix Reflections FX mix Bid Dirty Needle FX mix pl Reso House mix BY Get Inside FX mix bis Happy House mix BA Illusory mix Fie nome ME Save as type Mix Files mix Cancel Save Options I Copy Sounds to this Directory Archiving your work In the Save Mix dialog there is a checkbox labeled Copy Sounds to this Directory When checked all of the sounds loaded in the Remixing Studio will be saved into one folder This is useful for making backups of your music because you can store a Mix file and its associated sounds all in one convenient location Sounds are saved in their original dry state before undergoing any FX processing This method of saving takes considerably more space than a Mix file alone since copies of all sounds are being created Exporting music to other formats Saving your music as a Mix file is the most flexible option if you want to use your music solely in the StudioPro environment However to use the music made in StudioPro in other ways such as creating your own audio CD or making music for the web you will need to export your finished music in another format StudioPro provides the ability to export your music in a variety of formats
22. Auto Normalize Stop Play Record Overview fig 5 The Recording Studio is designed to enable quick recording of wav files for use in StudioPro Sounds may be recorded from many sources including microphone line input and CD After recording a sound may be edited using the computer s default wav editor Setting the volume controls To make a recording it is important to first check to see that everything is setup properly The proper sound source must be plugged into either the line or microphone input of the sound card and the appropriate input activated Each sound card comes with a volume control program that aids in the setup process Volume Control Loadto Save Back Mix To access the volume control program 1 Click the Volume Controls button fig 5 2 Since the features of each sound card differ for detailed instructions on setting up your particular sound card refer to the sound card s documentation oo To help keep time while making a recording there are two types of metronomes available while recording The tempo of the metronome is the same as the tempo of the current Mix The first is a click that comes through the PC speaker The second blinks the Record button light Mixman StudioPro 4 0 THE RECORDING STUDIO Play Control BBE Options Help Play Control CD Audio Line In Wave DirectSc MIDI Balai Balance Balance Balance Balance Volume Volume Volu
23. Custom Tabs Each My Mixzone page has three areas to display custom text Each will have a Tab Select a Tab name or create a custom one by typing in the Tab name field Write a custom message in the large scrollable Text Area Repeat this procedure for all the Tabs Note If Links is chosen web sites listed will appear as active links online Step 6 Choose a Color Scheme Choose a color scheme for page from the pull down menu Step 7 Mix Info Fill in all requested Mix info These include Artist Title Category and comments Step 8 Uploading the Mix There are two choices for Uploading Uploading a remixable version and uploading a preview Choose one or both and click Upload Uploading a Preview will enable others to listen to your music online Uploading a Remixable version will enable others to remix your music online Note Preview files are RealAudio G2 and remixable files are Beatnik RMF Mixman StudioPro 4 0 APPENDIX 7 MIXMAN RADIO Appendix 7 Mixman Radio Mixman Radio is an Internet based radio that plays music submitted by users of Mixman software from around the world A mixman mixzone Microsoft Internet Explorer _ of x File Edt View Favorites Tools Help Ea A E E Ds x E a Gu 3 B 3 E Back i Stop Refresh Home Search Favores Histoy Mail Prit Discuss Rleal com z Go Links Address http www mixman com Mixman Co cm SE O O AS
24. FX processing to a sound by sending a signal to an FX box and returning the altered signal back to a mixer things may seem a little different here We use more of a sound design approach Instead of running the different FX processes live which takes up considerable CPU power we allow each sound to be processed with up to five unique FX algorithms The sounds are processed out of real time and the result is stored in RAM The original sound is not altered in any way and each of the FX parameters can be modified at any time Mixman StudioPro 4 0 INTERFACE AND WORKFLOW making this a totally non destructive environment The benefit to this system is that it functions like having 80 independent FX processors a featthat would not be possible with even today s fastest computers for Real time FX see W A R P below Performing a Mix Once each sound is sculpted to sonic perfection in the FX Studio it s time to go back to the Remixing Studio This is where live performances are created The computer keyboard takes the place of a traditional MIDI keyboard in this instance Each sound is triggered by a different key on the computer keyboard While playing live the Remixing Studio also provides the functionality of a mixer allowing independent control of the volume and panning of each sound The pitch of each sound may be adjusted up or down two octaves The W A R P feature allows you to apply real time effects over your entire mi
25. STUDIO introduces the possibility of momentarily losing musical synchronization Green track bars represent tracks that are locked in the Remixing studio When tracks are locked the audio slices in the Track file are not always heard immediately but are triggered according to the timing information embedded in the Track As a general rule use orange bars if a sound should play exactly where drawn and green bars when perfect musical synchronization is more important For example use green bars for things like bass and drum loops and use orange bars for one hit sounds like crash cymbals and vocals Eraser Tool fig 7 Use the tool to erase unwanted performance data Cut fig 7 Cuts the performance data from the selected area This leaves a hole where the data that was cut used to be To cut performance data 1 Zoom to a level that reveals the targeted performance data in one cell 2 Select the cell by clicking on it with the mouse 3 Click the Cut button Cut and Ripple fig 7 Cuts the performance data from the selected area and ripples to the left the remianing data This has the effect of sewing together two sections on either side of the cut This is useful when chopping out a section of unwanted data instead of leaving a hole with no performance data the remaining data moves over Copy fig 7 Copies the selected performance data into the copy buffer so that it c
26. The maximum Freq of the selected filter Resonance Amplitude boost around the center or cutoff frequency of the selected filter Gain Gain adjustment to the input to the selected filter Type Selects which filter type to use low pass band pass high pass The envelope follower algorithm uses the sound that is being processed as a way to automate changing the Freq parameter of a selected filter type over time The effect is the same as someone changing the Freq parameter of the selected filter type following the rhythm of the incoming sound First select one of the three available filter types low pass band pass or high pass Instead of setting the cutoff or center frequency for the selected filter type you set a possible minimum and maximum value The algorithm analyzes the sound you are processing and records the volume of the signal over time This analysis produces a map that changes up and down over time like the waveform of an EKG machine The louder the signal the higher the waveform Now for the fun part the Mixman StudioPro 4 0 34 APPENDIX 2 THE FX ALGORITHIMS map that is created be analyzing the incoming sound is used to control the Freq parameter of the selected filter When the signal is at its loudest the Freq parameter will be as high as the Max Freq When the signal is at its softest the Freq parameter of the selected filter will be as low as the Min Freq Filter Sweep Start Freq Starting center cu
27. These formats include PC Wave wav RealAudio rm SoundFont sf2 MPEG 3 mp3 Windows Media Audio wma Beatnik rmf and Mixman Track trk format Exporting your music fig 4 To export a saved Mix file performance data is needed To verify whether or not a Mix contains performance data open it in the Editing Studio If there are any colored track bars displayed then there is performance data present To Export a Mix 1 From the Control Room open the Mix file to export 2 Click the Export Mix button fig 3 3 Select To a file and click OK 4 Select the desired export format from the pull down menu Save in Gy Export Ej wl ex File name JH appy House Save as type wav Files wav y Cancel Way Files wav Misman Expres This file will BR eal udio 1m Windows Media tm Audio wma SoundFont Bank sf2 Track Files trk RMF Files rmf Mixman StudioPro 4 0 13 THE CONTROL ROOM Exporting as a PC wave file wav The industry standard format for audio on a PC is the wav file If you plan to produce custom audio CDs or import the music created in StudioPro into another program it is necessary to first export it as a wav file To export as a wav file a saved Mix with performance data is needed A Mix file without performance data is nothing more than a list of sounds and therefore there is nothing yet to export Make sure you have a
28. a wav file loop the loop s tempo and loop length must be known For best results leave this box unchecked and let the program derive the tempo precisely by calculating it by using the loop length and duration of the loop If a loop has not been edited but its tempo is known it may be entered here by checking the box and entering the tempo value Synchronized Start When checked triggered loops play in sync with the other tracks For example if a loop is triggered on the 3rd beat it will start on the 3rd beat Use this option when loading loops If this box is not checked loops will always start from the beginning no matter when they are triggered regardless of what else is going on with the other tracks Leave this box unchecked when loading one hit type sounds like a crash cymbal Compute Tempo from beats When checked the program will compute the exact tempo of a loop using the loop length parameter and the duration of the wav file Use this option if your wav file has been properly edited as discussed previously If a loop has not been edited properly leave this box unchecked Loop Length If a loop has been properly edited as discussed previously check the box and enter the length of the loop in beats Also for best results check the compute tempo from beats box and leave the tempo box unchecked Mixman StudioPro 4 0 21 Chapter 7 The Recording Studio Metronome CD Player Controls Auto Trim Edit Wav File
