+ Production Tips & Techniques +

[SYMBIANT]

Making Creepy Sounding Vox..

People always ask all the time how to make really dark vox samples using quotes. And i am gonna show a simple way of tweaking out.

Note: If you are using software like reason i don;t think you can fully reverse samples so you would have to do this via soundforge or an audio editing or mastering program..

First step get a decent vox sample u like

Here is an example

I take this sample raw

from the Exorcism Of Emily Rose

Listen original

http://www.zshare.net/download/62533369d668c1/

Now i am going to add some reverb and reverse the sample

http://www.zshare.net/download/625348488d5e63/

Now i will bring it back in and reverse it back so the vocals are normal and then drop the pitch so it sounds a little more demonic and then voila it sounds like this..

http://www.zshare.net/download/625362528e10a0/

[Sike-1]

making a bassline out of a sample

1 - make sure the sample you are using is @ least a bar long

2 - place the sample however you intended, then make a copy of the same sample + Placement

3 - on the copy, Add a lowpass filter on it

4 - add an eq, and boost the low EQ to around 100-120MHZ

5 - Tune to your liking.

this is a easy way to make very melodic basses, that mesh perfectly with your samples everytime.

some say its an outdated technique, but i say fuck that, it sounds GREAT when you do it, why fuck with what works?

[djjeph]

Making Creepy Sounding Vox..

People always ask all the time how to make really dark vox samples using quotes. And i am gonna show a simple way of tweaking out.

Note: If you are using software like reason i don;t think you can fully reverse samples so you would have to do this via soundforge or an audio editing or mastering program..

First step get a decent vox sample u like

Here is an example

I take this sample raw

from the Exorcism Of Emily Rose

Listen original

http://www.zshare.net/download/62533369d668c1/

Now i am going to add some reverb and reverse the sample

http://www.zshare.net/download/625348488d5e63/

Now i will bring it back in and reverse it back so the vocals are normal and then drop the pitch so it sounds a little more demonic and then voila it sounds like this..

http://www.zshare.net/download/625362528e10a0/

using the 'nn-xt advanced sampler' in reason, if you open up the main device panel, in the middle, there is a knob with which you can play your samples
FW, BW, FW-BW, among other things.

it's how i do the same technique with vocals for that eeeeeerie 'ghost whispering soundy bizniss' in horror movies



great tips tho homie.

[Trench]

whoa symbiant.....great tips thanks a lot........you can make some dark sounding shit with those effects

[SYMBIANT]

Something i posted on tj maybe some of you might be interested in..

Snappy and punchy drums.

It's all in the "Original Samples" That you process getting that sort of sound. I really don't know what you are trying to achieve personally (What style per say or who) but i am gonna go out on a limb. I have been working towards a more thick sound and a deeper realm. But i have been experimenting with a lot of kits and shit and just finally got my hands on the kits i need to get this. But samples isn't the only think. Compression, Parametric EQ'ing, Decay, Gates etc. These all come into play of coarse.
I had actually made a thread directed towards this same topic and found out that there are some frequency cut off similarities. Example. Kicks i was directing a lot of this towards kick drums. And Kicks i find and it was weird cause it was the exact same sort of but in the mid range to get a phat kick you have to subtract a lot in around 500hz to achieve a deeper sound. and laying other kicks of coarse and carving off what you don't want and gluing in the missing pieces. Sort of look at it like if it were a puzzle to the on great drum you want. Use the best parts of the kick drums you like and get rid of the rest..

"Same with snares and Hats but try different eq's on these elements..."

Using dynamics is important in the snappy and punch part. I am assuming you mean Snappy Snares? and Punchy Kicks?. Well after all of that shit is done with the equing you can start bringing to life these (Punchy & Snappy) with dynamic processing VIA side-chaining, Parallel Compressing, gating/Noise Gating. BUT!!!!! When you start getting into this you might have to go back to your Eq's and fuck around again because obviously there will be changes and you will notice a lot more of the characteristics changing. Messing with attacks and releases will obviously play a huge part. I am sure that you probably know this anyways.. Key--->(Side Chain, Parallel Processing)
Now the decays. Short samples basically with the right amount of tail ends off of your transients. I use Cubase so i usually turn the snap to grid off on my audio and adjust until i find the right length. using gates/Noise gates are great for this as well for controlling your hits. Experimenting is key, i would have never figured out some stuff i didn't just say what the hell I'm gonna do it anyways..

screw the rules...

But like i said before it is all in the original samples you use. (Trance, House) Drum samples are where it is at. Look for some packs.


Remember only you can prevent....Go find some Trance and House sample packs!!!!!!!

[djjeph]

well, i came across this program, was given the full version, but haven't tried it out yet..

http://www.xarcmastering.com/?ref=ad...FRuhFQodiGQEew

auto mastering?
if it works how i think it will (probably requires a reference track or something, to which you'll then patch in your wav/aiff/mp3, and the program will EQ the track based on the references provided) the program could be pretty promising.

anyways, if anyone checks it out, let me know, and i'll install this bitch up lol.

