TAIKO THUNDER Development Blog — Part 6: Mixer Functions and Multiple Microphones
This blog post looks at the mixer specs and features of TAIKO THUNDER: The Ultimate Collection.
Eight microphone channels
Going back to the first post in this blog series, this library’s development focus has been to recreate the true, authentic sounds of the taiko. A key part of reaching this goal is the library’s multiple microphone channels.
What we imagine is the sound of a taiko normally includes resonances of the hall or stage heard at a short distance from the instrument. The secret to a realistic taiko sound is these rich, complex reverberations, which sound totally unlike those created with reverb effects. The instruments for TAIKO THUNDER were sampled in a concert hall rather than a studio in order to capture these resonances.
The difficulty is that the sounds a music production may require vary tremendously. We fully recognize that having the hall’s reverb in the mix could be undesirable in some cases. This is why the library has a total of eight* channels: seven microphone channels and a pre-balanced, DAW-ready stereo mix. The built-in mixer gives you complete control over your mix.
In the recording sessions, more than seven microphones were actually used. We grouped and mixed the microphones down to seven channels for convenience.
*Note that the stereo mix cannot be used at the same time as the other microphone channels and vice-versa. When any of the microphone channels are activated, the stereo mix is automatically disabled.
Below are short descriptions of each mic channel and some sample sounds.
- Front: A mono mix from direct mics on the taiko’s front drumhead
- Rear: A mono mix from direct mics on the taiko’s rear drumhead
- Dir.St.: A stereo mix from direct mics
- O.H.: A stereo mix from overhead mics
- StageF: A stereo mix from mics positioned at the front of the stage
- StageB: A stereo mix from mics positioned at the back of the stage
- Hall: A stereo mix from mics positioned to capture the resonance of the hall
- St.Mix: A pre-balanced stereo mix from multiple microphone sources
The Mix pane lets you balance each of these different elements to come up with your own precise mixes. (To save RAM usage, you can turn off unused channels.)
We added a new X-Y Pad feature to the mixer. The pad represents the hall’s stage. Changing the position on the pad changes the balance and panning of the microphones. It’s an intuitive way to find a great mix.
Rounding out the mixer are a four-band EQ and reverb send for each mic channel. TAIKO THUNDER is the first Virtuoso Japanese library to have master effects (Master EQ, Master Compressor, and Master Limiter). The Master EQ and Master Compressor have adjustable routing. Although the library has all the tools for sound production, we realize many users will wish to work with their familiar DAW or plugins instead. To support these workflows, the library has the flexibility to route mic channels as individual output channels.
Our next blog post will feature TAIKO THUNDER’s MIDI grooves. Stay tuned!