Untitled - Drumatom
Contents
1. JN drumatom User Manual by ACCYSONUS The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a com mitment on the part of Accusonus SA The software described by this document is subject to a License Agreement and may not be copied to other media No part of this publication may be copied reproduced or otherwise transmitted or recorded for any purpose without prior written permission by Accusonus SA hereinafter referred to as Accusonus All product and company names are trademarks or registered trade marks of their respective owners Drumatom team Nikos Giotis Kostas Karamitas Elias Kokkinis Thanos Kostis Alexandros Tsilfidis Accusonus SA 4 Kastritsi Rd Kastritsi Patras 26504 Greece info drumatom com info accusonus com CONTENTS Contents 1 Introduction Tilt HOMERVIGW octavas the ta ee OY as ah eles oi da tte Se a ta De ba 1 2 System Requirements ee 13 installation 23 Loca a a a A A AA a 2 Quickstart Guide 3 Drumatom UI and Controls 3 1 Track Group Selection ee 3 2 Transport Process Export 2 2 o e a a a a a a a E a E a 3 8 Waveform Display loja iaaa A a aat A we a D ioe ba ied a 3 4 M in Section d ic a ada a aaa Sh eee E a A E E A n E otra eS 3 4 2 Fine TUNG aA a e ae a Eae A A ae a ells a eer ak 3 4 3 Suppression Meter e 3 4 4 SUMMAY e 2 wt der e a a ts tidad Mi a e edo de aa 4 Menu Opt2. by one We ll start with the track list since its the first area you ll be using when setting up a project 3 1 Track Group Selection The first time you run Drumatom you ll be greeted with an empty user interface Figure 1 Your first step is to load up a multitrack session into Drumatom You can do this by dragging and dropping your audio files on the GUI or by using the SELECT FILES menu eo 7 _drumatom ED ONA TECHNOLOGY J drumatom ay ACCYSONUS SUPPRESSION Figure 1 Initial Drumatom GUI The individual drum channels are listed under TRACKS These tracks belong to a drum group listed un der GROUPS Drumatom will name your group arbitrarily i e Group X You can rename it to something meaningful usually the name of the corresponding song by double clicking on the name Note that you can load multiple groups For example your GROUPS list may contain all the songs of an album project you re currently working on You can identify each track by using the drop down menu at the right Why do that You have to let Drumatom know which file is which drum type Please note that most of the times Drumatom will do that automatically based on the name of the audio file Finally once a group is analyzed you have the option of exporting a single track by pressing the corre sponding button at the left of the drum type menu 3 DRUMATOM UI AND CONTROLS 6 GROUPS Group 1 gt 01_Kickin wav 02_KickBeat
3. on your system specifications of course So if you ve loaded a three minute song the analysis will probably take about three to five minutes Once the group is analyzed you can start applying FOCUS and FINE TUNE on your files The rather self explanatory EXPORT GROUP function will render the processed tracks on your hard disk Press this button to export a complete drum group If you d like to export a single track highlight it in the tracks list and press the corresponding button see previous section 3 1 3 3 Waveform Display Drumatom features a clean and crisp waveform display allowing you to visualize the effect of the processing and easily select audio sections for preview You can zoom in out using the vertical slider on the left Press and hold the left mouse button to highlight a selection Once a portion of the audio is highlighted the cursor will loop through it When a loop is active you can extend reduce its length by pressing and holding the right mouse button and dragging the cursor Figure 5 Waveform view You can take advantage of this feature to focus on specific problematic sections in your drum channels Keep in mind that the blue waveform represents the original signal overlaid by the white waveform of the processed one 3 4 Main Section The main section is where all the magic happens You can achieve a wide range of sounds using a relatively small array of knobs 3 4 1 Focus The FOCUS knob is the sing
