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VALENTIN - RAISING THE BAR WITH THE UAD-1
"We're all about pushing the envelope." With most people,
a comment like that might be just a tired cliché. But coming
from Valentin, it's more of an understatement. The New York-based
musician, producer, re-mixer and multimedia artist is the mastermind
behind breakout recording act QED (whose current single "Hardly
a Day" is riding high on the UK charts), and his remix of "Beautiful"
by Christina Aguilera currently holds the #1 position on Billboard's
Dance Club Play charts. He writes, arranges, produces and plays
all instruments on QED's recordings, and on stage he triggers both
sounds and digital video to create a unique and compelling live
multimedia presentation.
Valentin is the creator of MediaXtasy (MX), an innovative new visual
performance system being used by leading DJ's like Danny Tenaglia,
Pete Tong, Paul van Dyk and Louie Devito. Way more than just music
and light shows, his creations encompass tight, lighting-quick integration
of multiple surround video sources, triggered by performers on stage,
along with intense, swirling surround mixes bathed in deep trance
and otherworldly syncopations. He's performed at events sponsored
by Nintendo, Nike, Heinekin and Sirius Radio, and at parties thrown
by the likes of N'Sync, Nelly, P Diddy and Beyonce Knowles.
A software developer in a previous life, Valentin is in the somewhat
unique position of being conversant in both the creative and the
technical disciplines. "That's why I'm so impressed with the
UAD-1," he comments,
"because it was clearly designed by people who understand how
to make technology work creatively."
"When you're dealing with dance music, the groove is extremely
important, and how different sounds are articulated is critical
to that groove. If the kick and bass don't work, the tune's dead.
With most software compressor/limiters, they work well and sound
really good within a particular range, but if you go outside that
range they tend to lengthen or smooth out the sounds and kill the
groove. But the UAD-1 plugins - especially the LA-2A, the 1176 and
the Pultec - are very musical and usable. Even at the extremities
of their ranges, they still sound great."
His system is a prime example of streamlined power. A dual 1GHz
G4 runs Logic 6.0, with a Waldorf MicroQ triggering ES2, EXS24,
Pro53, Atmosphere, and Stylus plugins. "I've got a couple of
good Apogee converters, an Avalon preamp, and a good set of monitors.
Everything else is inboard."
"The UAD-1 is really key to getting some of the sounds I use.
Particularly in dance music, which by its nature is going to be
used in both a club environment and on radio, aspects like the kick,
the bass and the vocal need to be undeniably rock solid, unique,
and in your face. I use the UAD-1 a lot to get that nice fat sound
that cuts through the mix in a big way and makes the floor shake
in the clubs. I'm using some combination of the Pultec and 1176
plugins for kick and bass on almost all my mixes. The EQ really
pulls up the 30, 60 and 100Hz ranges for different mixes, and the
LA-2A works magic on compressing the bass synth."
More than just pumping up the mix, though, the UAD-1 plugins also
help Valentin create his truly distinctive sound. "I don't
usually use off-the-shelf loops. I'm a drummer, and for me it makes
more sense to just play what I need. I'll usually start with a handful
of percussion parts, maybe a djembe, shakers, or tambourine, then
use the mod filter with something like a square waveform, and squash
it with the LA-2A to make it into my own unique killer loop. For
me, it saves time and I get what I want, with the punch I need.
And of course, the fidelity's amazing."
He's also quite fond of the UAD-1's RealVerb plugin. "We do
a lot of vocal trance mixes, and in trance it's all about the sound
of the vocal. The RealVerb plugin is some of the most nicest, most
usable reverb I've worked with. I use it a lot on percussion and
hihats too - really subtle settings to just give things a bit of
a different space."
In the hands of someone like Valentin, the UAD-1 is every bit as
much an instrument as the rest of his arsenal. "Most of us
have never had the luxury of owning a $5000 reverb or EQ, so even
if we get to use one in the studio occasionally, it's not the same
as having a chance to work with these tools on a regular basis and
really learn them. With every mix I keep adding new tricks, using
the UAD-1's capabilities more and more."
"When your equipment level goes up, you have a chance to make
your music that much better. I now have the equivalent of a very
expensive rack sitting in my computer, and it's a joy to have that
kind of technology at my disposal. It's really made a huge difference
in how my mixes come across."
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