29. ain Chordinator has four independent resonators each at a different pitch Any sound that goes through one of the four resonators rings at its set pitch Using four resonators each set to a different pitch you can create chords The amount of the ringing can be controlled by adjusting the feedback The higher the feedback the more ring will be heard Try using on drum loops to add harmony to a beat Comb Filter Freq 1 The center frequency of the first band pass filter Freq 2 The center frequency of the second band pass filter Freq 3 The center frequency of the third band pass filter Width The bandwidth of the band pass filters Resonance Amplitude boost around the center frequencies of each band pass filter Gain Controls the input gain The Comb Filter has three independent band pass filters each set to a different pitch Each band pass filter creates a whistling sound at its set pitch The whistling sound can vary from a noisy ring to one pure tone depending on the width setting Time Adapter Factor Amount of time scaling Pitch Shift Turns the auto pitch correction on Time Stretch Turns the auto time stretch on Time Adapter is designed to bring fast loops into slow mixes and slow loops in fast mixes without changing their feel This is sometimes referred to as half time or double time In order to use this effect properly it s best to load sounds with no pitch shifting or time stretching The pitch shift
30. an be pasted elsewhere To copy performance data 1 Zoom to a level that reveals the targeted performance data in one cell 2 Select the cell by clicking on it with the mouse 3 Click the Copy button Paste fig 7 Pastes the performance data that is currently stored in the copy buffer to the selected area If performance data from only one track is being pasted then it is pasted to the whichever track is currently selected If multiple tracks of performance data are pasted at one time then only the starting location is taken into account If performance data is pasted at a location where other performance data already exists then the new data is written over the previous data To paste performance data 1 Click the cell into which the performance data should be copied 2 Click the Paste button Paste and Ripple fig 7 Pastes the performance data that is currently stored in the copy buffer to the current location and then ripples over later in time remaining performance data This is useful for inserting a section without deleting what is already there Merge fig 7 Functions exactly like paste but performance data pasted on other performance data is merged not overwritten Quantizing fig 7 To get the maximum benefit from StudioPro s real time performance capabilities we recommend recording performances live in the Remixing Studio and then editing them in the Editing Studio There is a
31. any previously saved performance Creating a new Mix fig 3 Open 24 x This function allows you to start a song with a clean slate Lookin cawees Hala ae in ines 7 fl A e ln E Creating a new Mix will erase any previously loaded sounds Demos performance data and FX settings Mixman Singles My Mixes Standard Set To create a new Mix 1 Click the New Mix button If the currently loaded Mix has not already been saved you will be given an opportunity to do so File name F y O Files of type Mix Files mid E Cancel Mixman StudioPro 4 0 12 THE CONTROL ROOM To open a previously saved Mix fig 3 1 Click the Open Mix button If the currently loaded Mix has not already been saved you will be given an opportunity to do so far aaa 7 Mixman Singles L My Mixes I Standard Set mme ay Files of type Mi Files mix Cancel ZA Saving your work One major problem in traditional studio environments is returning the studio back to the state it was in last time you worked on a particular song StudioPro s integrated system has a distinct advantage with its ability to store all the information about a song in one file called a Mix file Mix files store the names and locations of all loaded sounds the FX algorithms and their parameter settings any pitch panning volume and tempo automation and any recorded performance To save the currently loaded Mix fig 3
32. ape to Slow and each slice will go from the Start volume to the End volume creating either a fade in out on each slice depending on the settings Set Shape to Fast and each slice will go from the Start volume to the End volume in half the duration of each slice Set the Shape to UpDn and the volume of each slice will go from the Start volume to the End volume and then back to the Start volume Multi Filter Sweep Start Freq Starting center frequencies of the four band pass filters End Freq Ending center frequencies of the four band pass filters Resonance Amplitude boost around the center frequencies of the filters Spread Different patterns of varying the center frequencies over time Mix The amount of dry versus processed signal Multi Sweep Sweep each slice of audio or over the entire sound file The Multi Filter Sweep algorithm automates the changing of the center frequencies of four band pass filters over time The signal is first split into four parts and each part individually processed with a band pass filter The center frequencies of the band pass filters change over time The exact center frequencies of the band pass filters are calculated based on the spread parameter Mixman StudioPro 4 0 39 APPENDIX 3 TROUBLE SHOOTING Appendix 3 Troubleshooting Mixman website The Mixman website www mixman com is an invaluable resource for troubleshooting In our technical support area there ar
33. be created that would not otherwise have been physically possible to play Understanding Performance Data Most multi track audio editing programs allow audio files to be laid out graphically over time This approach is very precise but in order for it to work well the files must be pre edited just right Pitch Panning Open Save Back Moving an audio file s start time can have an adverse effect on the overall musical synchronization In StudioPro a different approach is utilized Instead of moving audio files around users create or modify performance data What exactly is performance data To understand this concept it is necessary to review the way in which the Remixing Studio functions In the Remixing Studio sounds are loaded into the various slots on the two turntables The physical act of pressing specific keys on the computer keyboard is what actually triggers these sounds In this way the sounds are performed and thus the term performance data A live recording of a performance will often capture complex movements that might otherwise be impossible to devise or take hours to create from scratch These performances reflect when sounds were started and stopped and how they may have been modified in real time The same real time synchronization employed in the Remixing Studio carries over to the Editing Studio Because only Mixman StudioPro 4 0 28 THE EDITING STUDIO performance data when and ho
34. clicking the appropriate button Creating a pitch ramp fig 7 Pitch ramps are especially useful on drum sounds Changing the pitch of a drum sound over time produces interesting effects To create an pitch ramp 1 Select the performance data to pitch ramp by drag selecting it with the mouse 2 Click the pitch button 3 Type in a starting and ending pitch The selected performance data will ramp from the starting pitch to the ending pitch 4 A constant value for pitch may also be set by clicking the appropriate button Panning a sound fig 7 Panning sounds creates a sense of space in a Mix Panning can be used both statically and dynamically Static panning can be used for example to have a tambourine play only out of the left speaker Dynamic panning can be used to have the tambourine automatically pan from the left to right speaker To pan a sound 1 Select the performance data to pan by drag selecting it with the mouse 2 Click the panning button 3 Type in a starting and ending panning value The selected performance data will pan from the starting value to the ending value 4 A constant value for panning may also be set by clicking the appropriate button Using song markers fig 7 Sometimes it is necessary to skip to different sections of a song during the editing process This is particularly useful when Mixes become longer or a Mix has very distinct sections This skipping is achieved usi
35. d commands see Appendix 1 on page 31 SCSI vs IDE disk drives StudioPro is constantly accessing the computer s hard disk while loading files adding FX processing and exporting Mixes Using SCSI disk drives can drastically speed up system performance Mixman StudioPro 4 0 CONCEPTS Chapter 2 Concepts What is a PC wave file wav PC wave files are the industry standard format for storing and playing back digital audio on a PC computer Wave files store audio signals as digital data StudioPro has the ability to both import and export PC wav files What is a Mixman Track file trk One of the challenges in creating truly interactive digital audio performance software is deciding what format of audio to use The industry standard format for playing back CD quality audio is the wav file The problem with wav files is that they contain only one sound Take for example a recording of a bass line It does not contain the individual notes in the bass line but rather the whole bass line is part of one wav file There is no information in a wav file about when the bass notes actually occur or what tempo is implied These are severe limitations and that is why we have created our own file format called a Track file trk Track files are the building blocks of sound in StudioPro Just like a wav file Track files contain digital audio but that is where the similarities end In the bass line example the Track version of
