This is a midi loop from Electro House Progressions called 1990Filtered... resampled into a different rhythm in Cubase without fx processing...

http://www.yousendit.com/download/Y...PK3g0b0RIRGc9PQ

I have usually had trouble working with my poorly crafted sounds/timbres for leads... the color of the sound always sounds off and multiple EQ'ing/compression steps don't seem to work for me very well. This is by themselves, not just mixed with other layers. Results in a fatiguing session in front of the monitors.

Today I finally decided to dump a bunch of synth loops from the EHP sample kit into my arranger just to see how they fit (never touched this kit before for anything more than percussive one-hits)...

Every single synth I dropped in, any rhythm, any combination, sounded quite gorgeous... nonoffending, not a single harsh frequency, perfectly sitting both alone and in the mix. I feel like I could make an entire song out of the EHP sample kit within a couple hours with these sounds because they're so stunning!

I tried sitting this 1990Filter next to my own sound to get something similar, found with shelf at 120Hz, 8000Hz, notches at 1500 and 3000 I could get something similar but still not quite right.

Looking for any advice one could give!

im a bit lost as to what you need help with r u having problem with sound design or just not working out how to get the sounds you want from things?

I'm just having trouble with the EQ/compression process (I think). Doesn't matter so much how the sound was designed as far as layering, additive/subtractive, etc... Lush saw pads as much as single oscillators don't seem to do much for me.

When I have the sound playing by itself it never seems to sound right compared to these sample kit examples. I've played with EQ/notching, subtle and sometimes extreme cuts in the frequencies with a high Q, but still seems to cut out too much while leaving too much of the bad in, assuming thats it.

Does anyone have a specific procedure for EQ, compression, mixing?

i see,well when it comes to eq compression ect its all to do with finding ways of bringing things down ie pinpointing where the sound is going.

once you learn where everything belongs you then can correctly build around it.
a great tip prattice making your kicks first then basslines because then you can use them as markers.
remember almost 90% of the parts you make on a track belong in the mid range area not in the lower or very higher frequency ranges.

Ok thanks Basically I should be realizing though that getting the type of clean, can fit in any mix type sound can only be created by a true mastering engineer?

There really isn't any trick to employ beyond careful EQ'ing to fit with the rest of the mix and gentle compression?

quote:

Originally posted by ClearWater Ok thanks Basically I should be realizing though that getting the type of clean, can fit in any mix type sound can only be created by a true mastering engineer? There really isn't any trick to employ beyond careful EQ'ing to fit with the rest of the mix and gentle compression?

yes learn all your tools inside out and pratice making all your own components/parts for the tune in hand.

quote:

Originally posted by ClearWater Ok thanks Basically I should be realizing though that getting the type of clean, can fit in any mix type sound can only be created by a true mastering engineer? There really isn't any trick to employ beyond careful EQ'ing to fit with the rest of the mix and gentle compression?

Mastering engineers don't create sounds to fit into mixes. They master the final stereo file.

Choosing the right sounds is a combination of having great sound sources for your particular style, and plenty of experience in putting sounds together. The mix should sound very good before you apply any EQing or compression. If it's not close before applying extra processing, then most of the time you'll get extremely frustrated trying to jam sounds together that don't belong together.

Do these sample packs like Xsfer and EHP get the same kind of mastering gloss as a full track?

They will be EQ'd, have dynamics adjustments and so on made. They will be processed so that they sound good.

But this isn't 'mastering'. You can't 'master' individual sounds. The process may be identical, in terms of the EQ choice and dynamics processing, but it's not mastering. I'd call this sound design, since it's before the mixing stage.

It takes years of experience to be able to create great sounds, or to put sounds together so they sound fantastic. It's not magic, it's simply years of dedication to one's passion, years of experience with sound and the tools used to sculpt it.