SpectraLayers 11 Update Explained
In this SpectraLayers video course, production guru Gary Hiebner will walk you through all the important updates added to SpectraLayers 11 and show you how to use them to both save time and accomplish things not possible in previous versions. From improvements in the UnMix modules (stem separation) to new editing features and everything in between, you'll be more than glad you took the time to watch this course when you see how much time and effort it saves you on your very next SpectraLayers session. These SpectraLayers videos are designed for SpectraLayers users new to version 11.
Videos
• Updated Home Screen (03:52) - Starting off, we look at the new home screen you see when you launch the application. Here, you can create projects, open recent projects, and now open multiple audio files in one go to multiple tabs or even to one project as layers.
• New Modules Panel (03:14) - Learn with the new UI format where the modules are located and how they're broken up into the Utilities, UnMix, and Restoration sections.
• Using the Reverse Module (03:49) - With this module, you can select an audio file and reverse the whole audio file or make selections within a file and reverse just those sections.
• Using the Modules Chain (04:46) - Explore the new modules chain, with which you can chain multiple modules together to apply multiple processes in one easy click. See how to build up a chain, save it, recall it, and apply it.
• Compact View (02:12) - There's a new Compact view, where you can minimize each section but still have access to the panels and the settings.
• Using the Loop Preview (01:29) - You're now able to preview changes while your audio is in Loop mode enabling you to make changes to each process on the fly and hear the changes to the audio as you're previewing it.
• Batch Processing (07:39) - You can now add a selection of audio files into the Batch Process window, use a Module Chain, and apply changes to all the files in the Batch process queue. It's a great time-saver when working with a large number of files that all need the same processing. You can also use it to UnMix multiple audio files in one go.
• Voice DeClip Module (03:40) - Explore the new Voice DeClip module, which helps rebuild the waveform where clipping has occurred. This works better than the standard DeClip module for voice and dialog.
• Signal Generator Module Update (02:49) - Learn about the updates to the Signal Generator module, including the Transient tab, where you can insert, replace, and/or mix in transient sweeps into the audio file.
• New Fade Creation Workflow (04:09) - In this video, you see the new ways to create fades with the selection tool, such as the new Selection Fade and Selection Sharpen to create fades on your selection. Plus, you can enable a Global mode to apply these fades to multiple selections.
• UnMix Improved Separation with AI (03:10) - The UnMix modules have been improved with AI advancements, resulting in much better separation between the layers. In this video, Gary compares SpectraLayers 10 to SpectraLayers 11 with the new Extreme mode to illustrate how well it separates the vocals from the music.
• Using UnMix Chorus (06:42) - This is a tool that allows you to separate the Main lead vocal from the backing chorus vocals. In this video, we see how well this can separate a selection of vocals. We also see how to use the UnMix Chorus combined with the UnMix Song module, so you can remix the levels of the main vocals relative to the backing vocals in a song.
• Using the UnMix Crowd Noise (03:51) - This UnMix tool lets you separate the foreground and background sounds in an audio file. For example, we see how to separate crowd noise in a recorded audio file of a live music performance, so we can then adjust how loud we want that crowd noise in the mix.
• Using UnMix Mid/Side (08:02) - In this video, we first explain the difference between the mid and side channels and then run the Mid/Side UnMix to see how well it separates the two signals.
• Using the UnMix Sax & Brass (06:42) - For this video, we show you how well the UnMix Sax & Brass option can separate brass and sax sounds from a song. In this video, I demonstrate with an orchestral song, and we see how well it separates the brass section from the rest of the orchestra.
• Using UnMix Cymbals & Hi-Hat (05:59) - There has been an update to the UnMix Drum module, and you can now separate the cymbals and the hi-hats. In this video, you see a demonstration of unmixing drums and hear how well the cymbals and hi-hats are separated from the rest of the layers.
• Registering & Naming Multiple Voices in an UnMix (04:51) - Here you see the updates to the Multiple Voices module, where you can now register voices in an audio file. You can either select each unique voice and register it, or you can automatically detect and register the voices. By creating these voice profiles, you can save these and then apply it to multiple audio files to register the multiple voices and then separate them to layers.
• Updates to the Voice DeNoise Module (06:18) - There have been new stronger reduction ratio options added to this module, which allow better removal of hard background noises. In this video, you'll see how the new strong ratio mode compares to the previous version.
• Multiple Layer Editing (03:01) - Explore the various layer management tools you have in this video. You can select multiple layers at a time and then either duplicate, edit, or group them together in a few easy steps. Also, when using SpectraLayers in ARA mode, you can drag multiple layers from the SpectraLayers window into your DAW arrange area.
• Volume Automation Envelopes (07:05) - Learn how to enable the volume envelope on your layers and then automate it by adding and drawing in node points on the envelope lane. The audio waveform also auto-updates as you make change to the volume envelope.
• Using the Transfer Brush (07:25) - The new Transfer Brush tool allows you to select areas on a layer and move it nondestructively to another layer. See how it works here.
• The Transient Pencil Tool (05:22) - With this new tool, you can draw in and enhance sections where the transient is a bit soft. Or you can use it as a sound design tool to draw in transients to create various effects. You also see the difference between Total Power and Local Power transients.
• Renaming History Events in the History Panel (01:22) - You can now rename your history events in the History panel. So, for example, you can use dates, alternate names for mixes, specific ideas, or anything else makes sense to you.