Recording - January 2016 - 42

PLUG-IN OUTLET
Zynaptiq UNMIX::DRUMS
by Paul Vnuk Jr.

There are hardware companies, like Radial Engineering and Little Labs,
who build boxes that solve problems you didn't know you needed solutions to until you needed a solution to them. In the software realm,
Zynaptiq software fits that description, with a side order of "Wait a
minute, what I am hearing should be impossible."
Zynaptiq offers plug-ins such as UNCHIRP, which helps eradicate artifacts from lossless encoding, and UNVEIL (reviewed August 2012),
designed to remove reverb and excess ambience from your tracks. The latest Zynaptiq problem solver is UNMIX::DRUMS. As its name implies, it is
designed to alter the percussive elements in your mix-after the mix has
been mixed. Wait, what?
Main page
The plug-in's GUI is a single-window, 3-page affair. The Main page features a trio of colorful graphic globes with a handles in the center. On the
large center globe, move the handle up and the drums in your mix get
louder, pull it down and the drums go away.
The small globe on the left controls Threshold and on the right is one for
Release. Conceptually similar to these same parameters on a compressor, they
determine how and when the program digs into the drums and when it lets go.
Along the top of the window you get further controls. First is a dropdown
menu for preset selection and storage; I found this to be a great starting point
and an even better learning aid to get a handle on what UNMIX::DRUMS can
do. Next there is a button for Mid-Side Mode, an Algorithm selector with a
choice of Smooth or Punchy, a level compensation button to keep your mix at
similar volumes despite the boosting or attenuation of your drums, and a limiter
button. There is also an output meter/level control and a Bypass button.
Fine-Tune page
The second page/window of UNMIX::DRUMS unlocks further parameter
choices while the three original controls stay active and visible. (This is the
page shown in the first screenshot.) Along with Threshold on the left, you
now get Detection Density and Max Cut, and on the right along with
Release there are now settings for Attack and Unmix Feather. There is not
enough space to go into detail about each, but in general they control how
UNMIX::DRUMS hears the percussive signals and then how it is blended
into the final result... hopefully with as little artifacting as possible.
One last additional control in this window is Bass Synth. Its job is to
synthesize missing low frequency content. It's a sample-accurate resynthesizer, creating new subharmonics rather than reinforcing or enhancing
existing frequencies. This is not the first bass enhancer I have ever used,
but I will say it is one of the nicest!
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RECORDING January 2016

Curves page
The last window labeled Curves (see the second
screenshot) is the most essential to getting the best
results out of the program. This page starts with a
real time display of Drum signals (Light Teal), NonDrum signals (Red) and the overall Output (Purple).
With this information you can adjust three curves,
Threshold (Yellow), Drum Level (Pink), and the
Release Curve (Blue), to best fit your song and what

elements of the drums you are trying to enhance or
attenuate. Also note that these spectrum readouts
are still blurrily visible in the background behind the
other windows.
Theory vs. practice
The twenty thousand dollar question is, "Does
UNMIX::DRUMS work?". My answer is "Yes... but!"
UNMIX::DRUMS is similar to many noise reduction programs and even UNVEIL in that you need
to be specific and realistic about what you are trying to accomplish. As with any audio program
such as these, the more you dig in and push it, the
more you will experience unnatural artifacts.
So, can you pull up any song you want and
simply boost or attenuate the drums like the drum
bus fader in a mix? No, not really. You may get
lucky here and there, but it's better to identify what
you want your end result to be. As with noise
reduction programs, smaller steps are best. In this
case, adjusting a drum mix ±2 to 4 dB or so
yields better results than trying to push and pull
your drums to extreme levels.
Zynaptiq's Denis Goekdag notes that with the
right tweaks (and more experience than I have
gotten), up to ±6 dB and more should be possible. He offered the following recipes for getting to
the best results:
1. Whether cutting or boosting drums, if sounds are
being included that shouldn't be, raise the Threshold.
This is not an RMS threshold, it's a "DRUM-NESS"
threshold. In many cases, this will help.
2. If you're getting the attacks of bass/guitars
etc. boosted along with the drums, dial back the
Attack time and raise the Threshold, or try switching to Punchy and lowering Detection Density.
3. When attenuating, if the vocals are getting
"lispy", lower Attack and Release, and possibly
increase Threshold for the midrange.
4. If you're hearing "envelope phaser" modulation artifacts when attenuating, lower Release,
make sure Unmix Feather is in the upper half of
the range, and decrease Detection Density."

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - January 2016