NEWS

We are pleased to bring you this in-depth review of the Korg Minilogue, a polyphonic analogue synthesizer that we use frequently here at 344 Audio. This review comes courtesy of Alex from online musical instrument website Consoirdini.

The Korg Minilogue is a 4 Voice, Polyphonic Synthesizer created by Engineer Tatsuya Takahashi over at KORG in Tokyo, Japan. It comes in at around the 400~450 dollars mark in the US and can most certainly be bought 2nd hand online for an even lower price.

The features of the Minilogue is really what makes this Synthesizer stand out from the crowd. With Mono, Poly, Duo, Unison, Chord Memory, Arp and EVEN Sidechain modes ready for you at the click of a button, it can provide a wide variety of sounds and inspiration with the flick of a switch!

For the price point, this analogue Synth is a definite recommended no brainer, but while it is great at what it does, as with all synthesizers, there are a few things to watch out for.  

1. POPPY ENVELOPES  

A common issue with the Minilogue is the quick and poppy envelopes. With the Attack knob all the way down at the lowest setting, a very noticeable click is present. While other synth manufacturers compensate for this issue in various ways for you, you will have to manually find the sweet spot in each patch to make sure that you avoid this issue.  

2. NOISE  

The synth, compared to a lot of other synths, is quite noisy. ESPECIALLY the Delay section. I advise you to use a separate unit or a software reverb in your DAW to get a cleaner and more pure sound. The pure waves are very nice however and the LFO and mangling features are definitely worth the price tag. Just consider your how it will fit in with your setup as much as you can.  

3. BASS  

While the Minilogue does and can pack a punch in the low end when used correctly, it’s very well known for the Resonance knob removing a lot of the Bass from patches.  

A way to combat this is to use the ‘Mono’ Function and add the Sub Bass to taste underneath your patch which has lost its original bass frequencies due to this quirk.

In conclusion, The beauty of this Synth lies in its ability to create UNIQUE sounds on the fly and very quickly. While other analogue synths provide lush and warm sounds which stand on their own, it’s the LFO, Synthesis and ‘Easy-to-use’ Sound Design features more than anything which makes this Synth a Winner and a Mainstay in the Modern Studio.

Be sure to check out www.consordini.com for more Gear & Instrument Reviews, Music Lessons and More Music and Audio Related Goodness!

Their website -  https://consordini.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Consordini/

Thanks for checking out this article!

We are pleased to announce the imminent release of our latest sound effects library Nuts and Bolts. The theme of this library is D.I.Y and construction, and you can expect to find the sounds of many common tools used by tradesmen such as hammers, chisels, saws, and drills, as well as some more uncommon tools like a polyfiller gun and mole grips.

We have recorded these sounds in both close and distant perspectives to give you the maximum number of options when searching for the right sound effect to use in your projects. We have also recorded these sounds as physical performances meaning that all of the effects in this library sound authentic and how they are supposed to when the tools are used in context.

This library provides you with all the sound you need to create authentic construction and D.I.Y soundscapes, as well as sounds to cover specific character actions such as hitting a hammer, sanding wood, or using a paintbrush.

We had a great time working on this library and can't wait to release it to the community!

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Our founder and lead audio craftsman Alex Gregson was chosen as artist of the week for the online community Share Your Mix and was interviewed by composer Alex Wallace. They discuss how to approach a mix, future plans for 344 Audio and why seminal British gangster film Snatch is Alex's favourite mix of all time.

You can read the full interview below.

How did you first get involved in mixing?

I first got involved with music and sound design as a young teenager where I would make electronic music in my bedroom and experiment with designing sounds on synthesisers using Reason and other DAWs. Later on, I studied at university where I discovered the art of sound design and post-production sound for film, at which point I had a transition into doing that instead.

What is your favourite film mix?

My favourite mix of a film is the film Snatch because there are are so many elements of sound design, with concepts that combine and tell the story really effectively. Some good examples of that are the ‘I’m Coming To London’ scene where you’ve got a character who demonstrates his journey to London in a really quick montage, and the sound design and mixing really help accentuate that process of the speed of travelling across the pond. Another example of an interesting mix in Snatch is where the dog swallows a chew toy, and the toy is in the dog’s throat - you can hear it as the dog’s diaphragm is moving, and I thought that was such an interesting use of sound, along with foley and mixing to make it sound realistic. There are lots of nice bits like that in the film. There’s also the famous Desert Eagle .50 scene with Vinnie Jones where the sound design and mix really sell the fact that Vinnie Jones is in control of the situation, which is why I like the mix on that film.

How do you begin a mix?

When I’m mixing a film, the mix really starts from, what we call in post-production sound, the ‘tracklay’. We’re thinking about the mix from the very beginning, so when we’re bringing in a new sound effect, we’re already balancing it out with clip gain in Pro Tools to get it sitting at the right level compared to everything else, so that when we come to the final mix of the dialogue, music and effects, we have already fought half the battle, and we’re happy with the level, roughly.

What are you working on right now in your mixing skills?

I’m working on creating a more mature mixing process in the films I mix, by that I mean taking a step back and actually not applying as many effects, for example, I do a lot less EQ than I used to, as well as a lot less reverb, and I really try and get there instead with perspective EQ, for example, to make something sound further away, you might apply a high shelf perception, rather than lots of reverb, which can really build up in a film when you’ve got hundreds of track going at the same time

Where would you like to be in five years time?

Well, you’ve got to think big, right? So in five years time, I’d like to be running the UK’s leading audio post-production studio, preferably from Manchester with other branches located around the UK or internationally.

Chosen film mixed by yourself: The Last Dance by Chris Keller

We hope you enjoyed reading this interview!

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We are pleased to share with you this guest blog article that we have written for the Pro Sound Effects blog about how to Communicate Post-Production Sound With Directors.

The post-production sound process can be confusing for newer directors, and often represents a gap in their knowledge when compared to other areas of production such as camera or lighting. For audio-post professionals, it is our job to guide them through the process and ensure a smooth and collaborative experience through solid communication, empathy, and patience.

Check out the full-length article via the link below:

https://blog.prosoundeffects.com/how-to-communicate-post-production-sound-with-directors

If you enjoyed this article please check out our ultimate guide to audio post-production:

https://www.344audio.com/post/the-ultimate-guide-to-audio-post-production-sound-design

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We are happy to announce that we have won the Best Sound Design category at the Swindon Independent Film Festival for our work on the film Still Young.

Still Young, directed by Marcos Spalding tells the story of an ex-soldier and a troubled young boy as they find connection and friendship in one another. This project really opened our eyes to the struggles that service-members face, and the mental scars that can be inflicted from experiencing war first-hand.

We are always thrilled to win awards for our work, but this is an especially proud moment for us, given the nature of the subject matter and the heavy reliance on our sound design to drive the narrative forward.

You can find out more about director Marcos Spalding and his work on IMDb.

Check out the film below!

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