[ATTN producers] Buildup FX

I'm searching for various buildup effects to add some intensity to my drops.
I'm looking for a source of non genre-specific intesity/buildup fx.

I know you can create them from scratch using a synth + pitch bend/ENV/LFO, but I'm not good at doing this and it would just be nice to have a little folder full ready to go.

Does anyone know where I can find a good collection?

Or can anyone provide some insight into an easy method of creating them from scratch? Ive heard of people doing filter sweeps on white noise which seemed like an ok idea.

Thanks in advance!

[Digital Over]

What program are you using to Produce?

Sequencer:
Cubase SX3

Editors:
Audition, Soundforge

Softsynths I own:
Z3ta, Reaktor, Albino, Vanguard

[oddmud]

HAHAHAHA

"I know you can create them from scratch using a synth + pitch bend/ENV/LFO, but I'm not good at doing this and it would just be nice to have a little folder full ready to go."

Quit producing right now if that's your attitude.

[Toxxin Ephekt]

^^ , LOL!

[Digital Over]

I've worked a little bit with in Cubase if the automation is anything like logic...here's what I would recommend......

Set your Automation to "Touch" , hit record and:


Pad track: Have a High Pass Filter inserted Automate the Frequency just by dragging the shelf point field over the course of 8 bars for the first part of your build up

Sweep Track: Automate the LFO either thru your mod wheel if you're using a MIDI controller or manually with a similar approach as above, just tweak one of your variable fields to the desired effect.....

I kind of use that approach....if you have sounds which you like with that kind of method, you can always bounce of a track or two, just solo what you want, and boom, ready for next time if you wish.

But probably not a great idea to use them repeatedly in other tracks, since it potentially may not work with the vibe or groove of that other track, if everything is talking with eachother in perfect harmony, then you're on the right track....go with your first instincts, if you absolutely love it right off the bat, run with the idea, any doubt, scrap the idea and keep on going....

Hope that helps dude. Cheers.

[-evil-duerr-]

no offense junglist,
but imho, half the fun of producing/writing music is the learning process itself.
and if yer not a self learner, your probly shit out of luck. (unless you wanna pay out yer ass for recording arts courses)

My only advice is to

EXPERIMENT
EXPERIMENT,
and then EXPERIMENT some more.
it's gonna take awhile, but you gotta get yerself to the point of being able to make the synthesizer (and other production tools/instruments) your bitch.

the synthesizer is mighty intimidating at first. But I cant recommend enough getting on top of it. Cuz once you do, you'll have a much easier time translating your musical ideas, into actual musical reality.

and also... using excessive ammounts of premade samples is hella lame unless theyre your own samples, or at the very least processed/filtered to the point that they are near unrecognizable.

Like wheres the musicianship in just mixing a bunch of someone else's loops/samples? plus, I dont see how that could be enjoyable compared to actually writing music from the heart.

Originally Posted by Digital Over

I've worked a little bit with in Cubase if the automation is anything like logic...here's what I would recommend......

Set your Automation to "Touch" , hit record and:


Pad track: Have a High Pass Filter inserted Automate the Frequency just by dragging the shelf point field over the course of 8 bars for the first part of your build up

Sweep Track: Automate the LFO either thru your mod wheel if you're using a MIDI controller or manually with a similar approach as above, just tweak one of your variable fields to the desired effect.....

I kind of use that approach....if you have sounds which you like with that kind of method, you can always bounce of a track or two, just solo what you want, and boom, ready for next time if you wish.

But probably not a great idea to use them repeatedly in other tracks, since it potentially may not work with the vibe or groove of that other track, if everything is talking with eachother in perfect harmony, then you're on the right track....go with your first instincts, if you absolutely love it right off the bat, run with the idea, any doubt, scrap the idea and keep on going....

Hope that helps dude. Cheers.

Very helpful advice! I'll give this a try. Most of the time a buildup can be acheived by doing drum edits, filter automation and such. Didn't realize how much work could be put into using synthesizers+automation to build excitement before drops! You've kind of changed my perspective on things.

HAHAHAHA
Quit producing right now if that's your attitude.

Buddy, having a few releases under your belt doesn't make you a god :285:. That just came across as arrogant and cocky. I guess I'll start making my own drums from scratch by streching dried sheephide over a bucket too :y:

[brokencrayon]

OKay, I'm not very knowledgable in this department but I do have to say this:

Justin has come a long way in his production in the time I have known him and it was all from straight passion and self learning. I live with this guy and I see him working all the time and I see his excitement when he figures something out that he ddn't knwo about before. That is not the issue, I know he would be more open to any advice on doing it yourself like Digital Over was nice enough to give instead of just some package ready to go... and I really don't think you know him enough to think you have room to bash or judge him for asking questions because he obviously wanted some advice and answers.

IF you are really passionate about production and music yourself why would you respond in such an ignorant way like you did instead of lending some friendly and actual helpful advice?! Get off your high horse and stop acting like a chump.

[mux]

Originally Posted by Junglist

I guess I'll start making my own drums from scratch by streching dried sheephide over a bucket too :y:

Good one. Also try using various spoons, screwdrivers, sticks, toilet brushes, pool noodles, rubber chickens, etc to hit that bucket in odd ways. The best sounds come from trying something new, often something that other folks would consider too "lame" to try. I got a *wicked* highhat riff the other day cutting up and pasting together and effecting the sounds of scraping a screwdriver across the tile grout in my kitchen and the same screwdriver hitting the middle of a tile...

