Post your production tips

[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.

[soje]

Originally Posted by Kelle Marie

I keep this by the computer:

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
60Hz with a Q of 1.4 -- Add fullness to kicks.
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.
5Khz with a Q of 2.8 -- Adds attack to Kicks
7Khz with a Q of 2.8 -- Adds Sharpness to snares and percussion
10Khz with a Q of 1.0 -- Adds brightness to hats and cymbals

FREQUENCY:
USES:

50Hz
1. Increase to add more fullness to lowest frequency instruments like foot, toms, and the bass.
2. Reduce to decrease the "boom" of the bass and will increase overtones and the recognition of bass line in the mix. This is most often used on loud bass lines like rock.

100Hz
1. Increase to add a harder bass sound to lowest frequency instruments.
2. Increase to add fullness to guitars, snare.
3. Increase to add warmth to piano and horns.
4. Reduce to remove boom on guitars & increase clarity.

200Hz
1. Increase to add fullness to vocals.
2. Increase to add fullness to snare and guitar ( harder sound ).
3. Reduce to decrease muddiness of vocals or mid-range instruments.
4. Reduce to decrease gong sound of cymbals.

400Hz
1. Increase to add clarity to bass lines especially when speakers are at low volume.
2. Reduce to decrease "cardboard" sound of lower drums (foot and toms).
3. Reduce to decrease ambiance on cymbals.

800Hz
1. Increase for clarity and "punch" of bass.
2. Reduce to remove "cheap" sound of guitars.

1.5KHz
1. Increase for "clarity" and "pluck" of bass.
2. Reduce to remove dullness of guitars.

3KHz
1. Increase for more "pluck" of bass.
2. Increase for more attack of electric / acoustic guitar.
3. Increase for more attack on low piano parts.
4. Increase for more clarity / hardness on voice.
5. Reduce to increase breathy, soft sound on background vocals.
6. Reduce to disguise out-of-tune vocals / guitars.

5KHz
1. Increase for vocal presence.
2. Increase low frequency drum attack ( foot / toms).
3. Increase for more "finger sound" on bass.
4. Increase attack of piano, acoustic guitar and brightness on guitars (especially rock guitars).
5. Reduce to make background parts more distant.
6. Reduce to soften "thin" guitar.

7KHz
1. Increase to add attack on low frequency drums ( more metallic sound ).
2. Increase to add attack to percussion instruments.
3. Increase on dull singer.
4. Increase for more "finger sound" on acoustic bass.
5. Reduce to decrease "s" sound on singers.
6. Increase to add sharpness to synthesizers, rock guitars, acoustic guitar and piano.

10KHz
1. Increase to brighten vocals.
2. Increase for "light brightness" in acoustic guitar and piano.
3. Increase for hardness on cymbals.
4. Reduce to decrease "s" sound on singers.

15KHz
1. Increase to brighten vocals (breath sound).
2. Increase to brighten cymbals, string instruments and flutes.
3. Increase to make sampled synthesizer sound more real.

There are more great production tips on the studio forum at undergroundhouse.net

What kind of devices can I use to edit these frequencies? I would assume eq and filters. What's the difference between the top list and the bottom list where it say frequency uses and has a numbered list? It sounds like you can use these frequencies for bringing out certain notes or pitch range like bass , mid and , treble. It also sounds like you can do a lot more to a sound.

Are there absolute separate functions or applications for editing frequencies. Or is it a global type thing. It seems like there are 2 very different uses for frequencies.

I'm not sure if my questions even make sense.