INCREDIBLE OTO Boum - Dawless Mastering Chain part #3

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part 1: • STUDIO GRADE Doctron &...
part 2: • FLEXIBLE Elektron Anal...
Part 3: • INCREDIBLE OTO Boum - ...
In this third part of the "Dawless Mastering Gear" series I check out the OTO boum! A wonderful device for this kind of processing. In the video I go into depth on how you could use the Boum to glue your live sound and control the peak level so that you can turn up your live set's volume.
Enjoy!
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00:00 - Intro
00:43 - SIgnal path
02:07 - The functions
06:34 - The dry track
07:33 - AB test leveling
08:58 - Compressor
15:53 - Drive
19:23 - Attack
25:02 - Transients
27:44 - Little bit more tweaking
31:35 - Impact of the one knob comp
33:06 - Clopsing remoarks vs heat & IMC

[@fleximarvellous]

I sold my Analog Heat to buy the Boum and I still love it.

[@paulgulling838]

Love how my Boum can dramatically alter the sounds sounds coming out of my Digitakt. The HI-CUT is my favorite sculpting tool. I was drawn to this minimalist aesthetic and those tactile buttons are so pleasing to push. It did feel like a shot in the dark to choose this one over the Analogue Heat due to the lack of informative demonstration videos for the Baum, so this is a wonderful addition!

[@elifan2523]

Great video!! I guess the solution would be to use the boum and heat in a chain 😂

[@deself]

Really appreciate this series 🙏 Would also love to have a video for the FMR RNLA7239 :)

[@faremissound]

Thank you for this! Super helpful!

[@videosuperhighway7655]

Wow that drive really spices things up.

[@kuanjian]

Great review. I love my Boum. Hard to make music without it at the end of the chain now. Just feels incomplete. I'm looking forward to the Bebe Cherie mixer.

[@meilstone2711]

Great video on a great little pleasure-box. Seeing you struggle with the punch of the kick a bit, I think two-band compression would be the killer feature to add.

[@NTT5]

thank you! ❤‍🔥

[@mr_guy661]

Ok I'm convinced now

[@No.0.o.0]

I pronounce it the same way, it’s more fun. :) love my Boum! Great video as always

[@ThatBonsaipanda]

I would remove the kick from the signal going into the Boum and just patch it to the mixer dry and send a copy to the sidechain of the Boum (just to have it duck). Then squish the absolute f out of the sound and use the mix to let the dry signal through. I might have to get one at some point for .. science. Awesome video, Dave.

[@bouguification]

My BOUM is hardwired to the CUE outputs of my Octatrack. All my drums go through it at all times. One of my best purchases !

[@Davemech]

Yeah it’s on my master via insert and use it on every master or even when recording to stereo. It’s wonderful :).

[@drop-out4661]

@@Davemech How are you routing your insert signal chain? i curious about this :) and great video thanks

[@alexkourelis]

Love that classic Nulleins track. Huge huge fan of Thinner back in the day

[@Davemech]

Hm? :)

[@Brucelectricmoose]

Really does glue stuff

[@Kevvywevvy]

Thanks, I found this super helpful, in all it's subtleties. Hopefully you do a follow-up on it's other features. Would be grand. Following 😊

[@Davemech]

Definitely is the plan :).

[@Kevvywevvy]

Just bought your dusk till dawn Digitone pack , sounds Quality 👌 🔥

[@Davemech]

@@Kevvywevvy Great! Thanks and thanks for the support!

[@thelevicole]

I hope you can do a video on the Golden Master Pedal by endorphines once it's released! I think it fits in this category!

[@Davemech]

Yeah I saw it! Going to email them to see if they’re up for sending a demo unit.

[@thelevicole]

@@Davemech Amazing! Thank you for doing these BTW! And thank you for the classes, they were a huge help in kickstarting my elektron journey!

[@Davemech]

@@thelevicole Great to hear Levi, thanks! :)

[@FuZZbaLLbee]

First I thought it was German tree (Baum) but that’s with an A instead of an O. It is green though. I bought the Electro Harmonix Platform for compression as a cheaper alternative

[@Gruftgrabbler]

I heard that the sound of the platform is very nice! I might want to consider this as well

[@tendingtropic7778]

thanks for this! just a sidequestion: what microphone are you using?