As for buildup effects, you're better off building them to fit the track. The easiest way is just to find a setting on one of the synths or effects in your track that affects the sound in a way that increases intensity, then ramp up that intensity over a few bars using your sequencer's automation, then drop it back to normal, take out a song element (like a synthloop or vocal or bassline), and replace it with a new song element. An example: at a 32-bar mark, ramp up the decay setting on a reverb on a synthline over a few bars, so it fills out the back of the mix in a huge way, then on the 64-bar mark, kill the reverb, throw in a crash cymbal or three, and change the bassline.

For building a sound, try taking a crash or ride cymbal sample, adding a bunch of reverb and delay, rendering it as a new sample, then reversing it. Depending on your sequencer it can be hard to get it to line up perfectly, but just fuck around until it sounds right.

[-evil-duerr-]

Originally Posted by mux

The best sounds come from trying something new, often something that other folks would consider too "lame" to try. .

what other folks?

maybe lazy people who arent passionate enough about the art.

but the reality is those people are gonna sell their equipment in a few years anyways - cuz their music is boring and the dream has faded.


the movers and shakers in this game are ones who innovate and invent, not ones who immitate.

^^ wow! some great ideas there! Especially ones related to Vst FX automation, never thought about that!


Your techniques aren't lame at all! I was reading a Noisia interview the other day and they talked about how they sample the weirdest shit
- making high hat patterns with your voice (really good idea imo)
- They recorded people pressure washing their windows and used it to
make one of their notorious tearing reeses.

Mux, have you heard of Exile by any chance? You'd probably find his techniques interesting.

[mux]

Originally Posted by -evil-duerr-

what other folks?

maybe lazy people who arent passionate enough about the art.

but the reality is those people are gonna sell their equipment in a few years anyways - cuz their music is boring and the dream has faded.


the movers and shakers in this games are ones who innovate and invent, not ones who immitate.

Not necessarily. Like, take f'rinstance Benny Benassi - the idea of a huge uneffected synthline and way too much compression was considered to be a stupid n00b mistake. Lots of producers played with the sound, but when they displayed their work, they got laughed at, and "learned" that that was "not the way to produce music".

Innovating doesn't always mean "doing something that no other producer is smart enough to try", often it means "doing something that no other producer is stupid enough to try". :)

I wonder if nowadays mainstream instruments (guitar, piano, trumpet, etc) were seen as bizzare, weird sounding techno gadgets at the time. I wonder how long it took for them to become mainstream and how much resistance they recieved.

[dabbler]

the main reason for wanting to shortcut these kind of things, is so you can finish tunes faster. bane of every beginning producer is how long it takes to make a tune.

[ill-esha]

^^ totally agree.

although it is noble to do everything from scratch, and i try to, sometimes you can shortcut by having pre-made things. that being said, it's not a bad idea to make a few of those pre-made things yourself :)

i begged a certain famous dnb producer for guidance on how to tweak my drum hits to perfection (compression and eq wise) and he sent me a ready-made Battery drum kit called the "Pendulum kit" complete with hoovers and reeses and single hits that are already perfectly compressed, and said he never bothers using anything else.

And his tunes are not only bangin' but in everybody's record bag. So according to Influenza, lots of producers should just give up.

[Digital Over]

Yup...you can utilize pretty cool build ups as well by drum edditing too.... start of on 1/4 note stabs....1/8 notes shots.... 1/16.....1/32 and then...try this....bus your whole drum tracks and then have a stereo flange on your kit bus.....put the dry/wet parameter low (dry) and then automate it up w/ an automated pitch bend so it sounds "rolling"...I like doing that too. (Flange being an example, any sort of FM that you can apply to your bus will work...or any tripped out effect for that matter ;) )

Native Instruments: Reaktor is a really cool VST I like for a lot of my sweetner tracks...approaching build up pads, etc can be often easier since you can completely layer your patch with in the VST, thus creating a really phat and interesting sound.

[dabbler]

Originally Posted by ill-esha

i begged a certain famous dnb producer for guidance on how to tweak my drum hits to perfection (compression and eq wise) and he sent me a ready-made Battery drum kit called the "Pendulum kit" complete with hoovers and reeses and single hits that are already perfectly compressed, and said he never bothers using anything else.

who? pacific? lol srsly tho, he uses them in every tune as well.

[ill-esha]

no, you should know, i sent some of his other samples to you!

[dabbler]

i know i know. i knew who you were reffering to, just being funny cuz matty is the same

[ill-esha]

tsk tsk.. what a backstabber you are...

[dabbler]

?? how is that backstabbing?

[ill-esha]

you've destroyed the mystique of the super producer pacific!

thanks to you people will think of him as a beer guzzling, smirking, two-bit no good dimestore whore

uhh.. wait a minute.. ;)

[P.A.R.T.Y]

Yo, PM me Ill send you something. Build ups are quite difficult, reversing delays are fun, drum rolls, fx that just go insane, huge bass drops, etc..
One of my builds I ripped off from a Reason Demo song, it actually works quite well.
Then of course there is that flanger 1/4 beat, 1/8/, 1/16, 1/32 crash, crash, crash crash crash crash, boom.

[klockwize]

Originally Posted by ill-esha

^^ totally agree.

although it is noble to do everything from scratch, and i try to, sometimes you can shortcut by having pre-made things. that being said, it's not a bad idea to make a few of those pre-made things yourself :).

true that!! :)



but if your lookin to take the easy way out you could alwys go buy "EJAY" the whle program is premade loops bahaha