Another free Nebula preset – Valve preamp

Right guys – this one is pretty special IMHO. That’s all I am going to say really. Smooth tubes – gorgeous mid range.

Sampled at high resolution – Provided at 96 khz – enjoy and if you like it let me know.

Why all the free stuff one might ask – what’s the catch you may think. Simply put – my Father is very generous and has taught me to be the same. I am patron of a charity that I support in Zimbabwe. I have been accepted as a third party provider for Acustica and my soon to be released commercial libraries will help support the charity. It also allows me to practice the art of sampling which has a learning curve. Watch this space. More freebies coming as usual.

Henry

Get it HERE

Free Mastering tools for Q-clone


PLEASE NOTE THAT I NOW HAVE A NEW SHOP FOR ALL MY PRESETS AND ANY OLD POSTS REFERRING TO MY OLD SHOP ARE NOW DEFUNCTAll my presets are now here

Been busy again and added a few free Q-clone presets for your professional use all for FREEEEEEEE!!!!! These are mainly good for adding presence in the high end to tracks. Some do subtle things like add ‘zip’ or ‘fizz’ as I call it while some tighten things a little. Most are easy to hear so experiment with diferent sources. These are really aimed at full mixes as if you add too many in your mix it can get a little too hard – if you have dull stuff then go for it!!!!

Get the package here – Henry_Olonga _Mastering_tools.zip

Also Check out my free Nebula Distortion presets that add that analog glow to tracks to help get rid of ‘digititus’.

Power Distortion

Henry Olonga’s Commercial libraries for Q-clone

Have fun!!!

New free Nebula Valve Distortion preset


PLEASE NOTE THAT I NOW HAVE A NEW SHOP FOR ALL MY PRESETS AND ANY OLD POSTS REFERRING TO MY OLD SHOP ARE NOW DEFUNCTAll my presets are now here

Into the new year with a free new Valve distortion preset. This is the sampling of a compressor that sits on my two buss some of the time. Sampled at 24 bit 96 khz through Prismsound Orpheus, it is a faithful representation of the compressor’s sound IMHO. 10 Kernels so you better have a beefy CPU!!!!! I have not sampled it as a compressor but as a pre. Not the most revered of Comps (T__eL) but gives your digital mixes a nice analog warmth. I replaced the ageing valves with valves from Watford valves. These were deep cryogenically treated and sound awesome on individual tracks and even full mixes for mastering (for adding a nice warm glow). Sampled for use at 0 dbfs – within reason of course. The valves sampled were Phillips Jan 12AX7WA. Nice enhancing to the mid range – slightly forward, it has excellent dynamics and nice oozing lows.A word on the high end. It gives a nice valve sheen but be careful on already bright stuff as it may get frizzy quick. Perfect for dull stuff needing a bit of a lift. Having said that do enjoy this Nebula recreation to help you attain true analog ITB sound.

Depending on your source I am convinced that one instance of valve distortion followed by my Power distortion plugin will make you smile.

Power Distortion

I was selling this in my shop but took it down because I am moving to a new shop soon. You can have it for free as a welcome to 2012 gift. Do give me some feedback.

Get it here Valve distortion

Also try my new FREE Mastering tools for Q-clone – these add presence and tightness to your tracks and work VERY well with the Nebula free presets. Place them at the start of the chain

Free Q-clone presets

For even more control over the colour of your mixes and for quick mixing – consider combining my free Nebula distortion presets with the wonderful curves of Q-clone – I have some libraries that will give you instant mix options with lower CPU usage than just using Nebula exclusively.

Henry Olonga’s libraries for Q-clone

Have fun!!!

Astounding DSD recordings

Free DSD recordings

I stumbled across this site to find out more about DSD recordings as I have a KORG MR-1000 and my jaw hit the floor. The quality is nothing short of astounding and it sounds like you are in the room where it was all recorded.

Korg Audiogate is the free playback software from korg and it is the best audio player I have ever heard. It is even better than Foobar in my humble opinion. Don’t buy into tens of thousands of pounds on HIFI gear. Just get perhaps a Prismsound Orpheus ( it’s what the pros use top MAKE music ) and this software and you are good to go for the highest quality playback system you can imagine.

Heard from Mr Hogbin the other day

For all the boys who went to Plumtree High School in Zimbabwe in the mid 70s, eighties and nineties you will no doubt know who Mr Hogbin or ‘Pin’ is. The wonderful chemistry teacher who was also involved in the backstage stuff during the plays also did most of the recordings at the school. Well after my post of the old reecordings word got to him and he kindly provided a stunning recording from before my time.

Mr Hogbin is now in Botswana and has made a life for himself there. May I say he will probably have the most imacculate garden in the block if my memory serves me right. He hated us hitting sixes into his garden from Pattison field he he he

His final words to me in his e-mail were ……… Enjoyed the prize giving performances on your web site. Thought you might like this one. Long before your time. I am trying to digitise a number of recordings of the school choir but lack time and expertise. All on a cassette tape I made over the years called “Plumtree Sings”

Best wishes,

….Mr Hogbin hopes to do a few more when time allows and when he does I will be more than glad to host them here for the world to remember. Thank you Sir and bring em on. Now – I don’t know if Mr hogbin is into social Media but if he is and you did go to Plumtree do say good day to him and thank him for these free recordings. I was so blessed to hear from him and I am sure you will too. The move to Bots hasn’t always been the easiest so show him some love.

And here it is.