[@Davemech]

Rode ntg4+. Cheers :)

[@gunark]

Hey Dave, seeing as you’ve reviewed the Boum and the Heat, which would you suggest for warming up and giving a bit of life to hardware to sample, such as an old FM synth?

[@Davemech]

I’d probably go with heat (heat+fx even) since it offers so much flexibility and extra modulation. As a sound design tool it is quite incredible. Subtle yet complex is possible or completely over the top as well.

[@gunark]

@@Davemech thanks Dave, appreciate your opinion!

[@impossiblemusicforce]

After this comparsion, is which one is the one you would prefer? ... and thank you for this great tutorial!🙏

[@Davemech]

All things considered Boum. If money would be no part of the equation: IMC (for this specific purpose)

[@Lucasicosa]

Hallo! i would also love a video on cheaper stuff like the ehx platform and the 'really nice compressor'. im borrowing the oto boum from 'glitterkots en de nasmaak'. i love it, but it's really expensive for something i would take on the road with me.

[@Davemech]

It’s on the list ! RNC I owned a few years ago but for getting peaks under control it’s not enough so I’m not sure if I’ll add that into this series. Let’s see :)

[@GRIFFARTCENTER]

@@Davemech Try the NRLA, its what I have on the end of the Octatrack -> Zen delay -> RNLA, and love it

[@needaspank2954]

More I use it, more I push it to its limits. it changed my mixing technique .

[@Davemech]

Can totally relate!. It’s really beautiful isn’t?

[@needaspank2954]

​@@Davemech the dynamic reversal effects is incredible, perfect for create more breathing...

[@jimicrumb3700]

how would this compare to the UA MAX compressor, if you have tried it? Looking for a good stereo compressor.

[@Davemech]

Haven’t tried that one yet. OTO boum is great. Of course you’re not getting very fine control but it does sound great.

[@happylittlesynth]

Out of all 3, which is your favourite , and which one are you actually using now in your live sets?

[@Davemech]

So the IMC was a lone from Stimming. But if I owned that, that would definitely be on my master out. The boum I’d still use to process Digitakt for example. Between boum and heat I’d choose boum but I do really miss an EQ on it. I’ve been thinking about using them both actually where boum is part of Digitakt out and the heat is on the main out to glue everything and provide the EQ. Something I need to experiment with. Simply put currently my pick would be IMC > boum > heat for this use case.

[@n.eminus9536]

unless if i missed this in the video - it would appear the one thing this doesn't solve is getting the end result as loud as (or as close to) professional sounding tracks. Seems like you were still around -10 db. is it possible to make the track louder?

[@Davemech]

First of: It’s about perceived loudness. The peak level doesn’t tell you much. I could have simply turned up the volume until the peak hits -0.01db. This is why I use an LUFS meter to match the loudness of the dry and wet level. It doesn’t really matter what number it is. When I play live the volume is of course set louder. With the technique I show you can get very close to the perceived loudness of mastered tracks yes. In part 1 of this series I explain in more detail how I A/B test and why but the point of the series is exactly to show how you can get higher perceived loudness that comes close to what DJs are playing :) Cheers

[@n.eminus9536]

@@Davemech thanks Dave! 🙏

[@hollsound]

Thanks for this video! I would really like to see a video in which you compare this device with this one: FMR Audio RNC 1773

[@latenightfortunecookie]

i second that

[@nooktouch7347]

Yeah, or compare a combo of EHX Platform/FMR RNC and Heat or other saturator

[@Davemech]

Thanks! I’ll put it on the list together with ehx platform. I did own a RNC in the past but it doesn’t get peaks under control as much so I sold it eventually. Still would be nice to see how it compares though. Lots of people asking for it :)

[@whendoesthisend]

Was looking for this and for it. I second that.

