Sonic Academy Forum / Sonic - General Information / Tips & Tricks

Slope FX

marques jc — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 17:45:59 GMT

Was wondering if any of you guys could help me out with how to create this kind of slope record fx, that you can hear in pretty much all progressive house tracks being released at the moment, its at the end of every 4th 8th or 16th beat.
I got close but not close enough using effectrix or a pitch envelope.

Its a little trend that i don't think it will last very long because it is slightly annoying but just curious which is the best way to achieve it.

here are some examples
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCGTiigsxmo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD8hfUxEQ2c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKBpFoH6MQg

thank you

In Key Drum Hits Samples Library

Rob.. — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:19:49 GMT

Hello all...!

I bought a In Tune Drum Hits Samples Library from this site http://drumhits.biz/ and I think it is very good for beginners. And I also get library update links sent to me via e mail, but I have not recieved any updates yet. And I was just wondering if any one else has bought the In Tune Drum Hits Sample Library and what are your views about it??

How to convert fxp presets to fxb banks on Mac?

DJ SPAZ — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 09:00:48 GMT

I have extensive presets & custom tweaked and/or created sounds which i would like to re-organize as banks. I would like to save myself some steps and make my own instrument & fx banks.

I've done some digging around and found some threads on the topic in both the KVR(http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=277776) and Steinberg(http://www.steinberg.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=40845) forums. I found some PC programs to do this but nothing on Mac yet.

I've scanned through my Sylenth user manual and found anything. Doin all this while makin beats is messin up my workflow:ermm:...

Sylenth experts pls shed some light or point me in the right direction pls

A City in Florida-Deadmau5

dynobot — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:03:24 GMT

Hey guys,

I'm trying to create the moog sound in this track, and I'm having difficulties on doing so if anyone can shed some light that will be fantastic!

It's like the bassline has a stutter effect with and LFO, not sure

(at the 1.46 min)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9i5npmuOy4

thanks!

Need some help with clipping

Tin0 — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 06:42:15 GMT

Hi!

If some one have any good guidelines on have to make sure you don't clip on your master output, I would be glad to lean about them.

I have a habit of putting every channel as close to 0db as possible. Then there is only
e a question of time before the master channel starts clipping. And usually by then, I'm 10-15 buses in to the project and it's a pain in the *** to find what needs tweaking.

If someone have good practice of guidelines on this topic I would be ever so happy.

mastering bass

gclarida — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:49:07 GMT

Hey guys, well i just got a new pair of shure srh840s for producing and im starting to be able to pick out alot of flaws thanks to the high quality of the headphones :D

My question is this, How do you guys master your bass to get that fat, driving sound? im using ableton i usually use a mix of compression and eq and then add reverb to give it a better feel.

Ive heard using multiband dynamics can help alot but im not sure how to go about it.

my bass has pump but not what im looking for, and certainly not what im hearing in more professionally mixed songs.

thanks guys

Need help, 2 Questions + 4 Tracks

schanze1 — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:29:02 GMT

Sorry for posting it twice:
Hi there i try to keep it short here.

--using Ableton suite--
Let´s get right to the point:
2 Questions:

1.- About SIMPLER and SAMPLER ; can anybody tell me what different usability they have and in which case you´ll be using the one/the other?

same with

2.- ANALOG and OPERATOR, basically doing the same, but when do you use Analog. And when will you be using Operator?

Attachment - examples:
I am stuck in creating a specific kind of Bassline (including Kick). I uploaded the cuts of 4 Tracks. I simply cut out the 1st Minute and packed it with Rar.
I hope anybody can help me please - recreating the Basslines of these tracks.
I named it Track 1, Track 2, Track 3..... if you can give me answer here just use the Track number.
Tracks-Link: https://rapidshare.com/files/3746276731/Tracks_.rar
--using Sbleton suite---

waveform recordings_Sylenth1 Deep & Tech Presets

michaellpenman — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 12:15:37 GMT

[B]Waveform Recordings_Sylenth1 Deep & Tech Presets[/B]

[IMG]http://i41.tinypic.com/51tzd.jpg[/IMG]

[url=http://www.soundstosample.com/info/Waveform_Recordings/Sylenth1_Deep__Tech_Presets/1869]Download Waveform Recordings - Sylenth1 Deep & Tech Presets - Sounds/To/Sample[/url]

Deep, dark and dirty Sylenth1 presets custom-built for house, techno and minimal productions, featuring 200 precision-programmed lead, bass, keys, pad, FX and arpeggios, plus Midi files for melodic inspiration.

