simple studio tricks!

[Chris Toffer]

in most cases to make mix sound phat

 

drums mono

basses mono

low fequencies mono

mid+high frequencies stereo

 

resample ur shit to make multiple tracks per track and abide to the above and ur gold

[logakght]

Also:

 

How to turn up the volume of a quite sample? Do I literally turn up the volume? Holy shit!

[nickthefish]

Make music while naked

[Klopjob]

listen

[Lucas]

One thing I learned is that clipping is not a bad thing. Once you've limited your master and everything and it is properly mixed and compressed, it is super nice to add an EQ after all these limiters and just bump low and high frequency a tiny little bit on parts of the song that should be bangish

 

well it's not if you want your music to sound squashed but it could also be that you want it to breathe, have actual transients, dynamic range etc... and then don't want to clip it or limit it too hard, but rather turn the volume up if you want it to sound louder.

 

i.e the usual arguments towards loudness war, compression etc...

[Dpek]

 

One thing I learned is that clipping is not a bad thing. Once you've limited your master and everything and it is properly mixed and compressed, it is super nice to add an EQ after all these limiters and just bump low and high frequency a tiny little bit on parts of the song that should be bangish

 

well it's not if you want your music to sound squashed but it could also be that you want it to breathe, have actual transients, dynamic range etc... and then don't want to clip it or limit it too hard, but rather turn the volume up if you want it to sound louder.

 

i.e the usual arguments towards loudness war, compression etc...

 

'fcourse, this applies only to some kinds of music :) I'm just saying that in this age where people want to be more and more extreme, this technique manages to get the sound to "11" if you know what I mean. Otherwise I think that loudness war is slowly descending and more dynamics are being introduced to music again. To each his own

 

[Dpek]

Question:

 

So is is essential to peak 0db? Even if it's ambientish or quiteish stuff?

Don't think so. Even tho that the most compressed music I usually hear is actually ambient music. This way you can glue all these fragile parts together.

 

An example:

https://soundcloud.com/matthewdavids-mindflight/mindflight-3-flute-flight-03072015

 

 

Also:

 

How to turn up the volume of a quite sample? Do I literally turn up the volume? Holy shit!

No, it's better to compress it first and then maybe turn up the output level a bit.

[rev85]

Cool stereo width effect = Pan one track hard left with High Pass Filter, then duplicate the track and pan it hard right with a Low Pass Filter. It's almost like a haas effect, but you can control each element a little better with the filters.

 

Works very well on the top frequencies of bass lines, whilst keeping the lower sub mono.

 

p.s. You don't have to follow this exactly, but that's the standard idea. For example, I sometimes take the very high end off both tracks to glue the sound together a bit more.

[Lucas]

lol @ the "this go to 11" video.

 

of course compression is now massively used for aesthetic reasons and whole genres deliberately use a compressed sound (we're writing on an electronic music forum after all). But people are not generally very aware of what get lost when you compress, and clipping isn't the thing you should care about too much when you're learning to make music imo. I'm not sure everyone using compression / limiting / clipping is always making A/B comparisons at equal loudness (which should be the case because if you don't, chances are high that you'll favorite the louder version of the sound because of psycho-acoustics. do the A/B and it could be like the "louder" version sounds less good than the dry one). Those tools are complex anyway so if you don't have a good knowledge and experience with them it's also way easier to damage the sound instead of improving it.

 

anyway there are several other arguments against that but I guess it's a well documented debate, I just wanted to give another opinion because I would find a shame that someone reading this thread with little knowledge on the matter starts playing with clipping because he thinks it's good per se.

[Lucas]

Question:

 

So is is essential to peak 0db? Even if it's ambientish or quiteish stuff?

 

no it's not, with a 24 bit depth resolution the signal / noise ratio doesn't suffer at all if you're a couple of dBs under 0 (or say it's way under the perception threshold) . You might want your master to go that high though in order to use the full loudness scale of your track.

 

regarding ambient / quiet stuff : consider a track without percussion but just pads. Pads don't have a lot of dynamic, no hits or anything that operates considerable loudness jumps (as opposed to say a track with a beat, where some hits will be way above the average level of the track). If you normalize the pad ambient track to 0dB, it will sound HUGE in comparison with the beat track. But on your album you want the beat track to be a banger so at the mastering stage it's good to normalize the ambient track with this idea in mind (to make it just loud enough so that it makes a good contrast with the track with a beat).