[@eliaswarg6818]

It just sounds sooo smooth. Nice track as well 👍

[@alb_reuel]

im think how would one place it, after the mixer to the mains? as a send to the mixer, i mean if you have a big setup. as an insert? i'm confused at its place in the signal chain

[@Davemech]

Depends on the usecase. To use it as an end of chain compressor and saturation you put it either after the mixing stage or, if the mixer has one, in the master insert of the mixer.

[@alb_reuel]

@@Davemech i'll look if the mackie i have has got a master insert. these signal chain sends/inserts got me so confused😵‍💫

[@Davemech]

@@alb_reuel if not just pit the output from the mixer into boum and boum to PA 👍 :)

[@moss2309]

Did anyone found a video about the BOUM's sidechain capabilities?

[@FuZZbaLLbee]

Would like to see follow-up videos for UNIVERSAL AUDIO UAFX Electro harmonix platform Endorphin Golden master pedal

[@Davemech]

Yeah I’m hoping to make those in 2024. 🙏

[@CiabaMusic]

I'll add the Source Audio Atlas to the comparison, as they "solved" the HF shelving, there's now an option in the app. I've got an Analog Heat and a Suonobuono Nabc+ compressor, but I'd like to trade both to consolidate into a single unit, but can't make up my mind about which one

[@closerau]

Have you tried it on the SSL Big Six? I wonder how a SiX and Boum would compare against a model 1 for live purposes if you dont need the Model 1 filters...?

[@Davemech]

I have it connected on the main instert on the big six by default. I run all my mixes through it pretty much. Have thought about using it live but the big six is a bit large.

[@closerau]

@@Davemech how does it sound? Have you ever used a model 1? Reckon SSL SiX + Boum would be a better combo than a model 1.4?

[@Davemech]

@@closerau big six is super clean sounding. Very nice. It has tons of headroom just like model 1. It really depends on what you need it for. To me the big six is perfect for studio use. The audio interface and routing capabilities are super flexible. Couldn’t live without it now anymore. But for live use it would be too large for me. So then a model 1 would be a better choice. I’ve had a model 1 as a lone briefly. It’s great :).

[@closerau]

@@Davemech Awesome, yeah Big six would be way to hard to tour with but what about the little Six with boum? That would even be more portable than a Model 1. Thing about the Model 1 is it just sounds so good but I wonder if the Boum and Little Six would sound just as good? Maye you could do a video on Six vs Model 1 with Boum for live sound? :)

[@MichaelMai]

Hey Dave, how's the new Heat fx compared to this? Do you still prefer Boum over Heat fx?

[@Davemech]

Ooopph difficult question! I like both actually. The simplicity and sound of boum is wonderful. Heatfx is awesome because it provides so much sound design potential. So it depends a bit on what the main intended use is. Bit of a non answer but, it depends ;)

[@MichaelMai]

@@Davemech true :)

[@sidefish8362]

I like the "ploek" kick, it's something I aim for and a feature of a lot of Romanian techno, a very sucked, ploek kick. ;p

[@Davemech]

Haha yeah nothing wrong with it general. But in this case it was simply not working well and a sign of taking things too far ;)

[@Pheonix0114]

I'm American and also assumed it was pronounced Bow-m

[@girlinagale]

Hi hats have a dominant effect on compression, I'd prefer a way to reduce that.

[@girlinagale]

Ha, I just need to mix hi hats lower.

[@Davemech]

Indeed :). Most often the kick and bass will have a dominant effect. One downside of OTO boum is that we can’t put a hipass filter on the sidechain of the compressor. But it’s still manageable

[@SingularityMedia]

Its a shame that compressor is so naff. I was looking at one for my live pa, but when I tested the compressor it was just useless, especially with bass music. I had to hack my RNLA so it has a sidechain EQ that hipasses the detection circuit. My best solution so far for decent portable live PA master buss compression.

[@Davemech]

Depends a bit on how you use it. To me it is not useless but you need to keep the knob below 9 o clock and play with how loud you’re sending your mix through boum. Or use it as a parallel comp by using heavier compression settings but mix dry/wet. Would definitely have been nice to have more control over the range that the comp works and more control over the comp in general but I wouldn’t call it useless personally. Know quite a few big acts that use one for this purpose effectively as well. 👍 I currently use something else but it’s not off the table and might actually find its way back into my rig together with what I’m using right now (IMC)

[@michaelwilley7411]

IMO works best on the drum bus. Lately I have been feeding it Nord Drum 2 which is a real treat.