36. ds or to cut up vocals Chopper Sweep Start Size Sets the starting size of the chopped audio chunks End Size Sets the ending size of the chopped audio chunks Envelope Selects the amplitude shape for each chunk Slow Med Fast Silence Adjusts the amount of silence between each chunk of chopped audio Chopper sweep automates changing chopper s chunk size of over time This gives the effect of speeding up or slowing down the rate of the chopping effect Start size and end size set the chunk size for the beginning and end of the sweep Each chunk is part sound and part silence this is what creates the classic on off gated chopping sound The amount of silence in each chunk is controlled by the silence parameter When silence is large the chunks of sound have more silence when silence is small there is more sound then silence The Envelope parameter controls the shape of the chunks When the envelope is at its lowest each chunk fades in and out When the envelope is at its highest each chunk comes in and out with a sharp edge Try using chopper on long sustained sounds like pads Mixman StudioPro 4 0 37 APPENDIX 2 THE FX ALGORITHIMS Chordinator Freq 1 The pitch of the first resonator Freq 2 The pitch of the second resonator Freq 3 The pitch of the third resonator Freq 4 The pitch of the fourth resonator Feedback The amount of signal fed back into the chordinator algorithm Gain Controls the input g
37. e cutoff frequency of the high pass filter The higher the value the less bottom end you will hear Since taking the bass away from a sound can drastically alter its overall loudness there is a gain parameter to help boost the signal Multi Trigger Time Delay time Repeats Total number of triggers Volume Mode The velocity curve for the multiple triggers None Random Ramp Delay Mode Modulation of the delay time Normal Random The multi trigger algorithm is similar to the delay algorithm in that it takes a sound and delays the output The difference is that the multi trigger algorithm creates the delays by actually triggering the slices in a track file more times than is specified in the track file This does not take up any more RAM than the original sound Since this effect actually creates more slices in a track its interaction with other effects can be drastically different than the delay algorithm For an interesting effect place a multi trigger before an auto pan with a speed of 127 in the same sound The time sets the delay time between the multiple triggers The number of repeats is how many total triggers will be heard The volume mode deals with the volumes of the subsequent triggers When set to none the volumes of all additional triggers will be the same as the first When the volume mode is set to random the volumes for additional triggers are randomized When the volume mode is set to ramp additional triggers d
38. e links to the different sound card companies where technical information about a particular sound card may be found There is also a link to Microsoft for getting the latest DirectX information Frequently Asked Questions The frequently asked questions FAQ section of the Mixman website contains a continuously updated list of the most asked questions and answers from our users It is the first place to look when trying to solve a problem or look for an answer Tips and Tricks The tips and tricks section of the Mixman website is the place to go for using some of StudioPro s hidden features and as well as learning more about audio in general Chat board The Mixman online discussion group may be found by visiting www mixman com and going to the Mixzone Mixman StudioPro 4 0 APPENDIX 4 TRACK INDICATOR LEGEND Appendix 4 Track Indicator Legend When creating or playing a mix a track can be in any of a number of states The Track Indicator shape or color will change depending on which state you are in This way you can tell visually what is happening with a track Stop Mode Muni Unlit X means track is empty ieri Unlit Circle means track is loaded e eee Red X means track is empty and selected SAS Green Circle means track is loaded and enabled Play Mode Yellow Light means playing manually from keyboard O EEEE Green Light means track is loaded ee Red Light means break mode engaged
39. e the crossfader 1 While performaing a Mix lock sounds on both turntables 2 Click and drag the crossfader back and forth fig 4 3 Double Click the crossfader to return to the center Recording a performance Everything done in the Remixing Studio while performing may be recorded edited and saved as part of a Mix file If the knobs in the Mix Display are adjusted while recording a performance these real time adjustments will also be recorded To record a performance 1 Click the Record button fig 4 2 Perform a Mix 3 When finished click the Stop button 4 To learn how edit your performance data see page 27 Advanced settings The way in which a track is loaded into a Mix may be customized to better integrate sounds and create unique effects The settings for each track are accessible from the Load Dialog To view the settings for a track 1 Double click a track the Load Dialog will appear 2 Click the Track Settings button 3 Click Preview to hear any changes Track Name Rodes LFO 1 trk Tempo r Preview Song A Track E gt r Pitch and Time Changes y Customize Time Shift 0 Ticks half steps Loop Length 8 Beats I Auto Time scale 1 0000 ratio i 0 00 Minimum Spacing 1920 Ticks V Long Release Wav File Options ia lense fi 20 Jo Coop Length Beats Cancel Pitch Shift This s
40. ecrease in volume The delay mode determines if there is to be any change to the additional triggers delay times When set to normal there is no change when set to random the delay times are randomized creating a unique stuttering effect Mid Pass Filter Freq Center frequency of the mid pass filter Width Width of the passed band of frequencies Resonance Amplitude boost around the center frequency of the filter Gain Gain adjustment of the input to the filter The mid pass filter is similar to the band pass filter in that it only lets a narrow band of frequencies through It has one more parameter that makes it a bit more flexible that the band pass filter The width of the passed band can be changed by the width parameter Pitch Shift Steps Number of half step to shift the pitch Cents 1 100 th of a half step values for changing pitch Stretch Controls whether or not to time stretch the shifted sound to its original length The pitch shifting algorithm allows you to alter the pitch of a given track Since pitch shifting a sound alters its playback speed and thus its duration an option to time stretch the sound back to it original length is available once pitch shifting has been completed Reverb Size The size of the environment Surface The reflective properties of the surface in the environment Mix Controls the balance of wet to dry signal Cutoff Cutoff frequency of the low pass filter Diffusion The detail l
41. er high quality smaller sized solution created by Microsoft There are a number of choices for the quality of Windows Media Audio file to export Choose the quality that best suits your needs The choices are e Good quality sound 128 Kpbs Stereo e Stereo audio for the Internet 80 Kpbs Stereo e Stereo audio for the Internet 48 Kpbs Stereo e Mono audio for the Internet 22 Kpbs Stereo Exporting as a Mixman Track file trk One of the most powerful features in StudioPro is the ability to create your own Track files This feature significantly expands the creative possibilities of the system All of the sounds and performance data in a Mix can be exported into one Track file This means that unique bass lines drum loops and other musical patterns can be sequenced and turned into custom Track files Mixman StudioPro 4 0 14 THE CONTROL ROOM Please note that using the Mix to Track feature can be very powerful however it will not turn a drum loop loaded as a wav file into a fully interactive Track file Options There are a number of options that determine they way in which StudioPro operates To change option settings 1 Click the Options button in the Control Room Make any desired changes and click the OK button Mixman Studio Options x Applications Directories Recording Audio Display Sound Card Volume Controls CD Player Cdplayer exe Run Browse TH Sndvol32 exe Br
42. etting transposes the pitch of each slice of digital audio in a track by the number of half steps in the pitch field To transpose a sound down use negative numbers When Auto pitch shift is checked pitch shifting is used as the method for matching the tempo of the selected track with the tempo of the current Mix Time Scale This setting scales the length of each slice of digital audio in a track by the ratio in the time scale field Numbers greater than 1 increase the duration of each slice Numbers less than 1 decrease the length of each slice For example a value of 2 0 would double the length of each slice and a value of 5 would half the duration of each slice When Auto time scale is checked time scaling is used as the method for matching the tempo of the selected track with the tempo of the current Mix Time Shift This setting shifts the starting time of a track earlier or later in time The value for time shift is in ticks There are 480 ticks per beat in StudioPro Loop Length This setting changes the loop length in beats for the selected track The smallest loop length allowed is 1 beat If the loop length for a track is set greater than its original loop length then there will be silence for the extra beats Long Release When Long Release is on sounds ring out for their full duration When Long Release is off sounds stop when their key is released Minimum S
43. evel of the reverb algorithm Gate Maximum allowed time for the reverb tail The reverb algorithm is designed to simulate the sound of a reverberant environment Since sound doesn t occur in a vacuum environment plays a big part of how we as humans perceive sound Whether a sound is loud or soft tells you something about a sound It is interesting to imagine what the same sound would come out like in a bathroom or a concert hall The reverb algorithm can be used to simulate many different environments Resultant sounds are dependent on all of the various parameters and how they interact Try using the same sound with all of the different presets to gain a better understanding of how the parameters effect a sound The size parameter controls the overall size of the environment the larger the number the larger the environment The surface parameter controls the reflectivity of the surfaces in the environment The higher the value the more reflective the surface will be More reflective surfaces cause sounds to take longer to subside The cutoff parameter controls the cutoff of a low pass filter that the reverberated sound passes though Setting the cutoff frequency lower has the effect of making the environment sound more muffled like a room full of drapes The diffusion parameter controls the resolution of the reverb Mixman StudioPro 4 0 36 APPENDIX 2 THE FX ALGORITHIMS calculation The higher the diffusion the smoother the re