 

 

Don't think so. Even tho that the most compressed music I usually hear is actually ambient music. This way you can glue all these fragile parts together.

 

 

it's just louder because of the nature of the sounds, which are less dynamic.

[pierlu]

All right-- what are some of your super simple hacks and tricks for getting the most out of music production and listening? Obviously, there are like an infinite number of tips, but if anyone has cool SIMPLE hacks- post~!

 

But basically, I started this thread to post this, which I discovered in like 1923:

 

You can immediately increase the output quality of general level cans (possibly earbuds as well?) by maxing the volume of your computer, and lowering the volume of your output app (iTunes, soundcloud, Logic, whatever). This especially helps with bass and clarity of midtones and reverb, as well as a bit of highs-- well, general freq separation and tightness. I believe this has to do with impedance and freq response. Obviously this shit doesn't help with a bomb ass digital headphone amp or an audio interface that doesn't use computer output. But if you have over the ear headphones and are just using line-out on your computer, this helps. Makes my cheap-o headphones sound almost respectable. (for reference: previous Sennheiser HD590 user)

 

This is more of a listening hack, but it does apply to production. The more accurate freq perception can allow for better mixing. Even with mixing at super low levels (another easy trick)- with shitty Campbell's Soup cans- it's better to max computer volume and suuuper lower DAW volume, then have low computer volume.

 

The only downside to this trick is that if all of a sudden an alarm app, website ad with audio, or your rocking ICQ message notification comes on, you might have a heart attack or become deaf. "Yo dawg, I heard Jerome got deaf last week from a internet ad, yo. The last thing he heard was: 'Congratulations! You've wo-'"

 

I use this tecnique when mixing on cans, I discovered some months ago. basically I have my soundcard to max level and I insert a utility plugin on the master bus in live set to -35db while master stays at 0. Rule of thumb, If you hear it in the mix at -35, it sits well in the mix at 0db.

If by chance, when I turn off the utility on the master bus, level exceed 0 db, I simply turn down each channel level by 6 or 9 db each to preserve the mix.

 

p.s. by default I switch off any sound on my computer which is not produced by daws or vsts ;) same on my cellphone, the only sounds allowed are ringer, sms and alarm ;)

[Lucas]

right, but you might be interested in knowing if the new effect that you bring up in the chain does something else as bringing more intrinsic loudness, and if that's the case and you're not happy with that "something else" you might be able to tweak the effect in order to fix that (which is way easier to do with A/B at equal loudness) ; and if you can't fix it then you might want to think twice whether you want to trade the quality loss for those extra dBs.

 

once you're sure about the comparison then you can take benefit of the effect and turn it "un-attenuated".

 

removing a couple of odd peaks isn't that much of a big deal though, although i think it's not that often that isolated peaks are consequently louder than the other transients with music based on loops.

[Guest]

One thing I learned is that clipping is not a bad thing. Once you've limited your master and everything and it is properly mixed and compressed, it is super nice to add an EQ after all these limiters and just bump low and high frequency a tiny little bit on parts of the song that should be bangish

 

So you've finished mastering a track at say -0.2dBFS, and then you're post EQing to intentionally clip certain frequency bands 'above' 0dBFS for the clipping effect? That might sound OK at 24bit or 32bit since there's technically a higher ceiling, but I would be afraid of 16bit and MP3 conversions sounding crackly. If you're looking to get that crackly clipping sound, I'd put a digital clippy distortion behind the limiter in the chain. I'd just be afraid that having a WAV at 0.0dBFS would sound clipped on most systems.

 

 

Also:

 

How to turn up the volume of a quite sample? Do I literally turn up the volume? Holy shit!

 

Short answer, yes.

 

Long answer, it depends on some factors.

 

What frequencies is the sample filling? Bringing up the volume on a sample filling the bass when you already have something filling the bass up might not pop out and make it sound muddy.

 

Compression can help in steadying a dynamic sample to make it cut through the mix, but like I said above, if it's competing in the frequency spectrum, it might not work.

 

Also, is the sample quiet to the point that bringing up the volume dramatically will bring noise up with it? You might want to have that noise or not, but that really depends on what you're trying to do. Some noises can be really cool.

 

 

Sorry, this is slightly straying from the 'simple' part of the thread. There's really no purely correct way in mixing. But knowing a few 'rules' in mixing helps in knowing when breaking those rules can create unique results.

