Jesse Toula has a new tutorial, Creating Pseudo Effects for AE, a full intro and update on custom effects:

“Pseudo Effects, sometimes called ‘custom effect controls’ and ‘custom expression controls’ allow you to put all of your controls into a single ‘effect’. You can set your own defaults and value ranges so that users can use the reset button to return to the defaults you chose. There are many more advantages to using Pseudo Effects, and this tutorial will go over all of them as I walk you through creating one from scratch. The creation of these controls is done in an .XML file, so for those of you how do not feel comfortable writing your own code, or just want to speed up the process, I also end the tutorial by showing you a way of creating all of the XML without doing any programming by hand.”

Custom effects are similar to Animation presets and to the more specific but limited examples in the Behaviors Presets in AE. “Pseudo effects” is the name originally given by Charles Bordenave (aka nabscripts at AE Scripts), who posted an “Effect Creator” script at AEnhancers in 2006.

In today’s tutorial we’ll be creating a neat string / wipe / peel effect which can be applied to all different kinds of media. It will cover the basics of setting up Trapcode Form, and using alpha channels to control its effect… allowing you to discover some pretty cool effects which can be easily manipulated to create all kinds of craziness.

Tutorial

One of the most exciting features in Adobe Illustrator is the 3D effects. This powerful tool allows you to make anything from simple icons to complex creations. The following roundup of tutorials from the Vectortuts+ archives showcases some of the best Vector 3D tuts we have published to date.

Continue reading “Inventive 3D Illustration Tuts from Vectortuts+”

In the following tutorial you will learn how to create a colorful three-dimensional text effect. We’ll use several Illustrator effects, built in patterns, a modern font, and more to bring this effect to fruition. Let’s get started!

Continue reading “How to Create a Colorful, 3D Text Effect”

Each week we open our mic to readers and lurkers alike to come out of the woodwork and tell us your thoughts and opinion, your experiences and mistakes, what you love and what you hate. We want to hear from you, and here’s your chance.

What was the last computer or device you listened to music on? Which app did you use?

In this week’s Audio Premium content, Bobby Owsinski continues his series on getting the ultimate guitar sound. Bobby has spent a lifetime achieving just that, and the series is based on his new book, The Ultimate Guitar Tone Handbook.

To learn more about what you get as part of Audio Premium, read this. To take a peek inside this tutorial, hit the jump!

Every guitar player, engineer and producer wants that frequently elusive perfect guitar sound for the track, but finding it is sometimes easier said than done. This series is based around my new book, The Ultimate Guitar Tone Handbook (written with Rich Tozzoli), where I’ll outline why acoustic and electric guitars, amplifiers, speaker cabinets and effects sound the way they do, and the best way to record and mix them after you’ve gotten the sound.

While it’s great if you already have a variety of gear to choose from, sometimes it’s just cheaper and easier to tweak some gear that you already have instead of springing for something completely new. Of course, you can always place a new pedal in between your guitar and amp, but that’s a temporary fix that won’t work in every situation. In Part 3 of the series, we’ll look at a few ways that you can change your sound right at the source.

Table of Contents

• Tweak Your Guitar
• Tweak Your Amplifier
• But I Don’t Have A Tube Amp
• Change The Speakers

Existing Premium members can log-in and download. Not a Plus member? Join now.

At Audiotuts+ we regularly put up a reader track for workshopping and critique (find out how to submit a track). This is how it works: you upload your song, and every week or so we’ll publish one here and step away from the podium. The floor is yours to talk about the track and how the artist can fix problems in and improve upon the mix and the song.

This track has been submitted for your friendly, constructive criticism. They have put their track (and their heart and soul) in your hands to learn and get useful feedback.

• Do you enjoy the song or track itself? Does it have potential?
• Can the arrangement be improved?
• How did you find the mix? What would you do differently?
• What do you enjoy about the rhythm track? What can be done to improve it?
• Is the choice of instruments relevant and effective for the style/song?
• Are the lyrics (if any) effective? Does the style, arrangement and genre of the song suit them?
• Can you suggest any specific techniques that might improve the track?
• Do you have any other constructive feedback?

Junk Revolution II by Mahesh Raghavan

Artist’s website: maheshraghavan.tumblr.com

Description of the track:

One of my most interesting projects yet… This is music without any musical instruments. All done in Logic Pro. The samples were recorded using basic microphones (SM57, AKG C414 etc.), some of them even through the MacBook Pro microphone. (I keep collecting sounds on the go.) Would be great to get some feedback on the track. Please do check out my other works here – maheshraghavan.tumblr.com.

Regards,
Mahesh

Download audio file (JunkRevolutionII.mp3)

Terms of Use: Download this for free from Jamendo. Feel free to distribute this. Buy this track on iTunes and help a few people (part of the proceeds go to charity).

Have a listen to the track and offer your constructive criticism for this Workshop in the comments section.

Submit Your Tracks for Workshopping

Need constructive criticism on your own tracks? Submit them using this form.