https://soundcloud.com/user782515772/be ... -spat-june
Track kicks in at 0:35
Hello!
I am currently working on a relatively simple track that because of its composition and sound design has become a bit cacophonous and
I am hoping to find a way to keep the qualities of the sounds, keep them very loud, and still have punchy definition between them
The track is relatively simple despite it’s dense sound
1 sampler playing chords
1 sampler playing melody
1 bass synth
1 pitch shifted vocal track following the melody
2 drum tracks
Despite the track being only a few elements, the composition makes the few instruments overlap and drown each other out a bit + some of the sounds occupy similar frequency bands
I am attaching an image comparing my track’s waveform with a traditional edm track, my waveform seems muted and lacking dynamics by comparison
I am also including a screen grab of my my routing setup, please note- I know that I am using virtual room as a master spatializer in a strange way however I am committed to making this aspect of the track work- ie maintaining the global spatialization of all of the tracks while bringing out definition in each one- I know many will see this routing and blame a master reverb for making things muddy but it is only mixed in at 50% wet and when comparing mixes with and without virtual room enabled it makes little difference in making the individual track elements pop out from each other
Any suggestions on techniques or tools would be infinitely appreciated
*the bark filter instances are set to tripleband, the first one I am using to prime the signal so it isn’t clipped by virtual room’s internal limiter, I then use the loud master preset on barricade to bring everything up- I have a feeling there are more elegant/less redundant ways of dealing with this- would love to hear any thoughts
Mixing + mastering dense punchy track?
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- KVRAF
- 15273 posts since 8 Mar, 2005 from Utrecht, Holland
How do you expect listeners to react to this? Maybe I don't want to know... It sounds like five runaway tape machines and a gnome took control of the panning.annahahn wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 9:13 pm I am currently working on a relatively simple track that because of its composition and sound design has become a bit cacophonous and
I am hoping to find a way to keep the qualities of the sounds, keep them very loud, and still have punchy definition between them
The track is relatively simple despite it’s dense sound
1 sampler playing chords
1 sampler playing melody
1 bass synth
1 pitch shifted vocal track following the melody
2 drum tracks
Despite the track being only a few elements, the composition makes the few instruments overlap and drown each other out a bit + some of the sounds occupy similar frequency bands
I could not make out the bass without headphones. Only then I realised all the panning that was going on. Chords & melody I cannot make out. Too much dissonance, no coherence, no structure.
Hint: make it sound like you want (maybe digestible) BEFORE attempting to "master" it. Mastering is a form of art. I don't even try to do that. If the listener wants loud, he has a volume knob.I am attaching an image comparing my track’s waveform with a traditional edm track, my waveform seems muted and lacking dynamics by comparison
We are the KVR collective. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated. 
My MusicCalc is served over https!!
My MusicCalc is served over https!!
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- KVRAF
- 4590 posts since 7 Jun, 2012 from Warsaw
I'm sorry to say, but it's not a music. It's a messy noise. Until you make something even remotely musical, there's nothing to mix yet alone to master.
It sounds like five runaway tape machines and a gnome
Blog ------------- YouTube channel
Tricky-Loops wrote: (...)someone like Armin van Buuren who claims to make a track in half an hour and all his songs sound somewhat boring(...)
Tricky-Loops wrote: (...)someone like Armin van Buuren who claims to make a track in half an hour and all his songs sound somewhat boring(...)
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- KVRAF
- 5716 posts since 8 Jun, 2009
On the other hand, you could keep it as it is and call it: Music for Gitmo (CIA Enhanced Interrogation Special Mix).
Seriously, I would start with the arrangement. It sounds like there's too much going on because...there's too much going on.
Seriously, I would start with the arrangement. It sounds like there's too much going on because...there's too much going on.
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- KVRAF
- 2590 posts since 19 Mar, 2008 from germany
Ooh nice.
I would like to add another interpretation:
This really is super-innovative - the new style of the year 2020!
At long last I hear something really new!
Well, it sounds like a courtship dance of cockroaches and
woodlouse in the darkest hidden corner of the dungeon. Tentacles
and bones open there in the performance before my eyes ...
Please: Keep it as it is! This is an entirely new style!
It is the style of the twenties, the style of "cockroaches and
woodlouses"! And you, "annahahn", are - maybe - the first
musician who did it!
--> Everyone should listen to this song to find out what true
innovation really is!
free mp3s + info: andy-enroe.de songs + weird stuff: enroe.de
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- KVRAF
- 2989 posts since 5 Nov, 2014
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- KVRAF
- 2565 posts since 2 Jul, 2010
I don't mind a bit of noise chaos, and I don't think your aesthetic choices are the problem here. That being said, it probably isn't a good idea to push this sort of thing to commercial EDM levels of loudness and expect to maintain clarity. You're headed more in the direction of something like Blanck Mass, so consider that sort of thing as a reference.
50% reverb is way too much. I would strongly recommend you remove all master reverb and use track sends instead; this gives you control over where parts "sit" and lets you preserve more clarity in the percussion.
But the biggest issue here is the fader balance. If you want some punch, you need to let the "punchy" elements lead the mix and the other stuff take a supporting role. You can turn down and filter away at the noisy stuff quite aggressively; we'll still be able to hear it.
50% reverb is way too much. I would strongly recommend you remove all master reverb and use track sends instead; this gives you control over where parts "sit" and lets you preserve more clarity in the percussion.
But the biggest issue here is the fader balance. If you want some punch, you need to let the "punchy" elements lead the mix and the other stuff take a supporting role. You can turn down and filter away at the noisy stuff quite aggressively; we'll still be able to hear it.