4. that however we re constantly looking into improving our technology and taking it a step further As computers get even more powerful youll see many wonderful things from Accusonus in the future How kind of results should expect from Drumatom As always a capable drummer an experienced engineer and a decent studio space will help you make the most out of Drumatom Our technology is designed to work well in most typical scenarios However when your drum recording contains excessive amounts of leakage or when your recorded track contains a very small number of drum hits as typically happens for example in the case of toms it s practically impossible to perfectly identify the main sound If you want to make an analogy think about a de noise tool the performance of the tool depends on the type and level of noise Quiet studio conditions will not produce the same results as noisy live recordings Does Drumatom work for instruments other than drums The short answer officially no Its intended for drums and tuned to work great with drum sounds However when used in live recordings it can eliminate leakage from other instruments quite successfully We are exploring the possibility to develop more specialized tools based on the same technology in the future In the meantime experimentation never hurts Should prepare my audio files before loading them into Drumatom No In fact it s better that you load up the files as they were record
5. and discuss the results you should expect when using Drumatom When processing your drum channels the FOCUS knob is your starting point By turning it fully clock wise you ll achieve the maximum possible suppression Depending on the situation at hand and the nature of the recorded files the MAX setting will usually completely remove leakage In some cases especially if the leakage is too prominent resorting to extreme settings might also make your drums sound unnatural This is currently unavoidable When your drum recording contains excessive amounts of leakage or when your recorded track contains a very small number of drum hits as typically happens for example in the case of toms it s practically impossible to perfectly identify the main sound If you want to make an analogy think about a de noise tool the performance of the tool depends on the type and level of noise The best way to use FOCUS is to start from the MIN setting Slowly and carefully work from there A lot of times a few dB of suppression will work wonders Toggle BYPASS to do a comparison between the original and the processed version Keep an eye on the suppression meter and the waveform view to get a picture of what s happening If you re not completely satisfied with what you hear you might find that finer adjustments are needed That s what the FINE TUNE knob is there for Start turning that knob clockwise and listen some of that bleed will come back albeit i
6. cess your tracks before importing them into Drumatom 6 GENERAL FAQ 13 6 General FAQ Is Drumatom meant to replace my gates and drum trigger software tools Drumatom is an extremely sophisticated software tool employing innovative technology It aims to provide a fresh perspective on dealing with the leakage issue Its meant to be an additional tool in your arsenal hopefully one that fills an important gap in your everyday needs as a professional Drumatom is not meant to replace anything As all advances in audio technology Drumatom is all about helping you get the job done How will Drumatom help me improve my sound Not worrying about unwanted leakage turns mixing into a process that s all about achieving a great sound and less about fixing things Use compressors and equalizers the way you always wanted get crazy with creative effects improve the headroom of your rhythm section and capture the natural sound of a skilled drummer working on a well tuned drumset Using drum replacement tools Drumatom will work hand in hand with them cleaning up your sound and making sure they detect the correct hits Why not design it as a plugin A real time implementation is currently not possible using modern pro cessing resources Our algorithm is designed in such a way that it collects data from the whole duration of your drum tracks In other words Drumatom works by having knowledge of what happens across the timeline of your recording Having said
7. e sought out to utilize the latest advances in DSP in order to provide a dedicated solution to the leakage issue Our software is based on our proprietary Advanced Audio Analysis A technology and is the outcome of many years of research and development The origins of our technology can be broadly placed in the general family of Blind Source Separation BSS techniques using notions of artificial intelligence However A is far more than that Advanced principles of acoustics signal processing psychoacoustics and music theory are combined in one novel technology Running an extremely sophisticated algorithm under a simple and intuitive user interface Drumatom lets you adjust reduce or eliminate leakage in a way that was previously not possible with conventional tools 1 2 System Requirements Drumatom will only work with a 64 bit operating system Minimum specs are as follows e Windows Windows XP 7 8 1 e OSX v10 6 and upwards 4GBs of RAM are the absolute minimum for operation 8GBs or more are highly recommended 1 3 Installation Lika all Plugin Alliance software products Drumatom is quite straightforward to setup and activate Please refer to the included activation manual for detailed information 2 QUICKSTART GUIDE 4 2 Quickstart Guide We highly recommend that you take your time and read the manual in order to get to grips with Drumatom If you need fast results though here s a quick summary of the steps necessary to ge
