Revealing the true potential of Ableton Live often boils down to using the right tools to unlock the unique spaces in your creative cosmos. One of these is Tinyspace 1.0, an audio effect tool developed by undulaemusic. While the enormous world of sound processing may seem intimidating to the uninitiated, this Max4Live device is everything an experimental musician or sound producer could need. It tightens and expands the corners of sonic exploration in entirely new and immersive ways.
It starts with Tinyspace's character. Straying from conventional audio effect tools designed for simulating expansive, stereotypical ambiances, it homes in on crafting metallic, jangly, resonant sounds that aren't dominantly found in a traditional reverb's palate. Moreover, it adds a keen diffusion to tight mono percussive sounds, enhancing their depth while keeping their punch - a characteristic that many reverbs find challenging to offer. It's like wielding a tool that lets you sculpt the sonic corners less traveled.
Central to Tinyspace's functionality is the diffusion of 20 delay lines (10 each for the left and right). These delay lines range from 1ms to 50ms. The delay times are scaled using the "Size" knob, with low Size settings creating tight, short reverbs, while higher Size settings lead to longer, looser-sounding reverbs. It's a master puppeteer to the hands of an audio effect enthusiast, enabling flexible control of the diffusion network.
But Tinyspace’s intrigue doesn’t stop here. It proudly hosts an avant-garde parameter – “Crossfeed”. This knob takes tiptoes to a few delay lines on the right side and funnels them into an array on the left, engaging in a tuneful waltz with their individually tuned allpass filters. The Crossfeed encourages stereo complexity, magnifying a simple sound to an expansive auditory experience.
Where it scores further is in its adjustable mix control that allows for an accurate balance between the incoming dry signal and the wet signal. Also, an input gain control dictates the level of the signal before sending it to the diffusion network. Post that, it goes through both the highpass and the low-pass filters.
The evenness discovered in this prong of control is extraordinary. The feedback amount for all delay lines, managed by the “Feedback” parameter, further fine-tunes this experience. Increase it to simulate more reflective spaces, elongating the decay time of the reverb dramatically.
From version 10 to 12 of Ableton Live, Tinyspace has been extensively tested and it has stood the test of time. Though text and background color readability may be compromised in Live 10, it works flawlessly in the latter versions. It's not just a tool—it's an asset.
Keep in mind that Tinyspace 1.0 is a commercial device, available for purchase through the undulae music website. If you are eager to explore the universe of Tinyspace for yourself, you can download it via https://maxforlive.com/library/device/11150/tinyspace.
In conclusion, Tinyspace 1.0, with its rich parameters and user-friendly interface, is a tool that lets you chisel and mould the sound in ways that go beyond the ordinary. Its ability to delve into the corners that regular reverbs often overlook fills a crucial gap in the toolbox of every experimental musician or sound producer. Needless to say, this primitive reverb by undulaemusic is anything but primitive in its scope and potential. It is, after all, offering you a tinyspace to echo the vast immensity of your sonic imagination.
Example Usage
Let’s say you’re creating a track in Ableton Live and you’ve laid down a tight drum loop. It’s sounding good, but it lacks some space and dimension. You want to use reverb to give it that extra depth, but traditional reverb effects are making your loop lose its punchiness. Enter Tinyspace 1.0 by undulaemusic—perfect for this scenario.
First, drag and drop Tinyspace onto your drum loop's track. Begin with every knob at its default position. You’ll notice that Tinyspace is already adding a subtle atmosphere without muddying the initial transients of your drums.
Now, slowly increase the 'Input' knob to drive the signal a bit harder going into the reverb. This can add a bit of aggression to the sound, which can be interesting for more intense sections of your track.
Next, dial in the 'Size' parameter. Start with it set low, keeping the metalic, tight space as pe the Tinyspace's design, and slowly increase until you feel the loop gains a sense of space without losing its rhythmic focus. For a subtle 3D effect, keep it low; only nudge it higher if you aim for a more drawn-out, looser reverb tail.
With the room size set, adjust the 'Feedback' knob. This controls the reflectivity within the space. Keep it minimal for a closer, more intimate effect, or push it up to extend the reverb’s tail for a bolder statement. Be careful not to push it too far, as too much feedback can overwhelm the drum loop’s original character.
Experiment with the 'Crossfeed' control to create a sense of width in the stereo field. This will take some of the reverb from the right channel and feed it into the left and vice versa, creating a more complex, diffuse sound.
Let's not forget the filters: 'Input HP' (highpass) and 'Input LP' (lowpass) can be used to shape the tonal balance going into the diffusion network, ensuring that the reverb fits well in your mix and doesn't clash with other elements in your track.
