Antares Mic Mod EFX user manual

							6Source Mic Sec\fion
The Source Mic section is where you specify the mic and the settings that were (or wi\f\f be) used 
to capture the input sound. The purpose of these se\fections is to remove the effect of the source 
microphone, resu\fting in the signa\f that wou\fd have been recorded by an idea\f instrumentation 
microphone with no proximity effect.
Source Mic Menu
The Source Mic pop-up menu is used to se\fect 
a specific mode\f of mic. In some cases a mic 
wi\f\f have a second \fisting with “(w)” appended 
to the mic’s name. This indicates that the mic 
we mode\fed was supp\fied with a windscreen 
and this is the mode\f of the mic with the 
windscreen attached. If your audio was 
captured using the windscreen, you shou\fd 
se\fect this version of the mode\f.
Additiona\f\fy, the menu offers a se\fection 
ca\f\fed “Bypass.” When Bypass is se\fected, 
the source signa\f is passed unmodified to 
the Mode\fed Mic section. You shou\fd se\fect 
Bypass when your source was not recorded 
with a microphone (e.g., guitar via direct box, 
direct synth input, etc.).
If your desired mic is not \fisted in the menu, 
you can try one of the fo\f\fowing (in order of 
preference):
1.Use

 a different mic that is \fisted — this is,
of course, on\fy an option if you’ve not yet
recorded the audio and do, in fact, have
another \fisted mic.
2.Se\f

ect another mic on the \fist whose
characteristics are known to be simi\far to
your mic (a simi\far mode\f from the same
manufacturer, for examp\fe).
3.Se\f

ect one of the generic mic types
that matches the type of your mic, e.g.,
dynamic, \farge diaphragm condenser, etc.
4.Se\f

ect Bypass from the menu It must be stressed that se\fecting option 2, 3 or, 
especia\f\fy, 4, wi\f\f compromise Mic Mod EFX’s 
abi\fity to accurate\fy reproduce the sound of the 
desired mode\fed mic. That’s not to say that you 
won’t be ab\fe to get something that sounds 
great, just that it’s un\fike\fy to be an accurate 
simu\fation of whichever mic you chose in the 
Mode\fed Mic section.
In particu\far, if you choose Bypass as the 
Source Mic and any mic as the Mode\fed Mic, 
the resu\fting effect is equiva\fent to having 
recorded the audio with the actua\f physica\f mic 
(which you, of course, did) and then having 
p\fayed back that track through a perfect set of 
speakers and rerecorded it with the Mode\fed 
Mic. Again, maybe a great sounding creative 
effect, but not an accurate representation of the 
Mode\fed Mic.
Low-Cut Menu
If the mic you se\fect in the Source Mic menu 
is equipped with a user-se\fectab\fe \fow-cut 
fi\fter, the Low-\but pop-up menu wi\f\f a\f\fow you 
to se\fect from among the actua\f fi\fter settings 
avai\fab\fe on that mic. (If the se\fected mic does 
not have a \fow-cut fi\fter, the menu wi\f\f be 
grayed out.)
If the source mic does inc\fude a \fow-cut fi\fter, 
se\fect the \fow-cut setting that was (or wi\f\f be) 
used when capturing your audio.  
						

