BlackBox HG2 - My Favorite Low End Technique

[@billB101]

If you alt click the Pentode or Triode whist adjusting this will compensate your gain too.

[@rocknrory]

That's a great tip, thank you!

[@GRAVYBEATS]

Amazing bro, thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@Studio_4to1]

The HG2 is one of these tools that should almost be mandatory. Thanks for taking the time to talk about the harmonics saturation techniques.

[@WeissAdvice]

It's def one of my favorites. Thanks Paul!

[@EricMcSheriff]

@@WeissAdvice Ahhhh I didn't think I wanted the updated black box plugin but I think this video has changed my mind. Thankfully my subscription will give me a nice coupon right away 👍 thanks for the tips!

[@MetiCudi]

Thank you so much Mathew, the sweater was fire!

[@WeissAdvice]

Was fire... should be on fire... who's to judge LOL

[@LuigiBridgesni]

I will never get tired of saying it, Matt you are one of my greatest inspirations, you always lead me to a deep understanding of the sound that no one has achieved and I thank you infinitely for your knowledge.

[@WeissAdvice]

Thank you so much Luigi!

[@amazeus1980]

Grew up with 90s hiphop as well. What I miss is that each artist had a specific sound and style...hard to find it these days. Plugin...got it recently for free but not the ms version, however makes fun anyway...sounds great on anything.

[@WeissAdvice]

OMG... I know. Rappers were like superheroes with their own super powers. I dig the autotune vibe, but what I don't like is a lot of people sound too similar with it. Feels like some of the identity of the genre got lost. Or maybe that's just me being old.

[@youtubewatcher2006]

How'd you get the plugin for free? As a freebie with another purchase?

[@cook-music]

This was a stellar explanation. I've watched about a dozen videos on this hardware/vst unit over the last week or so, but your approach to how you sort of gain stage things, but at the same time use descriptive terms and where frequencies are being affected, this really brought a lot of points home for me! Very awesome video, will subscribe

[@RedArtMedia1]

I really liked how you walked us through this in context of hip hop production, as a matter of fact, your video is what prompted me to go grab it, when it was on sale at Plugin Alliance, and it has thus far been the best VST i purchased in years, people hate me now, because I now have a production edge that most cant accomplish due to lack of knowledge about this box

[@WeissAdvice]

Awesome! Thanks Red!

[@sekritskworl-sekrit_studios]

1.)The "Sweater" makes a statement (rarely observed within the current era). 2.) One of the single most explanatory tutorials which I have seen within this industry. Great work! Hardware & Plugin companies should pay to you teach people who to use their tools (other people can be the endorsers... you're too valuable for that). Note*:Not saying that you are endorsing anything, I was merely attempting to give a fuller context when making the previous statement.

[@WeissAdvice]

I don't have an endorsement with plugin alliance, but I happen to like many of their plugins. The only company I actively endorse is Slate, and I do get paid to teach how to use their plugins. And Ariamastering.com ; but I don't get paid anything for that endorsement, I just get to use it for free.

[@PurpleSpiritArmor]

You mix like exactly how I mix. What the heck. I love that sweater.

[@monarchdrumandbass8700]

Can't believe how great this video was! Absolutely incredible tips incredibly explained!!

[@WeissAdvice]

Thanks Monarch!

[@WeissAdvice]

What's goofier - my sweater, or my puppy standing awkwardly at the beginning the video?

[@onnooo]

love the detail of wearing the Coogi (style) sweater when discussing something 90ies hip hop. haha, well done!

[@EliteOnTheBeat]

I remember your dog, thats the same dog from like 7 years ago. LOL. I forgot his name tho. I thought he was a statue at the start of the video though. LOL

[@DougAustin]

Yes? LOL

[@abhasgupta354]

Nah that sweater is fye

[@hokkym.6348]

Nah i love your sweater bro

[@unc1589]

The secret sauce (and I’m reluctant to say this but nobody’s gonna believe me anyway) to low end in the 90s was the DBX 120 xp subharmonic synthesizer. A staple at both hit factories NYC. You’re welcome!

[@WeissAdvice]

I've heard this before. Some people have talked about the BBEs but I never really liked those.