44. formance system with the tools and special FX needed to create professional sounding music on your computer If you have questions that remain unanswered in this manual or need up to the minute technical information visit www mixman com where there is technical information 24 hours a day 7 days a week The tips and tricks section of the web site is a valuable source of new information and the Mixzone is a great way to connect with other StudioPro users If you want to hear music made with Mixman software that was produced by other Mixman enthusiasts go to Mixman Radio www mixman com radiomixman We hope you enjoy Mixman StudioPro Mixman StudioPro 4 0 INSTALLING MIXMAN STUDIOPRO Chapter 1 Installing Mixman StudioPro System Requirements Before installing StudioPro please take a moment to consider the following minimum system requirements e Windows 95 98 2000 e Pentium II 233 MHz Or faster e 32 MB of RAM 64 MB or more recommended e 40 MB available hardrive space 300 MB to install with sounds Installation Instructions We strongly encourage registering your copy of Mixman StudioPro It is an invaluable way for us to learn about our users and allows us to continue creating the best possible music software on the market install Mixman StudioPro fig 1 To install Mixman StudioPro fig 1 1 Insert the Mixman StudioPro CD ROM into your computer s CD ROM drive 2 Wait for the Installatio
45. formation 4 Audio mixer to combine all the signals 5 Rack of FX processors to process the sound This kind of setup is both costly and has a tremendously steep learning curve We have tried our best to cover as many of the features in such a setup while keeping it intuitive enough so that the music making process can still be enjoyable The Remixing Studio The heart of it all is the Remixing Studio It can be thought of as the sampler 16 part multi timbral 256 voices component of StudioPro Here up to sixteen tracks of digital audio can be loaded and triggered live The sounds can be either traditional wav files or the Mixman format called Track files trk which provide much more control and flexibility than standard wav files and Workflow Mixman Singles From the Mixman website you can download Mixman Singles which are remixmable songs by artists and producers Mixman Soundiscs StudioPro comes with a library of Track files to use right out of the box When more sounds are needed we have an extensive library of Soundiscs with Tracks in many different styles The Recording Studio To help record custom wav files there is a Recording Studio to make the process quick and easy After making a recording edit it using a digital audio editing program The FX Studio Once sounds are loaded they may be altered using FX processing For those familiar with the more traditional method of adding
46. formation on which sounds to trigger when to trigger them and real time pitch panning tempo and volume changes To record a performance 1 Click the Record button perform your Mix when finished click the Stop button 2 To play back your Mix click the play Mix button Step 8 Editing a performance The Editing Studio works much like a spreadsheet program The working area is comprised of a large grid broken into individual cells Using the drawing tool allows for the creation of a performance that would not otherwise be possible Dynamic parameter changes like fade outs or pitch changes are easily added to the performance To edit a recorded performance 1 Click the Editing button on the left side of the bezel in the Remixing Studio fig 2 2 The colored bars represent the keys that were held down Cut copy and paste performance data until the perfect performance has been achieved Step 9 Exporting a Mix To Export a mix as a CD quality wav file 1 Return to the Control Room 2 Click the Export Mix button 3 Select To a file and click OK 4 Select wav from the list of export options click save This will create a CD quality 44 1 Khz 16 Bit Stereo wav file of your recorded performance remember that a 10 minute performance will take up about 100 megs of hard disk space 5 To export to MP3 RealAudio G2 Windows Media Audio or any of the other formats just select the format in t
47. g superior live performance control To load a sound into a slot 1 Double Click on a track indicator light fig 4 2 Browse folders to find tracks or waves 3 Select the sound you want 4 Click Preview to hear the sound 5 Click Load Track to load it into your Mix Mixman StudioPro 4 0 16 THE REMIXING STUDIO Look in SY Musical Y El Al ex Deep Bass Groove trk Dense Loop trk Scratchy Break trk End Scratchy Skip trk Disco Vibes trk Dr Love trk End Slammin Hard Sax trk Kickin A trk e Stop Groove trk Oh Yea Loop trk End Uptown Yinyl trk File name Skipper Loop trk Load Track Files of type Track amp Wave Files trk wav y Cancel m Track Information Preview E E T at Song Tempo Track Settings Recording Studio Mixman Standard Set Track File From the Street Level Soundisc Author Zero G Limited License Use Production Use Using Mixman Singles Mixman Singles are downloadable remixable songs from artists remixers and producers around the world Individual sound elements from the master tape of a song are converted into Mixman TRK track files and packaged together as one downloadable file Each Mixman Single comes with a complete set of at least sixteen TRKs tracks ready to use in any Mixman software Generally Mixman Singles will be downloaded from the Internet They will come as self executing files that will place
48. gle FX preset is created Saving processed sounds If the available five FX algorithms do not provide enough power to create the desired effect processed sounds may be saved out and loaded back in for more processing Once re loaded it may be processed with up to five more FX algorithms To save a processed sound 1 Click the Save as button fig 6 2 This will save the sound with the processing applied Once saved it is not possible to return the sound to its original state 3 To avoid permanently altering an original track or way it is best to save sounds with FX processing under a new name All original Mixman Track files can be reloaded from the original CD ROM Mixman StudioPro 4 0 21 THE EDITING STUDIO Chapter 9 The Editing Studio Select Tool Draw Tool Eraser Tool Insert Marker Quantize Quantize Zoom Slider Help Stop Play Skip Skip Previous Next Overview fig 7 StudioPro was created with real time performance in mind so it was necessary to provide a method for editing all aspects of the performance data The Editing Studio is a graphical representation of a performance and has been designed to be easy to use yet powerful enough to create a finished piece of music In addition to editing recorded performance data new performance data can be created from scratch using the drawing tools The ability to draw in performance data opens the door for Mixes to
49. he selection dialog Save in ja Export y el al ex File name fH appy House Save as type wav Files wav y Cancel a cai This file will Bl Real udio 1m Windows Media tm Audio wma SoundFont Bank sf2 Track Files trk iles rmf Mixman StudioPro 4 0 10 QUICKSTART Step 10 Create your own CD If you have a CD writer and the software needed to create audio CD s included with most CD writers you can make a custom CD with your own music on it Most CD writers software allow you to create audio CD s from your wav files Use the Export function in StudioPro to generate several wav files Write the audio to a CD and then you can listen to the music you make in StudioPro from any CD player Mixman StudioPro 4 0 11 Chapter 5 The Control Room Remixing Studio Recording Studio FX Studio Editing Studio fig 3 Help New Open Save Export Options Quit Overlay Mix Mix Mix Mix Overview fig 3 Opening a saved Mix Every session begins in the Control Room From here you can Opening a Mix resets StudioPro to the state it was in when the open and save mixes set options and export your music to Mix was last saved Sounds are re loaded and re processed different audio formats with any saved FX processing Mix files may also contain performance data which can be cleared in the Remixing Studio This will leave your sounds and FX processing untouched while clearing
50. io Engage Play Mode c cece cece eee e oo Enter Lock Unlock Tracks 000eeeeeeeee Spacebar Engage Break Mode Solo Ctrl or on the number pad Record a Performance cccee cece aeee Ctrl R Go to the Editing Studio oo ooooooo o Ctrl E Go to the FX Studio cece cece eee ees Ctrl F Dillon a bed Re abe cea ds Ctrl Q Activate Onscreen Help System Ctrl H Open Mi cotos oir ai Ctrl 0 New MO Lic ot dt Ctrl N Save Mica eas See en eee eh Ctrl S Clear Performance Data oooocooccocooo Ctrl B Copy Track citan nas ewecnies Raw eee Ctrl C Paste Tracks so o e ee ee oe de do Ctrl V Delete Track css oca de Ctrl X Undo Record oooocoocccccocccccor Ctrl Z Launch the Load Track Dialog Ctrl 1 Store Macro ooooocccccoccccccc Shift F1 through F8 Back to Control Room 00 coo Backspace Select Pitch Knob 0 cece cece e eens Page Up Select Volume Knob 00 cee eens Page Down Select Panning Knob 0c eee e cece eens Insert Select Tempo Knob ccc cece ence ees Delete Change Parameter Values Up Down Arrow Keys Select Paramater Knob Left Right Arrow Keys Select Track Without Making Sound Alt the Track s Key Clear Track Copy Buffer o oooooooooooo Ctrl K Track Settings 0c cece eee eee
51. k I Solo Parameters Performing a Mix fig 4 Once sounds are loaded in to the two turntables it s time to perform live To trigger a sound 1 Press the Play button to engage play mode 2 To hear a sound press its corresponding key When the key is released the sound stops Notice the light turns orange while the key is depressed To lock a sound 1 Simultaneously press both the sound s triggering key together with either the Spacebar or the key on the number pad Once a sound is locked it no longer needs to have its key depressed and its indicator light turns green Sounds may also be locked by clicking them with the mouse To unlock a sound 1 Simultaneously press both the sound s triggering key with either the Spacebar or the key on the number pad Sounds may also be unlocked by clicking them with the mouse To solo a sound 1 Simultaneously press both the sound s triggering key with either the Ctrl key or the key on the number pad This mutes all other locked tracks 2 When the solo key is released the previously locked tracks will return 3 Create a break by pressing the solo key without pressing any other keys To add real time FX W A R P 1 Make sure there is one or more sounds playing manual or locked 2 Select a W A R P preset by clicki