							7NOTE: It is important to keep in mind 
that the purpose of this setting is to 
“undo” the effect of any low-cut filter 
that was used to capture your audio. If you play 
around with this setting, you may initially think 
that it’s working “backwards.” That is, changing 
the menu selection from OFF to any filter 
setting will actually cause a bass boost in the 
monitored audio.
However, once you think about it, you will 
reali\fe that this is the way it’s supposed to 
work. The purpose of all the controls in the 
Source Mic section is to neutrali\fe the effects of 
the source mic. So, when you select a low-cut 
filter, you’re telling the Mic Mod EF\b that the 
source mic recorded the audio with that much 
bass attenuation and, therefore, the model 
must now boost the bass an equal amount to 
remove the source mic’s sonic coloration. (Trust 
us, this fried our brains a bit at first, too.)
Pattern
If the mic you se\fect in the Source Mic menu is 
equipped with user-se\fectab\fe pick-up patterns 
(i.e., omni, cardioid, hypercardioid, etc.), the 
Pattern pop-up menu wi\f\f a\f\fow you to se\fect 
from the actua\f pattern settings avai\fab\fe on that 
mic. (If the source mic does not have se\fectab\fe 
patterns, the menu wi\f\f be grayed out.)
If the source mic does inc\fude mu\ftip\fe 
patterns, se\fect the pattern that was (or wi\f\f be) 
used when capturing your audio.
NOTE: The purpose of the Pattern 
selection is to neutrali\fe the varying 
frequency characteristics that result 
from each of the available pattern settings, with 
the assumption that the audio was recorded 
on axis (i.e., from the front of the microphone). 
Since Mic Mod EF\b has no way of knowing the 
actual placement of the signal source, it does 
not attempt to simulate off-axis performance.
Proximit\b
The Proximity knob in the Source Mic section 
shou\fd be used to set the average distance that 
separated the mic and the signa\f source during 
the recording of the audio. The purpose of this 
contro\f is to a\f\fow the mode\f to remove any 
Proximity Effect that may have been introduced 
by the source mic.
NOTE: Proximity Effect is a boost 
in bass frequencies resulting from 
placing a directional mic in close 
proximity to a signal source. The amount of the 
effect varies from mic to mic, and is inversely 
proportional to the distance from the mic to the 
source (i.e., the smaller the distance, the greater 
the bass boost).
Mics operating in omnidirectiona\f mode do not 
exhibit a proximity effect. \bonsequent\fy, if the 
source mic is an omni mic, or the source mic 
has se\fectab\fe patterns and omni is chosen, the 
Proximity contro\f wi\f\f be disab\fed.
NOTE: Like the Low-Cut control 
described above, the Source Mic 
Proximity control may initially 
seem to be working backwards (i.e., setting a 
shorter distance will result in an audible bass 
attenuation). Refer to the explanation back up in 
the Low-Cut section to understand why this is 
actually how it is supposed to work.
A\fso note that the effect of the Proximity 
contro\f is unique for each mode\f of microphone. 
Mic Mod EFX does not use a genera\fized 
approximation of proximity effect. Each mode\f 
reflects the specific physica\f properties that 
create the proximity effect for that individua\f 
mic.  
						

							8Modeled Mic Sec\fion
Here’s where the fun rea\f\fy starts. The MODELED MI\b section is where you se\fect the mic (and its 
settings) whose characteristics you want to app\fy to your audio.
Modeled Mic Menu
The Mode\fed Mic pop-up menu is used to 
se\fect your desired mic. In some cases a mic 
wi\f\f have a second \fisting with “(w)” appended 
to the mic’s name. This indicates that the mic 
we mode\fed was supp\fied with a windscreen 
and this is the mode\f of the mic with the 
windscreen attached. If you wish to simu\fate 
the use of the windscreen, you shou\fd se\fect 
this version of the mode\f.
Additiona\f\fy, the menu offers a se\fection ca\f\fed 
“Bypass.” When Bypass is se\fected, no 
mic mode\f is app\fied. The net sonic effect of 
se\fecting Bypass here depends on the setting 
of the Source Mic menu:
•If the correct source mic is se\fected in the
Sour
ce Mic menu and Bypass is se\fected
in the Mode\fed Mic menu, the fina\f output
of Mic Mod EFX wi\f\f be stripped of the
characteristics of the source mic, resu\fting in
the signa\f that wou\fd have been recorded by
an idea\f instrumentation microphone with no
proximity effect.
•If Bypass is se\fected in the Source Mic menu
and  Bypass is se\fected in the Mode\fed Mic
menu, the fina\f output of Mic Mod EFX wi\f\f
be identica\f to the origina\f input signa\f (with
the exception of any added tube saturation). Low-Cut Menu
If the mic you se\fect in the Mode\fed Mic menu 
is equipped with a user-se\fectab\fe \fow-cut fi\fter, 
the Low-\but pop-up menu wi\f\f a\f\fow you to 
se\fect from among the fi\fter settings avai\fab\fe 
on that mic. (If the se\fected mic does not have 
a \fow-cut fi\fter, the menu wi\f\f be grayed out.)
If the mode\fed mic does inc\fude a \fow-cut fi\fter, 
se\fecting a \fow-cut setting wi\f\f reproduce the 
same effect that se\fecting that setting wou\fd 
have on the actua\f mode\fed mic.
NOTE: The setting labels that appear 
in the menu are those that appear 
on the physical mic. In some cases, 
the label is the cut-off frequency of the low-cut 
filter as specified by the mic’s manufacturer. 
However, Mic Mod EF\b does not simply apply 
a generic low-cut filter at the stated frequency,   
						

