Obscure and advanced production techniques
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kitphillips |
So what sort of properly advanced production techniques aren't often talked about on here?
I'm thinking of doing a tutorial dealing with a bunch of the more esoteric things that most advanced producers do without a second thought, but don't really talk about all that much. Stuff which just doesn't get discussed in here for whatever reason, but can really make your track a lot better.
Things like
M/S eq and compression
Multiband compression
Making the bass mono and general stereo field and phase tips
EQ smearing |
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sako487 |
quote: | Originally posted by kitphillips
So what sort of properly advanced production techniques aren't often talked about on here?
I'm thinking of doing a tutorial dealing with a bunch of the more esoteric things that most advanced producers do without a second thought, but don't really talk about all that much. Stuff which just doesn't get discussed in here for whatever reason, but can really make your track a lot better.
Things like
M/S eq and compression
Multiband compression
Making the bass mono and general stereo field and phase tips
EQ smearing |
Eq smearing has been covered here, there was a video of some producers talking about it
I know how multiband compression works, just dont know where to use it. Anyone recommend me one?
For stereo imaging I've found making thinks more mono than stereo helps a lot, for sound systems in clubs. |
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theterran |
What about the obscure stuff like effects work? What do most EDM artists use for their effects? Didn't see much covering this. I know the obvious white-noise stuff, but what about more advanced techniques such as vocal chopping and whatnot? Good vocal effects make a track sizzle.
For example, page 3 or 4 says what to use, but not how to go about sequencing, and the methods to make it sound "nice".
http://www.tranceaddict.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=556626&forumid=48&s= |
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sako487 |
quote: | Originally posted by theterran
What about the obscure stuff like effects work? What do most EDM artists use for their effects? Didn't see much covering this. I know the obvious white-noise stuff, but what about more advanced techniques such as vocal chopping and whatnot? Good vocal effects make a track sizzle.
For example, page 3 or 4 says what to use, but not how to go about sequencing, and the methods to make it sound "nice".
http://www.tranceaddict.com/forums/...6&forumid=48&s= |
If you have fl9 its hellla easy, gross beat
download fl9 for grossbeat if you really want it |
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theterran |
quote: | Originally posted by sako487
If you have fl9 its hellla easy, gross beat
download fl9 for grossbeat if you really want it |
I just started out producing so that's what I went for. I heard it was the most noob friendly and offered enough flexibility to make decent tunes. It also plays nicely with Nexus.
I'm not sure I'd know what to do with gross beat, but I'll use some of the existing vocals in FL and play around ^^.
-edit- nevermind, this is vocal cheatery to the max. Thanks for having me look into that! I put the "Dance with me" vocals on some gating effects for giggles. Will read the manual and figure this baby out. |
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sako487 |
haha, yea its a pretty cheap way of cutting up vocals |
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kitphillips |
quote: | Originally posted by theterran
What about the obscure stuff like effects work? What do most EDM artists use for their effects? Didn't see much covering this. I know the obvious white-noise stuff, but what about more advanced techniques such as vocal chopping and whatnot? Good vocal effects make a track sizzle.
For example, page 3 or 4 says what to use, but not how to go about sequencing, and the methods to make it sound "nice".
http://www.tranceaddict.com/forums/...6&forumid=48&s= |
Yeah, not at all obscure or advanced mate. Effects are one of the basic elements of production, as is the infamous stutter effect and vocal chops. Its an easy answer though, I'm not sure by what you mean by "nice" here, but if you start a new thread with an example of what you want to do, then I'm sure I and others can help you out no trouble.
In the mean time, my advice is to isolate the frequencies of your vocals properly and then get stuck in with the reverse, stutter (don't forget triplets), swing, phaser, flanger, etc. Activate effects just for certain slices, use resonant filters, auto filters etc. Isolate nice syllables and bits that you like and then either arrange them in audio or put them in a sampler. I could give you a great descriptoin of how to do this in ableton, but not so much in fl.
quote: | Originally posted by sako487
Eq smearing has been covered here, there was a video of some producers talking about it
I know how multiband compression works, just dont know where to use it. Anyone recommend me one?
For stereo imaging I've found making thinks more mono than stereo helps a lot, for sound systems in clubs. |
Yeah, its all been touched on, but no ones really started up a comprehensive discussion of phase shift effects in regard to EQ. For example, why don't we boost a band with hi q by 10dB? Do all minimum phase digital EQs sound the same?
Everyone knows how multiband compression works, but not the drawbacks and practical applications. Thats why I think it'd be good to write a tutorial or at least start a thread about it.
Mono stuff isn't just a matter of making it more mono. Its a matter of what to make mono and how to do it. It links in to the whole M/S mixing thing, and thats why I think it should be discussed in the context of advanced techniques, as opposed to the way its usually talked about around here - "Duh, I have all this stereo width at 40hz and my track sounds wierd in clubs duh?" or worse "How do I use my phase destroying stereo widener on my bass sound duh?"
Oh, and when I say write a tutorial, I mean more in the sense that, I'll write down everything I know about it, then everyone else can chime in regarding where I'm wrong and what I've missed, and then I'll edit my post and eventually we'll have something we can point people to when they ask. |
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theterran |
quote: | Originally posted by kitphillips
In the mean time, my advice is to isolate the frequencies of your vocals properly and then get stuck in with the reverse, stutter (don't forget triplets), swing, phaser, flanger, etc. Activate effects just for certain slices, use resonant filters, auto filters etc. Isolate nice syllables and bits that you like and then either arrange them in audio or put them in a sampler. I could give you a great descriptoin of how to do this in ableton, but not so much in fl.
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This is what I was more or less wanting. I'm a newb, so it was a partially obvious question. But even us newbies don't know how to finesse vocals. Sure, having chopped up vocals is easy to do, but getting vocals like this are NOT newbie things.
There's alot going on there, so even listening to examples can be hard, and for us visual/kinesthetics, it's nice to have something to look at, like a guide kinda thing. |
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kitphillips |
Getting vocals like that is a matter of pure practice and knowing when to apply the right techniques. No amount of advice will get you there. The advice that I would give you is basic advice, not high level stuff. So saying that its not newby to do is a bit true and a bit false. The basic theory is nooby, the application is definately not.
For what its worth that whole sound sounds like its mostly based off a trance gate more than a stutter, putting the gate after a reverb, and a ping pong delay after all of that. Then you roll off the bass, boost the highs on the reverb, get your vocalist to sing longish notes. Some auto pan and a bit of very fast stutter in parts. |
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sako487 |
quote: | Originally posted by theterran
This is what I was more or less wanting. I'm a newb, so it was a partially obvious question. But even us newbies don't know how to finesse vocals. Sure, having chopped up vocals is easy to do, but getting vocals like this are NOT newbie things.
There's alot going on there, so even listening to examples can be hard, and for us visual/kinesthetics, it's nice to have something to look at, like a guide kinda thing. |
I guess having a singer sing over it, then chop the vocals later
15+ years of exp wont hurt either |
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theterran |
quote: | Originally posted by kitphillips
The basic theory is nooby, the application is definately not.
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Well, same with EQ smearing I guess. The concept of EQ's adding unwanted noise is simple, fixing the problem requires smart people with fancy algorhythms.
Identifying if it occurs also seems easy (Put it in waveform and check the gaps).
I guess Advanced is a relative term then...I imagine people having strengths/weaknesses supports the claim.
Oh well, sorry to muck up the thread, I can go back through and edit my posts away if you wish ^^. |
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user19503 |
sako, everytime i see your avatar i think im getting killed any minute. |
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