producing: warming up tracks

[(val)Liam]

how do you do it? are there any good resources for learning how to master properly?

[Van Tek]

I mostly just use EQ to sculpt my sounds... like cutting the bass out of a vocal sample or a higher pitched sample that you don't need any low end for, or cutting the highs off of your bassline or any number of other sound reduction tactics that let other sounds sit within your mix properly

sometimes if I need to get a good amount of compression on something I'll stick either a PSP Vintage Warmer on it or I'll use Waves C1 Comp

a good trick for your highs is to make 2 copies of almost all your percussion and then pan one hard left and one hard right... then move the one that's panned hard right so that it's lagging about 0.07ms behind the one that's panned hard left... this will create a stereo effect that will effectively "throw the sound behind your head" making it sound like you're listening in surround sound instead of just stereo

a good trick is to use filters to fully sculpt your EQs on various instruments... a Notch filter used on your bassline with the cutoff set to about 115-160Hz with a resonance of around 25-30% will help your kick drums to shine through the mix without reducing the balls of your bassline

another good trick is to use side chain compression, which you can use to compress your bassline every time a kick drum hits... that way the bassline effectively "ducks under" every kick drum, so that your kicks punch right through it

you can also use side chain compression to get synths that seem to pump on the offbeats... you just make it so that each kick drum silences the synth... it won't click on and off immediately, there's an attack and decay on the side chain compressor, it just makes the synth pump along on the offbeats smoothly, like in a few of the more popular James Holden tracks

a good side chain compressor tool is Native Instruments: DeX32

[Max Lazarus]

Tubes and tape, baby.

[optimum sound]

Liam, I dont know what music youre producing but this is helpful. Surf the site, theres great deal of info on production and everybody is always willing to help.

http://www.serious-sounds.net/forums...7&hl=mastering

and Thanatos, I see you use Diamond software. What do you use it with?

[Skyles]

thanatos correction..

Dex32 is by TC Electronics. cheers.

warming stuff up eh, just record stuff in warm? easy right. ;).

[(val)Liam]

Originally Posted by optimum sound

Liam, I dont know what music youre producing but this is helpful. Surf the site, theres great deal of info on production and everybody is always willing to help.

http://www.serious-sounds.net/forums...7&hl=mastering

and Thanatos, I see you use Diamond software. What do you use it with?

that site was awesome... what a great write up to understand things without all the esoteric jargin...

[Van Tek]

I make all my music in Fruityloops Studio and Cubase SX2

I figured it wasn't Native Instruments whot did DeX32 but I was really stoned when I wrote up all those tips haha... didn't feel like checking cuz it was the DeX32 part that was important, not the company who made it :D

[optimum sound]

Originally Posted by Liam

that site was awesome... what a great write up to understand things without all the esoteric jargin...

Hell yeah. Theres tons more for pretty much everything. That site has a more hard dance following but theres posts on house to breaks and vocals. That Alf Bamford, guy that writes those tutorials is a well respected hard dance producer.

on another note. I listened to some infected mushroom and a show like that would be amazing...

[optimum sound]

Originally Posted by Thanatos

I make all my music in Fruityloops Studio and Cubase SX2

I figured it wasn't Native Instruments whot did DeX32 but I was really stoned when I wrote up all those tips haha... didn't feel like checking cuz it was the DeX32 part that was important, not the company who made it :D

Yeah Im familiar with all the plug ins out there. I got all the native instruments products and I know for a fact they dont make that one. haha. fruity is cool, are you running a legit version of cubase? I had a cracked one and had massive issues with it. downloaded it a few times and never got it working properly. So while I was in school for sound engineering I bought an mbox and now run pro tools.

another tip for the producers out there. Go to tom lee on granville or the nearest you. they often have free catalogues and programs. A little while back I got the 2005 Development Partners Catalog for Digidesign. SCORE. so easy to find all the new plug ins that go unheard of sometimes as well as a description for them.

anybody need anything, I got the good stuff pm me

[optimum sound]

Liam, I added you to my msn. I put together a bunch of ebooks that you might be interested in, including the most popular among sound engineers. The secret of the mastering engineer by Bob Katz. mess me when youre around and I'll send em to you.

[(val)Liam]

^^^^ gracias :)

[Van Tek]

I've got (unfortunately) a cracked version, as I can't even remotely afford to buy it

works perfectly though

[Van Tek]

damn that was an awesome bit of mixing and mastering information

much respect optimum sound! :D

[inside]

Originally Posted by Thanatos

a good trick is to use filters to fully sculpt your EQs on various instruments... a Notch filter used on your bassline with the cutoff set to about 115-160Hz with a resonance of around 25-30% will help your kick drums to shine through the mix without reducing the balls of your bassline

Fanastic tip!!! Never heard that one before. I'll have to hear it tomorow.

[inside]

Some really good plugins that have a ton of warmth are, well every thing from http://www.nomadfactory.com/. The Liquid bundle is mega. The Liquid compressor pumps really fuckin hard. I love it. All the Nomad stuff is just lovely for warming up tracks. Antares Tube is a great tool as well. Really simple to use. http://www.antarestech.com/products/tube.html

[P.A.R.T.Y]

The secret to a good mix involves many variables. First and formost, make the track as listenable as possible on as many playback devices as you can.(eg. Homestereo, clubstereo, carstereo, etc..) I suggest renting some vintage gear like an avalon tube commpressor, better yet, look in the back of the georgia straight and rent some studio time. Most local studios carry good recording equiptment, it pays off in the long run. Now, your song is getting mixed and you have all these awesome tracks. Use your plugins in cubase to add the needed verbs and delays. My favorite delay is either the Ohmforce or Lexicon delay, truly wicked, however the real deal is good too. Don`t over use fx, its just amateur hour if you do.
Mastering? go to a mastering house, have them listen to your track and make suggestions. I recomend gotham mastering in granvillie island.
If you can`t afford to do all of this, then wait, otherwise you might end up with something that doesn`t work.
I`ve been lucky enough to have been to 3 different studios to produce my tracks. The best was Fresh Studios (RIP) then Aero studios (Not Bad) finally I recorded with Charles Huntley.(Not Bad). One thing remains constant, the tracks have umff that plugins and my ears could not provide. I spent a lot of money making my tunes, but I will be listening to them until I die.
Good Luck.

[optimum sound]

This is the most recommended tutorial I know of.

The secrets of the mastering engineer by Bob Katz.

ftp://205.250.213.144:58/secrets.rar

only 17 pages long but super informative.

enjoy :silly:

[Van Tek]

only 17 pages he says

LoL