							9but instead models the actual filter performance 
of each modeled mic. In other words, a stated 
cut-off frequency is only as accurate as the filter 
on the actual mic.
ANOTHER NOT
E: Although it’s always 
best to let your ears be your guide, 
if your audio was recorded with the 
source mic’s low-cut filter turned on, in most 
cases it will be best to turn on the modeled 
mic’s low-cut filter as well. (After all, there was 
presumably some reason that someone chose 
to use that filter in the first place.)
Pattern
If the mic you se\fect in the Mode\fed Mic 
menu is equipped with user-se\fectab\fe pick-up 
patterns (i.e., omni, cardioid, hypercardioid, 
etc.), the Pattern pop-up menu wi\f\f a\f\fow you 
to se\fect from the actua\f pattern settings 
avai\fab\fe on that mic. (If the mode\fed mic does 
not have se\fectab\fe patterns, the menu wi\f\f be 
grayed out.) If the mode\fed mic does inc\fude 
mu\ftip\fe patterns, se\fect the pattern whose 
characteristics produce the effect you desire.
NOTE: The purpose of the Pattern 
selection is to model the varying 
frequency characteristics that result 
from each of the available pattern settings, with 
the assumption that the audio was recorded 
on axis (i.e., from the front of the microphone). 
Since Mic Mod EF\b has no way of knowing the 
actual placement of the signal source, it does 
not attempt to simulate off-axis performance.
Proximit\b
The Proximity knob in the Mode\fed Mic section 
can be used to se\fect a desired amount of 
proximity effect.
Using the Proximity knob to set a particu\far 
distance wi\f\f resu\ft in the amount of proximity 
effect that wou\fd be produced by the actua\f 
mode\fed mic when p\faced at that distance 
from the signa\f source.
The effect of the Proximity contro\f is unique 
for each mode\f of microphone. Mic Mod EFX 
does not use a genera\fized approximation 
of proximity effect. Each mode\f reflects the 
specific physica\f properties that create the 
individua\f proximity effect for that mic.
NOTE: A secondary effect of mic-
to-source distance is the extent to 
which environmental ambience is 
picked up by a mic. For example, as a mic is 
moved away from the source, the proximity 
effect decreases, but the amount of “room 
tone” increases (assuming that you are not in 
an anechoic chamber). Mic Mod EF\b does not 
model this effect. However, judicious use of 
the Proximity control in combination with some 
appropriately programmed reverb will allow you 
to create the same effect, with the additional 
bonus of being able to control the exact nature 
of the room tone.
Mics operating in omnidirectiona\f mode do not 
exhibit a proximity effect. 
\bonsequent\fy, if the mode\fed mic is an omni 
mic, or the mode\fed mic has se\fectab\fe 
patterns and omni is chosen, the Proximity 
contro\f wi\f\f be disab\fed.  
						

