Or ...I just take my laptop to my car with the session on it, plug it into the aux input of my car stereo and tweek the low end from my front seat.
Usually there are issues in the 100 - 400hz area between the kick and bass that can be identified and made 'car-friendly' there.
Not while driving though.  Don't mix and drive kids.
Mark.
 

rwheeler

Anderton
Week 122: Clean Up Your Console View
 
... You can do that with Folder Tracks in Track View, but you can't do the same thing in Console view...or can you?
 
For example, once an instrument's MIDI track is done (I use synth Track Folders with separate audio and MIDI tracks), the attention shifts to the audio track when you're mixing - so you don't want to see the MIDI track. ...

Extra thanks for your work from me too, and looking forward to the book and to future tips. Meanwhile, back to this tip of the week:
 
Due to recent retirement from my day job, I'm finding it rewarding to dig around in Sonar more. This time, I'm not able to duplicate your tip functionality (at least not yet). When I set up a track folder and populate it with MIDI and audio tracks, clicking on the folder indicator numbers under each type hides and shows the tracks just as you describe. But for me, the change in visibility is only happening in the track view with no corresponding change in the console view track visibility. I'm still on a learning curve with track folders, but I'm wondering if there are any preference settings or specific docking choices that would cause this disconnect between track and console.
 
Then, when poking around for pertinent settings, I noticed at the top of my console view a series of drop down selectors (Modules, Strips, Track, Bus, Options). Under the "Strips" drop down, there is an option to select or deselect "MIDI." Deselecting "MIDI" instantly makes all the MIDI tracks go away from the console view whether they are in folders or not. Seems very handy exactly for the reasons you mention. Re-selecting "MIDI" brings them back into the console view.
 
The strips menu does not offer a way to easily show/hide user-unique kinds of track groupings (different bands, etc.) the way your tip apparently works, but the vast number of Sonar controls made it easy for me to not know about the built in solution for showing/hiding MIDI tracks in console view, at least until now. Thanks for stimulating me to learn more.

You probably need to set Console view to follow Track view within the Track Manager dialog.

JohnEgan
Can this simulate a 69 426 Hemi, Superbee?, LOL, (which is music to some peoples ears). 

Easily one of the coolest machines on a road,not too many Right Hand Drive models I bet here in Australia?
I knew of a very local umm dude,that converted his US Left Hand Drive pristine looking Dodge Challenger to RHD with local Chrysler/Valiant Charger Dash,Steering,and the obviously necessary "under hood" steering mechanicals.
 
Craigs The How Does It Sound in a Car may become invaluable,as my OEM Car Stereo completely stopped functioning a year ago,and ALL of the far newer Aftermarket things I want to like,I just don't.
 
That is if my depleted "mojo" returns,and I start to again record guitar from my Greenback 4x12's-I used to have "Glued up torn 70's Green magnet Capped 20w Celestions" I dearly wish I'd kept[as,and after they began to fail],because the"new"Chinese made ones are tonally different, now powered by a Peavey JSX combo(with the hmm combo speakers unplugged)as ever since I had my from new 1984 100w 2203 Marshall fully serviced,I just don't like it anymore,somehow it has gained a ridiculous amount of volume,and when the "preamp" is set to it's usual 6,the Master volume is so stupidly loud on 3!,and 4,or 5 just creates this overloaded speaker "woofyness" for want of far better word describing how it's actually not any louder just yuk.
 
No one would want it be louder,but 3? Master on 3....THREE? This amp used to be half the volume MASTER on 7 [I don't even think Ritchies 200w Major's could possibly have been as loud?) mine is just awful,more awful,at 3.1,4,5 et al. The guy who overhauled it has done so since new in 1984,so it's hugely disappointing,but the Peavey has a Browner than Dirt sound by comparison.
 
I have totally lost all attraction to Guitar Amp Sims-Cleans can totally be fine,but High Gain is a constant fight against complete awfulness-HG guitar where the amp is a far far larger part of the instrument,nothing has improved with digital simulation since Sonar X1 Studios Amplitube X-Gear,Amplitube 4 can fool one into thinking it's better-but really it's still the same NON Instrument like ALL of them(I have a lot,except HW like Avid's 11 rack,Axe FX or Kemper gladly) I need true speaker/pickup interaction,and yes I know all the workarounds,well the one's I was told could work for me anyway.
Bob Dutch Sattler

Week 131: SONAR's Dr. QuadraREX File Player
 
Those of you familiar with the original version of Reason probably remember Dr. REX, the REX file player. This was later upgraded to Dr. OctaREX, which could play back eight REX files at a time. I believe that Cakewalk actually did that first with Cyclone, but the point of today’s tip is to check out SONAR’s Dr. QuadraRex virtual instrument, a/k/a Dimension Pro.
 
Start with Options, and choose "Set Program As Multitimbral." Now each element will respond to MIDI data on its own channel (Element 1 = Channel 1, Element 2 = Channel 2, and so on).
 