52. me Volume Volume J iE J J T Mute all T Mute T Mute T Mute T Mute SB Live Mixer fi DE 0 To control the different metronomes 1 Click drag the Metronome button fig 5 2 Select either of the metronomes to make them active Recording using the microphone and line inputs fig 5 Use the microphone input for recording voice and other acoustic sounds Use the line input for recording from an analog source To record a sound 1 Make some sound to verify that there is a signal to record 2 If there is a signal the meters will move 3 Click the Record button to begin recording Click Stop when finished To audition the recording 1 Click the Play button 2 When finished click the Stop button Recording from CD Recording sounds using the computer s CD ROM drive as a CD player is simple In order to record from CD the audio output of the CD ROM drive must be properly connected to the sound card This connection is inside the computer and should not be changed except by a computer repair person To record a sound from CD 1 Click the CD Player Controls button to launch the computer s CD player fig 5 2 Cue the CD player to the desired location and click the pause button 3 Click the Record button 4 Click the Pause button on the CD Player controls to resume playing 5 Click the Stop button when finished El ES 6 CD Playe
53. me using a low frequency oscillator LFO It gets its name from the classic sound it creates When the filter type is set to low pass the effect is similar to the human voice saying wah wah wah The LFO speed of the LFO determines the rate of the filter s center cutoff frequency modulation The lower the number the faster the change The Max Freq parameter is the maximum center cutoff frequency for the selected filter type The depth determines how far from the max frequency to modulate Chopper Chunk Size Sets the size of the chopped audio chunks Envelope Selects the amplitude shape for each chunk Slow Med Fast Silence Adjusts the amount of silence between each chunk of chopped audio Chopper takes sounds and chops them into smaller chunks Each chunk is part sound and part silence this is what creates the classic on off gated chopping sound The amount of silence in each chunk is controlled by the silence parameter When silence is large the chunks of sound have more silence When silence is small the chunks have more sound The speed of the chopping effect is controlled by adjusting the chunk size The smaller the chunks the faster the chopping effect The Envelope parameter controls the volume shape of the chunks When the envelope is at its lowest each chunk fades in and out When the envelope is at its highest each chunk comes in and out with a sharp edge Try using chopper on long sustained sounds like pa
54. mixed versions of songs to breathe new life in to them or make them appeal to a specific music market A slow ballad might be turned into a stylish dance song But what is a remix A remix in its truest sense is the art of taking elements from an existing song and adding new musical elements in order to augment or change the feel of the original song It is quite common today to find artists that alter the original parts of a song to the point at which the line between remixing and composing is significantly blurred In this new millenium with software like StudioPro the definition of DJ artist remixer and producer will continue to change and grow We hope this will yield new styles of music Mixman StudioPro 4 0 CONCEPTS What is beat matching Beat matching is a term used by DJs to generically describe the art of seamlessly transitioning from one record to another Sounds simple but it definitely is not It is actually a very unforgiving bit of turntable magic that requires years of practice to do properly What is actually happening when a DJ smoothly transitions from one song to another First there is the song that is currently being played To add a sound or song on top of it the new material must be atthe same tempo as the currently playing music Since no two records or turntables are ever the same the DJ is constantly adjusting the tempo of the music that is playing The way a DJ changes tempo is by changing the speed at
55. mpo defaults to 120 BPM beats per minute This default tempo of 120 BPM is changed automatically to the tempo of the first sound loaded To achieve the best possible audio quality we recommend not changing the tempo of a Mix after the first sound is loaded If artifacts are introduced later when changing the tempo of a Mix re load the sounds and they will automatically match the new tempo To adjust the tempo of a Mix fig 4 1 Click and drag the tempo knob Macros Sometimes while performing a Mix it is necessary to lock four or five sounds at once while immediately unlocking others Depending on the complexity certain performance moves may not be physically possible this is where macros come in handy Macros store a snapshot of the state of the Remixing Studio They store which tracks are locked their pitch panning and volume settings as well as the tempo of the mix To create a macro 1 While performing a mix simultaneously press the shift key and one of the first eight function keys F1 F8 2 To retrieve a macro while performing a Mix press the function key in which the desired macro was stored 3 To start a Mix with more than one locked track trigger a macro instead of clicking Play Customizing sounds with FX processing Sounds loaded into the Remixing Studio may be altered using FX processing Up to five unique FX algorithms may be applied to each sound allowing for a wide range of sonic possibilities
56. n eens 25 Changing FX parameter units 0 0eeeeee 25 Changing FX slider ranges 0c cece eee eeeee 26 Creating custom FX presets 0ccc ee eeeeeeee 26 Creating multi FX presets 0 0 0 cece een eee ee 26 Saving processed sounds 0cceeeeen cence 26 Chapter 9 Editing Studio 27 Understanding Performance Data 27 The meaning of the different colored bars 28 LOA Mes a erate wales these 28 Navigating svc inana an an couse ah nawale eed vada 28 Selecting and editing c ccc cece e cence eee 28 Using the editing tools c cece ee eee ee 28 CES AZI EEEN AREE cuneate hue eae ee 29 Controlling volume pitch panning and tempo 30 Creating a volume fade ooooccococccccccoco 30 Creating a pitch ramp 0 cece cece n eee eee 30 Panning a sound 00c cece eee eee eee eeee 30 Using song markers 0 0c cece cece eee eeee 30 Appendix 1 Keyboard Commands 31 Appendix 2 The FX Algorithms 33 Appendix 3 Troubleshooting 39 Appendix 4 Track Indicator Legend 40 Appendix 5 Creating Your Own Tracks 41 Appendix 6 My Mixzone 42 Appendix 7 Mixman Radio 43 Mixman StudioPro 4 0 WELCOME Welcome Welcome to the Mixman StudioPro User s Manual StudioPro is a powerful music creation remixing and per
57. n program to autorun 3 Click Install StudioPro Follow the instructions in the Setup program Getting the best performance from your PC Mixman StudioPro is a real time high performance application that uses all the power of the PC For those interested in getting the most out of their computer we have included a list of the different components of the computer system and how they effect StudioPro s performance Processor Speed The speed of the computer s processor is most dramatically seen when engaging W A R P The time it takes to add complex FX processing to sound is directly related to the speed of the processor Processor speed also effects the number of voice channels available Depending on processor speed up to 256 voice channels are available RAM All sounds that are loaded into StudioPro are stored in RAM The amount of available RAM determines how much sound can be loaded in at any given time Longer sounds require more RAM Applying certain FX processing for example reverb and delay increase the size of a sound ASCII keyboard Each ACSII keyboard manufacturer makes their keyboards slightly different Each keyboard has a different physical limit to the number of keys that may be held down simultaneously This can be frustrating at times so to help with this problem duplicate keys for the most important real time key commands have been added As well there are easy to use macros For a list of keyboar
58. ng on one of the 12 preset buttons Mixman StudioPro 4 0 18 THE REMIXING STUDIO 3 Click and hold down the left mouse button over the W A R P controller 4 While continuing to hold the left mouse button down drag the mouse around the screen to change the effect To change and load different W A R P presets 1 Make sure the current mix is stopped 2 Right mouse click on the W A R P preset number you want to change 3 Select the desired preset from the pop up menu Adjusting pitch panning and volume The Mix Display provides knobs for real time control of four different sound parameters While performing a Mix the pitch panning and volume of each track may be adjusted The Pitch knob controls whether the pitch of a sound is high or low The Panning knob controls a sound s positioning between the left and right speaker The Volume knob controls a sound s overall loudness The knobs in the Mix display effect the currently active sound The currently active sound is the sound with its name in the track name display To make a particular sound active press the key that triggers that sound To do so without hearing any sound hold down the Alt key while pressing the sound s triggering key To adjust a Mix parameter fig 4 1 Click and drag the knob representing the paramter Adjusting tempo The tempo of a Mix can be adjusted in real time without effecting its pitch When a new Mix is created the te
59. ng song markers Song markers may be inserted at any point in a Mix To insert a song marker 1 Place the play line the location to mark by clicking the appropriate measure marker 2 Click the Insert Song Marker button 3 To skip back and forth between the different markers use the skip buttons There is no limit to the numbers of song markers allowed Mixman StudioPro 4 0 APPENDIX 1 KEYBOARD COMMANDS Appendix 1 Keyboard Commands Control Room Go to the Remixing Studio o ooooooo oo Ctrl M Go to the Recording Studio o Ctrl R Go to the Editing Studio ooooooooooo Ctrl E Go to the FX Studio ccc cece eee eee Ctrl F Quit Studio PrE e sins coda daa dd ds caer ee Ctrl Q Activate Onscreen Help System Ctrl H Open MIX oraora ii lada Ctrl 0 EXPO eux fee sgtak Schade wie ite ae Meee oe Ctrl X NeW MIX o seconds attra da rbd donned Ctrl N Save Mica daa Made Ctrl S Recording Studio Quit StudioPro 6 ccc cee ene Ctrl Q Activate Onscreen Help System Ctrl H Record a WaV 0c cece cece e eee eee Ctrl R Play current recorded wav ccceeeeeae Enter Stop playback 0 cece cece eee eens ESC Back to Control Room e0e eens Backspace Save new wav file 0 cece cece eee ees Ctrl S Load wav to Mix ooooccccccccocccn cc Ctrl L Remixing Stud
