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Installing and getting started with D16 Group Frontier

1 Frontier is supplied in VST and AAX format for PC; and VST, AU and AAX for Mac. To install it, download the installer at vault.computermusic.co.uk (or find it on the DVD included with the print edition) and follow the installation instructions. To authorise Frontier, you’ll need access to the internet either on your studio computer or elsewhere. See the text file included with the installers for foolproof activation instructions. 2 At the very bottom of Frontier’s interface, click where it says Normal/ Normal to edit the Real-time and Offline quality options, ranging from Draft (most efficient CPU usage) to Ultra (best quality, highest CPU). We choose Ultra for both, as Frontier is quite CPU-light. This affects only the current instance of Frontier (you can set a global default in the Settings menu). Now load Frontier demo 1.wav in a fresh DAW project at 122bpm. 3 Frontier’s main control is Threshold. It defaults to -12dB, meaning that any signal level exceeding that point is limited. Gain is then applied automatically behind the scenes – for each dB you reduce the Threshold value by, 1dB of make-up gain is added to the signal level. Raise the Threshold to 0dB and our drum loop appears unprocessed, then pull it right down to see how the signal gets louder and eventually distorts as it’s squashed. 4 The real-time Gain Reduction meter displays any gain reduction being applied. Naturally, it’s visibly triggered by loud peaks such as kick drums. When using Frontier for creative distortion, you can largely ignore the meter, but when adding volume to busses and masters, a level of about -6dB is safe, and anything in the red is heavily colouring your sound. 5 The next important control is Release. Three settings – Fast, Medium and Slow – dictate how swiftly the gain reduction eases off after the signal drops back below the threshold. Hear how this affects a loop with a heavy kick in the video version of this tutorial. When set to Fast, the overall level is higher with distortion creeping in. At Slow, the loop is cleaner and bumps with the kick. 6 The large Output Volume knob to the right has a number of useful functions. When using Frontier as a master output limiter, it can be set just below 0dB to ensure the output signal is compatible with CDs and converts nicely to MP3 (pro mastering studios recommend a peak signal level of around -0.5 to -0.3dB for optimum MP3 conversion). 7 The Output knob can also add distortion, when used in conjunction with the Soft Clip option. Engage Soft Clip, raise the Output gradually to 12dB, and notice how the sound acquires a distorted tone. Even with Soft Clip engaged, the plugin’s output can reach as high as +3dB when the levels are pushed. If we disable Soft Clip now, the signal instantly leaps up and over our channel’s 0dB point. 8 The Control Input sets whether Frontier uses the Left, Right or Mid (mono) channel when detecting threshold crossing (note that the gain reduction itself always acts on the full stereo signal). This can be used creatively or functionally. Load Frontier Demo 2.wav (which has its kick panned hard left), set The Control Input to Right, and hear how the limiter’s threshold detector ignores the kick. 9 All of Frontier’s controls can be mapped to MIDI CC for use with hardware controllers. Right-click any parameter to open the menu (Mac users can also Shift-click). Click Learn and then move your desired MIDI controller to assign a control. You can save and load sets of CC assignments from the menu in the bottom right of the plugin.