NEXT-LEVEL EFFECTS
Modern effect plugins let us combine, target and sequence audio processes like never before. Here’s how to harness that sonic power…
VIDEO ON FILESILO
In the early days of recorded music, effects processing was simple in principle, but often far more troublesome in practice. In theory, applying an effect to an audio source simply involved sending audio in at one end, transforming it somehow, and capturing at the other end. This often involved cumbersome or highly creative processes though, from mammoth reverb tanks through to fiddly tape manipulation.
In 2021, that balance has been flipped on its head. It’s now incredibly easy to apply effects processing to audio, either through convenient, preset-packed plugins, modern and reliable rack units or compact and convenient stompboxes. The concept of how we apply effects to audio has grown far more complex though. We’re no longer content to simply treat an audio signal in its entirety, and most processors now let us target just some of, or a specific part of our signal, whether through simple dry/wet controls, multiband splitting, mid/side targeting or spectral processing.