 

Here's the quickest, shortest list of simple tricks I'd recommend:

 

- Light and broad strokes with EQ.

 

- Compression isn't always necessary.

 

- Fill the frequencies with sounds that naturally live in those frequencies instead of EQing them to frequencies where they don't.

 

- A/B compare your mix with tracks you feel sound really well mixed. This helps with mixing in untreated rooms.

 

- Produce on headphones if you must, but try to mix on monitors.

 

- Don't dwell on lists like these, ignore pedantic advice and mix, mix and mix some more. Things will clear up and sound great before you realize it's happened.

[Silent Member]

Very basic but: Make a default template for your DAW with all your routings, favourite synths, vsts, effects, samplers etc set up like you want them, so that every time you fire up your DAW it's ready to go. Some people fiddle with that nonsense every time they start a new track, fucking waste of time.

[Lucas]

Very basic but: Make a default template for your DAW with all your routings, favourite synths, vsts, effects, samplers etc set up like you want them, so that every time you fire up your DAW it's ready to go. Some people fiddle with that nonsense every time they start a new track, fucking waste of time.

 

I never did that because by "wasting" this time at the beginning of a session I think you might do the things differently as you would have done by just using a preset, which feels more free and probably helps struggling against your personal limits. If I would have more time I would prepare some kind of presets like that though, especially with sounds I found which I'm particularly happy with in order to explore with those sounds in the context of new songs.

 

I can understand the pros of working like that but I don't think it works as a rule of the thumb for everyone.

[Silent Member]

I'm not talking presets, I'm talking about setting up your shit like you would on a mixing console. So your drums, external and internal gear is on the same channel strip/bus every time. It's a much better starting point (for me at least) than a blank screen.

 

Edit: this doesn't really apply to renoise, the workflow is much different.

[Lucas]

oh okey I got it wrong then. now i agree with you!

[Dpek]

lol @ the "this go to 11" video.

 

of course compression is now massively used for aesthetic reasons and whole genres deliberately use a compressed sound (we're writing on an electronic music forum after all). But people are not generally very aware of what get lost when you compress, and clipping isn't the thing you should care about too much when you're learning to make music imo. I'm not sure everyone using compression / limiting / clipping is always making A/B comparisons at equal loudness (which should be the case because if you don't, chances are high that you'll favorite the louder version of the sound because of psycho-acoustics. do the A/B and it could be like the "louder" version sounds less good than the dry one). Those tools are complex anyway so if you don't have a good knowledge and experience with them it's also way easier to damage the sound instead of improving it.

 

anyway there are several other arguments against that but I guess it's a well documented debate, I just wanted to give another opinion because I would find a shame that someone reading this thread with little knowledge on the matter starts playing with clipping because he thinks it's good per se.

Yes, it's always good to have both sides of the argument on display. I honestly think that greater dynamics would do wonders for music nowadays but I can't bring myself to not compete with loudness that some producers (that are very dear to me) push out of their tunes. It's always a challenge to balance between a "feeling" of dynamics and still having a bang to your sound.

 

One thing I learned is that clipping is not a bad thing. Once you've limited your master and everything and it is properly mixed and compressed, it is super nice to add an EQ after all these limiters and just bump low and high frequency a tiny little bit on parts of the song that should be bangish

So you've finished mastering a track at say -0.2dBFS, and then you're post EQing to intentionally clip certain frequency bands 'above' 0dBFS for the clipping effect? That might sound OK at 24bit or 32bit since there's technically a higher ceiling, but I would be afraid of 16bit and MP3 conversions sounding crackly. If you're looking to get that crackly clipping sound, I'd put a digital clippy distortion behind the limiter in the chain. I'd just be afraid that having a WAV at 0.0dBFS would sound clipped on most systems.

 

You can always lower the volume for 0.2 db after you push over the clip. Won't be an audible difference and you'll still be below the threshold while sporting a slightly over-driven sound at certain parts.

[Brisbot]

Dpek, since there are scenarios (even in the same track) where dynamics matter more, or leave a better impression on the listener and others where it doesn't, I'd just go with loudness when it feels right, and dynamics when that feels right. Even in the same track. I'd like to see it where certain parts of a track are mastered for loudness, but a more bangin part might be mastered for the dynamic feel. There's something original.

Are there any artists who do this? People either choose one or the other.

[Real Human Bean]

Close your eyes.

[Brisbot]

Brian only Autechre does that.

