My current endeavor is to try and change the music recording industry (Yeah, it is indeed a handful) through the project “Soundwoofer”.
The project utilizes impulse responses that have been convolved from impulse sweeps we have sent through speaker cabinets and captured with different microphones. This means that musicians, producers, and amateurs can use the sound of expensive equipment without having to pay for it.
Here you can find a short video where we show off the sound;
What is an Impulse response and how can it change the music industry?
Let us start with the technical description of an Impulse response from Wikipedia;
“In signal processing, the impulse response, or impulse response function (IRF), of a dynamic system is its output when presented with a brief input signal, called an impulse. More generally, an impulse response is the reaction of any dynamic system in response to some external change. In both cases, the impulse response describes the reaction of the system as a function of time (or possibly as a function of some other independent variable that parameterizes the dynamic behavior of the system).”
Let’s translate that into English, shall we?
An Impulse response is the changing of one signal using another signal, it is how a signal “responds” to being sent through another one. We at Soundwoofer specialize in a specific type of signal; acoustic signals. So what we do is; change one sound (your sound), with another sound (the sound of expensive recording equipment).
What does this mean for musicians or anyone who produces music?
Our product is basically a “snapshot” of the sound from a speaker cabinet, a microphone, and a studio (or any location with interesting acoustics), at the time of the recording. We can create a “mold” of the acoustic signatures from these components. It means that all you need is the input signal (you playing the guitar) and we will provide the sound of a high-end studio, top-notch speaker cabinet and expensive microphones. The only thing you need is your guitar, your computer, and a digital audio workstation.
Why are we doing this?
Not everyone has access to expensive amplifier speakers. Using our service you’re able to produce high-quality recordings without having to shell out thousands of dollars for equipment. We want to see a change in how music is recorded today, nothing but your musicality and talent should matter whether you are able to produce good recordings or not.
How do we record these Impulse responses?
We send an “Impulse sweep” through a speaker (A guitar or bass cabinet) and then capture it using different microphones, we then use something called a “deconvolver” to extract the changes to the sound made by the cabinet, microphone and the room everything was recorded in. By capturing the frequencies of the impulse response on an amplifier speaker, and then transforming it into a simple .wav-file, we are able to replicate the exact sound of that speaker digitally. These .wav-files are then made readily available on our site for you to dig into, start creating your next masterpiece and not pay a single dime for it.
How do you get started, step-by-step?
Step 1: Go to Soundwoofer and select one(or several) Impulse responses you like
Step 2: Fire up your D.A.W (Logic, Cubase, whatever)
Step 3: Load the .wav file into your Impulse loader (If you don’t have one, you can google, there are tons of them for free)
Step 4: Send the input from your guitar/bass through the impulse response
Step 5: Voilá!