60. om out move the slider to the left The maximum size of a cell is 128 measures To zoom in move the slider to the right When completely zoomed in each cell is a 1 128th of a beat Navigating fig 7 There are a number of methods provided to navigate around the Editing Studio A Mix may be played starting from any point The play line is the white blinking line in the edit area When a Mix is played it always starts from the current position of the play line To jump to a specific point in a Mix move the play line to the desired location There are several ways to move the play line To move the play line to a new location 1 Click a measure marker to move the play line to that location or click the counter type a measure number press the Enter key or press the 0 key on the number pad type the desired measure number 2 Use the Del key on the number pad to switch fields then press the Enter key Selecting and editing fig 7 The editing model used in StudioPro is similar to that of a spreadsheet program This style of editing presents some unique possibilities and ease of use The edit area is comprised of 16 available tracks Each track is then divided into eight cells The smallest amount of data that can be selected is one whole cell The visual size of a cell remains constant however how much information a cell contains changes depending on the chosen zoom level The way to control the
61. om the load dialog to enter the Recording Studio 3 Click the Record button in the Recording Studio to begin recording 4 When finished click the Stop button To hear the recorded wav file click the Play button 5 Click Save to save the recorded sound 6 To automatically load the wav file into your default wav editing program click the Edit wav button on the bezel 7 When finished editing close the wav editing program and save any changes 8 To load the recorded wav into the Remixing Studio click the Load to Mix button Stop Record Loadto Save Edit Wav File Mix The Keyboard Controls Each sound loaded into the Remixing Studio is triggered by a different key on the computer keyboard The sounds on the left turntable are triggered by the eight keys surrounding the D key The sounds on the right turntable are triggered by the eight keys surrounding the 5 key on the number pad For those with laptops the sounds on the right turntable may also be triggered by the eight keys surrounding the K key For a graphic overlay showing which keys trigger each track click the Help button Stop a Turntable Right Turntable B HARE Mog Pitch ae aaa a ie OaE Solo Soo oo nooo S ef Hock Unlock I rear aaae ry A EJES LJ fea L_J fare 3 a A Aa a ES obo O Pitch Loc
62. owse r Sound File Editor N WaveLabLite exe Run Browse You can set the programs Mixman uses for the Volume Controls CD Player and Sound File Editor In Mixman Studio Pro these programs can be called directly from the Recording Studio using the outer bezel buttons Factory Defaults Cancel Auto panning Audio Tab When checked this option gives an initial panning value to sounds as they are loaded in to the Remixing Studio The panning values given are based a sound s relative position in a turntable When unchecked all sounds are panned in the center as they are loaded Long release Audio Tab When checked any sounds that are playing when a Mix is stopped continue to play until they fade out naturally When unchecked all sounds stop immediately when the Mix is stopped Default folders Directories Tab These radio buttons allow default folders for the loading of sounds to be chosen Each radio button corresponds to a turntable position It is also possible to set default folders for exporting and opening Mix files Latency Setting Sound Card Tab This option enables changes in the overall system performance to be made These settings should not be changed unless advised to do so by Mixman technical support These settings can drastically alter the performance of StudioPro If you experience stuttering while playing a Mix contact Mixman technical support Mixman StudioPro 4 0 15
63. pacing When a track is manually triggered pressing its key on the computer keyboard after the initial sound is triggered no other slice will be heard for the length of time in the minimum spacing filed The time for minimum spacing is in ticks Adding your own wav loops Adding custom wav file loops in a Mix is great way to add an original touch to your music Loops are most effective when they are one or two bars long of course any length RAM limited loop may be used Effectively adding loops requires a bit more knowledge about the sounds your are working with than using Track files but if these basic guidelines are followed things should go smoothly Mixman StudioPro 4 0 20 THE REMIXING STUDIO Preparing your loop Before trying to add a loop to a Mix make sure that it is edited properly Using a wav file editing program edit the wav file so that it loops perfectly Some wav file editors have a loop playback mode which makes this process even easier If your wav file editing program does not have a loop playback mode just make sure that the last thing heard at the end of the loop is right before the downbeat of the desired loop point Specific settings for wav files One your loop is properly edited load it into a Mix by following the previous steps for loading a sound and accessing Track settings There are special settings available only when loading wav files Tempo In order to properly load
64. pload to submit your Mix
65. provide maximum sound quality and intuitive control What is an FX preset fx Each FX algorithm has one or more parameters that can be Mixman StudioPro 4 0 25 THE FX STUDIO changed to control its precise function The specific settings of each parameter in an FX algorithm can be stored as an FX preset fx FX presets can be loaded individually into the FX Studio at any time There are 99 available FX presets The presets are organized according to which FX algorithm is being used For example Dark Hall is the name of an FX preset that uses the REVERB FX algorithm to simulate the sound of a dark concert hall environment What is a multi FX preset mfx An FX preset stores the settings for one FX algorithm a multi FX preset mfx stores the settings for up to five different FX algorithms Which FX algorithms are loaded their order and individual parameter settings are all stored in a multi FX preset This makes it easy to identically process different sounds Loading sounds into the FX Studio FX processors are common tools in today s modern music studios They are used to add reverb to vocals add crunch to a drum loop or even change a guitar pluck into the sound of an alien invasion Each of the sounds loaded in the Remixing Studio can be customized using FX processing To load a sound into the FX Studio from the Remixing Studio 1 Click the sound you wish to process 2 Click the FX Studio
66. r Disc View Options Help Pe Ij E Artist Data or no disc loaded lt D gt y Title Please insert an audio compact disc Track y Total Play 00 00 m s Track 00 00 m s Editing the recording A proper graphic sound editing program is a serious tool with many useful features for editing and processing sound files Rather than create a basic wav editor in StudioPro our decision was to let you use your own wav editing program to edit the recordings made in the Recording Studio To edit a recording 1 Click the Stop button to make sure that the sound is not playing back 2 Click the Edit wav File button fig 5 3 The default wav editor will launch and the recorded sound will be automatically loaded 4 Edit the recording as usual 5 Save any changes and close the wav editing program 6 Upon returning to the Recording Studio the sound will be updated with the newly edited version Auto Trim When making recordings quickly sometimes having to edit manually may be time consuming and throws an unneeded wrench into the creative process When speed is important StudioPro can handle the task of basic editing The dead space between the time the Record button is clicked and when you make you first sound may be automatically trimmed by the program When auto trim is on any sound that falls below the silence threshold level in the start and end of the recording will be automatically
67. recorded performance before exporting a Mix file to wav The wav files exported by StudioPro are CD quality 44 1KHz 16 bit stereo Before exporting make sure there is enough disk space Wav files take up 10 Megabytes for every minute of music Exporting as a RealAudio file rm RealAudio is one of the most popular formats today for delivering music over the internet Different levels of compression are selectable during the export process In order to hear the Real Audio files rm created by StudioPro a copy of the Real Audio player is required A free copy can be downloaded from www real com You will need to export your mix in this format to upload your mix to Mixman Radio Exporting as a Beatnik Rich Music Format file rmf Beatnik Rich Music Format is the leading format for interactive audio over the internet or for web sonification Different levels of compression are selectable during the Export process Compression can be equal for the entire sound file or on a per track basis Click the RMF Export Details button to make individual track compression settings To audition exported RMF files drag them into a Web Browser with the Beatnik Player installed The Beatnik Player is included with the StudioPro CD and is installed automatically with StudioPro 4 0 To learn more about Beatnik technology and RMF format go to www beatnik com Exporting as a SoundFont Bank and MIDI File SoundFonts are specially formatted
68. ring a sound cece cece cnet eeee 17 Locking A SOU a m aro a 17 Unlocking a sound 00 cece cece eee 17 Soloing o sound cece cece e eee eea 17 Realtime FX W ALR P 2 2 0 2 eee eee eee 17 Change and load different W A R P presets 19 Adjusting pitch panning and volume 19 Adjusting tempo 0 cece cece eee eee earns 19 MACOS ta ited 18 Customizing sounds with FX processing 18 Using the crossfader 00c cee ee cece eee eee 18 Recording a performance 0 00eeeeeeeee 19 Advanced settings 00c eee ee eee eee eens 19 Chapter 7 The Recording Studio 21 Setting the volume controls ccc e eee eee 21 Using the metronome 0200 c cece eee eens 21 Recording using the microphone and line inputs 22 Recording from CD ccc cece cece tence eee 22 Editing the recording c cece cece eens 22 Auto TM 22 Auto Normalize 00 cece cence ees 23 Chapter 8 The FX Studio 24 What is an FX algorithm ccce ee aeee 24 What is an FX preset fx ooooocoooccconconoo 24 What is a multi FX preset mfx ooooooooo 25 Loading sounds into the FX Studio 25 Loading FX presets 0 c0 cece eee e neers 25 Signal HOW oia rat 25 Changing FX settingS 0 cece cece ne
