Top 5 Pro Tools Template: Neil Davidge

I use the Pro Tools pitch plug-in in AudioSuite a lot to varispeed up or down but for real-time pitching and pitching effects I prefer Sound Shifter. It has fewer artefacts; it’s smoother than most others I’ve tried – simple and uncluttered. That said, there is a hit on latency which can be a pain. I use it when I’m building my first impressionistic pass of a film or episode. I bring different sketches together with other sounds and MIDI instruments as a kind of master ‘vibe’ session, automating semitones on sketches to make them work together, or cents to create unease and tension. It’s great for quickly working out key transitions between cues and generally plotting the emotional narrative. On an individual cue or track I’ll take a part that’s feeling a little straight and extend the performance pitch dynamics in a subtle yet detailed way, creating tension, glissando effects, or re-harmonising. I’ll then often use Sound Shifter with a reverb or delay, making it feel more natural if I’m doing anything extreme or into distortion for really messing things up.

I really like these guys. I love the look of their plug-ins. They encourage you to play and to ‘screw things up’. I first came across ‘Sketch Cassette’, which I still love and bought their bundle but at first I overlooked ‘Lair’. I’ve so many reverb plug-ins I couldn’t imagine why I’d need another but then I realised Lair is much more than a reverb, it’s like it’s alive. At its core Lair has three reverberation modes: Artefact device, Mirror device and Rift device. Each has a unique personality and tweakable parameters. It can create new dimensions but also new dynamics, textures and personality. I love the ducker parameter. It reminds me of an old Sony multi-effects box I recall using on Massive Attack’s tracks – it’s brilliant for making something sound huge and dramatic without it getting in the way. If I’m looking for a reverb to place things in a space, this probably wouldn’t be the tool I’d first reach for, but to inspire and open up new creative horizons, it’s absolutely at the top of my list.

I’ve been using this plugin since the early 2000s, most notably on the Massive Attack song ‘Everywhen’ from the album 100th Window. On that track I had it across the drums to give them a chordal vibe – a bit like a vocoder but less tacky/cheap sounding. I’ve used it on vocals before a reverb to create weight and resonance; I’ve used it for transition sounds on an orchestra when getting it to ‘slide’ between different presets; I’ve also used it across an acoustic guitar part, isolating it to one band and created chordal bass drones. Like all GRM’s plug-ins, it requires you and encourages you to think outside the box. It’s good to have a limiter at the end of the chain because it can kick off when you hit the fundamental and I could imagine blowing a speaker easily if you like working loud!