[@olibarahosasa1137]

@@WeissAdvice yuck those harsh and cold BBE's

[@cook-music]

Wish there was some zoom-ins on some of the smaller buttons, hard to see on my phone. That said, I love that you went through every dial of this unit with great detail. Just wish I could see the smaller dials a little bit better

[@kcsounds]

I hit like before watching the video, not something I normally do - but it's Weiss advice :)

[@WeissAdvice]

Thank you KC!

[@emanuelwhitehead6039]

Me to

[@mattmullin33609]

Even before you mentioned the sweater, I was already googling ugly 80s and 90s sweaters so I can be as cool as Matthew Weiss. The secret sauce is in the sweater!

[@WeissAdvice]

It's true - the secret is in the sweater.

[@-zoave-]

Interesting. Thanks. Infortunately it's not the HG-2 as you said on the title, but the HG-2 MS... I just have the simple HG-2. Less functions/options, so not the same sonority possibilities. But I love the sound of this HG-2 saturation. Maybe I'll get the MS one when it will be on sale...

[@foketesz]

Really good walkthrough. And that’s a Fletcher-Munson sweater btw.

[@LakshayKukreja11]

Your sweater needs the BlackBox magic!

[@WeissAdvice]

I dunno - I don't think I would want to give this sweater any MORE color, yikes!

[@LakshayKukreja11]

@@WeissAdvice Then maybe bypass the black box that's already on there..hahaha..

[@DMKahn]

Thanks for showing us the black box 2 and how it works but also how to achieve something intentionally with it that’s not just “make the source sound better”. Digging the channel and that mic sounds spectacular on your voice, very natural, smooth and yet articulate and detailed. The sweaters cool, you can pull it off 👌

[@WeissAdvice]

Thanks DM! That's a JZV67. Great mic!

[@sizwegumbi1481]

Damn bra that sweater sounds Like that low end

[@WeissAdvice]

Very colorful! VERY

[@foxytv4896]

This really good! This pillowy sound...great! So if you don't want to use this alternative Bus settings you could create a parallel bus for all kicks and basses.

[@WeissAdvice]

yeah, you can do it as a parallel process. Just have to be more assertive with it on the parallel return channel.

[@KernSound]

I love the sweater LOL. I mean I love the Blackbox, been using for a while now. Great Vid.

[@WeissAdvice]

LOL - my sweater is what you get when you over use saturation

[@rundajulesproductions7735]

To say that you came up on 90's hip hop is redundant when you are wearing that sweater (baby baby!)

[@WeissAdvice]

LOL - I had a flat brim fitted with the sticker at one point.

[@rundajulesproductions7735]

@@WeissAdvice I wore my knock-off Cross Color pants backwards to school one day when Kriss Kross was on the charts. So, no judgement.

[@DougAustin]

Glad to see this, I just got this plugin and am looking forward to getting a mix to use it with!

[@WeissAdvice]

Right on! Thanks Doug!

[@spbmac]

Just discovered your channel. Love your stuff! And to answer your question, the sweater is an awesome vibe regardless of the ugliness level :D

[@WeissAdvice]

Welcome to the channel! The sweater is definitely more about vibe than show LOL

[@jeffking4604]

That second gen HG2 is a bad, bad boy.

[@WeissAdvice]

It is!

[@OHKProd]

Killer! Keen to see you're exploring your own channel, I've been a big fan of your mixing techniques for ages now.

[@WeissAdvice]

Thanks OH.K!

[@Barncore]

Really well communicated. Cheers And no, the sweater is great

[@WeissAdvice]

Thanks Nick!

[@chsprod]

Again, fantastic video! It's great to see how efficient you are and how you get the most of your tools. Very inspiring

[@WeissAdvice]

Thank you CHS!

[@mikelo303]

My grandma wore similar sweter, so take it as you want :D

[@WeissAdvice]

Your grandma had both style and taste

[@NoQualmsTheArtist]

You just need a gold Jesus head swinging chain and that sweater would be boss! As a Pro Audio Files subscriber it's nice to see you on KZbin. Subbed 😉👍🏾

[@WeissAdvice]

I mean... who doesn't need a gold and diamond encrusted Jesus head on a chain, really. Thank you for the sub!