[djjeph]

well, i came across this program, was given the full version, but haven't tried it out yet..

http://www.xarcmastering.com/?ref=ad...FRuhFQodiGQEew

auto mastering?
if it works how i think it will (probably requires a reference track or something, to which you'll then patch in your wav/aiff/mp3, and the program will EQ the track based on the references provided) the program could be pretty promising.

anyways, if anyone checks it out, let me know, and i'll install this bitch up lol.

sorry, stoned mistake...

wrong link haha

http://www.curioza.com/

check that shit. auto-mastering.

[Toxic]

EQ Tips.

ttp://www.soundpunk.com/index.php?topic=121.0

Eq Settings

General:
20 Hz and below - impossible to detect, remove as it only adds unnecessary energy to the total sound, thereby most probably holding down the overall volume of the track
60 Hz and below - sub bass (feel only)
80(-100) Hz - feel AND hear bass
100-120 Hz - the "club sound system punch" resides here
200 Hz and below - bottom
250 Hz - notch filter here can add thump to a kick drum
150-400 Hz - boxiness
200 Hz-1.5 KHz - punch, fatness, impact
800 Hz-4 KHz - edge, clarity, harshness, defines timbre
4500 Hz - exteremly tiring to the ears, add a slight notch here
5-7 KHz - de-essing is done here
4-9 KHz - brightness, presence, definition, sibilance, high frequency distortion
6-15 KHz - air and presence
9-15 KHz - adding will give sparkle, shimmer, bring out details - cutting will smooth out harshness and darken the mix

Kicks:
60Hz with a Q of 1.4 -- Add fullness to kicks.
5Khz with a Q of 2.8 -- Adds attack to Kicks
bottom (60 - 80 Hz),
slap (4 kHz)
EQ>Cut below 80Hz to remove rumble
Boost between 80 -125 Hz for bass
Boost between 3 - 5kHz to get the slap
PROCESSING> Compression 4:1/6:1 slow attack med release.
Reverb: Tight room reverb (0.1-0.2ms)

General:
Apply a little cut at 300Hz and some boost between 40Hz and 80Hz.
Control The Attack:
Apply boost or cut around 4KHz to 6KHz.
Treat Muddiness:
Apply cut somewhere in the 100Hz to 500Hz range.
kick>> bottom depth at 60 - 80 Hz, slap attack at 2.5Hz

Snares:
100Hz with a Q of 1.0 -- Add fullness to snare
200Hz - 250Hz with a Q of 1.4 -- Adds wood to snares
3Khz with a Q of 1.4 -- Adds atack to snare.
7Khz with a Q of 2.8 -- Adds Sharpness to snares and percussion
fatness at 120-240Hz
boing at 400Hz
crispness at 5kHz
snap at 10kHz
fatness (240 Hz), crispness (5 kHz)
EQ> Boost above 2kHz for that crisp edge
Cut at 1kHz to get rid of the sharp peak
Boost at 125Hz for a full snare sound
Cut at 80Hz to remove rumble
PROCESSING> Compression 4:1 slow attack med release.
Reverb: Tight room reverb (0.1-0.2ms)
snare>> fatness at 240HZ, crispness at 5 KHz

Vocals
General:
Roll off below 60Hz using a High Pass Filter. This range is unlikely to contain anything useful, so you may as well reduce the noise the track contributes to the mix.
Treat Harsh Vocals:
To soften vocals apply cut in a narrow bandwidth somewhere in the 2.5KHz to 4KHz range.
Get An Open Sound:
Apply a gentle boost above 6KHz using a shelving filter.
Get Brightness, Not Harshness:
Apply a gentle boost using a wide-band Bandpass Filter above 6KHz. Use the Sweep control to sweep the frequencies to get it right.
Get Smoothness:
Apply some cut in a narrow band in the 1KHz to 2KHz range.
Bring Out The Bass:
Apply some boost in a reasonably narrow band somewhere in the 200Hz to 600Hz range.
Radio Vocal Effect:
Apply some cut at the High Frequencies, lots of boost about 1.5KHz and lots of cut below 700Hz.
Telephone Effect:
Apply lots of compression pre EQ, and a little analogue distortion by turning up the input gain. Apply some cut at the High Frequencies, lots of boost about 1.5KHz and lots of cut below 700Hz.
vocals>> fullness at 120 Hz, boominess at 200 - 240 Hz, presence at 5 kHz, sibilance at 7.5 - 10 kHz