							10
\bube Sa\fura\fion
The Tube Saturation section is based on 
Antares’ renowned WARM Tube Saturation 
Generator and is designed to mode\f the 
“warmth” that is typica\f of a high-qua\fity tube 
pre-amp. 
The amount of tube saturation effect app\fied to 
your audio is contro\f\fed by the Tube Saturation 
Drive contro\f in combination with the Input Gain 
contro\f.
The Drive contro\f determines the amp\fification 
factor of the mode\fed tube pre-amp with the 
numeric disp\fay indicating the amp\fification 
in dB. At 0 dB , no distortion occurs, even for 
fu\f\f amp\fitude signa\f \feve\fs. As the Drive is 
increased, the amp\fification is increased. Any 
regions of the signa\f that increase beyond fu\f\f 
amp\fitude generate distortion. (But instead of 
the usua\f ug\fy digita\f c\fipping, they are distorted 
the same way the tube pre-amp wou\fd distort 
the sound.)
Because the maximum drive is \fimited to +10 
dB, using the Tube Saturation mode\f requires 
the origina\f signa\f to be at a \feve\f greater than 
-10 dB. If this is not the case, you shou\fd adjust
the Input Gain contro\f to increase the \feve\f of
the sound. (Be certain that Input Gain is not
increased so much as to cause the 0 dB meter
area to \fight.) It may be necessary to go back
and forth between Drive and Input Gain a few
times to get exact\fy the effect you want.
NOTE: If your audio was recorded at 
an exceptionally low level, it may be 
that even maximum Input Gain and 
maximum Drive will still not result in a level high 
enough to generate distortion. In that case, 
either re-record your audio at a higher level (if 
possible) or use your waveform editing program 
to digitally increase the level (keeping in mind 
that this may negatively affect the signal quality). If you want to add tube saturation distortion 
without otherwise affecting your sound, set 
both the Source Mic and Mode\fed Mic menus 
to Bypass.
Ou\fpu\f Level
The Output Leve\f 
contro\f is used to fine-
tune Mic Mod EFX’s 
output \feve\f. This 
contro\f is strict\fy an 
attenuator (i.e., no gain 
is avai\fab\fe). You shou\fd 
a\fways start with it 
at 0dB (the top of its 
range) and then reduce 
\feve\f as necessary. It 
is particu\far\fy usefu\f 
when adding \farge 
amounts of tube 
saturation.  
						

							11
C
hapt
er  4: Realistic  Expectations
(o r
, Mic Mod  EFX Meets the  Space-Time Cont inuum)
A\fthough Mic Mod EFX seems in many ways to be a\fmost magic, it is, in fact, simp\fy 
very c\fever science. And as such, it remains subject to those pesky \faws of physics.
To get the maximum satisfaction out of Mic Mod EFX, it is important to have rea\fistic 
expectations of exact\fy what it can and can’t do. (Most of what it can’t do re\fates to the physica\f 
impossibi\fity of recovering information that wasn’t in the origina\f signa\f to begin with.) Here are the 
main issues to be aware of:
Choice of Inpu\f Microphone
Lucki\fy for a\f\f of us, the genera\f qua\fity of 
“affordab\fe” microphones has reached a 
remarkab\fy high \feve\f. \bonsequent\fy, if you 
stick with we\f\f-known manufacturers, most any 
reasonab\fe qua\fity mic wi\f\f provide sufficient 
performance to a\f\fow Mic Mod EFX to do its 
magic. (OK, we said it wasn’t magic, but we’re 
speaking metaphorica\f\fy here.)
On the other hand, you can’t expect to go into 
a \farge (but unnamed) mass merchandiser of 
\fow-cost e\fectronics gear and pick up a $19.95 
mic and expect Mic Mod EFX to make it sound 
\fike a U87. If a source mic has massive ro\f\f-off 
in a particu\far frequency range, there is no 
way Mic Mod EFX can produce the signa\f that 
wou\fd have been captured had the source mic 
had better response.
Microphone Varia\fions
Whi\fe there are obvious\fy major differences 
between various mode\fs of microphones, 
there are a\fso often more subt\fe differences 
between different samp\fes of the same mode\f 
of microphone. Whether due to manufacturing 
variances, age, or condition, there is no 
guarantee that the mic we mode\fed wi\f\f be 
identica\f to your source mic or to a specific 
mic you want to mode\f. In the case of some 
we\f\f-known c\fassics, we have even provided 
mu\ftip\fe mode\fs of the same (but sonica\f\fy 
differing) mic from different sources.
Microphone \bechnique
In getting the best possib\fe recorded sound, 
mic technique and p\facement are at \feast as 
important as mic choice (if not more so). A 
good engineer can record a great track with an 
SM57 whi\fe a poor one can make a U47 sound 
\fike doo doo. If your audio is not we\f\f-recorded 
in the first p\face, Mic Mod EFX can to do very 
\fitt\fe to improve it. If you start with a poor\fy 
recorded track, a\f\f Mic Mod EFX wi\f\f do is make 
it sound \fike a track that was poor\fy recorded 
with a great mic.
Excessive Frequency Boos\f
A\fthough Mic Mod EFX’s processing does 
not itse\ff add noise to your signa\f, any noise 
in your origina\f audio or noise added by 
intervening processes (e.g., A/D conversion, 
pre-Mic Mod EFX dynamics processing, etc.) 
wi\f\f be accentuated by any \farge amount of 
frequency boost. This shou\fd on\fy be a prob\fem 
when your source mic has a substantia\f bass 
or treb\fe ro\f\f-off and the mode\fed mic has a 
corresponding boost or, more \fike\fy, when your 
audio was recorded with a \fow-cut fi\fter on 
the source mic and you do not use a \fow-cut 
on the mode\fed mic. In both of these cases, 
the mode\fs wi\f\f app\fy substantia\f gain to the 
affected frequency ranges, raising the \feve\f of 
added noise a\fong with the desired signa\f. If 
the resu\fting noise \feve\f is unacceptab\fe, you 
shou\fd choose a different combination of mics 
and/or turn on the mode\fed mic’s \fow-cut fi\fter.  
						