[@proaudionajia]

Awesome video. I presume this will not be possible with the original HG2?

[@walterlopez1504]

Awesome technique. Gonna try it out today! Do you think you could also go over how you do the rest of your drums?

[@WeissAdvice]

I think we're about due for some drum tutorials. Thanks Walter!

[@thegroove2000]

That jumper covers a wide dynamic range.

[@georgewoolf6300]

If you like the HG2 plugin, the HG-2 Hardware is an insane tool like nothing else in Pro Audio.

[@georgewoolf6300]

@@DBTHEPLUG More like a 25 percent difference, espicially since the 3 stereo pair of tubes and both transformers actually do "ADD" a huge amount of controlable even/odd harmonics to the signal... and the air button add top end "without" being an EQ with phase shift. The plugin alters the sound, it does not add anything like the hardware. Maybe goto Access Analog and test the hardware for yourself.

[@hermianofficial3400]

Got the HG2 for free yesterday. I knew I had to search for your channel immediately haha

[@WeissAdvice]

Right on! Thanks for finding me!

[@hermianofficial3400]

@@WeissAdvice Yes Sir! You should definitely have a lot more subscribers.

[@updown5238]

Great! Thanks

[@WeissAdvice]

Thank you!

[@Hassan_Omer]

Hey Matt , i am wondering is there a way to know that how much low end is enough in terms of levels, i mean is there a number that one should be aware of when looking at the frequency spectrum ? I am sure the levels are always going to be different depending on the genre but i think there must be a rule of thumb that one should follow. So kindly tell us if there is one.

[@WeissAdvice]

You might kinda hate this answer but: no, not really. Unfortunately, the only way to know how much low end you need three things: decent monitoring, understanding that monitoring, and a good feel for the record you're working on.

[@Hassan_Omer]

@@WeissAdvice Thank you 🙏

[@robertwainscott9437]

Impressive.

[@WeissAdvice]

Thanks Robert!

[@julienfromflorida]

15 min video? lets fuckin gooo I'm def onboard for some more long form content

[@WeissAdvice]

Hi Julien! I'm glad, because it's very difficult for me to get all of my thoughts together in 5-10min. I just generally aim for that mark because I don't want to make anything too long winded.

[@marceloribeirosimoes8959]

Thank you for the video. My suggestion is, please, make your mouse cursor really visible. :-)) My question: I don't understand why to pass basses and kick transient and punch at the same time. I mean, why don't split the kick low-end?

[@WeissAdvice]

Hi Marcelo, I'll look into making my cursor bigger - that's a great idea! I'm not sure I follow your question. Could you rephrase?

[@marceloribeirosimoes8959]

@@WeissAdvice Thank you for answering me! I started to watch your videos recently and I like them more and more... I'll try to explain, but you'll see it was a simple and expected question... We can split (slicing the sound, dividing by frequency range, etc.) the material and treat the low end separately, right? So, why to keep the kick transient and the first portion of the kick just after the transient (I call it "punch") and before de sustain among the lower frequencies treatment like EQ, compression, harmonics, "mono-ing" (in the lack of a better term)??? Transients and the punchy portion of kicks are always on higher frequencies. AFAIK, kicks are made by very fast frequency decay, so we could treat the tale, when needed, as part of the bottom end. Not the start of the kick sound. It seems that Black Vox HG2 is used to change everything at the same time. Maybe, treating frequency ranges separately can be a better approach. What do you think? Am I wrong? I'm trying to learn. But if you made it and I did even notice that, I'm sorry. If that's the case, please, ignore me.

[@DrumsDiogo]

Great video thank you so much!

[@WeissAdvice]

Thanks Drums!

[@swimmingtwink]

god that is such a beautiful plugin

[@zee.0000]

Great tip Matthew thanks. How do you process the top end of the drums then ? Same idea ? Goes to its own bus and saturate it with Black Box ?

[@WeissAdvice]

They go to their own bus - which may or may not get saturation depending on how they already sound.