8. ed Try to apply a minimum set of processing before Drumatom Set up a good recording signal path and try to avoid extreme compression and equalization This will ensure that you get the best possible result After processing and exporting the files with Drumatom you re free to tweak your sound to your heart s content Is Drumatom phase accurate Yes Drumatom will not introduce any phase inconsistencies In fact reducing leakage can help in correcting time domain misalignments in hi hats and cymbals 6 GENERAL FAQ 14 Can mix Drumatom outputs with my original drum recordings Since it s phase accurate yes Feel free to do so Keep in mind however that Drumatom already gives you enough controls to get the balance you like Becoming familiar with the interaction of FOCUS and FINE TUNE will help you avoid mixing more channels in your sequencer What if a load a single drum channel What results can expect Loading several channels or a full multitrack will provide sufficient data for the algorithm to properly identify the original sound That s how Drumatom is intended to work If that s not possible you may try loading a single channel It s not guaranteed to work but you might be pleasantly surprised with the result
9. er wav 03_SnareTop1 wav 04_SnareTop2 wav 05_Tom1 wav 06_Tom2 wav 07_OHL wav 08_OHR wav Figure 2 Choosing drum type 3 2 Transport Process Export On the lower part of Drumatom s interface you ll see the transport controls a volume slider and two buttons labeled ANALYZE GROUP and EXPORT GROUP The transport controls should be self explanatory Let s just note that the play button also works as stop and pause The next and previous arrow buttons change the track being played H gt A VOLUME se P ANALYZE GROUP EXPORT GROUP Figure 3 Transport controls The volume slider is used to adjust Drumatom s monitoring volume There s also a clip indicator that will light up when the signal hits values above 0 dBFS Its important to note that the volume slider does NOT control the processor s output gain in the traditional sense Any change made to the volume control will not be applied to the files It only regulates your monitoring levels and is there for your convenience The ANALYZE GROUP button commands the algorithm to analyze the loaded audio files collect the relevant data and perform a pre processing pass on the material Once you press ANALYZE GROUP a progress bar will show up Analyzing Group 1 11 Cancel Figure 4 Analysis progress bar 3 DRUMATOM UI AND CONTROLS 7 Please note that this procedure will usually take around 1 0 1 5 times the length of your tracks depend ing
10. g different types of toms and see what works better for each case Don t forget to press ANALYZE GROUP each time you do that Avoid empty tracks Sometimes a track might be almost devoid of direct signal information For example a floor tom channel might feature only a couple of hits along the course of several minutes Most of the times this will confuse Drumatom Its expected Drumatom will attempt to train itself to identify the tom but the information will not be sufficient This might also interfere with the rest of the tracks producing inconsistent results A simple workaround is to avoid loading that track altogether This will ensure that the algorithm is not burdened with false information while also cutting a few CPU cycles and saving some RAM along the way Experiment with different track combinations Apart from avoiding some tracks you can also try load ing different combinations of tracks Sometimes a kick a snare and two overheads will be enough to reduce kick and snare bleed Loading all channels might not be necessary or might even produce false informa tion as mentioned in the previous paragraph Keep in mind that the underlying artificial intelligence Al principles introduce a certain level of unpredictability Each project requires some tweaking and testing to get the best possible results Extra tip A good way to work is to load different channel combinations of the same song in one session You can create a new gr