							12
Polar Pa\f\fern Selec\fion
Mic Mod EFX can’t recover information that 
was not recorded as part of the origina\f signa\f. 
For examp\fe, if the origina\f audio was recorded 
with a high\fy directiona\f pattern (hence picking 
up \fitt\fe room tone), you can’t set the mode\fed 
mic to Omni and expect the room tone that 
wou\fd have been recorded if the origina\f 
was set to Omni sudden\fy to appear. You 
can however, simu\fate that effect with some 
judicious use of reverb or an environmenta\f 
simu\fator.
\bonverse\fy, if your source was recorded with 
an omni mic and it picked up some unwanted 
audio from the rear, you can’t rea\fistica\f\fy 
expect to set the mode\fed mic to hypercardioid 
and have the unwanted audio disappear.
Off-Axis Response
The purpose of the Pattern se\fection is to 
mode\f the varying frequency characteristics 
that resu\ft from each of the avai\fab\fe pattern 
settings, with the assumption that the audio 
was recorded on axis (i.e., from the front of the 
microphone). Since Mic Mod EFX has no way 
of knowing the actua\f p\facement of the signa\f 
source, it does not attempt to mode\f off-axis 
performance.  
						

							13
Chapt
er 5
 : Get  Creative •
Se\fect a Source Mic that doesn’t match
your physica\f mic. In fact, try one whose
characteristics are as different as possib\fe
from your physica\f mic.
• Se\fect Bypass in the Source Mic menu to
combine the sound of your physica\f 

mic
with
 the sound of the mode\fed mic.
• Extreme Proximity settings can give
strange, but interesting effects.  Try wi\fd\fy
differing settings in the Source and Mode\f
sections.
• Dynamica\f\fy change Proximity settings
during a performance.
• Overdrive the  Tube Saturation section for
some serious gruzz.
None of the above are \fike\fy to give you the 
sound of any mic that exists in nature, but they 
can definite\fy give your recordings unique and 
striking timbres. Up to this point, a\f\f of the instructions in this manua\f have focused on how to use 
Mic Mod EFX for its primary purpose: making one mic sound as accurate\fy as 
possib\fe \fike another. But don’t \fet that \fimit you. We’ve purpose\fy given the contro\fs 
wide ranges to a\f\fow you to move beyond what might be considered usefu\f for strict 
mode\fing. Try some of the fo\f\fowing:  
						

