installation To install the Magic Racks: Groove Essentials racks, copy the files to the Audio Effect Rack folder of your Ableton user library.

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2 installation To install the Magic Racks: Groove Essentials racks, copy the files to the Audio Effect Rack folder of your Ableton user library. The exact location of your library will depend on where you chose to install it, but common locations are: Windows Vista/7: \Users\<user>\ Documents\Ableton\User Library\ Presets\Audio Effects\Audio Effect Rack Mac OS: \<user>\music\ableton\user Library\Presets\Audio Effects\Audio Effect Rack For information on how to find your User Library, go here: where-are-my-user-presets-saved/

3 from the creator... / 3 For these racks, I wanted to condense common workflow techniques into finely tuned compound parameters designed for specific sound groups within a typical dance music groove: kick, snare, bass, percussion, and synths. In the case of the Kick Tweaker, Bass Toner and Snare Shaper, the racks are designed to be one-stop shops for adding weight, warmth, definition and tonality, bringing source material up to a modern level of punch and fatness. The range of parameters have been limited to focus on the areas which commonly need adjustment in these sounds. It s easy to get lost in the myriad choices available to us. These racks focus instead on the essentials. For example the Bass Toner allows you to cut out frequencies below the fundamental while bringing up the first few harmonics above it, giving a cleaner and more weighty sound. You can take this further by adding parallel compression to the sub frequencies, and saturating the overall sound. There is also a control for adding width to the high frequencies while preserving the centrality of the low-end and a presence control which brings quiet, even inaudible high frequencies, to the front of the mix using dynamic EQ. You will find similar attention to detail in the Kick and Snare devices. In the case of the Percussion and Synth racks, you will find a mix of tonal, dynamic and rhythmic controls suitable for sound shaping and automation. Don t be afraid to use these racks on a range of other material as they are powerful effects in their own right. All the racks can be opened and reconfigured. You can tweak the parameter ranges and even add in your own devices to develop them into custom racks for your specific musical needs. It s my hope that these devices will help you take grooves to the next level quickly and easily, while offering useful production insight and inspiration for those looking to delve deeper. Hedflux Producer

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5 Kick Tweaker / 5 Tighten, deepen and fine-tune any kick drum. Low Cut The first step in the processing chain, start your kick tweaks by gently rolling away unnecessary and often mix-bloating low frequencies. Cutoff Controls the upper limit frequency of the Low Comp. Higher values give more punch, lower values more sub and tail extension. Use alongside Low Comp. Curve 1 Custom EQ curve that reduces mid-range boxiness while simultaneously enhancing the attack characteristic of a kick. Curve 3 Custom EQ curve that boosts the body of the kick drum, giving it additional punchiness and presence in the mix. High Comp Applies frequency-targeted parallel compression to bring out the frequently masked high-end detail of a sound such as low-level analogue grit and air. In pumping drum tracks, use this control to bring up a kick sample s reverb tail (if available). Tighten Custom EQ curve at the end of the processing chain to focus the lows, mids and highs in a way which simulates older, vintage pieces of gear. Squash The final step in the chain, Squash applies limiting to bring the attack and tail of the newly-tweaked kick to a consistent level. A powerful end-point in the chain, remember that too much squash can rob a kick drum of punch so tread gently. Low Comp Adds parallel compression to the low-end, giving extra weight and thump. Use with caution; often no more than a 10% boost here will be enough to anchor a kick. Use alongside Cutoff.

