Jeff Hijlkema | A Beautiful Day // The Halmeijk Orchestra playing in Air Lyndhurst Hall // #AirStudiosReverb @jeffhijlkema | Uploaded May 2024 | Updated October 2024, 8 hours ago.
With A Beautiful Day I challenged myself to put every instrument (coming from a lot of different instrument libraries) in the famous Air Lyndhurst Hall, as if they where recorded live all at once. Therefore I'm only using the recent released AIR Studios Reverb plugin by Spitfire Audio, using it on more or less dry instruments signals. AIR Studios Reverb has staging control that makes you really have a say where the reverb signal is coming from and how the signal behaves in the room. I used about 25 instances of this plugin, for example for the full strings I needed five; vlns 1, vlns 2, etc. And so for all the other used instruments. It was inpsirational to treat the instruments this way, sliding them into the hall. I used the pre-fader technique, sliding the dry instrument fader signal into the wet reverb signal untill I found the personal right depth and balance. Note: sliding the dry signal in sounds like standing outside the hall hearing the instrument from far, sliding the dry signal in sounds like coming closer, going into the hall and put your instrument where it belongs). Before I always have been using post-fader reverb for some reason, but this pre-fader workflow makes it feel just a bit more real in my opinion, while you really put the instrument in the place, instead of putting the place around the instrument.
A beautiful Day is a hybrid-orchestral piece using traditional orchestral instruments, a bunch of softsynths, the analogue Prophet REV2, the LABS drumkit, some synth basses, Chrysalis Harp, LABS Peel guitar, The Grandeur piano, Intimate Grand piano, Eric Whitacre Choir and some other smaller instruments. I choose to also put the hybrid instruments in the hall, divided throughout the spectrum, choosing different depths, as if the synthesizers are standing in the hall playing through an amplifier joining the orchestra.
With mixing and mastering I had the challenge to make this sizeable, diverse orchestra into something cohesive, where everything still has it’s place. In the video you can see some of my instruments plugins working.
Mastering chain:
1. Fabfilter EQ2: for surgical EQ, low end roll off, mids pull down and little high boost, all just a few db’s.
2. Pulltec EQP 1A: just running the stereo signal through it, already gives it some little punch upwards.
3. Manley Massive Passive MST EQ: boosting low end (47hz) and high end (16k) and some pulling down at 390hz. All just a touch.
4. Avalon VT 747 sp: for a little extra boost on the low end (15hz) and high end (32khz), and pulling in the mids (500hz). And a little touch of compression, just -1db.
5. Manley variable Mu compression: doing -2db and for little vintage colouring.
6. Fabfilter C2 compressor; doing the final ‘technical’ compression, about -2 db, ratio 2:1.
7. SSL Fusion Stereo Image: for some widening and analogue colouring.
8. Fabfilter L2 Limiter: -11 LUFS, +7.5 db, -0.6 dBTP, oversampling 16x, attack and release both in the middle.
If you like what I do please subscribe, like or comment, it will help the channel, thanks.
Be well,
Jeff
With A Beautiful Day I challenged myself to put every instrument (coming from a lot of different instrument libraries) in the famous Air Lyndhurst Hall, as if they where recorded live all at once. Therefore I'm only using the recent released AIR Studios Reverb plugin by Spitfire Audio, using it on more or less dry instruments signals. AIR Studios Reverb has staging control that makes you really have a say where the reverb signal is coming from and how the signal behaves in the room. I used about 25 instances of this plugin, for example for the full strings I needed five; vlns 1, vlns 2, etc. And so for all the other used instruments. It was inpsirational to treat the instruments this way, sliding them into the hall. I used the pre-fader technique, sliding the dry instrument fader signal into the wet reverb signal untill I found the personal right depth and balance. Note: sliding the dry signal in sounds like standing outside the hall hearing the instrument from far, sliding the dry signal in sounds like coming closer, going into the hall and put your instrument where it belongs). Before I always have been using post-fader reverb for some reason, but this pre-fader workflow makes it feel just a bit more real in my opinion, while you really put the instrument in the place, instead of putting the place around the instrument.
A beautiful Day is a hybrid-orchestral piece using traditional orchestral instruments, a bunch of softsynths, the analogue Prophet REV2, the LABS drumkit, some synth basses, Chrysalis Harp, LABS Peel guitar, The Grandeur piano, Intimate Grand piano, Eric Whitacre Choir and some other smaller instruments. I choose to also put the hybrid instruments in the hall, divided throughout the spectrum, choosing different depths, as if the synthesizers are standing in the hall playing through an amplifier joining the orchestra.
With mixing and mastering I had the challenge to make this sizeable, diverse orchestra into something cohesive, where everything still has it’s place. In the video you can see some of my instruments plugins working.
Mastering chain:
1. Fabfilter EQ2: for surgical EQ, low end roll off, mids pull down and little high boost, all just a few db’s.
2. Pulltec EQP 1A: just running the stereo signal through it, already gives it some little punch upwards.
3. Manley Massive Passive MST EQ: boosting low end (47hz) and high end (16k) and some pulling down at 390hz. All just a touch.
4. Avalon VT 747 sp: for a little extra boost on the low end (15hz) and high end (32khz), and pulling in the mids (500hz). And a little touch of compression, just -1db.
5. Manley variable Mu compression: doing -2db and for little vintage colouring.
6. Fabfilter C2 compressor; doing the final ‘technical’ compression, about -2 db, ratio 2:1.
7. SSL Fusion Stereo Image: for some widening and analogue colouring.
8. Fabfilter L2 Limiter: -11 LUFS, +7.5 db, -0.6 dBTP, oversampling 16x, attack and release both in the middle.
If you like what I do please subscribe, like or comment, it will help the channel, thanks.
Be well,
Jeff
