Post your production tips

[claydoh]

LAYER YOUR KICK DRUMS ON TOP OF ONE ANOTHER.




buy some good headphones.

[crotalus]

-it is vital to have decent studio monitors and soundcard.
-it is also vital to buy the good cables and not be a cheap bastard.
-make sure that your power cables always cross audio cables (that they never run parallel.) or you will pick up ground frequencies (hums)
-although some people lead you one way or another by saying some tools are better than others, pick the ones you like and focus more on being better with the tools you use.
-SAVE YOUR PRESETS if you find something that works its a lot easier to modify it a little bit later for a different sound than to create it from the ground up again. this also helps greatly in establishing "YOUR" sound.
-FOCUS ON SAMPLE QUALITY - take all sounds you have chosen to use and resample using wavelab, soundforge, t-racks, etc. its very important to master the shit out of every sample and bring it back into your beat machine/sequencer. then when it comes to final mixdown you wont have weak sounds getting lost in there. It is equally important to keep them separated (ie: kick, snare, hat as opposed to "drum track")
-SOLO A LOT - how can you tell if your bassline is fucked up if you arent listening intently to it and it alone?
-and most importantly keep your ego in check... just because you think youre badass doesnt mean you cant learn new things. always remain open minded and take tips like all the great ones on this thread and see how/when you might be able to use bits and pieces of them... just because you dont do it religiously like that guy who posted it doesnt mean it wont come in handy one time on one track on one sound. always think outside the box and never be afraid to experiment otherwise all your tracks will sound the same.

[Damnsammit]

I am so glad I found this thread. Thank you all for those great tips / printouts! I am new to the whole thing, but here are a few tips from a n00b.

After you make a track, burn it to a CD and listen to it through different audio sources.

It should sound good on your computer, CD/MP3 player, and in your car...

If it doesn't then go back to mastering.

Sometimes just listening to a work in progress while you are driving around will give you good insight on changes/fixes you want to make.


Also, collaborating with others is very important. My friend plays the guitar and I sampling his bass lines are incredibly helpful. If you don't play an instrument, get a friend who does because their knowledge and ability will overwhelm you with ideas.

[DJ Finle]

Wooot! Still the best thread ever on good ole DDM.

[Payton]

I agree with alot of things here. Layering things is very important. However, If something sounds good... it sounds good. It doesnt matter if you went outside guide lines.

[Gian Carlo]

EZ on the EFX....apply as needed

[Sergio]

I don't think this one has been mentioned yet but it's actually one of the first things that should be done in the mixing stage - roll off frequencies below 50Hz.

Frequencies in this range are unnecessary and take away headroom from the overall track loudness. Also most audio systems cannot reliably reproduce frequencies in this range so they are essentially silent distortion.

Use a filter or EQ in the channel insert processing chain on nearly every track. I recommend creating a custom preset and then using that for all the processors.

[Sergio]

For you all running Mac OS X, a nice widget to help you thru those creative valleys and troughs. I can't speak for it myself coz I've never used it but this is a method developed by none other than Brian Eno so there must be something to it. Here's what the widget description says on apple.com:

About Oblique
Are you a musician/producer having a blank in the studio? Are you a writer with a sudden writer’s block? Are you an artist staring at a blank canvas? Are you a creative looking at an empty screen?

In comes Oblique — a widget implementation of the famous “Oblique Strategies” card decks from Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt. It features the complete sets of the Original (1975), the Second (1978) and Third (1979) Editions, as well as the elusive, commercially not-available Fourth set (1996) by Brian Eno and Peter Norton. Selection of the Editions is user-controllable via a preferences panel. The timing for the Auto-Flipback feature is accessible via the preferences panel as well.

http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashb...e/oblique.html

Enjoy!

[signal 13]

Originally Posted by ~Pakalolo~

God I love this thread, it's like being back in Audio School.

After reading this thread I realized that I know fuck-all about production. Looks like I'm doomed to mixin other people's shit forrrrreverrrrrr....

Where exactly do you go for "Audio School?"

[Soccer Mom]

Originally Posted by Sergio

I don't think this one has been mentioned yet but it's actually one of the first things that should be done in the mixing stage - roll off frequencies below 50Hz.

Frequencies in this range are unnecessary and take away headroom from the overall track loudness. Also most audio systems cannot reliably reproduce frequencies in this range so they are essentially silent distortion.

Use a filter or EQ in the channel insert processing chain on nearly every track. I recommend creating a custom preset and then using that for all the processors.

The lowest audible frequency is 20 hz and above. You lose a substantial amount of weight in the bass if you cut at 50 hz, and I wouldn't suggest cutting any higher than about 30-35 hz.

Also, an EQ on every channel is an easy way to flatten a track. If you have to EQ everything, do it sparingly, and use a linear phase EQ whenever possible.

Originally Posted by signal 13

After reading this thread I realized that I know fuck-all about production. Looks like I'm doomed to mixin other people's shit forrrrreverrrrrr....

Where exactly do you go for "Audio School?"

Audio school isn't really necessary in this day and age. All the information you could possibly need can be found on the internet. Just practice, and listen to experienced people when they give you advice. I also suggest Bob Katz's book Mastering Audio for a comprehensive reference guide.

[molecule]

mix your tracks with other peoples music you admire (serato,cdj) recognize the sonic differences and short comings.

most of the time I use subtractive eq pre compression, and additive after. no need to have your compressor acting on unwanted freqs.

make noise, break rules... and you can't fake the funk.

[Scotty-b]

originality is best but catchee hooks are better

[JOLLYGREENJIANT]

sidechaining rules!

[DJNumberone]

Thnx

[projectphoenix]

man this post is the most helpful i have came across as a whole. keep it up guys.

as for my tip: Be original, stop trying to copy or replicate, unless you are trying to advance your techniques. You are an artist. I also have read so many articles from top name DJs and producers that all say the same thing; people are putting out tracks that are being heard by the masses too early, meaning not just putting out a track that sounds good. Make it sound Great! Put the extra time into your track, and polish it to perfection. Its not about how many tracks you put out but how good they are.

Practice your craft, keep learning, live your music.