Drum and Synth
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 50 posts since 7 Jul, 2014
When drums and synths playing together i can barely hear the kicks. Do i volume down the synths or eq it? or is there any other ways?
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- KVRAF
- 3080 posts since 17 Apr, 2005 from S.E. TN
The overall issue has to do with auditory masking-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_masking
If too much is going on, the ear might not be able to hear anything very clearly. You could try to make either time holes or frequency holes in the synth track for the kick to "peek thru".
Sparse arrangement and thin sounds can be one's friend. If the kick is on the downbeat, then you might play the synth on the off beat, or record the synth pumping the expression pedal to de-emphasize downbeats. Or if both must be on the downbeat, don't quantize them to happen the identical time. Let the kick slightly lead the synth or vice-versa.
If ya just got to have a long sustained pad rather than an occasional synth wash or stab, and the pad just HAS to be thick as a brick in the mid or bass range, then you might try running the synth thru a compressor with the kick routed to the synth compressor side chain. That way the kick will duck the pad, briefly auto turn down the pad every time a kick happens. The kick carves out its own brief spaces out of the synth track.
If too much is going on, the ear might not be able to hear anything very clearly. You could try to make either time holes or frequency holes in the synth track for the kick to "peek thru".
Sparse arrangement and thin sounds can be one's friend. If the kick is on the downbeat, then you might play the synth on the off beat, or record the synth pumping the expression pedal to de-emphasize downbeats. Or if both must be on the downbeat, don't quantize them to happen the identical time. Let the kick slightly lead the synth or vice-versa.
If ya just got to have a long sustained pad rather than an occasional synth wash or stab, and the pad just HAS to be thick as a brick in the mid or bass range, then you might try running the synth thru a compressor with the kick routed to the synth compressor side chain. That way the kick will duck the pad, briefly auto turn down the pad every time a kick happens. The kick carves out its own brief spaces out of the synth track.
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- KVRAF
- 4590 posts since 7 Jun, 2012 from Warsaw
If by "synth" you mean the lead, it could never ever come close to kick's spectrum, no no. Highpass filter is your friend. My advice is that everything that could interfere with kick should be sidechained.
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- KVRer
- 13 posts since 29 Jul, 2014
You could try side chaining the synth/lead to the kick.
Making all your individual kick layers mono then sending them to a stereo bus,with ny compression on the bus helps the kick to cut though the mix better.
Try increasing the stereo width on the synth to make it wider than the kick,thus they do not clash.
A low pass filter on the synth stops it clashing with the kick.
Then you can layer a with the synth which can be side chained to the kick.
Making the synth thicker,though it won't clash with the kick.
Making all your individual kick layers mono then sending them to a stereo bus,with ny compression on the bus helps the kick to cut though the mix better.
Try increasing the stereo width on the synth to make it wider than the kick,thus they do not clash.
A low pass filter on the synth stops it clashing with the kick.
Then you can layer a with the synth which can be side chained to the kick.
Making the synth thicker,though it won't clash with the kick.
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- KVRian
- 702 posts since 19 Mar, 2014 from Denver, CO
Yeah, you want to high pass your synth, provided it's a lead or something. If by synth, you mean your bassline, then you could have another issue. You'd rather not have your bass and kick's fundamental frequencies in the same zone if possible. If they are, you'll need to "cut a hole" in them to allow the other's fundamental frequencies to poke through, without destroying the sounds of each. You'll also want to do some serious side chaining. Volume of each will be dependent on the type of music you're making. Dance music wants the kick to shine through.
