Auto Align or Pi, not able to decide which one i need or do i need both?
Auto Align helped me a lot. But never tried Pi.
My main usage is export stems from Logic and then import stems in a new session in Luna and run auto align on all tracks to align phase before i start mixing. Now I have to see where Pi fits here. My mixing DAW (Luna) does not have a Post fader input option on channels, just on master fader.
Any help to let me resolve this question is appreciated. With Auto Align, I could see huge differences in sound, before I could start the mix. It did translate very well after aligning phase with Auto Align 2.
But I am wondering if Pi will be more useful here rather than Auto Align. Or if I need both of them. My usage is not very much related to multi mic capture of the same instrument. I use sample libraries to compose. And there too auto align helped me a lot.
I am going to try Pi as well to compare, but a discussion would be great to understand which one is more suited here in my scenario.
Thanks for your message. Glad to hear you’re enjoying Auto-Align.
If your DAW doesn’t support post-fader inserts, you can still use Pi.
If for example, the bass drum channel in your mix is set to -15dB, when used as a pre-fader insert, Pi still ‘sees’ the bass drum information coming in at 0 dB. In this case, the Bass Drum is influencing Pi’s phase rotation 15dB stronger than its actual weight in the mix.
This can have a negative impact on other tracks in the mix and may cause artifacts.
To address this issue, you can lower the bass drum’s gain in Pi by 15dB and set its mixer fader to unity gain.
It’s okay to lower or increase the bass drum using the mixer fader, just try to avoid cases where there’s such a big difference between the track’s place in the mix and the gain Pi receives.
Regarding the differences between Auto-Align and Pi, Auto-Align works by analyzing and correcting phase differences between two or more microphones or DI recordings that were used to capture the same sound source.
Pi can be used to optimize the phase relationships between all of the tracks in your mix, regardless of how they were recorded.
This was helpful. I am about to try Pi now. Auto Align i have liked a lot. Pi should follow the league. Sadly you guys do not offer much discounted offers like other plugin makers. But the case of these plugins is very strong when it comes to seeing considerable difference in track balance and impact. Great job your team.