Space Designer -- Deconvolve Button Missing?

I'm having a "WTF?" moment here...

Working in L8 I'm in the process of making my own .sdir files in Space Designer, but I don't see the deconvolve button on the GUI! It was there in L7.

Furthermore, there is zero mention of the deconvolution process in the L8 effects manual, though it was spelled out in detail in the L7 manual. WTF?

After a little sleuthing (by switching the editor view in Space Designer to "controls") I found the "Decode IR" menu.

So check me, here, am I just going blind? Attention span too short these days? Or is there indeed no deconvolve button on the Space Desiger's GUI, and it's necessary to go "under the hood" to start the deconvolution process?

http://web.mac.com/absorbmusic

Check out my little Impulse Response Tutorial with the Deconvolve step.

Hi DS,

Thanks for that tutorial, much appreciated! Still much experimentation to do on my end, but now I have a better head-start.

BTW, how do you go about capturing the screen like that?

Best,

-=sKi=-

Hi DS,

 

Thanks for that tutorial, much appreciated! Still much experimentation to do on my end, but now I have a better head-start.

 

BTW, how do you go about capturing the screen like that?

 

Best,

 

-=sKi=-

Snapz X Pro... cheap n' easy.

I have captured my stairwell in my studio building.. parking garages, and others.

BTW, this is the text I wrote for my IRU post the first time...

pasted here...

Hey all,

I've been exploring Apple's new Impulse Response Utility, that comes with Logic 8.

Now you can sing in your bathroom... in Logic.

It's a lot of fun and really very easy to use & create your own reverb IRs.

Check out the quick tutorial I made, try it out and maybe we can all post our results.

I know I soon will make a zip of some of the better ones I create.

I'm just getting into this, so I'm sure I'm making a few mis-steps.

It's very easy to grab your laptop, go into your bathroom (or parking garage etc).. and do a quick test.

Your results will very, but depending on the playback system you use for the sine wave to be played out of your Mac, and the mic & pre-amp you use to capture the recording, it can be great. Keep in mind.. lo-fi also has many uses these days.

One problem I am having is a red mark (clip) on the drawing of my final Impulse sometimes. My sine wave recording looks low, and then I hit the Deconvolve button, and it seems like the sum of the wave then clips. I did have many high level recordings that did NOT do this once Deconvolved, so I'm looking into it still.

I even dropped at cheap Sony mic into an Arrowhead water jug, and placed my speakers outside it... took the reading, and now can apply that "environment" to snare dums etc in Space Designer.

Also a large Tuperware box! Very cool for some things. Think of that guy from Toy Story jumping into a Tuperware to hide. You would them use that IR in SD at 100% and he would be talking inside it.

Of course I already ran a cable loop out of my mac (& back)... thru my UA & Neve Pre-Amps. Tons of stuff to do. Try out USB mics if you have them too.

As I say in the tutorial, the PDF is only about 28 pages, so read it after you test this, and you will understand it a lot more. Also I put a link at the bottom here to more info.

After I did everything in sight in my studio, I built a small mobile rack for going to other locations.. like the stairwell in my building.

This is my checklist for that mobile rack.

1. Flat Dolly w/ wheels.

2. Small 5 space rack

3. Power Strip (rack mounted)

4. Neve 1272 Pre-amp & Power Supply

5. C414 mic

6. Mic stand

7. NI Audio Kontrol I/O

8. MBP w/ Impulse Utility

9. Sound Sticks USB w/ Sub (playback)

10. Long power cables & adapters.

Nice videos! Very to the point

I still have one question though: In Logic 7 it was possible to use any recordings for deconvolution, yet it appears that the IR Utility in Studio can only deconvolve recordings made natively. So is there a work around, preferably one that doesn't involve going back to L7?

Cheers,

e

Has anyone worked more with the IR Utility.

I now want to make/acquire IR for some crazy old lo-fi mics.

I've been reading that pink noise is better than the sweep, but I don't think IRU has that option. It's been year since I used it. haha.

I just found "LA Convolver" plug-in for free, but I have yet to try it out.

Any tips for getting the best "mic" IRs would be great.

Nice videos! Very to the point

 

I still have one question though: In Logic 7 it was possible to use any recordings for deconvolution, yet it appears that the IR Utility in Studio can only deconvolve recordings made natively. So is there a work around, preferably one that doesn't involve going back to L7?

 

Cheers,

e

Yes! See screenshots.

Hey Matt,

That's great. Does this mean I don't have to use IRU to create IRs?

What are the steps using Space Designer?

To preface - it really does work best in Impulse Designer, and I've found that sine sweeps are very accurate and pink noise not so much.

Basically, get two sound files ready:

1. The source sound

2. The captured sound

For example, #1 is a clean sine sweep, and #2 is a recording of that same sweep played in a reverberant hall.

Then choose the "Decode IR" option (which is the same as clicking "Deconvolve" in Logic 7's Space Designer) and it will ask you for those two files, and where to save the resulting IR.

Open the IR file in Space Designer, and presto, there's your impulse response.

thanks for this. I will try it over the weekend.

I was reading this link below about recording IR for guitar cabs.

The mod for the site states that he found pink noise to be best.

Not sure why.

I have so far been using sines inside IRU.

http://www.guitarampmodeling.com/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1745

Ok, I've been trying to record some IRs for some old mics, which brings up different questions, due to the length of the file.

When capturing rooms, we want the long tail, but with Mics, I'm not sure how much to clip at the end, front... etc.

The shortest length the IRU offers is one second, which I guess is too long for a Mic only IR.

At first listen on a test file, they sound a lot like some room sound, or verb is included. Does this mean that I need to trim the files very tight? I have nothing to go on here, and I'm trying to find out the basics.

There is always some space at the front end of the Mic IR, even with pre-roll off. Should I always cut this?

How does space at the top affect what I'm trying to do? Does it offset the actual color of the mic I'm trying to use? I don't really know the science of how these IR work.

I'm still having issues with a red "clip" line after I deconvolve. It seems even if I record the sweep super low, I still get this one red clip line at the highest peak after the decon step. I can't hear it though.

Not sure whats going on, because even when I record a very hot sweep, I still get that "one" red clip line. Same results. Trying not to clip, it seems that recording a lower signal means more chance for the "room" sound and noise floor to become part of the result.

When bringing the level "down" for recording, use the preamp and not the the sweep level, because that will bring the noise floor down in your recording too.

Some improvements to the IRU are needed.

1. A high pass filter might be useful.

2. In the audition area, a dry/wet button would be better than the slider that takes time to go back & forth.

3. Offer a pink noise signal to use.

You can turn the sweep off, and use your own external sound and just capture the result in IRU.

Thanks

Eric