In the execution of live mixing art, one of the roles an engineer is required to fulfill is that of problem solver. In that capacity, it is necessary to experiment with very specific tools to implement the best possible solutions for each unique task. One recurring challenge has been dealing with instruments that sound great most of the time but demonstrate undesirable characteristics when played louder or higher in frequency. In other words, they get shrill and lose their more pleasing aspects. In my recent experience, two examples immediately come to mind – the high strings of a violin amplified through a piezo pickup, and the thinness of higher-pitched flute and piccolo sounds.
On the James Taylor tour, we have worked with Andrea Zonn, violinist and singer extraordinaire, to recreate the most natural sound of her instrument. Fishman produced an Aura box for us with images from her violin that provide a great starting point. For the most part, the instrument sounds open, warm and pleasing. It is only when it is being played hard and high that I encounter a problem. This isn't something that can be successfully resolved with equalization, and multi-band compression didn't give me the result I wanted. I instead went for a broadband solution. I tried a variety of "warming" type compressors before auditioning the Waves PuigChild 660.
An Aha! Moment
This decision produced one of those great "Ah-Ha!" moments, when instrument and plugin are an exact fit. The violin immediately sounded bigger, more resonant and better-placed in the mix. The shrill characteristic on louder passages I was hoping to eliminate had completely disappeared. The gentle high frequency roll-off exhibited by the original analog unit has been faithfully recreated and benefits greatly in this application. I ended up needing to use only the high-pass filter and one of the four parametric bands in the EQ section of my Avid VENUE console to get what I was looking to find.
The success achieved by implementing this plugin on violin led me to inserting the PuigChild 660 on Lou Marini's flute input as well. My primary microphone choice for flute has long been the venerable Sennheiser MD441. I like the detailed yet very controllable sound produced from this dynamic microphone. Lou often plays a combination of instruments on any given song, and leaving the MD441 open while Lou is playing his sax through a separate mic does not let in the whole outside world. The result from adding the PuigChild plugin was a fatter, bolder and more complex flute sound that also allowed me to employ less equalization. Higher notes and harder blowing were immediately softened and evened out. The accompanying screen shot shows the setup for the Flute input.
Digital emulation of vintage equipment, especially one-of-a-kind classics like the Fairchild 660/670, must be a daunting proposition. Not only do all of the 660s and 670s ever produced sound slightly different due to the tube and transformer compression circuitry, but the same piece of music played through a single unit may sound a bit different each time due to the unpredictability of the components that control release time. I am very pleased to be a humble end-user and not a software engineer.
Quoting a recent article by Fletcher, in which he described performance of the original Fairchild unit, "It's like adding the ‘in-your-face fatness' you've always craved with the thickest, most controlled bottom you've ever experienced, and with a high end that just shimmers and dances to your delight." This plugin emulation is the closest reproduction of these impressive characteristics that I have heard.
Five Parameters
There are five parameters over which one has control of the sound. Input and Output are set to match the gain structure of your console's audio chain to produce a unity signal. The other three parameters are listen-and-tweak settings. The first determines compression depth using Threshold. This is a user-selected, subjective choice as illustrated by this sentence in the operation manual.
"Please note: The scale is not linear and has been adjusted to conform to the exact scaling of the modeled unit. Thus, there may be more compression than expected at certain steps, as with analog gear."
The second parameter, Time Constant, is slightly more empirical in its implementation. Attack times are selectable as fast or medium, with fast, slow or automatic release times.
The final adjustable parameter is Mains. "Mains" controls analog characteristics caused by noise floor and hum, based on the power supplies of the original units. This is a totally subjective choice between Off, 50Hz and 60Hz. Click around and listen. The choice is yours.
Waves has once again given me another powerful tool to enrich and refine my mixes. I always strive to add quality audio devices that in the long run simplify my setup and enhance the audience experience. The PuigChild 660/670 is just such a device.
