KVR Audio

Andreas84 · Post by **Andreas84** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 12:14 am

Okay i'm gonna be really honest with you guys..
I have no knowledge of how to fix a foundation for a track or maybe you call it "produce"..I have tweaked and tried by myself for many months now..And the results are always the same "what is missing?! it doesnt sound "commercially" good..sounds like a 12year old" yeah thats how i feel about my "productions"..

I basically just "know how to do music not produce music" my main instruments are guitar and drums...I've done "hardrock homerecording" for 3-4years with my podxt and drumkit from hell so i am aware of "levels" and using equing to stop instruments from "hurting eachother" and some what using compression on snare and gating the basdrum for example..
BUT! I have NO knowledge of how to produce GOOD SOUNDING disco/techno/trance tracks..I guess it would be a good start to know "how to do the kick and bass" before doing anything else..In this thread i would be so thankful if you guys could enlighten me on things that i should do to make the "magic" happen..Don't just say "use eq"...or "use google" I have tried equing a LOT but it's like "what the heck am i looking for?!" So I just don't see where equing could make the "magic" the "come alive" part to happen...To me it seems like there is some kind of "slapback" echo/delay type of thingie going on (at least on the first clip with basshunter) but there's probably A LOT more...many bassounds creating one big? "layering"?
So any help would do! So you guys go ahead and listen to this clip and tell me what is REALLY going on so i can stop speculating...

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?a ... 8B4CED3FAD

The first three clips are to me great sounding "tracks"..Then the last is me with just a "unprocessed" kick and bass thingie...to hear what you guys would do the FIRST THING you think about when you hear my "dry sounds"
Thanks for taking time helping out a swedish studid kid

rakonicron11 · Post by **rakonicron11** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 12:59 am

as far as the ears could listen, you do seem to got the arrangement correct for what you are being influenced on (you got the same exact groove and main-sound elements), but the trick is that you need processing.. Use reverb, delays, filters, most of the sugar-coating is done through processing of those effects.. Reverb helps alot.. even if its subtle, it makes a difference..
good luck.

leahzero · Post by **leahzero** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 12:59 am

Andreas84 wrote:many bassounds creating one big? "layering"?

Almost certainly.

Re: your clip vs. the first three: the first three sound like they all have some degree of tube saturation/compression going on that is introducing more harmonics into the sound and filling out the mix more, making it sound somewhat dirtier/warmer and (warning: cliché alert!) more "analog" than yours. I'm sure there are various other subtle effects used (and additional instrumentation like pads etc.) to get those exact sounds, but that sounds like the major difference between them and your clip. I'd think you can get closer to their sound using some method of saturation, light distortion, or any of the various effects that try to imitate analog gear characteristics, etc.

edit: You did ask what the first thing we'd do to get that sound is, sorry.

I'm just a noob as well, but I think the first thing I'd do is add light distortion and compression that has strong character to the kick and bass, and either EQ a notch in one sound for the other to fit into, or sidechain compress them together. HTH.

laputa_sync · Post by **laputa_sync** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 11:18 pm

VST for Hard German Bass?
Help, I'm a trance nerd in need of serious advice!
Little tip: Kicks for EDM (Trance, Techno, etc.)

seriously, identify one thing you want to know about, then work out how to write it into the computer like most people would, for instance instead of "hello i know nothing, how is this done how is this done, is this that, whats this, is this this, eq eq eq eq, huh?"

write one topic at a time.

for instance eq.

Search for "EQ help" in the google search gives this thread first... EQ Guidelines - Help Sheet

see, a few steps and the info (however light/ biased/ wrong as it can be on KVR) is yours.

Dayl · Post by **Dayl** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 11:57 pm

If you musical ability is fine, then its going to be all in the mix:
hit me

In addition, Here is an excellent article that Bduffy put me on to which helps put a lot of things in to perspective.
Hit me again

And also check this out to add a lil Fairy dust

And once more

I Hope that this helps mate.

Cheers

laputa_sync · Post by **laputa_sync** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 12:05 am

Dayl · Post by **Dayl** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 1:09 am

laputa_sync wrote:

Just for you mate. Thanks.

laputa_sync · Post by **laputa_sync** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 1:09 am

Dayl wrote:
laputa_sync wrote:

Just for you mate. Thanks.