[@davelordy]

Killing the sweater game ! : )

[@WeissAdvice]

These other sweater wearers have nothing on me!

[@moremoneybeats]

Locksmith ‼

[@lighth7h-im3gd]

damn you got swag bruh neghu u like jeez

[@WeissAdvice]

LOL - thanks Angel!

[@vancenichols9490]

Thanks so much for this video! Despite the sweater, we personally operate in the same space when it comes to genres- I produce hiphop as well. I greatly appreciate seeing this tool used for rendering great value in hiphop music, as I've mostly seen this employed in Rock-n-Roll applications. I'm glad I've purchased this product, seeing that I wasn't crazy at all to take a leap of faith to use it for mixing/mastering purposes in a hiphop setting. I would say that I'm so very curious to know what other ways you're employing this for hiphop, other than applying such to a rhythm section buss. I'll keep watching your videos to see if you've capitulated or not. 😆😆😆

[@WeissAdvice]

"contrary to your sweater" LOLOLOL. I use this plugin on all sorts of sources for all sorts of genres. Rap vocals that are just a little too "friendly". Delay returns. 808 snares that are all spike no meat.

[@vancenichols9490]

@@WeissAdvice Awesome tips! Thanks!!!

[@IamtheI]

hey i know you from the puremix page... you are good egg :-)

[@WeissAdvice]

I try to be the best egg I can be. LOL. Thanks Esteban!

[@poorhouz5051]

Dope video...

[@WeissAdvice]

Thanks Poorhouz!

[@Tabzunderground]

luv the sweater 😅

[@WeissAdvice]

LOL - thanks Thabiso!

[@philburns5656]

This low-end "stabilizing" is reaaally cool. Great advice again! Thanks very much for sharing, Matthew! I'm wondering how to best adapt this technique to other genres (lets say just Rock) where you normally do not have a bus for lows, and you normally would not separate the kick from the other drums. Any ideas on that? (And yes, you can definetely wear that cult sweater. It's quite ironic, hence cool.)

[@WeissAdvice]

That's a good question. I don't really do this in rock records because I usually the entire kit to glue together - whereas in Pop/Hip Hop/ etc I usually like the entire low end to glue together. Different goals.

[@hampsonpaul3531]

Hi insighful video .I took your advice regarding your settings great sound from the HG2 .I noticed you had the saturation button on off therefore your 52% saturation setting is having no effect or am I missing something ..Kind regards

[@WeissAdvice]

The saturation is at 25% and it's in, so I'm not sure what you're referring to here.

[@hampsonpaul3531]

@@WeissAdvice My mistake..apologies

[@MusicByIanLtd]

Newbie question: Would you get the same result by put a Black Box on the Kick directly. And then another instance on the Bass Buss (and even on another on Bass Synths)? Or is the relationship between the low end going through BlackBox together important to the overall result? I could obviously try it but i wondered what your reasoning was. Thanks in advance.

[@WeissAdvice]

You couldn't really get the same result on just using it on the kick. The purpose is to create that saturated tone on every element of the low end and to get everything reacting together. You certainly can use Blackbox on just the kick as a softclipper though, which can be a great technique to get a big boofy kick sound.

[@ghostfrom1950]

Turn up! I love it! I use my MPC and tend to export the drums thru the native MPC 60, 3000, or SP1200 emulation that is part of the hardware but also available as a plugin - for the same reasons you described in the beginning. Awesome trick. Do you think you could get something quite similar using PA Vertigo VSM-3? ( I know Black box is pretty king but im curious)

[@MusicByIanLtd]

VSM-3 is on my Drum Crush Bus in my production template because of the M/S aspect (note i'm a unreleased newb - so no weight to this opinion!).

[@WeissAdvice]

Hi Johnny! I haven't experimented much with the VSM-3. The personality strikes me as a more aggressive saturator/distortion. I reckon you could get something similar going if you tweaked it thoughtfully enough.

[@ghostfrom1950]

Hi Matthew, thanks for the reply and great applications in your videos!

[@ghostfrom1950]

I don’t know own it but something about it seems very robust and different. Sounds like I’d be awesome just any bus so I believe it! I’ve had it on my radar for some time

[@billesposito2112]

This is on sale for 29$ on plug in alliance RIGHT NOW!