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7 Snare Shaper / 7 Tonal and envelope controls for snares, claps, sticks and stacks Comp Freq Most dance snare drums have a peak between 100 and 200Hz, which gives them their punch. This control allows you to precisely dial into that frequency range, applying parallel compression using the Comp Amt control to add body, weight and punch. Open the rack using the built-in analyser in EQ8 for even more accurate control. Use alongside Comp Amt Comp Amp The amount of parallel compression applied to the peak frequency band. Use alongside Comp Freq Bright Applies two carefully-honed EQ curves to add a smooth and subtle presence lift. Filth Feeds parallel frequency-specfic harmonics into the mix for lo-fi flavours. Think girth, dirt, character. Saturate Controls a complex array of waveshaping parameters in concert to produce a unique sometimes devastating saturation effect. Best used in moderation. Mid Scoop Scoops out a portion of the mid-range. Use to create more space in the mix and for finetuning the tonality of the snare drum. Tail Adds a tapered layer of white noise to the drum. Turn it up for ever longer tails. Tip: Sometimes you have the right snare drum sample but it doesn t go on quite long enough to fill the groove. You can of course lengthen the drum, or use a short reverb to fill it out. But give Tail a go first on subtle settings it can be an instant life-saver. Transient Applies increasingly hard compression after the sound s initial transient, helping to bring out the attack of the drum. At maximum values, the drum is reduced to a punchy click.

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9 Percussion Processor / 9 Give life, movement and energy to percussion, hi-hats and tops Dodge Applies a rhythmic volume envelope to add dynamics and feel to any hi-hat, kick-free top or other percussive loop. Vox EQ Adds a variable formant filter to the signal chain giving a vowel characteristic to the overall timbre. Rhythm Adds a subtle rhythmic delay to help the loop flow and sit better in the mix. Gate Employs a noise gate to tighten the sound, removing unwanted reverb tails at lower levels and producing glitchy percussive hits when driven. Pitch Delay Adds a series of short delays in re-pitch mode, with variable time control. Great for live performance and automation. Roll Adds a subtly randomised rolling effect at varying points throughout a 2 bar cycle, great for breaking the monotony of a loop and adding a human element. Shash Uses multiband compression to emphasise the mid-range roughness of a hi-hat for classic vintage drummer flavours, or simply to add bulk and crack to lacklustre hats. Presence Enhances quieter masked frequencies in the airy upper bands, bringing subtle detail to the fore.

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11 Synth Modulator / 11 Creative tools to morph melodics with eight simple macros Diffuse Controls a filtered diffusion reverb wash. Can be used to create rhythmic shadows or to transform even the most benign loop into an ethereal soundscape. Pumper The classic mainroom pump sound: applies rhythmic gain pumping to simulate the effect of kick-drum side-chaining. Presence High band compression brings the smallest details up to the front of the mix. Metalize Introduces resonant metallic harmonics across the stereo field. Tweak the Tuning knob after Metalize is enabled to adjust the harmonics to suit. Use alongside Tuning. Tuning Adjusts the tuning of the Metalize effect. Use alongside Metalize. Pan Mod Applies gradual pan modulation to add subtle width or, at higher levels, for extreme stereo excursions. Band Limit Removes high and low frequencies using a steep filter cutoff, converging toward a narrow slice of the mid-range spectrum. A powerful parameter for automating and live performance. Wash Applies parallel ring modulation to achieve a lush, phasing effect.

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13 Bass Toner / 13 Add weight, warmth and width to weedy basslines or to sculpt overbearing subs Low Cut The first step in any bassline design, control the sub-sonics Stereo Spread Uses the Haas effect to offset left and right channels in the mids and highs to create stereo width without sacrificing low-end phase coherence. Band Freq Sets the mid frequency of a wide-band EQ curve specifically designed for adjusting the low-mid harmonics of the bass. Requires Band Gain to be non-zero to have an effect. Use alongside Band Gain. Band Gain Adjusts the gain of the wide-band EQ. Use alongside Band Freq. Sub Comp Inspired by the complex behaviours of classic analogue kit, Sub Comp mixes in parallel compression on the sub-bass frequencies for increased bulk, weight and warmth. Presence Employes high-band compression and saturation to bring subtle dirt and noise to the forefront of a sound. If definition is lacking, start here. Space Adds a gentle halo of early reflection reverb, which can bring out the attack character of live or stabby bass, or add thickness to longer bass notes. Hard Tight A filtering and saturation double-whammy that generates a powerful but controlled high-frequency boost to the sound. Tip: This is particularly useful (subtly) for radio and laptop-focused bass boosts, and can do great things (less subtly) for super-sizing stacked basslines in electro and EDM production.

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