YAY!!!

chaseDESTROY · Post by **chaseDESTROY** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 4:56 pm

try lowering your bass synth an octave and lower your filter cutoff a bit. and im gonna agree and reccomend some sort of subtle distortion on the bassynth as well, smartelectronix cyanide distortion/waveshaper is free and can do everything from subtle to full blown chaos. as for your kick drum... a different sample maybe? you might try rolling off the hi's a bit and bumping the lows.

what are you using to create this stuff?

Andreas84 · Post by **Andreas84** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 10:12 pm

Hi guys i just wanted to update this is how i sound after a little practice..

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?a ... 5A009FCF1D

I still kinda suck but i hope in some weeks i will be able to pull out "what i want"..
Should i throw away the one "octave" lead or just try another lead? How about the other is it bad? I think so myself but maybe it's cause i listened so much too it that it got "bad"..

Andreas84 · Post by **Andreas84** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:05 am

laputa_sync wrote:VST for Hard German Bass?
Help, I'm a trance nerd in need of serious advice!
Little tip: Kicks for EDM (Trance, Techno, etc.)

seriously, identify one thing you want to know about, then work out how to write it into the computer like most people would, for instance instead of "hello i know nothing, how is this done how is this done, is this that, whats this, is this this, eq eq eq eq, huh?"

write one topic at a time.

for instance eq.

Search for "EQ help" in the google search gives this thread first... EQ Guidelines - Help Sheet

see, a few steps and the info (however light/ biased/ wrong as it can be on KVR) is yours.

Thanks for making me sound like a youtube typical retarded user...
I'm not one of those guys who can't tune a guitar...you make me feel like one

It's true tho that i dont know much about how to equalize and mix a track to sound "good"..
So instead of being an a$$ tell me what to do about the latest mix i posted...heh

laputa_sync · Post by **laputa_sync** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 12:39 pm

Andreas84 wrote:
laputa_sync wrote:VST for Hard German Bass?
Help, I'm a trance nerd in need of serious advice!
Little tip: Kicks for EDM (Trance, Techno, etc.)

seriously, identify one thing you want to know about, then work out how to write it into the computer like most people would, for instance instead of "hello i know nothing, how is this done how is this done, is this that, whats this, is this this, eq eq eq eq, huh?"

write one topic at a time.

for instance eq.

Search for "EQ help" in the google search gives this thread first... EQ Guidelines - Help Sheet

see, a few steps and the info (however light/ biased/ wrong as it can be on KVR) is yours.

Thanks for making me sound like a youtube typical retarded user...
I'm not one of those guys who can't tune a guitar...you make me feel like one
It's true tho that i dont know much about how to equalize and mix a track to sound "good"..
So instead of being an a$$ tell me what to do about the latest mix i posted...heh

I tried to help, im sorry you think im "an a$$".

Andreas84 · Post by **Andreas84** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 12:51 pm

Well giving my links to equalization like that is like "hey here is google"

Not really any help for the specific mix i'm working on..
I like to know more about the leads why do other songs leads sound so "huge" compared to mine and wide in the stereo spectrum or whatever you call it...
I tried using delay to fatten it up and reverb and stuff but that doesnt seem to make the "magic" happen..

laputa_sync · Post by **laputa_sync** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 12:56 pm

Andreas84 wrote:Well giving my links to equalization like that is like "hey here is google"

Not really any help for the specific mix i'm working on..
I like to know more about the leads why do other songs leads sound so "huge" compared to mine and wide in the stereo spectrum or whatever you call it...
I tried using delay to fatten it up and reverb and stuff but that doesnt seem to make the "magic" happen..

perhaps, but i tried to help in other areas too,
im not always reading properly, so often makes errors, im sorry.
hope someone can help you.

hasenbraten · Post by **hasenbraten** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 1:13 pm

For huge sound layer the same (harmonically rich) sound a few times, delay every track a little bit and give each one a different pan setting.

Put lp filter, phaser and tons of reverb on it. sweep the filter in a break and call yourself tiestö. (sry couldnt resist

)

But the basic principle of making something sound huge is always more or less what I described above. Contrast is the key though.

how to build the foundation for a disco/techno/trance track