69. royed during processing so it is referred to as non destructive processing Changing FX Settings The FX presets are a great starting point but in order to take full advantage of the FX Studio try customizing the settings that are included with the FX preset Click the Save Preset button to store additional custom presets To change an FX parameter 1 Click and drag the slider for that parameter fig 6 2 Click the Play button to hear the processed sound Changing FX parameter units Some of the FX algorithms have time or speed as one or more of their parameters Parameters like delay time and LFO speed can be expressed as either musical values like beats and ticks or as specific time values like seconds or milliseconds The advantage to specifying time in musical values is that the tempo of a sound is taken into account when calculating the actual delay and LFO times as opposed to specifying a value that has nothing to do with a sound s tempo The units used by some of the FX parameter sliders can be changed to a number of different units To change the units for an FX parameter slider 1 Click the name of an FX parameter slider green text above the slider fig 6 Mixman StudioPro 4 0 26 THE FX STUDIO 2 Select the desired units from the pull down menu 3 If no pull down menu is present the units for that parameter cannot be changed FX Parameter Setting x Minimum Frequency KHz fo 1 0
70. t View Favorites Tools Help Ea A E gt a gt O a 3 E 9 El Back y Stop Refresh Home Search Favores Histoy Mail Prit Discuss Realcom Address http www mixman com 60 Links gt DJ Etcha sketch s E Jm DJ Etcha sketch T DJ Etcha sketch aa 99 DJ Etcha sketch i E A DJ Etcha sketch Milk teeth s serenade lt Hip Hop 1 DJ Etcha sketch Feared Beard Hip Hop m DJ Etcha sketch Donk lt Hip Hop San Francisco has aways been home to me thrive on DJEtcha sketch Lusty L s ow the diverse ethnicities in this city and their equally diverse cultures It works its way into this city s music and my mixes hope you dig my work DJ Etcha sketch Post Street House Step 1 Make a Mix To utilize the My Mixzone feature you first must create a mix in Mixman StudioPro Use any of the mixes provided or create a custom Step 2 Export the Mix From the Control Room click the Export Mix button Select Upload to My Mixzone and click OK Step 3 Creating an Account Type in your email address and choose a password Click Next Note A valid email address is required Your account will not be established without a valid email Authentication will be sent to the provided email address Step 4 Personal Info Fill in the fields with appropriate information Note This info will actually be displayed online Note Pictures must be submitted in JPEG format Step 5
71. t buttons 3 Click and hold down the left mouse button over the W A R P controller Pitch Open Save Back Tempo 4 While continuing to hold the left mouse button down drag the mouse around the screen to change the effect Step 5 Changing parameters in the Mix Display fig 2 The Mix Display provides control over the pitch panning and volume of each track To change the setting of one of these parameters for a track make sure the name of the track you wish to change is displayed in the track name area The track name area displays the name of the track you last activated To display the name of a track without making it sound press the Alt key and the key that activates the track you want to display Step 6 Adding FX fig 2 Each sound in your Mix can be drastically altered by adding different kinds of FX processing Mixman StudioPro 4 0 QUICKSTART To add FX processing to a sound 1 Click the track to which you want to add FX processing 2 Click the FX button on the left side of the screen 3 The sound is now loaded into the FX Studio 4 Right mouse click on the first FX slot to load an FX preset 5 Click the Play button to hear the processed sound 6 To load the FX processed sound back into the Mix click the Load to Mix button Step 7 Recording a performance fig 2 Now that you have some sounds loaded the next step is to record a performance Performance data includes in
72. t of the input to the filter The low pass filter algorithm passes all frequencies below the cutoff frequency Frequencies above the cutoff frequency are blocked Low pass filters are normally used to take the high end treble away from a sound They are useful for taking the high and mid range frequencies of a drum loop away so that all that s left are the low frequencies This help create space in the high end while keeping the feel of the original loop The Freq parameter controls the cutoff frequency ofthe low pass filter The lower the value the more bottom end you will hear Since filtering a sound can drastically alter its over all loudness there is a gain parameter to help boost the signal High Pass Filter Freq Cutoff frequency of the filter Resonance Amplitude boost around the cutoff frequency of the filter Gain Gain adjustment of the input to the filter The high pass filter is the opposite of the low pass filter All frequencies above the cutoff frequency are passed through and the frequencies below the cutoff frequency are blocked High pass filters are normally used to take the bass away from a sound They are useful for taking the bass and mid range Mixman StudioPro 4 0 35 APPENDIX 2 THE FX ALGORITHIMS frequencies of a drum loop away so that all that s left are the high frequencies This helps create space in the bottom end while keeping the feel of the original loop The Freq parameter controls th
73. tep 1 Launch StudioPro From the Windows Start Bar select StudioPro from the Mixman StudioPro folder Step 2 Go to the Remixing Studio Click the Remixing Studio button from the Control Room Remixing Studio Step 3 Loading sounds fig 2 The sixteen X shaped track indicator lights around the two turntables represent the sixteen slots into which sounds are loaded To load a sound into a slot 1 Double click on a track indicator light for one of the sixteen slots 2 Browse the folders to find the desired sound 3 Click Preview to hear the sound 4 Click Load Track to load the sound into the Mix Load Track x Look in Musica yl el al fai Scratchy Break trk BE Scratchy Skip trk Deep Bass Groove trk Dense Loop trk Disco Vibes trk Dr Love trk oe Slammin Hard Sax trk Kickin A trk 3H Stop Groove trk Oh Yea Loop trk 336 Uptown Vinyl trk File name Skipper Loop trk Load Track Files of type Track amp Wave Files trk way y Cancel r Track Information Preview Bs ay I at Song Tempo Track Settings Recording Studio Mixman Standard Set Track File From the Street Level Soundisc Author Zero G Limited we E License Use py Pietn Use el Step 4 Performing a Mix fig 2 The computer keyboard is used to trigger the sounds that are loaded into the Remixing Studio Each sound is triggered by a different key To view a graphic
74. time Fine Fine adjustment for the delay time Feedback Amount of signal from the output to be fed back into the delay algorithm Delay sometimes referred to as echo is one of the most widely use FX algorithms The delay algorithm takes any sound that comes in and passes it through so you can hear it immediately but also sends a digital copy of the sound some time later producing a delay effect The time it takes for the first delay to be heard is controlled by the delay time and fine adjust parameters The number of delays echos you hear depends on the feedback setting The higher the feedback the more delays your will hear Since StudioPro process all of your sound in RAM keep in mind that adding delay can increase the size of your sounds Distortion Drive Amount of distortion Gain Gain adjustment for the output of the distortion algorithm Distortion is most commonly used by guitarist to create that classic electric guitar sound It turns your clean signal into a distorted mess Used cleverly distortion can be useful for a variety of sounds Using it is simple to add more distortion crank up the drive Since increasing the drive effects the amplitude of the signal there is also a gain adjust on the output of the distortion algorithm Using the gain control you can have something sound distorted but not have it be overpowering in volume Envelope Follower Min Freq The minimum Freq for the selected filter Max Freq
75. timing and randomize the pitch of a loop making it into something completely different If you create a masterpiece in the FX Studio save it and use it as anew TRK Once TRKs are saved from the FX Studio the processing cannot be removed This allows you to reprocess them again by loading them and adding even more FX in the FX Studio Exporting a Mix as a TRK Editing Studio Make a Mix using short WAV files such as individual drum sounds and export the Mix as a TRK file All the WAVs and performance data are joined and and saved as a single TRK file See page 12 for more details Record your own WAV files Use the Recording Studio to record your voice or any other sound Make sure that you are plugged into the correct input on your soundcard and that it is properly enabled before recording Importing existing WAV files Mixman StudioPro supports importing stereo and mono WAV files Try using the internet as a source for finding unusual WAV files Using any standard WAV editing program you may edit sounds and import them For better control of loops while playing in the Remixing Studio convert WAVs into TRKs using WaveSurgeon or ReCycle 1 7 Mixman StudioPro 4 0 42 APPENDIX 6 MY MIXZONE Appendix 6 My Mixzone My Mixzone is your own custom homepage at www mixman com lt is a place to upload mixes for others to listen to and remix online 3 mixman mixzone Microsoft Internet Explorer of x File Edi