Hats:
10Khz with a Q of 1.0 -- Adds brightness to hats and cymbals
Hi Hat & Cymbals: sizzle (7.5 - 10 kHz), clank (200 Hz)
EQ> Boost above 5kHz for sharp sparkle
Cut at 1kHz to remove jangling
PROCESSING> Compression use high ratio for high energy feel
Reverb: Looser than Bass n Snare allow the hats and especially the Rides to ring a little
Get Definition:
Roll off everything below 600Hz using a High Pass Filter.
Get Sizzle:
Apply boost at 10KHz using a Band Pass Filter. Adjust the bandwidth to get the sound right.
Treat Clangy Hats:
Apply some cut between 1KHz and 4KHz.
hi hats/cymbals>> clank or gong sound at 200 Hz, shimmer at 7.5 kHz - 12 kHz

Guitar:
Treat Unclear Vocals:
Apply some cut to the guitar between 1KHz and 5KHz to bring the vocals to the front of the mix.
General:
Apply a little boost between 100Hz and 250Hz and again between 10KHz and 12KHz.
Acoustic Guitar
Add Sparkle:Try some gentle boost at 10KHz using a Band Pass Filter with a medium bandwidth.
General:
Try applying some mid-range cut to the rhythm section to make vocals and other instruments more clearly heard.
Other:
Voice: presence (5 kHz), sibilance (7.5 - 10 kHz), boominess (200 - 240 kHz), fullness (120 Hz)
Electric Guitar: fullness (240 Hz), bite (2.5 kHz), air / sizzle (8 kHz)
Bass Guitar: bottom (60 - 80 Hz), attack (700 - 1000 Hz), string noise (2.5 kHz)
Toms: attack (5 kHz), fullness (120 - 240 Hz)
Acoustic Guitar: harshness / bite (2 kHz), boominess (120 - 200 Hz), cut (7 - 10 kHz)
Bass - Compressed, EQ'd with a full bottom end and some mids
rack toms>> fullness at 240 Hz, attack at 5 kHz
floor toms>> fullness at 80 - 120 Hz, attack at 5 kHz
horns>> fullness at 120 - 240 Hz, shrill at 5 - 7.5 kHz
strings>> fullness at 240 Hz, scratchiness at 7.5 - 10 kHz
conga/bongo>> resonance at 200 - 240 Hz, slap at 5 kHz

General Frequencies:
EQ Reference: Frequencies
50Hz
Boost: To thicken up bass drums and sub-bass parts.
Cut: Below this frequency on all vocal tracks. This should reduce the effect of any microphone 'pops'.
70-100Hz
Boost: For bass lines and bass drums.
Cut: For vocals.
General: Be wary of boosting the bass of too many tracks. Low frequency sounds are particularly vulnerable to phase cancellation between sounds of similar frequency. This can result in a net 'cut of the bass frequencies.
200-400Hz
Boost: To add warmth to vocals or to thicken a guitar sound.
Cut: To bring more clarity to vocals or to thin cymbals and higher frequency percussion.
Boost or Cut: to control the 'woody' sound of a snare.
400-800Hz
Boost: To add warmth to toms.
Boost or Cut: To control bass clarity, or to thicken or thin guitar sounds.
General: In can be worthwhile applying cut to some of the instruments in the mix to bring more clarity to the bass within the overall mix.
800Hz-1KHz
Boost: To thicken vocal tracks. At 1 KHz apply boost to add a knock to a bass drum.
1-3KHz
Boost: To make a piano more aggressive. Applying boost between 1KHz and 5KHz will also make guitars and basslines more cutting.
Cut: Apply cut between 2 KHz and 3KHz to smooth a harsh sounding vocal part.
General: This frequency range is often used to make instruments stand out in a mix.
3-6KHz
Boost: For a more 'plucked' sounding bass part. Apply boost at around 6KHz to add some definition to vocal parts and distorted guitars.
Cut: Apply cut at about 3KHz to remove the hard edge of piercing vocals. Apply cut between 5KHZ and 6KHz to dull down some parts in a mix.
6-10KHz
Boost: To sweeten vocals. The higher the frequency you boost the more 'airy/breathy' the result will be. Also boost to add definition to the sound of acoustic guitars or to add edge to synth sounds or strings or to enhance the sound of a variety of percussion sounds. For example boost this range to:
Bring out cymbals.
Add ring to a snare.
Add edge to a bass drum.
10-16KHz
Boost: To make vocals more 'airy' or for crisp cymbals and percussion. Also boost this frequency to add sparkle to pads, but only if the frequency is present in the original sound, otherwise you will just be adding hiss to the recording.

[Sike-1]

^ that is one of the most comprehensive guidelines on eqing i have ever seen.

big up.

[Toxic]

^ that is one of the most comprehensive guidelines on eqing i have ever seen.

big up.

its pretty bang on too.

i find alot of stuff today is really well done, but some elements tend to sit around the same frequencies and shit just gets muddied up.

i know its a very basic technique, but its often overlooked, thats why i posted this.