Liquid User’s Guide Audio Damage, Inc. Release 1.
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Audio Damage, Inc. The software described by this document is subject to a License Agreement and may not be copied to other media except as specifically allowed in the License Agreement. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or otherwise transmitted or recorded, for any purpose, without prior written permission by Audio Damage, Inc. © 2007 Audio Damage, Inc.
Single User License Grant: Audio Damage, Inc. ("Audio Damage") and its suppliers grant to Customer ("Customer") a nonexclusive and nontransferable license to use the Audio Damage software ("Software") in object code form solely on a single central processing unit owned or leased by Customer. Customer may make one (1) archival copy of the Software provided Customer affixes to such copy all copyright, confidentiality, and proprietary notices that appear on the original.
COURSE OF DEALING, USAGE, OR TRADE PRACTICE, ARE HEREBY EXCLUDED TO THE EXTENT ALLOWED BY APPLICABLE LAW. IN NO EVENT WILL AUDIO DAMAGE OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOST REVENUE, PROFIT, OR DATA, OR FOR SPECIAL, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES HOWEVER CAUSED AND REGARDLESS OF THE THEORY OF LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE EVEN IF AUDIO DAMAGE OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
Introduction Thank you for purchasing Liquid, Audio Damage’s through-zero flanger plug-in. Liquid recreates classic tapeflanging effects with a vintage feel not present in most contemporary hardware or software flangers. Liquid can be used on single instruments or entire mixes to create everything from subtle stereo double-tracking effects to extreme whooshes through musical space. Liquid is provided as both a VST and an AudioUnit plug-in for Windows and MacOS X.
Installation Double-click the Liquid Installer icon, and follow the instructions. During the installation process the installer will ask you to enter your registration code. Your registration code uniquely identifies your purchase, and you will need it if you need to reinstall your plug-in (for example, after upgrading to a new computer). Keep a copy of the code in a safe location and please don’t share it with your friends.
The Tao of Flanging The effect known as flanging originated in the late 1960s, back when music was recorded on magnetic tape handled by large machines rather than on magnetic discs in computers. To create doubled vocal effects, the same recording was played on two different tape decks with their outputs mixed together. Since the two decks started playing at slightly different times, the signal from one deck was delayed slightly with respect to the other.
low-frequency oscillator (LFO) could be used to change the delay time slightly to create the effect of someone dragging their fingers on the tape-reel flange. Later digital delays were substituted for the BBD chips, with results of debatable virtue. Flangers became available as rack-mount studio hardware, stomp boxes for guitarists, and (some years later) software plug-ins.
Operation Liquid can be used in a mono, stereo, or mono-to-stereo context. In a stereo context, no summing of the input channels happens and the left and right channels are processed independently. Liquid should usually be used as an insert effect, since its operation depends upon its internal mixing of the unprocessed and processed signals. Here is a screenshot of Liquid, followed by detailed descriptions of its controls.
The effect of this knob is symmetric; rotating it counter-clockwise from the center position produces much the same sonic result as rotating it clockwise. This is because the same relative delay time is created in both directions. Rotating the knob from one side, past the center point, to the other side creates the through-zero flanging effect as the relative delay time decreases and passes through zero. The range of this knob is -5 to +5 msec. 2.
5. Invert The INVERT switch, when depressed and illuminated, inverts the phase or polarity of the feedback signal. This produces a slightly different tonal effect which is most apparent when the FEEDBACK knob is turned up fairly high. To change the state of the INVERT switch, click on it with the mouse. 6. Offset The OFFSET knob applies a small additional amount of delay to the delay lines used by Liquid’s right channel. This produces a wide stereo field and also enhances the flanging effect.
MIDI Controllers The VST version of Liquid responds to MIDI continuous controller messages. You can use hardware MIDI controllers, such as MIDI slider boxes or the knobs found on some MIDI keyboards, to adjust Liquid’s parameters. The VST version of Liquid has a simple “MIDI Learn” mode for assigning its controls to MIDI controllers.
assignments you make will not be propagated to the other instances until the next time that your host loads the plug-ins. The AudioUnit version does not provide the same MIDI assignment features as the VST version. Almost all AudioUnit hosts provide their own mechanism for assigning MIDI controllers to parameters, so it would be redundant for us to implement MIDI controller assignments in the plug-in itself. Consult the documentation for your AudioUnit host to learn how to use its MIDI features.
