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Practical production techniques with D16 Group Frontier

1 We’re going to take you on a fast tour of our favourite Frontier techniques – hear them in action in the video and audio examples. First, we’re using Frontier on a master mix bus. We dial the Threshold down until we’re getting around 6dB of peak reduction, for a good, solid, playable output level. We’re also sure to select the right Release setting. Here we’ve chosen Medium for a little rhythmic pumping while keeping our transients intact. 2 Another common limiting technique, particularly on groups and master channels, is to use a series of limiters to achieve maximum loudness while preserving transients and avoiding distortion. Here, we’ve duplicated a Frontier on our master and set the first to Slow Release, for characterful pumping, and set our second to Fast for an even louder overall level that still pumps. 3 We can use Frontier in combination with any kind of dynamic level-altering device for creative effect. Here we add sidechain pumping prior to a distorting Frontier setting (with a high Output setting and Soft Clip engaged) so that we get saturation at the height of the signal. Used on something like a TB-303 bassline (courtesy of D16 Group’s Phoscyon), the distortion accentuates the pumping in the audible mix. 4 Frontier can create a very smooth, fattening saturation effect when the signal is overdriven – ideal when you need to give bite and edge to a signal, and also give it prominence. Here’s a vocal part that’s a little lost in the mix. By over driving it with Frontier (with a low Threshold setting and Output Volume with Soft Clip), we add both distinctive tonal character and raised RMS level, enabling the vocal to cut through the mix. 5 Sometimes we want the nice edge that Frontier’s saturation brings, but the resulting limiting is too much. In this case, we can create a duplicate parallel channel for our vocal and apply heavy limiting to one, to achieve the saturation, then some very light limiting to the other. Now we have a slightly louder vocal and can blend in the saturated signal to give the desired edge. 6 A great way to pull drums together into a cohesive whole is to route them all through a bus and apply dynamic squashing with Frontier. Here we have an acoustic drum bus, and we pull Frontier’s Threshold down until the drums gel nicely. It’s important to tailor the Release to achieve the desired effect. For a vintage saturation vibe, just lower the Threshold. 7 Did you know that Frontier makes a fantastic signal-smashing distortion machine? Here we run a techno loop (supplied by D16 Group’s TR-909emulating Drumazon) through Frontier. We pull the Threshold down as low as it will go to create extreme distortion, characteristic of techno. For best effect, we use a copy of the dry kick drum on another parallel channel for a usable mix. 8 Extreme limiting can be used to squash transients on a variety of sounds. Here we apply Frontier with an extremely low Threshold to a kick drum, a snare and a ride cymbal. Note how as the transients are flattened, the transients are smoothed. The rides in particular change character, becoming more of a sonic atmosphere than a rhythmic element. 9 Frontier’s Control Input can be a fun creative tool. Here’s Frontier on a drum group. Our kick drum is causing the first Frontier to pump the signal nicely, but we don’t want to actually hear the kick. We pan the kick hard left and set Control Input to L, then create a dual mono signal from the kick-free (but still pumping) right channel. Check it out more fully in the video version of this tutorial!