11. ions Al a o ed a e ci e ea e LA ad AA e a 42 Mpo iso A a es eh ao ta A rt an gs oa eb Asa gy A eet ds 453 PIOCESS eaeoe arar Ba are a Ew aoe ewan i baa Oak ee de Mg anew D gt Eee 4 4 EXPORT aia 5 Tips Techniques and Workarounds 6 General FAQ 1 INTRODUCTION 3 1 Introduction Drumatom is a novel drum processing tool that offers a fresh perspective on leakage suppression At its heart lies an advanced patent pending algorithm that will scan your drum tracks detect bleed and help you dial in as little or as much as you want 1 1 Overview So what exactly is Drumatom and how does it work A modern production often involves the drummer performing through multiple microphones specifically set to capture the sound of each individual component of the drum kit Ideally each microphone should only pick up the sound of the intended percussion element i e a snare microphone should only record the sound of the snare drum In practical everyday applications though things are not so simple Each drum is bound to interact more or less with all microphones In other words the hihat s sound will find its way leak to the snare drum s microphone Drum spill is known to sound engineers since the dawn of recording technology but the audio DSP research community seemed oblivious to it for a long time To this day recording and mixing professionals use a number of simple and empirical methods to address it By designing Drumatom w
12. le most important control in Drumatom When the FOCUS knob is at its minimum value no processing is taking place By turning it clockwise you can reduce the selected track s leakage and let the original sound shine through By turning it fully clockwise you get the maximum possible leakage suppression 3 4 2 Fine Tune The FINE TUNE knob works alongside FOCUS giving you the freedom to do detailed adjustments FINE TUNE works in a reverse fashion By turning it clockwise some of the dry signal is added back to be more precise the signal added is the difference between the original and the current FOCUS output In essence it s something akin to a Dry Wet implementation You may ask why not just push back FOCUS a little bit Well you won t get the same result FINE TUNE has a finer range of values The two controls are designed to interact with each other and produce an effect greater than the sum of its parts 3 DRUMATOM UI AND CONTROLS 8 BYPASS FINE TUNE SUPPRESSION Figure 6 The Main Controls 3 4 3 Suppression Meter The suppression meter is an extremely helpful tool that lets you visualize the extent to which processing happens Think of it as the equivalent to a compressors GR meter It s designed to mimic traditional LED metering tools and give you a precise indication of how many dBs of suppression are applied 3 4 4 Summary Let s take a minute to summarize this section provide a more in depth look into the workflow
13. n a delicate and discreet fashion Experimenting with different settings of FOCUS and FINE TUNE is the heart of Drumatom s operation These two controls are designed to work in tandem Take your time to explore the interactions and listen to the effect You ll soon feel quite familiar 4 MENU OPTIONS 9 4 Menu Options 4 1 File New Group Command N Ctrl N Creates a new group to load channels Open Group s Command 0 Ctrl O Opens an existing saved group Save Group Command S Ctrl S Saves the currently selected group Save Group as Shift Command S Shift Ctrl S Saves the currently selected group as a new file Save All Groups Use this to save all of your groups in one go Drumatom uses its own type of files dls to store your sessions Each dls file may contain an analyzed Drumatom group It s important to know that when loading an analyzed group you can change FOCUS and FINE TUNE settings without having to analyze it again Saving and loading groups will be your biggest ally in reducing the dead time needed for processing It s also important to note that Drumatom group files can get quite big since they effectively contain a big portion of audio information Be sure to save organize and name your sessions properly drumatom Audio Setup Driver coreaudio Device scarlett 18120 usb Ouput L output 1 Output R output 2 Sample rate 44100 ie 4 Cancel Figure 7 Audio Setup window Audio Setup The Audi
14. o Setup window allows you to choose audio driver type audio interface virtual outputs and sampling rate 4 2 Import Keep in mind that these operations can also be accomplished quickly via dragging and dropping files or folders Import Track s Command Ctrl I Import a number of audio tracks into the currently selected group Import Folder s Command F Ctrl F When using this option a folder of drum tracks will be imported as a new group 4 MENU OPTIONS 10 4 3 Process Analyze Group Command P Ctrl P Analyzes the currently selected group Process Tracks s Shift Command P Shift Ctrl P Analyzes all of the imported groups sequentially 4 4 Export Export Track Command E Ctrl E Exports the currently selected track Export Group Command X Ctrl X Export the currently selected group Export All Groups Shift Command X Shift Ctrl X Exports all groups sequentially 5 TIPS TECHNIQUES AND WORKAROUNDS 11 5 Tips Techniques and Workarounds Drumatom employs novel technology to produce a type of processing that is unlike anything achieved until now This original design comes with a cost in CPU cycles some unpredictability due to the Al principles as well as a learning curve Simply put don t expect to get perfect results from the first time you use it Don t worry though we re here to help CPU and RAM issues Drumatom needs a fast CPU but above all it needs a 64 bit system with a good deal of RAM 4GB sho
