{"id":10574,"date":"2013-02-21T17:03:20","date_gmt":"2013-02-21T21:03:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/?p=10574"},"modified":"2013-02-21T17:03:20","modified_gmt":"2013-02-21T21:03:20","slug":"testing-the-ca-2a-in-the-real-world-three-reasons-its-a-must-have-plugin-for-mixing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/2013\/02\/21\/testing-the-ca-2a-in-the-real-world-three-reasons-its-a-must-have-plugin-for-mixing\/","title":{"rendered":"Testing the CA-2A in the Real World: Three Reasons it's a Must-Have Plugin for Mixing"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"I was recently hired to burn the ole midnight oil and produce, mix, co-write and play just about every instrument on an EP for an artist out of NYC.\u00a0 The record is pretty cool, definitely fun to make, and it falls somewhere between Fiona Apple and Taylor Swift.\u00a0 Considering the genre, I figured it was a great time to try out our new CA-2A T-Type Leveling Amplifier<\/a> in the field and in a practical situation.<\/p>\n

From testing the beta out briefly during development, I knew I was going to like the outcome of using the CA-2A<\/a>, but what I didn\u2019t expect was the versatility of the plugin.\u00a0 I ended up using it on a lot more than what I expected.\u00a0 From smoothing out vocals to arpeggiated guitars to piano tones, I really loved what I was getting from the CA-2A.\u00a0 I also had the benefit of A\/B\u2019ing it with another branded Leveling Amplifier that I use, and I found the Cakewalk CA-2A<\/a> thicker sounding in general and also more versatile due to the R37 screw [knob.]\u00a0\u00a0 Here are the reasons I found myself going to the CA-2A<\/a> instead of my other comparable leveling amplifier.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>1.)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 R37\u00a0Adjuster\u00a0on Vocals \u2013 This adjustable screw is interesting.\u00a0 The physical appearance of the screw does not give off the importance of its usefulness.\u00a0 Basically, this parameter allows you to adjust the compression on the high frequencies.\u00a0 Since my other Leveling Amplifier does not have this adjustment, I always started out by keeping the screw all the way to the left (0%) and then dialing it in until I found the sweet spot.\u00a0 The result was amazing especially on vocals.\u00a0 I was able to always get a warm yet transparent sound but without the harshness on most of the \u201cess\u201d words.\u00a0 Since this project is with a female vocalist, I found it especially helpful.\u00a0 I was also able to work the QuadCurve EQ into the mix and combine it with the CA-2A nicely.\u00a0 By tweaking the hi-end frequencies on the EQ along with the R37 screw, I was able to get a more present vocals without any harshness.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>2.)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLimit\u201d Mode on Bass Guitar \u2013 I\u2019m not sure if it will be like this for every song, but for this track the CA-2A<\/a> on the bass guitar in \u201cLimit\u201d mode was a magic bullet.\u00a0 I always run the bass into its separate bus, so I ended up using the limiter on that stage.\u00a0 I played the bass guitar (as you can hear from the track on this post) with a pick for this song.\u00a0 The CA-2A<\/a> in limiting mode on the bass bus really allowed me to fatten up the sound of the low end, but also kept the attack of the pick in focus.\u00a0 It leveled out the attack of the pick hitting the string but also kept it present.\u00a0 I had the EQ running on the bass track, and then the limiter on the bass hitting the peak reduction at about -3db.\u00a0 I kept the R37 at 0% as you can see from the image.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>3.)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCompress\u201d Mode on Piano and Whirlie \u2013 fortunately for this track I had the benefit of having David Cook (keyboardist and MD for Taylor Swift) play on the track \u2013 the guy is a genius.\u00a0 I\u2019m pretty much a hack at keyboards so my usual piano editing (to make myself sound decent enough) was not going to cut it.\u00a0 As you can hear from the attached track, there is a lot going on in the song, so I had to figure out a creative mixing strategy to make room and carve frequencies.\u00a0 To say that the CA-2A<\/a> helped me achieve this on the track would be an understatement.\u00a0 Using the plugin in compress mode on the piano enabled me to really place it in the mix correctly.\u00a0 It also helped dial in the frequencies to get it out of the way of all the other things that were in the same frequency range.\u00a0 To get the piano to sit correctly, I hit the compressor pretty hard, used the R37 at 50%, and then notched up the highs of the QuadCurve EQ.\u00a0 I also used the Channel Tools plugin to give it some more width and depth and get it out of the way of the guitars.\u00a0 The more I use this, the more I understand the importance of the R37 screw.\u00a0 It\u2019s almost an oxymoron, but by combining the R37 with the high-end frequencies on the QuadCurve EQ it seems like I am able to get a warm top end sound out of instruments.<\/p>\n

On the rest of the track I also ended up using the CA-2A<\/a> on some acoustic guitar tracks as well as one of the clean electric guitars.\u00a0 I\u2019m psyched about the performance and versatility of this plugin – instantly you can hear the difference wherever you use it.\u00a0 I also think this is a plugin that would be a great benefit to folks who are just getting into mixing.\u00a0 The simplicity of the unit basically makes it fool proof for obtaining professional results without a lot of technical worries \u2013 basically just use your ear and turn the knobs;)<\/p>\n

Try the CA-2A T-Type Leveling Amplifier for free<\/a><\/p>\n

Thanks for reading and be sure listen to the mix posted below.<\/p>\n

The song on this post uses the CA-2A<\/a> on exactly the following tracks:<\/strong>
\nLead Vocal track (Compress Mode)
\nBass bus (Limit mode)
\nPiano track (Compress Mode)
\nWhirlie track (Compress Mode)
\nB3 track (very lightly) (Compress Mode)
\nLeft acoustic guitar track (both mics) \u00a0(Compress Mode)
\nArpeggiated Electric Guitar track (Compress Mode)
\n1 of the backing vocal tracks (Compress Mode)
\nTom drums bus (Limit mode)
\nHi Hat (Compress Mode)
\nMandolin track (Compress Mode) (doubled – CA-2A only on 1 of the tracks)<\/p>\n