- Publisher: Sonic Studio
- Product: ICE (In Case of Emergency)
- Release: R2R
- Version: 1.3.0
- Formats: VST/AAX
- Requirements: WiN64
ICE VST is a De-esser, a frequency band specific Dynamic EQ, a frequency band specific Compressor, and a De-distortion plugin –all in one great plug-in for Mac and Windows.
If you never have any problems with your Audio Projects, Then ICE may not be for you. But in reality, there are always technical problems that range from subtle to critical and even some that are potentially fatal to the project.
Problems might include:
- “Bad” distortion
- “Hot spots”
- Over modulation
- Sibilance
- Resonant bass frequencies
- Overload
- Digital harshness
- Intermittent vocal distortion
- Out-of-control cymbals
- A generally unpleasant overall tone
- Other offending audio elements
The new Software Plug-in from Sonic Studio and Legendary Audio
- Removes or reduces distortion in recordings
- Cleans up audio problems including overload, distorted instruments and vocals
- Eliminates harshness, imbedded distortion, and other recorded audio flaws
- Available now as AU/VST/AAX for OSX and Windows VST
Distortion, especially of the digital type, is a huge problem in audio today. It is very easy to get a “warm” microphone, a “warm” preamp, plug-in, mixing console, and other software.
“Warm” translates to generally “good” distortion (like cholesterol, there is good and bad distortion), but by the time the audio gets to the mixing or mastering stage, it is too warm (too much distortion) and it needs some ICE (I.C.E is cool).
ICE VST can counter the distortion and clean it up by reducing or eliminating the distortion AFTER it has already been recorded and processed. This is just one of the important uses of ICE It can be used to attack the aforementioned list of common audio problems.
After Mastering the project, you and/or your client notice these problems on the stereo Master
- There is one bass note that resonates and is louder and several notes that are lost and inconsistent
- The snare tone is too “tom-ish “or too bright or too loud or has too much “hand-clap”
- The vocalist distorts in one or more places in the recording
- There’s too much sibilance (hot s’s or t’s), or hi-hat, or crash cymbal, or over-all cymbals
- There is intermodular distortion as the wave forms clash in the low mids
- A song is too bright, or bassy, or has too much mid-range compared to the other songs
- The Kick Drum has too much Low end (but the bass guitar is fine)
- The over-all Highs are harsh
- The vocal is buried in a few places in the song
- The recording sounds more digital than Analog
- The prominent Auto-tune vocal effect warbles and distorts in 2 places in the recording
- The recording needs more “air” or Sub-bass
- The Piano fills and solo which are panned to the right are too loud
- The snare or vocal is too quiet in the mix
- There ‘s an unpleasant “plastic/digital tone” on the High mid frequencies from using plugins with latency (and a mixture of different latencies) when the recording was mixed or recorded
- There are 4 places in the recording that the purposely distorted guitar, panned to the left side, over-distorts for I beat in each instance
- Too much room resonance in the live recording…
What can you do?
In the right hands and ears, ICE VST (In Case of Emergency) can correct all of the above in a few seconds (or minutes for the complicated issues) with zero latency, no artifacts, and transparent sound.
These are actual recent problems / requests from Billy Stull’s Mastering clients. He was only working with 2 track stereo Masters (not individual tracks). Not just for distortion and Mastering, ICE on individual multitracks cleans up and “sculpts” to your heart’s / Audio’s content.
Billy Stull has 50 years in the business – worked with Rupert Neve, Norman Petty, Warner Bros., Andy Johns, etc. and has recorded/mixed/mastered thousands of projects and has been Mastering for 20 years. He’s taught Mastering since 2006. Using his experience, he has innovated this plugin collaboration with Sonic Studio to help share these tools with the mastering community.
Tips from Billy Stull (The Impossible Made Possible, or is it MAGIC?)
- A well know band from Mexico, after reviewing the Master of their new single, loved it. Their only request was to take a little bottom end off of the Kick drum but not any off of the Bass Guitar. Using ICE, I accomplished the request in about 10 seconds.
- A well-known Brazilian Pop artist asked on one song to reduce the high end of the snare drum on one song by 25% – without changing anything else on the vocal or other elements in the mix. I accomplished the request in about 10 seconds. I had already used ICE to make the bass guitar consistent.
- An artist that won record of the year last year from the ELO fan club (which I Mastered) asked me to reduce/cleanup four 1 second swell/peaks of the purposely distorted guitar solo on the left side only. I accomplished that in about 3 minutes of identifying the frequency bands and automating the ICE settings.
These were all Stereo Mastered songs, not individual tracks or stems. These requests from these successful professionals would have been impossible or at least difficult, time consuming, and requiring some compromise without ICE Attention to small details factors in greatly to their success. My ability to do the previously impossible factors in to my success.