76. to the previous start points Beat Twister Shuffle Slices Randomly shuffles individual slices to trigger times of other slices Random Time Randomly moves the start times of individual slices earlier or later Pitch Up The maximum upper range for random pitch shifting Pitch Down The maximum lower range for random pitch shifting Min Volume The minimum random volume for each slice Time Stretch Time stretch slices to correct duration changes after pitch shifting Mixman StudioPro 4 0 38 APPENDIX 2 THE FX ALGORITHIMS The Beat Twister is an extremely powerful effect that takes advantage of the TRK file format It allows you to twist your beats and musical loops into entirely new ones When Shuffle Slices is on individual slices are randomly re mapped to the start time of a different slice Pitch up and down set the range for random pitch shifting of each slice Min Volume sets the minimum range for random volumes for each slice Time stretch corrects any duration changes caused by pitch shifting Volume Sweep Start Starting volume of each slice of audio End Ending volume of each slice of audio Shape The speed and contour of the volume change The Volume Sweep algorithm automates the amplitude of the audio slices over time The Start volume sets the starting volume of the sound The End volume sets the ending volume of the sound The Shape determines how the volume changes over time Set Sh
77. toff frequency of the selected filter type End Freq Ending center cutoff frequency of the selected filter type Type Selects which filter type to use low pass band pass high pass Resonance Amplitude boost around the center or cutoff frequency of the selected filter Gain Gain adjustment to the input to the selected filter Multi Trigger Sweep each slice of audio or over the entire sound file The Filter sweep algorithm automates changing the center cutoff frequency of the selected filter over time Depending on the settings this algorithm can alter your sounds beyond recognition The filter sweep algorithm is also one of the FX algorithms that takes distinctive advantage of the Track trk format The starting frequency and ending frequency set the center cutoff frequency of the selected filer type at the beginning and ending of the sweep With the multi trigger slider set to off the selected filter will sweep from the starting freq to the ending freq for the loop length of the sound or the loop length set in the FX Studio display which ever is shorter If you have a 2 measure loop and multi trigger is off the selected filter type will smoothly sweep from the starting frequency to the ending frequency over the two measure period To take advantage of the face that Track trk files are individual slices of audio turn multi trigger on When multi trigger is on the selected filter will sweep from the starting freq
78. trimmed To turn auto trim on 1 Click the Auto Trim button fig 5 2 Check the box to turn it on Mixman StudioPro 4 0 23 THE RECORDING STUDIO 3 The silence threshold can be set by typing in a number lower numbers are softer in volume Trim Silence Options xi M Trim Silence A Trim Silence from begining and ending of your recording Factory Defaults 85 Silence Threshold dB 50 Silence Pre Time msecs 250 Silence Post Time msecs Cancel Save Auto Normalize To ensure the best possible signal to noise ratio when making recordings it is best to turn auto normalize on Normalizing boosts the sound level so that it is as loud as it can be without distorting Generally it is recommended to use the default settings Higher values yield louder sounds To turn auto normalize on 1 Click the Auto Normalize button fig 5 2 Check the Auto Normalize box 3 The normalize level can be set be typing in a number Gain Adjustment I Perform Gain Adjustment Factory Defaults After recording force the average gain to be Softer 55 dB Louder Soler E5 08 Louder Cancel Save Mixman StudioPro 4 0 24 THE FX STUDIO Chapter 8 The FX Studio FX Preset Name FX Slot Load FX Preset fig 6 Stop Preview Load to with FX Mix Overview fig 6 The FX Studio is designed to provide the tools and flexibility necessary to c
79. uency to the ending frequency for each slice of the Track trk file This is effect is unique to StudioPro With multi trigger turned on and resonance set around 8 0 you can turn drum sounds into rhythmic synthesizer like sounds Flange LFO Time Speed of the LFO Depth Depth of the LFO modulation of delay time Delay Maximum delay time Feedback Amount of the signal that is fed back into the flange algorithm The flange algorithm is similar to the delay algorithm however with an important difference Flange has an added feature that allows changes to the delay over time The sound of the flange is distinctive and this processing can generate results in that are quite subtle as well as results that end up obliterating the sound you are processing The maximum delay time is set in the delay parameter This delay time is changed or modulated over time by a low frequency oscillator LFO The speed of the LFO determines the rate of change of the delay time The variance of the delay time is controlled by the depth parameter The greater the depth the more the delay time changes over time When the depth parameter is set to 100 the delay time changes from the delay time to 0 delay time at the rate set by the LFO The lower the LFO setting the faster the change will occur Low Pass Filter Freq Cutoff frequency of the filter Resonance Amplitude boost around the cutoff frequency of the filter Gain Gain adjustmen
80. ustomize sounds with ease StudioPro enables effortless combining of sounds from many different styles of music The results can sometimes be a bit rough around the edges The FX Studio helps smooth those edges and gives Mixes a personal twist For those familiar with the more traditional method of adding FX processing by sending a signal to an FX box and returning the altered signal back to your mixer things may seem a little different in StudioPro StudioPro uses more of a sound design approach to FX processing Instead of running the different FX processors live which takes up considerable CPU power we allow each sound to be processed out with up to five unique FX algorithms Sounds are processed out of real time and the result is stored in RAM Original sounds are not altered and each FX Loop Length Selected Track Es Save FX Preset Load Save Back Sound Track with FX parameter can be changed at any time making this a totally non destructive environment The result is the functionality of 80 independent FX processors a feat that would be impossible with even today s fastest computers and would cost thousands of dollars to duplicate in hardware What is an FX algorithm The FX Studio is a collection of sound processing functions called algorithms These algorithms contain the instructions necessary for StudioPro to carry out their desired effect There are 15 available FX algorithms each designed to
81. verb will sound but the calculation will also take more time Finally the gate parameter controls the maximum allowed duration for the reverb tail Setting this parameter shorter than the natural reverb tail will cut the tail off creating whatis commonly called a gated reverb Time Stretch Factor Amount of time stretching Quality Selects from four time stretching algorithms The time stretch algorithm allows you to change the length of a sound without altering its pitch The time stretch factor changes the resultant length of a sound For example a two second sound with a time stretch factor of 2 0 will end up being 4 seconds long The quality slider selects between four different time stretch algorithms Algorithms from one to four are in order of processing time Algorithm number four takes the longest and algorithm number one takes the shortest amount of time to complete the processing Wah Wah LFO Speed of the filter center frequency cutoff modulation Max Freq The maximum center cutoff frequency of the selected filter type Resonance Amplitude boost around the center cutoff frequency of the selected filter Gain Gain adjustment to the input of the selected filter Depth The amount of modulation of the center cutoff frequency of the selected filter Type Selects one of three filter types low pass band pass high pass Wah wah allows you to modulate the center cutoff frequency of a selected filter type over ti
82. w a Mix was performed is edited not actual audio files disrupting the musical synchronization of a Mix is not an issue When track bars are moved to earlier locations the sound is not being moved only the timing of when the key for that sound is being pressed is altered This method of editing sound allows more intuitive control during the editing process maintaining rock solid synchronization the whole time The meaning of the different colored bars Performance data is displayed as different colored bars called track bars The performance data for each sound is represented by a different track bar in the edit area This area is arranged in a grid format Each track bar represents how the sound will be performed during playback The color coding of the different track bars is the same as that used in the Remixing Studio Orange track bars represent sounds that are manually triggered Green track bars represent sounds that are locked Blue track bars represent sounds that are locked and contain pitch shift settings that are non zero Red track bars represent sounds that are soloed Gray bars represent the sounds that are muted during solo Zooming fig 7 The zoom slider provides an easy way to change how much musical time is displayed in the edit area Next to the zoom slider is the zoom ratio indicator This number reflects the current zoom level When the zoom ratio is 1 1 each cell is one measure long To zo
83. x While tracks are playing or being triggered click and drag with your mouse in the oval shape in the mix display By dragging the cursor up and down or right and left you can get dramatic modifications to your sound The live performance aspect of the Remixing Studio promotes combining and layering digital audio in a much more musically intuitive fashion than just using a graphic editor to lay sounds out on a timeline We encourage learning the keyboard commands and practice playing live it will be worth the effort The Editing Studio The Editing Studio is the equivalent of a sequencer lt enables graphic editing of the timings in a recorded performance The keys that were held down during a live performance are represented by different colored bars Volume fades panning pitch and tempo changes may all be automated When your mix is perfected export it as a CD quality wav file Real Audio file SoundFont bank Windows media audio Beatnike RMF or Mixman trk file Mixman StudioPro 4 0 QUICKSTART Chapter 4 Quickstart This quickstart is designed to take the new StudioPro user through the basic functions of StudioPro More detailed information about using the different studios is presented in later chapters Help System To learn more about any aspect of the program turn on expanded bubble help by clicking the Help button Mouse over any part of the screen and an explanation will be displayed S

StudioPro4.0 Manual - Mixman Site

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