[@uglysociety4309]

Thought you were on Studio One at first. Dope video as always!

[@WeissAdvice]

I actually DO use Studio One. I just tend to use Pro Tools more. I like Studio One better, but because I know PT like the back of my hand and I don't have a ton of time it's usually better for me to be using PT.

[@emanuelwhitehead6039]

I’m a studio one user since 2014 I love it

[@commonsense5188]

@@emanuelwhitehead6039 I was a PT user for about 12 years or so and made the jump to Studio One 5 about 2 months ago. I love it.

[@DanielBergonzoni]

Great video as usual. You ever use the Slate virtual console stuff for any saturation?

[@WeissAdvice]

I do. I don't use the channels to often, but I do use the Mix Bus from time to time.

[@Joeknowsit-ALL]

I have to agree with you on the sweater. Its the ugliest one I've ever seen. I had an ugly one and I thought I broke the record, but you broke mine. Other than that. You rock. Love your engineering techniques. Big fan

[@WeissAdvice]

Good. Because if I'm going to have a sweater THIS ugly, I really want to be able to say it is truly the ugliest. Second ugliest doesn't even get a title. Yuck.

[@msp420]

I do love this plugin a lot but for my low end I've been using Cosmos the most by Nomad Factory....it just has that mojo that is hard to find in plugins. I do use the Blackbox on my drums almost religiously

[@WeissAdvice]

I haven't used Nomad Factory that often, because they were exclusively VST for so long. Some very interesting plugins.

[@msp420]

@@WeissAdvice it's hard to describe but out of all my harmonic sub bass Saturation plugins that one tends to have the most magic out of all the others and I got most of the ones everybody uses. It's crazy because I never really gave it a try and I've owned it for a while from a bundle I picked up and let me tell you I'm kicking myself for not using it all this time. So good on sub basses and or anything under 250

[@ZionGuySupreme]

Elysia Alpha Master plugin.

[@SouthernEmperor]

Love this video!!!

[@supervicemusic]

🔥🔥🎶🎶🔊🔊 Thank U! Nice Tricks

[@MikeG_Beatz]

Love the advice video is great seen it a few times and every time im like damn this gotta be burners cousins 😂

[@WeissAdvice]

LOL - thanks Mike!

[@Enice43]

Show how to load it in the daw...studio one thks

[@perrykeshahwalker5321]

Don't forget about the sp1200

[@WeissAdvice]

Could never forget about the sp1200!

[@THEESHITSHOW]

a cosby sweater, a cosby sweater

[@WeissAdvice]

Oh, let's find another name for this sweater....

[@TerryMaplePoco]

great vid thank you!

[@WeissAdvice]

Thanks for commenting Terry!

[@TerryMaplePoco]

@@WeissAdvice you got it

[@GuidoRighi]

it should be so good with output compensation

[@WeissAdvice]

True

[@realcasper81]

Cliff Huxtable vibes

[@chyllhollywood]

I wasn’t going say anything about your sweater. 😂

[@WeissAdvice]

But you were THINKING it!

[@ghdrum]

The info you have is great but you could easily have condensed it into a much shorter video.

[@WeissAdvice]

Sounds like you're volunteering to edit! I appreciate that!

[@ghdrum]

@@WeissAdvice haha! You wouldn't want me to do that. You'd loose viewers!!

[@AlexNiedt]

Good stuff! I've seen uglier sweaters, though.

[@WeissAdvice]

Oh yikes! Those must have been UGLY

[@timeiseverything4]

Its good for plug in but once you try the real thing you can never look back

[@m.i.stapes]

That sweater is definitely up in the running for the ugliest.

[@WeissAdvice]

I was going for the title belt, but I'll take runner up.

[@msvc23]

Man you talk tooooo much I did not even get to the middle of the video because I was yawning

[@WeissAdvice]

All good - my videos aren't for everyone. Hope you had a nice rest!

[@esahm373]

The plugin is horrible. Not gain compensated and quite clunky to dial in the right amount of saturation. UX 0/10