A Few things to consider........
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- meatsweeper
-
- Posts: 277
- Joined: Fri Feb 15, 2008 12:00 am
A Few things to consider........
I thought I'd write a little something that maybe beneficial for beginners regarding production as I have
read a lot of tutorials and had some great advice and think it's time to give somethin back, not really a tutorail as such
but I hope it helps...
1. You can't polish a turd - Start with samples that are of a good quality as you can't make something sound
better when the original is poor. Use WAV files NOT mp3.
2. Listen to other peoples tracks and try to pick out where each element of the track sits within the
mix, (ie the kick, snare, hats, bass etc...) Personally I tend to listen through headphones with my eyes closed in the dark
to try and really get a feel for a track, I will then do the same with something I have made and I will notice the things stand out straight away that
need to be altered, eq'd differently or have have the level amended, you get the idea.
3. Reverb is your friend, use him to make things come to life and create space...(don't overuse)
4. Experiment and find what works for you, just because a technique/VST/DAW works for someone ellse doesn't mean it will
necassarily work for you, a lot of software will have good presets but use these as a starting point to see how that sound is made then tweak to make your
own sound.
5. Be patient, there is no "magic" button that's gonna make things sound amazing and you will have to put alot of time and effort in to get the results
you desire and it is not going to happen over night. I have noticed that a lot of producers seem to hit a peak after approx 10 years.
Remember everyday is a school day.
6. Take a break, your ears will get tired and things will sound different the more you listen to them, if you think you are satisfied with something
leave it alone for a few days then listen back to it and I guarantee there will be things that are out of place.
7. Listen to your tracks on as many different speakers as possible, this will show you where crtain things are to loud, quiet etc.
8. When it comes to drums layering is key to making them fat, again experiment and see what works. Try a bassy kick layered with a punchier kick and
maybe a hat/click noise as well - try changing the decay, frequency and volume of each until you are satisfied also experiment with other
noises under the kick especially bass and synth noises. Try the same process with snares.
9. IMO EQ is used more effectively when cutting frequencies to allow elements to "fit" in the mix, think of it as a jigsaw puzzle and if things
overlap try and eq them into there own frequency range. A good staring place is to search " musical frequency ranges" in google and whole host
of things will appear. Remember use these as a guide as every track will be different, again this takes a lot of practise and sometimes it can be very
frustrating. Using Frequency analysers and Spectrum analysers is benefcial to see peaks in freq and this can aid you in where to "boost" or "cut" but
remember, it's not how it looks it's how it sounds - DON'T rely on your eyes, rely on your ears.
10. Things cost more for a reason, a free VST could sound great and there are alot out there BUT if you want tracks to sound big and proffesional then
you are going to have to spend the cash. Native Instruments are great.
11. Try to create for yourself, don't make a track becuse you think someone else will like it and if your making tracks to make
money then I would stop now, there is no money in Breakcore...
Most importantly out of all this is take your time and be patient and enjoy the process, don't just think "oh that'll do" make something that's next level and try and
push the boundaries.
read a lot of tutorials and had some great advice and think it's time to give somethin back, not really a tutorail as such
but I hope it helps...
1. You can't polish a turd - Start with samples that are of a good quality as you can't make something sound
better when the original is poor. Use WAV files NOT mp3.
2. Listen to other peoples tracks and try to pick out where each element of the track sits within the
mix, (ie the kick, snare, hats, bass etc...) Personally I tend to listen through headphones with my eyes closed in the dark
to try and really get a feel for a track, I will then do the same with something I have made and I will notice the things stand out straight away that
need to be altered, eq'd differently or have have the level amended, you get the idea.
3. Reverb is your friend, use him to make things come to life and create space...(don't overuse)
4. Experiment and find what works for you, just because a technique/VST/DAW works for someone ellse doesn't mean it will
necassarily work for you, a lot of software will have good presets but use these as a starting point to see how that sound is made then tweak to make your
own sound.
5. Be patient, there is no "magic" button that's gonna make things sound amazing and you will have to put alot of time and effort in to get the results
you desire and it is not going to happen over night. I have noticed that a lot of producers seem to hit a peak after approx 10 years.
Remember everyday is a school day.
6. Take a break, your ears will get tired and things will sound different the more you listen to them, if you think you are satisfied with something
leave it alone for a few days then listen back to it and I guarantee there will be things that are out of place.
7. Listen to your tracks on as many different speakers as possible, this will show you where crtain things are to loud, quiet etc.
8. When it comes to drums layering is key to making them fat, again experiment and see what works. Try a bassy kick layered with a punchier kick and
maybe a hat/click noise as well - try changing the decay, frequency and volume of each until you are satisfied also experiment with other
noises under the kick especially bass and synth noises. Try the same process with snares.
9. IMO EQ is used more effectively when cutting frequencies to allow elements to "fit" in the mix, think of it as a jigsaw puzzle and if things
overlap try and eq them into there own frequency range. A good staring place is to search " musical frequency ranges" in google and whole host
of things will appear. Remember use these as a guide as every track will be different, again this takes a lot of practise and sometimes it can be very
frustrating. Using Frequency analysers and Spectrum analysers is benefcial to see peaks in freq and this can aid you in where to "boost" or "cut" but
remember, it's not how it looks it's how it sounds - DON'T rely on your eyes, rely on your ears.
10. Things cost more for a reason, a free VST could sound great and there are alot out there BUT if you want tracks to sound big and proffesional then
you are going to have to spend the cash. Native Instruments are great.
11. Try to create for yourself, don't make a track becuse you think someone else will like it and if your making tracks to make
money then I would stop now, there is no money in Breakcore...
Most importantly out of all this is take your time and be patient and enjoy the process, don't just think "oh that'll do" make something that's next level and try and
push the boundaries.
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