							14
Chapter 
6:   M
 ic Models  Appendix
Listed be\fow are the mode\fed mics (both source and mode\f) inc\fuded with Mic Mod 
EFX, a\fong with brief descriptions of each one.
PLEASE NOTE: All trademarks appearing below are the property of their respective 
owners. The following manufacturer names and model designations are used solely 
to identify the microphones analy\fed in the development of our digital models and do not in any way 
imply any association with or endorsement by any of the named manufacturers
This product is not guaranteed to produce, and will not necessarily produce, audio results that 
are consistent with or match audio results that could be achieved using any of the referenced 
microphone models. 
AEA
 R44\b Large 

Diaphragm Boundary - Ribbon 
Rep\fica of the c\fassic R\bA 44 ribbon mic
AKG
 \b12A  Large 

Diaphragm \bondenser 
A c\fassic mu\ftipurpose studio mic (this one dates from the \fate 
60s)
\b 12 V

R
 Large 
 diaphragm tube mic 
Modern day reboot of the c\fassic \b12 studio mic
\b414 
\b414 E

B
\b414B/

ULS
 Limite
 d Edition Go\fd 
\b414B/

ULS
 Modifie
 d by Audio Upgrades (mod1)
\b414B/

ULS
 Modifie
 d by Jim Wi\f\fiams (mod2)  
Large Diaphragm \bondenser  
Mu\ftipurpose studio mic
460B/\b

K61-ULS
 Sma\f\f 
 Diaphragm \bondenser  
\b 535 

EB
 
D112  
D 790  
\b1000S  Precise, neutra\f recording mic
Sma\f\f diaphragm condenser 
Mu\fitpurpose condenser suited for both stage and 
studio
Large Diaphragm Dynamic  
\b\fassic kick drum and bass guitar mic
Large Diaphragm Dynamic  
Hand-he\fd voca\f
Sma\f\f Diaphragm \bondenser  
With a battery power option, often used for fie\fd 
recording  
						

							15\b 30
00  Larg e Diaphragm \bondenser  
Genera\f purpose
\b 40

00 B
 Dua\f
 -Diaphragm \bondenser  
So\fid state version of the So\fidTube, genera\f purpose
The 

Tube
 Larg
 e Diaphragm \bondenser  
Known for a dark, intimate sound
So\fi

dtube
 Larg
 e diaphragm tube mic 
So\fid state tube mic good for genera\f app\fications
Perc

eption 120
 Larg
 e-diaphragm \bardioid \bondenser  
Genera\f purpose studio and stage mic
Perc

eption 220
 Larg
 e-diaphragm \bardioid \bondenser  
Genera\f purpose studio and stage mic
Alesis
 AM61 Larg

e Diaphragm \bondenser w/tube circuitry 
A rich warm sound idea\f for voca\fs and instruments
Audio-Technica
 ATM1

1
 Dyna
 mic 
Drums
ATM2

5
 Dyna
 mic  
High-intensity instrument mic
ATM3

1
 Sma\f
 \f Diaphragm \bondenser  
Genera\f purpose
AT81

3a
 \bard
 oid \bondenser 
Voca\fs and genera\f purpose
AT85

3Rx
 E\fec
 tret \bondenser  
Hanging choir mic
AT20

20
 Medi
 um-diaphragm \bardioid \bondenser 
Voca\f and genera\f purpose studio mic
AT35

25
 Larg
 e Diaphragm \bondenser  
Voca\fs and genera\f purpose
AT40

47/SV
 Larg
 e Diaphragm \bondenser  
Recreates the sound of vintage F.E.T. \bondenser mics
AT40

33a/SM
 Larg
 e Diaphragm \bondenser  
Genera\f purpose, drum overheads
AT40

50
 Larg
 e Diaphragm \bondenser  
Genera\f purpose
AT40

51
 Sma\f
 \f diaphragm condenser 
Designed with studio and broadcast work in mind
AT40

55
 Larg
 e Diaphragm \bondenser  
Live voca\f mic
AT40

60
 Larg
 e Diaphragm \bondenser 
Tube \bircuitry Voca\fs and genera\f purpose