[@Davemech]

Yeah indeed. Especially as a parallel processor. Such a wonderful device

[@saardean4481]

Sweet box.Great sound in general but the Drive is too "general" for my taste. When you push it it immediately kills the low end wish for some filter functionality in order to have the choice to leave the low end out of the circuit. Unless its possible already ?

[@Davemech]

Trick is to try and use this as a parallel effect. Mix in the distortion with the dry signal rather than fully wet. However, have you checked if the LP filter is off and you’re using the clean boost option? That doesn’t really suck out the bass imho. Not in my experience anyway unless you go into very heavy distortion.

[@saardean4481]

@@Davemech I don't own the device. My comment was referring to what I hear when you push it in the video. Even if you use it in parallel it would introduce phase shifting if you mix a full range distorted over the dry signal. Especially if it is something like experimental very bass heavy mix then the subbass will trigger the saturation first , which I would like to avoid. This is where I find multi band very handy. Thats what I mean basically. Can it act like one band of a multi band device?

[@Davemech]

​@@saardean4481 You'd think the parallel mixing would result in obvious phase shifting but it does not. Not audible anyway. If it would the dry/wet control would be useless. I use it in parallel a lot and what it does to the low end and the mix in general is pretty neat imho :). But it's a flawvor that you either like or not. Anyway, there's a low cut before the saturation circuit that you could use. That way it only distorts above a certain hz more or less and then mix it in with the dry signal with the dry/wet knob. I use this sometimes as well. That's the only way to do that. Regarding the "killing of low end", to me that's an exaggeration as it doesn't really. When I push it really hard (including th e compressor) there's of course going to be a perceived difference of the overal frequency balance, but it doesn't kill the bass.

[@saardean4481]

@@Davemech By "kill" I mean it does in many cases end in a too intrusive change in timbre. Maybe "kill" is an exteme-wrong word for it. "Interfering too much" is what I mean. One example. If I have a sine wave bass that I want "ultra clean" sounding then i sometimes don't want to add enriching overtones as it would defeat the purpose. Also if my bass is already a distorted bass synth line then I many times have it where its supposed to be and don't want to add not even 0,1% "extra sauce" Don`t know if you get what I mean or better said if I am expressing what I mean good enough. "That way it only distorts above a certain hz more or less and then mix it in with the dry signal with the dry/wet knob. I use this sometimes as well. That's the only way to do that." That is superb. Exactly what I wanted to know. So then it does has kind of a Sidechaining ability. That raises the value of this device for my desired usage scenario exponentially.

[@Davemech]

​@@saardean4481 Ah yeah I get it :). Good to realize is that the low cut has fixed settings, not a continuous control. I wouldn't call this technique sidechain. It's simply processing something parallel to the dry signal where you add a low cut to the wet signal. However, it does in fact have an actual side chain input for the compressor :)

[@levinsonl]

The Boum has a high pass filter. Can't you use this to keep it from hitting the kick too much? And then mix in dry signal? I think you are missing a lot of the point of this unit not using the filters

[@Davemech]

I did explain in the video I was about to show a very particular use case, not a full review ;) The point here is to control peaks as much as possible while glueing the mix at the same time. Running it in parallel (dry+wet mixed in) doesn’t control peaks enough. But it does sound amazing when using like that for sure. The hi pass is located after the compressor and amp stage so this has no effect on how the signal is being compressed unfortunately. It’s not a filter located in the sidechain path. That would have been nice. Cheers

[@levinsonl]

@@Davemech makes sense. Didn't realize it wasn't on the side chain. My bad. Enjoyed the format of the video

[@jeffry5800]

Why so difficult? Just press preset 2 - 6 Boooooouuuuum there you go.

[@Davemech]

😄

[@brooklynboy1000]

It’s pronounced Boooooom mofos

[@Davemech]

If only I told this at the beginning of the video 🤔