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TB Barricade or TB Compressor or Both and Why?
I want to get TB barricade or TB compressor... someone mentioned that both are useful in another thread but I’m wondering if I could get away with just using one or just start with one, then get the other one later? Or are both best? And why? Is the only difference the limiter?
Comments
Barricade covers the most ground because it is a compressor and a true peak limiter in one. Plus soft clipping and other functions. I am finding the TB compressor app to be a an excellent bus compressor with very focused range and quite a spanky tone 🙂. But it is not as versatile as Barricade.
What are you looking for though? A bus compressor? Mastering compressor? Mastering limiter? Sound design tool?
I find Barricade sufficient for my needs in combination with BarkFiltr and Luxe.
@gusgranite I think mostly a master compressor and limiter. But also sometimes Just a simple bus. I have barkfilter, RoughRider2 RoughRider3 , and I don’t know a lot about compression, but I want to finish more songs, and I need a mastering solution. I considered an all in one like grand finale but ultimately thought with a couple apps I could master myself, and also use those apps for other reasons as well.... But I’m just scratching the surface with mastering as well so, I’m not sure how hard it will be to do on my own.
Really i have to get my music out, and I can’t decide On a mastering workflow. I’m hoping to avoid an expensive trial and error type situation and pick a couple great apps To fill my needs. TB barricade was high on list, but with TB compressor also out there I was unsure which one I really needed.
@Bill_Brasky thanks for the tip is that what you use to master your songs?
I somewhat answered my own question here.... lol.
Grand Finale is really worth it if you don't know much about mastering.
@Poppadocrock Yep. Luxe on drums and Barkfilter and Barricade on everything else.
Mastering is over-rated. Most of the comments I get are advice about mastering improvements.
If it didn't need any improvements I'd get no comments at all. Be advised and plan according to your
neediness.
I think when studio hardware was being designed you needed to make a "compressor" design or
a "limiter" design. With algorithms they can both be slipped into the design since they are just
different implementations of an "automated volume knob". But folks like ToneBoosters sell
software model on traditional studio hardware so they tweak the software for the 2 use cases
around a core set of DSP functions. FabFilter and others also sell these studio equivalents.
Now the DDMF guy finds classic, expensive, highly prized studio hardware and models it in IOS
and Desktop software aiming to be as pure a replacement as possible.
Anyway... the prices are so great you can get them all over time and use a handful as you develop
workflow preferences.
I STILL forget to add Limiters to my AUM projects and end up with recordings that clip. It's a good habit to hang a limiter on before any recording to insure you never get those nasty clipped "clicks".
Thanks for all the tips and advice everyone. Cheers.
TB Compressor is definitely a decent everyday compressor if you, say, use AUM (which lacks an internal compressor (only has a peak limiter)) and/or Cubasis 3 (the compressor in Cubasis 3 is arse). Quite handy.
For mastering purposes, I'd DEFINITELY go with Barricade. I usually use Pro-L2 for my mastering, but it's pricier, and in reality, there aren't really any major differences between the two apps. Actually, there is one huge difference - Barricade is universal, and Pro-L2 is iPad-only.
It's good you have Barkfilter. That definitely adds some magic juice to a master, and it's universal. The only other app I'd suggest is MagicDeathEyeStereo. Oh yes, that's an expensive one comparatively speaking, but it's also universal and really adds a nice subtle glue to the mix.
With that said, here's how I use the apps to do quick master. (Note: My main genres of production fall in the EDM category.) I start off with MDEStereo, turn the master out all the way down, turn the input all the way up, set the release to 5, attack to fast, and flip the low-cut filter switch to 20hz (this frees up headroom). Then I adjust the threshold until the VU meters hit between -2dB and -3dB reduction. This adds some sort of magic glue to a mix.
Next, I use a gain effect (in NS2, this would be StereoGain, and in AUM, this would be Gain under Dynamics) to increase or reduce the output until it peaks around -15dB.
Then, I slap on the Barkfilter Tripleband preset and turn the output down to -6dB.
Finally, when I'm using Barricade, I usually use the "Loud Master" preset and then adjust the limiter portion's Gain until the Lm Max reads around roughly -6dB. Then I adjust the output to -0.3dB (so that clipping doesn't occur when compressing the audio to .m4a or .mp3).
"But what about EQing during mastering?" Well, that depends. If mastering a single track, I tend to stay away from EQing since MagicDeathEyeStereo shaves off anything below 20Hz for me already. If mastering an entire album however, then you'll probably want to have an EQ handy to balance the tracks to one another to create a cohesive whole. The EQ would go before MagicDeathEyeStereo by the way.
I know this has been discussed recently in another thread so thanks for taking the time to break it down for me again. I really appreciate the information @jwmmakerofmusic
By the way did you change your user name, I remember you by the pic but thought the user name was different...
I use both on my master channel. I put Compressor before my EQ then Barricade. Compressor is my main source of compression on the master. Barricade adds a little bit of glue at the end, helping me fine-tune my loudness just a bit.
Great info!
Thanks.
I've been looking for a great iOS mastering tool forever. On my last experimental album (Telepathic Audio Slices) I tried to master with Fabfilter ProQ3 and FAC Maximina to boost signal. It was sufficiently loud, but felt uniformly too loud.
Based on the discussion here, I got Grand Finale 2 and TB Barricade. Just started using them, deciding if I need both or just GF2, but remastering my tracks definitely adds so much -- its like the GF2 demo on the Klevgrand website! At first, I just got TB Barricade & it was a significant boost, but I really wanted the 4-band compressor in GF2 & that really seems like a powerful way to sculpt my final sounds.
Do people midi-map any controls for mixers so they can ride/tweak levels to live mix the song? Im thinking I might output my Drambo songs & then reload into AUM with GF2 & TB Barricade and manually control GF2 as the song plays out.
If I dont want to 'live master', will probably just put both GF2 & TB Barricade (& FFProQ3) on Master track of Drambo.
If you’re exporting the entire track for touch ups and mastering I highly recommend Trinity. It’s fantastic.
But TB Barricade and DDMF NoLimits2 get lots of use from me as well.
Get a look at bark filter
@cokomairena -- Are you psychic?
I just dloaded Bark Filter today -- based on what had been posted here. (Also $4 seems like a deal.)
Haven't messed with it yet, but the 'app blurb' sounded really interesting.
I did play an older song in AUM with GF2 and TB Barricade, it really brought a lot up in the mix. I'm already impressed!!
Did a short writeup on my blog about it.
Thanks community. Glad everyone is here contributing. (Its like how the internet was supposed to be!!)
Barricade gets more use out of me, I like the compressor a lot but I use Barricade as a channel strip a lot for clipping and color and can usually get what I need from the compressor on that alone
Use the three band preset and go from there
Toneboosters has several great AUv3s that can help on the final rendering. The EQ, Compressor, Multiband Compressor, that Enhancer thing, and Barricade all can be used to process different coolness. Sometimes I used a little and sometimes a bunch of them. It’s easy to go to crazy with any or all of them. Barricade is my go-to for final level after everything else.