[b born droid]

 

 

Also:

 

How to turn up the volume of a quite sample? Do I literally turn up the volume? Holy shit!

No, it's better to compress it first and then maybe turn up the output level a bit.

 

Compression is not there to make something louder. If something is too quiet, turn up the volume, don't use the compressor to do the job. It's a dynamic/eq tool and decent compressor settings will affect more than just volume, it will affect the frequencies of the sound, as well as the punch and clarity.

[ryancolecreate]

 

One thing I learned is that clipping is not a bad thing. Once you've limited your master and everything and it is properly mixed and compressed, it is super nice to add an EQ after all these limiters and just bump low and high frequency a tiny little bit on parts of the song that should be bangish

Man that's everywhere in your stuff! I like doing that sometimes too. It's important to remember you can turn whatever crazy effect you're getting down....then resample! I don't do it enough. I'm too dependent on midi honestly, the "terminality" of the actual audio sample makes me use it less often. It's a subconscious thing.

 

Okay I'll give one. In this track, at the very beginning and throughout. It's that delay trick

 

https://soundcloud.com/evoava/ocarina-of-funk

 

Those delays are actually me using a buffer trick. I added two different delays in two different frequency ranges (at about the middle and another at the high) at about 3:00 of a beat, with different settings. You can do 2 or even 4, 3:00 usually sounds good. There are probably many different ways you can do this. It's important to not get so much of the lower frequency info since that doesn't sound as good. Make a sequence of the midi you're wanting to delay. Preferably HIGH quality preferably acoustic bits. In your sequencer,

 

1. lay out your track of midi

2.make sure things are paused

3. Make sure what you're wanting to delay is the only track playing.

4. press play, record.

5. Now go crazy with your mouse in the sequencer. Things will delay themselves, and depending on what kind of sample you chose to delay, you'll get different results.

 

What sounds like a shaker in the track above are actually the transients of a music box I recorded. Since I was moving my mouse fast enough, it only recorded the transients, and not very much of the tone, which made it sound like a shaker.

 

Okay. I hope that's written well enough to understand.

 

 

Dude! I was rocking this track the other day in my SC stream. Never knew it was a fellow wattmer! So kewl!

[Danny O Flannagin]

 

Question:

 

So is is essential to peak 0db? Even if it's ambientish or quiteish stuff?

Don't think so. Even tho that the most compressed music I usually hear is actually ambient music. This way you can glue all these fragile parts together.

 

An example:

https://soundcloud.com/matthewdavids-mindflight/mindflight-3-flute-flight-03072015

 

 

Ya, mathewdavid is a master of compression. It's great for a wall of sound type thing in a mix.

 

If your recording shit tho, try not to record quietly because then if its like -36 db, your just wasting your bit depth.

 

 

- Don't dwell on lists like these, ignore pedantic advice and mix, mix and mix some more. Things will clear up and sound great before you realize it's happened.

 

Already ahead of you buddy

[b born droid]

 

 

 

 

Also:

 

How to turn up the volume of a quite sample? Do I literally turn up the volume? Holy shit!

No, it's better to compress it first and then maybe turn up the output level a bit.

Compression is not there to make something louder. If something is too quiet, turn up the volume, don't use the compressor to do the job. It's a dynamic/eq tool and decent compressor settings will affect more than just volume, it will affect the frequencies of the sound, as well as the punch and clarity.

hmm.... but compression /is/ there to make things louder. no shame in admitting that. how else do you get louder volume without raising the level it is peaking at?

 

I don't want to be pedantic but a compressor is there to reduce the dynamic range of a sound. The fact you /can/ make it louder is somewhat of a byproduct. The difference between /can/ and /is/ is an important distinction for me. I love using compressors, I'm not railing against them here. BUT from having taught, one of the most common things I saw in most beginners was this attitude of "How do I make things louder? Oh yeah, put a compressor on it". Which I think it the wrong way to look at, and answer that question. And it was no surprise they'd have very limited knowledge of what a compressor really does and what its capable of; even for beginner approaching production.

 

Paranerd's longer answer was bang on for me. Clearly, as you pointed out there are times when you need to use a compressor to make something louder. But I don't think beginners (or anybody for that matter), should automatically associate that with the primary use of a compressor, because even that loudness can be as a result of having altered frequencies and so on; there is a volume knob there for a reason and it should be your first go to if something is a bit quiet. It might not solve it, but it should be the starting point, not putting compression on it.