15. oup for each combination Use the batch analysis option Menu bar gt Analyze gt Analyze Group s and go make a coffee When the analysis is done you ll be able to compare the performance among groups and render the tracks that you find more useful 5 TIPS TECHNIQUES AND WORKAROUNDS 12 Room and overhead mics During our tests we found that loading both room and overhead mics produces minor improvements if any Usually loading just the overheads will yield the same result quality while using less CPU and RAM Find the sweet spot The FOCUS and FINE TUNE knobs need slow careful handling The sweet spot will vary from track to track Just turning FOCUS clockwise will usually not be enough to get the sound you want so remember to use FINE TUNE as well Keep in mind also that FINE TUNE behaves in relation to the current position of FOCUS Dealing with complex or inconsistent performances A drummer will often perform differently during a track For example a snare channel may contain regular hits as well as brushes or rim shots In these cases it s always good to split the tracks and process separate parts This will help Drumatom identify the signals correctly Combining Drumatom with other tools Drumatom can also complement traditional tools and provide a comprehensive correcting solution Any type of gate will perform much better after a track has been processed by Drumatom Same goes for most time domain tools Just make sure NOT to pro
16. t started Taking a quick look through these simple steps will also help you get an idea on Drumatom s workflow 1 Open Drumatom and load your drum tracks You can do it either by dragging and dropping the files on the GUI or by using the menu option The files will be grouped to a corresponding GROUP 2 If necessary select drum type for each track using the drop down menu Drumatom will usually do that automatically 3 Press the ANALYZE GROUP button Drumatom will make an analysis pass After waiting a bit you re ready 4 Select individual drum channels and adjust leakage to taste The FOCUS knob removes leakage while the FINE TUNE knob adds some of it back Watch the suppression meter to get an idea of what s happening Play around until you like what you hear 5 Press EXPORT GROUP to export the processed version of your drum group You can also export individual tracks by pressing the icon next to the file name That s it 3 DRUMATOM UI AND CONTROLS 5 3 Drumatom UI and Controls The Drumatom UI consists of four areas e The track group selection list e The lower bar where you will find the transport and export buttons e The top bar displaying a waveform of the current processed audio file e The main control section Drumatom works by loading all the files from your multitrack drum session and allowing you to switch between them and process each individual track to your liking Let s see all the GUI elements one
17. uld be the minimum to get it working but 8GB and upwards is the way to go if you want to load multiple drum groups with no problems If you encounter crashes or sluggish response it s probably because of insufficient memory Try loading a single group at a time or avoiding too many tracks for example if you have overhead mics you might consider not loading room mics We ll get to that later Understanding the logic behind Drumatom In order to use Drumatom efficiently you have to tap into its mentality It s quite unique in the way it works Imagine it as an assistant that you have to train in order to help you Try to focus on what information you are feeding it when you load remove a track choose a drum type or load different combinations of the same kit Drumatom attempts to correctly identify the direct signal portions Most of the tips here revolve around these basic concepts Sort your drum kit Don t forget to select the type of drum component for each channel using the drop down menu provided see section 3 1 Kicks and snares are straightforward enough Hi hat or ride chan nels belong to the category labelled other Toms have their own category and can be a bit more tricky Drumatom understands three types of toms high low and floor Choosing the correct type according to the tom s diameter general size and tonality will help Drumatom identify it properly in the timeline Some times you ll need to experiment by choosin
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