Plugins

Getting Stuff Done How do I .... ?
#1

Hello everybody,

my first recording session with Ardour is almost complete.

Not only was it fun but it was also a good way to to explore, experience and learn the basic funcions of Ardour.

Now I would like to add some reverber, compressor and maybe chorus and delay to some tracks.

I was following the procedure to install plugins:

http://manual.ardour.org/working-with-plugins/getting-plugins/

but there are dozens of packages and I am not even sure how to install them properly.

I wondering if somebody could suggest me a good package which includes the good classic effects that I have mentioned above, and show me how to install them.

Thank you very much, I always get a kind support form Ardour Community!

#2

Well, looks like you’re a newcomer to Linux. We need to know which one you’re using (Ubuntu? Mageia? Elementary?) because each one has different instructions.

(For this reason the Ardour manual doesn’t say exactly how to do it.)

#3

Forgot to say: Welcome to the camp.

#4

ladspa-tap-plugins and ladspa-caps-plugins (names of the packages on Fedora) are fine and a good starting point.

#5

Oh, sorry! Yes, I’m a newcomer.
I am using Ubuntu 12.04, 64 bit.

#6

For your convenience on Ubuntu first get the Y PPA Manager, to do that go to the Software Center and click Edit -> Software Sources -> Other Software -> Add, and on the “APT Line” copy/paste this: 

ppa:webupd8team/y-ppa-manager

When it’s done go back to the Software Center and install “Y PPA Manager” which should show up on a search - although you may have to wait for the catalog to be updated.

Then on the PPA manager add the following PPAs:

ppa:kxstudio-team/ppa
ppa:kxstudio-team/plugins

The first one is not related to plugins, but it’s a good idea to have it on studio computers.

Once the catalog update has been completed go back to the Ubuntu Software Center and search for Calf, that’s a plugin set that has everything you’re looking for: http://calf.sourceforge.net/plugins.html

Assuming everything went well you now have pretty sweet plugins to work with.

#7

“Go to the Software Center and click Edit -> Software Sources -> Other Software -> Add, and on the “APT Line” copy/paste this:
ppa:webupd8team/y-ppa-manager”

I did follow that passage several years ago but there’s no way to find the Y PPA Manager in the Ubuntu Software Center.
But I found Calf there.

Can I install Calf anyway?

#8

That’s strange. Can you install Synaptic and see if you can find it there?

I don’t recommend installing pro-audio software straight from the Ubuntu repo if you’re not in a hurry, a lot of it are old versions and some have packaging problems.

#9

Calf-plugins look good, but they don’t necessaryly sound good.

#10

I don’t use them, but I tried them one time and I think they sounded good.

When I get back to my workstation I’ll test them and report.

#11

The sound is shitty when a filter is involved. Try the EQ: Put a lowpass at e.g. 200 Hz. You will hear a high frequency noise…

#12

@dbra: Can you recommend a good compressor and limiter?
@Almuzura: For an eq try the latest eq10q. Right now on my machine it’s working pretty decent.

#13

I have to agree with the observation about the Calf sound, there is much better out there, but it isn’t a horrible starting set of plugins. If someone has time to really sit down and improve the sound of the Calf plugins, they could really be nice, but this is very much a non-trivial task.

All that being said I am still looking at using them for a basic set of plugins for my students to use on a [lack of] budget.

 Seablade
#14

The best compressors I know of are the SC ones by Steve Harris. But there are also sound artefacts when the compressor kicks in. I’ll try linuxdsp’s one or buy hardware… Still undecided.

#15

PS: But there is also the possibility that I am simply to stupid. :wink:

#16

When i record my “rock” :slight_smile:
“i would listen to sound of those old original Parliament, Funkadelic, Hendrix, Beatles…records first!”
And then i would make my sound to be exactly so dirty and unperfected.
I was wondering how little gear they used. And what they made.
Ok, good Mic and preamp are always good, but those “clean” sounds…of plugins.
You need a bunch of dirt if you wanna get some clean parts in your arrangement.
Try INVADA. Try Calf. Try LINUX DSP, Try hardware…but how long?

Invada is good to learn how to compress, how to gate and limit and so on. All gui elements are “like a real ones”.
LINUX DSP is best (looks like mixture of ssl and api devices, and it sounds good)

Every Compresor kicks in. What are you compressing and how?

#17

Sidechain-compressed a bassline against a kick-drum. There is a click-noise when loudness-reduction on the bassline takes place. And yes, this happens also with long attack-times.

#18

oh, i didn’t knew this. Side chaining is nice thing, but you could make a manual automation of that bass.

#19

you have bass guitar or synthetic bass?
how did you made side chain “chain”?

I see no side chain input in calf side chain comp. (it works with its own internal side chain)!
How did you made this? I could here some crackle noise when i “move” some (filter) pots on calf sc comp.

But side chaining with “classic” routing (insert device in to the channel, feed it from other source and set parameter to “duck”, i have not found it
in lv2 and LADSPA plugins.

http://www.linuxmusicians.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=9827
this is freaky routing (actually with real side chain in, and two normal outs)
but you’ll work with bus (aux in)

#20

The latest version of the calf-plugins has a sidechain-compressor, but I used Steve Harris’s SC3. The bass-sound is a synth one. First I sidechained it directly with the kick-sound. Because of the click-sound, I then tried to duck it via a sine-wave. Same problem…