I cherish memories of my first effects box, a Tapco 4400 spring reverb that I bought in Nashville around 1980. For its time, it was a groovy tool that did a decent job of adding depth to the songwriter demos I recorded in my spare bedroom. And you could get "dramatic special effects" when you whacked on it.
The world of effects has changed dramatically since then. Nearly all analog time-based effects-reverb, delay, and chorus-have gone the way of the dinosaur. In this case, the transition into the digital domain was quick and decisive.
It's a different story with dynamics processing: compressors, limiters, expanders and gates. Here, thanks to high quality VCAs (voltage controlled amplifiers) and the peculiar sonic qualities of tubes and optical circuits, analog still holds an edge-at least in the realm of outboard signal processing boxes.
But, as we look to the future, the trend points away from outboard boxes of all kinds, whether analog or digital. As church audio production inexorably moves toward digital consoles, signal processing is gradually moving away from separate hardware boxes and gravitating toward software plug-ins.
Today, a Bevy of Boxes
In the meantime, though, for those churches using analog consoles-still a majority-it's a bountiful buyer's market for effects hardware boxes. A quick glance at one Midwestern dealer's catalog shows 20 companies making equalizers, 24 making dynamics processors, and at least nine still supplying reverb and multi-effects boxes. This is mature technology. It's stable, reliable, and available at all price points. So whether you need a basic compressor/limiter for recording the service off the board, or an exquisite reverb for the lead vocalist, there's a box out there to fit your budget.
But, looking to the future, many hardware-makers are simultaneously migrating into software-only versions. Notable names like Chandler, Eventide, Lexicon, tc electronic and Universal Audio have made the move into plug-ins. Other effects developers offer their products (with minor exceptions) only as plug-ins: Antares, McDSP, Sonnox, Sound Toys and Waves. Most were developed for recording workstations; not all are available for live sound mixing platforms-yet. But it's only a matter of time.
And, of course, the esteemed Yamaha REV-X algorithms are available in Yamaha digital consoles, and Lexicon effects are grafted into many boards from Harman sister Soundcraft. All in the family.
Where's the Algorithm?
Exactly who owns the proprietary effects algorithms, where they reside in the system, and how the sounds they produce get in and out of the signal flow makes for a complicated story-to say the least. It varies considerably with different digital console manufacturers and third-party software partners. And fast-evolving audio networking technology is opening even more possibilities. But, at the risk of oversimplifying, your software-based audio effects:
·Can come as a standard package built into your digital audio console software and DSP. In some low-cost consoles, these effects are fixed and not expandable by plug-ins.
·Can come as optional plug-ins for your digital console's operating system. Simultaneous use of many powerful plug-ins may require adding DSP to your console's mixing engine.
·Can run as native plug-ins on an outboard computer. They can integrate with analog consoles through an AD/DA interface, or to some digital consoles though a digital interface (MADI).
·Can run on a digital audio network from a dedicated server, connecting through a dedicated interface card inserted in the console.
Fortunately, a simpler and more important matter is what you do with your software effects once you have them installed and, when required, properly authorized by iLok. (Another complicated story....) For perspectives on the plug-in transition, as well as tips and precautions, we'll seek the wisdom of three effects "power users."
From Outboard to On-board
For Eric Myers, AVL manager at Colonial Baptist Church in Cary, N.C., having effects on board is convenient and allows him to work ahead. "It's much easier to have everything right in front of you," he remarks. "You can tap in the tempo for the delay on a song ahead of time, and you don't have to reach over to a side rack. You may have to switch screens, but I'd rather do that because I can still keep the stage in my line of sight."
Myers also favors the added power and flexibility. "You have all your dynamics built right into every channel, as standard, and then you have four insert points for additional plug-ins-which can be other dynamics, EQ or other effects. The only limitation is the amount of DSP in your console's mix engine. We added some extra to accommodate our new plug-ins."
Duke DeJong, technical arts director at Victory Worship Center in Tucson, Ariz., still likes the sound of favored outboard gear-but is willing to bend a bit. "I used to carry around some Lexicon reverbs and a DigiTech delay I liked, but with the digital consoles I've found I can get pretty close with what I have on board. There are some differences in sound, but you have the flexibility to play with enough to get it really close."
The ability to save all effects parameters as presets is a big plus for Lee Fields, senior audio director at Bayside Church in Roseville, Calif. "You can use multiple layers of effects," he notes, "because you're not limited to one piece of gear inserted into your channel strip, tying up that one unit. It's much more flexible."
Effects to Best Effect
One of Myer's favorite on-board effects is parallel compression, a trick borrowed from recording that would be tricky to do with outboard gear. It basically sets up group compression on a fader and lets you vary impact on the fly. "It doesn't chill the dynamics. You don't lose attack on the cymbals, but you can add some meat, some more twack, when you need it." Myers currently favors the Avid Impact and Smack plug-ins on his Venue console, but he's also considering the multi-band compressors from McDSP and Waves.
DeJong likes the Slightly Rude plug-in for "aggressive stuff like drums" but prefers Smack for guitars and vocals. "It really beefs up the sound, almost like the feel of a tube preamp. Then I can adjust the attack to make it sharp and edgy or more rounded and softer."
Fields also is a fan of the Waves and McDSP plug-ins, and occasionally inserts the Antares AutoTune plug-in "when absolutely necessary." He has found that the Waves Classic Compressor bundle "is pretty amazing for how close they come to the sound of the originals in the SSL and API analog boards." As for McDSP's multiband compressor, he finds that it works exceptionally well on vocals. "It really does wonders because you can compress certain frequencies that can become harsh. You just take some edge off between 2K and 4K instead of squashing everything."
Flee Temptation
With all this plug-in power at your fingertips, it can be tempting to pile on too much. "You can find yourself getting into trouble," admonishes Fields. "Reverbs is the biggest culprit. You can make drums sound really big or really awful, depending on how you use them."
He also advises caution with delays on vocals. "You want to use it carefully, and match the tempo of the song. It's easy to get lazy and throw in the same delay on everything, because it's right at your fingertips. I find that more experienced engineers use it less than some new engineers."
DeJong concurs. "A good delay will make a slow or mid-tempo song more enveloping, and draw you into it. But on an up-tempo song, it just muddies it up. The same applies to a reverb with a long decay, which can smear intelligibility on an up-tempo song."
Whether outboard or on-board, analog or digital, the type of effect has less to do with helping your church's ministry than your willingness to learn the principles and apply them diligently, insists DeJong.
"Don't just pick a preset and think you're done. Like mic placement and EQ, you have to keep working at it. Go and get the best sound out of it that you can. Fight the temptation to just call up a preset and say, ‘We're good to go!' when you're not."
