Neve Summing for dummies

[Pablo Solo]

Hi everyone!
I'm a very intuitive producer and have no experience at all in terms of technical specifications.
I'm starting to use the Neve Summing console in Luna for my Drums, Bass, Instruments and Vocal Busses.
Although I can hear/feel a huge difference in terms of "mojo" I still don't know how the HR and Trim knobs work.
I put the trim knob down to -3db and push the HR knob up (I saw that in a youtube video) and it sounds great, but as I said I have no experience at all and I'd love to see a simple explanation on the internet on how the trim and HR work, but I haven't found it yet.
Can anyone help me here?

THANKS!!!!

 

[LesBrown]

There is information in the manual, to start.

https://help.uaudio.com/hc/en-us/articles/360041758592-Download-the-LUNA-Manual

 

[slamthecrank]

An even better link:

Page 581 -- HEADROOM

In short: clockwise on the headroom actually decreases headroom... so, if you want more non-linearities etc, turn the knob to the right/clockwise (imagine turning a volume knob up and pushing more audio through the summing amps). If you want cleaner sound (less non-linearities), turn the knob counter-clockwise (more headroom). Trim is there for you adjust the level after the headroom change, if necessary.

 

[Pablo Solo]

Thank you!!!
I'm still doubtful about it, as I said I'm dumb hahah
So, if you turn the HR knob to the right it gives you more "mojo" right?
And if you do so, you should turn the trim knob down, right?

Thanks

 

[rjjuly]

All audio electronics circuits have a range in terms of signal level in which it sounds ’good’ - a ‘room’, if you will wherin the floor is the lowest useful signal level, and the ceiling, the highest. As the signal level approaches that ceiling, it begins to saturate (mild distortion), and further on until it clips (heavy distortion). At some point along that spectrum the signal is deemed no longer ‘good’ or usable. This would be at or somewhere beyond the ceiling.

headroom is the amount of space between the current signal level and that ceiling.

to have ‘plenty of headroom’ means that you are not pushing the limits if the amplification circuit, and that there is still a good amount of gain before significant distortion.

rolling back the volume pot of a guitar into a marshall amp to get a clean sound, is an example of giving that guitar signal more headroom.

the headroom control on the summing amp simply moves the position of the room (sensitivity of the circuit) compared to the signal, so that the amplification characteristics change, giving more or less headroom to the signal.

- Richard

 

[Pablo Solo]

So, less headroom (turning the knob to the rigth?) means more saturation?
What does the trim do there then?

 

[chrisso]

FWIW, I never touch the controls. I instantiate the Neve Summing in default mode and leave it.
(I generally don't want more saturation or grit)

 

[chrisharbin]

FWIW, I never touch the controls. I instantiate the Neve Summing in default mode and leave it.
(I generally don't want more saturation or grit)

THIS. You really don't need to monkey with that much at all, just let the "mojo" do it's thing.

 

[rjjuly]

So, less headroom (turning the knob to the rigth?) means more saturation?
[/QUOTE
Yes, more saturation means less headroom.

What does the trim do there then?

Trim adjusts the overall output level of the summing amp.

 

[MakerDP]

Trim on -3 to -6db.
Lo mode active - always.
Season HR to taste.

 

[slamthecrank]

So, if you turn the HR knob to the right it gives you more "mojo" right?
And if you do so, you should turn the trim knob down, right?

YEP! That's 100% correct.

So, less headroom (turning the knob to the rigth?) means more saturation?
What does the trim do there then?

You've got it correct. The "trim" knob is just to compensate for the volume change that may occur.

 

[mat.mat]

So, less headroom (turning the knob to the rigth?) means more saturation?
What does the trim do there then?

for what i know the saturation knob (headroom) is automatically compensated to unity gain, so you shouldn't hear much volume difference increasing the saturation, this way you can evaluate the real effect of the saturation amount without beeing tricked by volume increase. The trim knob is just a final output trim that you can use to feed the next plugin input at your desired level.

 

[Pablo Solo]

Thanks for all the replies!

 

[Pablo Solo]

BTW
Any recommendations about stems?
What I'm doing is export Drums, Bass, Instruments and Vocals with Backing Vocals, all in stereo (I probably shoud export bass in mono, right?) and then process the different stems with Neve Summing.
But, would you recommend going further?
Like:
1)Kick Drum (mono?) I've read somewhere that if you export in mono it reduces 6db, is it true?
2)OH
3)Bass (mono?)
4)Guitars
5)Keys and Synths
6)Vocals
7)Backing Vocals

7 stems in total

 

[chrisso]

I always export mono as mono, and stereo as stereo. You can create a mono buss and place summing and tape on it.
It's not a stem unless you are mixing multiple sources (like kick in and out, bass amp and DI).

 

[Pablo Solo]

I always export mono as mono, and stereo as stereo. You can create a mono buss and place summing and tape on it.
It's not a stem unless you are mixing multiple sources (like kick in and out, bass amp and DI).

Ok Thank you!!!
What about the tape?
When I open LUNA it appears as default but I disable it, I only use Neve summing
Would you recommend using the tape on every buss as well?

 

[chrisso]

It's up to you. I do. The Ampex ATR on the cleanest setting (I think it's Vince Powell pre-set).

 

[Pablo Solo]

It's up to you. I do. The Ampex ATR on the cleanest setting (I think it's Vince Powell pre-set).

On every stem and on the main out?
Thank you!!!