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Our Zimbabwe 2011 almost ready for distibution

Well it’s been long time coming but ten years on the anniversary of its release we are doing it again. You wouldn’t believe it but a kind soul called Michael Angel who is also a brother in the Lord has offered to Master Our Zimbabwe for me. And he is asking for nothing in return.

God bless Michael. I will be making a version of Our Zimbabwe available for ‘free’ from here to help the charity. By free I mean that I will be asking for the smallest voluntary donation to my chosen charity, the Mumvuri project. It is an orphan shelter in Banket.

I found some cassettes in the archives

A few years ago after I left Plumtree School in around the late 90s I visited Felix Westwood my former school teacher, choir director and mentor at Plumtree. She has been such a great blessing to so many people over the years and she kindly allowed me to borrow some of the tapes from Plumtree school while I was there. I stumbled upon them again recently and decided to digitise them. These bring back soooo many memories. I have to say that listening to recordings that are over 16 years old is sobering. First these recordings were done using old school dubbing techniques from cassette to cassette so the quality is not great. I had to do some heavy noise reduction to get them even barely palatable. Second – well the singing in most cases makes me cringe especially when I am singing – but this was before we had access to autotune. Thirdly – it reminds us that time flies and it waits for no one. Anyway – for the sake of nostalgia here are some songs recorded in my last prize giving at Plumtree High school. Of note from the night in my memory was Mr Hepburn chastising me for not mentioning the hockey results enough in my headboys speech. I think he was right ya know because I was biased towards rugby he he he

UPDATE – as a result of this post Mr Hogbin who had been at Plumtree for many decades just got in touch. Those of you who went to Plumtree will know that he made all the recordings of the choir and plays – anyway – he sent me a file from way before my time and I will share it pending his permission.

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New Mastering EQ Q-clone library available now……….


All my presets are now here

Well – I have been busy again – sampling as usual and this time I have a thing of real beauty. Not much to say apart from that you will LOVE IT!!!! It is a mastering eq that has to be heard to be believed – AIR anyone????? Q-clone does it again – capturing the sound of analog for your mastering pleasure in the digital realm. This eq can cost many thousands if you can even find a well maintained working one that is. A little goes a long way as well. I sampled most of it in 0.5 db steps except the notches which are in 1 db steps so it was a mission to do coming out at over 1000 presets for this baby alone.

You can try the demo with around about over a hundred presets HERE

I hope you will enjoy this very nice collection and that it enhances your mixing and mastering duties

Tutorial for Cineform’s first light plus FREE Look Files

I have made some tutorials to help people get their heads around editing with first light from Cineform and have also provided a few Free Luts ( Look files ) as well.

I have provided 12 free looks ………..FREE LUTS

For 300 Looks to add to your arsenal of tools you can get them using PAYPAL as an immediate download right here Looks for Cineform first light Price £ 10 [wp_eStore_fancy:product_id:15:end]

View the Marcie gallery soon to see what they look like – HERE

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My chronic sinusitis – found a sure cure? I think I did…………

This is not any medical advice so please speak to your medical professional for that. However I would like to let anyone else out there who has had the misfortune of contracting this really debilitating ailment that there is hope.

Short story – I developed a cough after catching a virus late last year. My sinuses were clear at first but soon after a few days the inevitable happened and the infection moved from my throat to my nose. First it was stuffy and then at its worst, both nostrils got blocked. I tried everything and it got so bad that the infection led me to have root canal treatment as I thought it was my tooth. The sinuses interact with the teeth so not sure whcih infection came first. I had taken a course of anti biotics and nothing helped and after the dentist appointmenet my sinus issues remained unresolved.

Then the worst came. Yellow thick mucous that blowing could not move. I would wake up every morning in dread with that thick congealed feeling, unable to move it out even with hard blowing. My eardrums were taking a pounding and I was worried about doing damage to them. Couldn’t sleep because I had to breathe through my mouth, constantly stuffy, had an aweful frontal headache, moved sometimes form one nostril to the other, went through layers of tissues and worst of all – because I am a singer – couldn’t really perform.

It was driving me crazy and I didn’t want to get another round of antibiotics. I searched the web and found out that I was not alone and there was much useful advice out there.

I tried nasal irrigation ( neti pot )for a few weeks with bicarbonate of soda and sea salt. Didn’t really help at all. Just made me feel like I was swimming in the sea and it stung like crazy. Made things worse in some cases.

Then I tried to do it with Manuka honey in the neti and that was worse. Manuka Honey has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties and is highly recommended for this sort of thing. It was sticky – but at least it was sweet down the back of my throat.

I abandoned that as well after a short while. Too complicated.

I then went to a health shop and bought some more Manuka Honey 22+, Aloe Vera and some Haitian Noni as a super health shake. Made a cordial fruit juice with it but progress was slow and I tried that for a few weeks.

Finally I settled on a plan that has worked and is also not uncomfortable at all and has cured me of my chronic infection to the point where I can say I am clear. No thick disoloured mucous and no blockage. Just fresh air and it worked failry quickly. Hallelujah!!!

After much research – I bought a colloidal silver spray with a nostril tip which I spray into my nostrils three times a day ( while I inhale – to get it deep into the sinuses ) and I also have a hot cup of strong coffee with a tablespoon of Manuka honey every three or four hours. I cannot explain it but the synergistic action of the coffee and the manuka honey has seen me make the biggest progress I have had so far. This combined with the colloidal silver’s attributes has been a God send – Within two weeks I was cured using this combination.

This may help someone else out there who may have tried everything else and found no relief. Trust me – even surgery had crossed my mind at its worst. Your mileage may vary but I hope this will give you respite.

Update……..been completely cured for two months now.