Finally, adjust the 'Mix' knob to blend the wet and dry signals to taste. Usually for drums, you might want to blend it so the reverb is just noticeable enough to place the drum loop in a space without overwhelming the original sound.
A touch on the 'Output' control might be necessary if you find the volume has increased substantially or not enough post-effects. Balance it carefully to maintain a consistent level in your mix.
And there you have it—a nuanced, controlled addition of space to your drum loop that adds depth and dimension without sacrificing tightness and punch. Crafting unique soundscapes with Tinyspace in Ableton Live can really help bring out the character in your electronic productions.
In this intermediate-level usage example, we will be using Tinyspace 1.0 by undulaemusic to craft a unique percussive soundscape that will add depth and dimension to a minimal techno track in Ableton Live.
Start by creating a new MIDI track and loading up a drum rack with a selection of tight, mono percussive samples like wooden hits, rimshots, and claves. Program a rhythmic pattern that will serve as the backbone of your track.
Next, insert Tinyspace directly onto this percussive MIDI track. Start with the Input knob at a moderate setting to ensure we're not overdriving the signal into the Tinyspace reverb. Because we want to maintain the percussive element's punch, we'll keep the Size parameter at a lower setting, around 20%, to create very tight short reverbs which add subtle depth without smearing the transients.
Now, let's tweak the Input HP and Input LP filters to sculpt the tone of the reverb. Set the Input HP to around 200 Hz to remove low-end muddiness and set the Input LP to about 8 kHz to tame some of the high-end brightness, ensuring that the reverb does not overpower the original percussive elements.
Use the Feedback control to add a touch of metallic resonance. Set it to a low setting, avoiding high feedback levels that could potentially wash out the rhythm. You'll notice how, even with subtle feedback, Tinyspace lends a unique character to the percussive sounds.
To create a stereo effect that will make your percussive pattern more engaging, play with the Crossfeed parameter. Start at around 30% and listen as some of the delay lines from the right channel are fed into the left, creating a complex stereo image.
Lastly, adjust the Mix knob to blend the processed signal with the dry percussion. Aim for a balance that maintains the clarity of the original percussive track while incorporating the depth of the reverb. Dial the Output gain to ensure your track's levels remain consistent.
Automation can bring your soundscape to life. Try automating the Size parameter during a breakdown to momentarily broaden the atmosphere, or automate the Mix parameter to slowly introduce the reverb effect during a build-up.
With Tinyspace, you've now infused your percussive track with a sense of space that doesn't detract from the rhythm's punchiness, enhancing the overall groove of your minimal techno production. Experimentation is key with Tinyspace – subtle tweaks can lead to vastly different soundscapes, so don't hesitate to explore its full potential in your Ableton Live session.
Further Thoughts
Imagine you're scoring a scene in a cyberpunk game where the protagonist is stealthily navigating through a dystopian city's neon-lit alleys. To enhance the tension and atmosphere, you decide to craft a soundscape using Tinyspace 1.0.
First, you record a simple metallic percussive loop, something that sounds like a distant, echoing clang from the underbelly of the city. You insert Tinyspace on the track, and dial the 'Size' parameter down to create very tight, short reverbs. These short reflections immediately give the sound a claustrophobic quality, emulating the confined spaces of the city's back alleys.
Next, you adjust the 'Feedback' parameter to just before the point of creating an infinite tail. This introduces a sense of eeriness, implying that every sound in this urban maze could be the precursor to danger.
You then use the 'Input HP' to roll off some of the low-end rumble and let the high-frequency metallic ring cut through, simulating the protagonist's heightened senses. A gentle boost on 'Input LP' removes some of the harshness and emulates the acoustics of the environment's tall, reflective buildings.
Now, the manipulation of 'Crossfeed' becomes pivotal. By blending elements of the right channel into the left with variably tuned allpass filters, you introduce a sense of disorientation. It's as if the sounds of the alleyways are playing tricks on the protagonist's mind, making them second-guess the direction from which danger might arrive.
Lastly, you fine-tune the 'Mix' knob to find the perfect balance between the dry signal - representing the raw, unfiltered city sounds - and the processed signal, which imposes the emotional context of the scene on the listener. The 'Output' control is set to ensure the effect sits nicely within the broader mix, augmenting the atmosphere without overwhelming the other elements of the score.
The result, as heard within the Ableton Live session through the application of Tinyspace 1.0, is a gripping sonic narrative that does more than support the visual aspect of the game - it immerses the player in their surroundings, allowing the soundscape to become a character of its own.