Drag a REX file into the Load Multisample field (not the Program field). A note symbol will appear to the field’s right if you’ve dragged in a valid REX file. Drag this note to a track, and you’ll create the MIDI data needed to drive the sound you loaded, and it will sync to the host tempo automatically.
 

 
You can do this for each of the four elements, but more importantly, you can use Dim Pro’s processing on the individual elements. Also note that you can play individual REX file “slices” from the keyboard with the first slice starting at C4, as well as transposable loops from B3 on down.
 
The drag and drop simplicity, and ability to play and generate files for MIDI loops, makes Dr. QuadraREX useful for those who like to play around with loops. Remember—it’s not just about sample playback!
 

Looks like you can also do this in Rapture Pro - everything is essentially the same, including dragging the MIDI note to the track and being able to play the slices via keyboard. Thanks for the tip, Craig!

Yes, thanks for mentioning that. It also works with the original Rapture as well as Rapture Pro. I used Dimension Pro because I felt it needed some luv  

Week 132: Delay-Free Faux Stereo
 
Sometimes it’s a mono world (guitar players, feel free to chime in on this), but you want to create a stereo one. There are several ways to convert mono to stereo, but all of them have some kind of limitation. In particular, delay-based stereo creation—which delays one channel very slightly compared to the other—often gives dramatic stereo effects, but falls apart when summed to mono. The result can be a phasing/flanging type sound, slapback, or comb filtering that you probably didn’t intend.
 
This method uses EQ separation. You might be surprised at how effective it is, to the point where you end up bringing those panpots a little closer to center. Here’s the setup.
 

 
A mono track terminates in a Patch Point, which becomes the input for two Aux Tracks. These pan right and left to give your final stereo image. The mechanism that creates the stereo image is two Sonitus Multiband EQs. (The L-Phase MB in linear-phase mode is arguably a better choice, depending on whether you want linear-phase precision or non-linear-phase character, but of course it’s pretty heavy on the CPU consumption. Also, its lookahead function requires that other tracks be delayed.)
 
Insert the multiband in one of the tracks. After establishing where you want its frequency divisions (or you can just go with the defaults), copy it to the other track. In one track, set the even-numbered bands to +12 gain, and the odd-numbered bands to -12 gain. In the other track, set the even-numbered bands to -12 gain, and the odd-numbered bands to +12 gain. The response is now complementary, so when you sum the channels into mono, you don’t have the same problems you experience with delay.
 

 
Note that you don’t want the compressors to actually compress, so go the Common band for each Multiband (circled in red in the screenshot) and set the ratio for all bands to 1.0. Also make sure the Limiter is off. These steps will ensure you’re dealing with EQ only, not dynamics control.
 
Once you have the setup working, feel free to tweak. For example an instrument might have more amplitude in one particular frequency range, so you may want to adjust the panning on the track whose Multiband accents that range to keep the signal from sounding unbalanced. Or maybe you do want some compression, too! In any event try this with a mono source like guitar, and prepare to be surprised.
 
 

Question about patch points (my first time) - Though I sent a mono track to a patchpoint, when I use the patch point as an input I am still asked L, R, or stereo. I'm assuming L & R are exactly the same and stereo just two of the same? Also - has Sonitus multiband EQ been discontinued? I upgraded to splat last year.
New band name The Circular Squares
 

This is a Sunday tip.
 
It's actually more of a find for me that I want to share.
 
I mix a lot of bands. Probably a couple of month and most recently this one...
http://stabilitynetwork.blob.core.windows.net/g-tunes/20170204_Chronyx.html
 
That's me at the soundboard causing all that feedback. This band has 3 members - Drummer, bassist and guitarist and all 3 sing. In the tiny cement walled bar, feedback was a major issue. In the 'Talk' tracks you can hear the drummer asking for more vocal over and over. I push the drummer and we get feedback. I try tweaking the EQ and that eventually fails and I pull the drummer's vocal back down and the feedback stops. The guitarist had to have vocal.
 
This is not what the tip is about. :-)
 
In mixing all the bands I've mixed, the bassist is the member most likely to call me to ask for more. I've sweated over it a ton. I mix with headphones and I mix with monitors and I mix for the car. For the living room stereo and I almost always also try it on the phone.
 
I'm not scared of FX Presets. I give 'em a try. This time I tried the LP EQ Kick Sizzle preset on the master bus...
The preset looks like this...

 
After adding it, I just mixed naturally as I always do and I discovered the bass was more audible on cheap headphones at lower levels than I have experienced in the past.
 
I wouldn't have thought a 3dB platform between 70 and 100 would make such a difference, but it really did for me. 
 
The recordings above that I posted sound ok to me in headphones and a little light in monitors for the bass level.
 
I thought this was a neat find worth sharing. I promise not to post every EQ tweak I bumble across. :-)
 
Just to restate: I find this EQ setting to be helpful for getting audible bass for the same file on MP3, Phone, Cheap Headphones, without overwhelming your ability to make it sound good in a decent stereo.
 
All of the nodes in the above EQ setting are Stereo (Left/Right mode instead of Mid-Side).

Hey! That was one of my presets...glad you found a use for it!