After being inundated with requests Waveform deliver their first Sylenth preset collection: a finely-tuned collection of deep and tech synthery honed to capture the vibe of the tougher peak-time dancefloors as well as the deeper after-hours arenas.

Packed with 27 Arps/Seqs, 36 Bass, 31 FX, 24 Keys, 23 Leads, 20 Pads and 39 Synths all divided into 8 separate banks for easy navigation, the collection caters to all your Sylenth needs with fat, deep and detailed sounds to rival those in professional productions.

For added creative control there's 93 customisable Midi files sud-divided into folders of Bass, Keys, Leads, Pads and Synths - just fire up the sound of your choice and roll.

how do you guys start a new tune?!

monopunk — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:31:30 GMT

Hey

Just wondering what everyones approach is when starting a new tune, I tend to start writing a drum track first as it's what I'm used to but the more I think about it, I should probably spend more time on sound design of my basslines and leads first as this is usually what carries most of my tracks!!

Also do you guys get all the beats, loops, fx, basslines etc you are looking for in place before you start arranging?! Another thing I tend to do is arrange as I'm going.

Dave

Stretching vocals without any quality loss

MenD — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:33:27 GMT

I already used the search function but nothing useful came up so I already apologize if this was asked before.

I'm after a good effective way to stretch my vocals in length but not just lowering the speed

I have a diva acapella here and need her to hold the highest tone for about 15 seconds. if i chop the vocals apart and stretch the last bit that i want to be lasting and loop it, it has some strange clicking on it i can't get rid off.
it sounds quite pitched which i don't want to have as i am aiming for a natural sound.

i've also tried to put some heavy reverb and delay on it but the vocal is pinching out and gets to weak and wet ...

HOT CUES

Cantua81 — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:47:17 GMT

Hi Guys, i just finished the how to DJ using Ableton 8 tutorial, and i was wondering if it is possible to set CUE points to individual tracks like in Serato? i know you can set cue points in the arrangement window but how do you set them up on the session view? thanks

Melody...

JamieinNC — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 07:20:51 GMT

Here are the follow-up videos to the melody series.

As an educator, I have taken a personal vow to help EVERYBODY understand music and what it is as not only a medium of personal expression, but as a vehicle through which one can communicate his or her own personal contribution to the world through sound and musical interpretation.

Music is one of the most DIFFICULT of the arts, because it is a TRUE representation of who you are. Each one of you present your songs, replete with texture, melody, harmony, rhythm and SOUL with each production you render from your DAW. It is quite honestly the most COURAGEOUS thing a person can do, in my opinion: Put themselves out there for others to love, cheer, criticize, scorn, hate, buy, party with, and perhaps ENJOY while they exist here on this planet: and then TAKE whatever the masses give you.

I've decided to do the right thing. I apologize to Jan for not providing the instruction that he pays for with his subscription. He is the ONLY one that has been on my mind all day. NOT because of his posts, but because he felt as if he didn't get a full explanation of what I propose to deliver. I watched my videos several times today, and I realized... he was correct! I didn't exactly explain what I set out to explain.

So, as a good educator, I set out to fix that ONE person that felt left out. And for that I present to you the following videos... And after viewing, I hope there won't be any further questions about my skill...

Enjoy.

P.S. I think it might be a good idea if a I take a break from SA for a while...I'll be back soon.

MELODY PART 1

MELODY PART 2

MELODY PART 3

MELODY PART 4

Melody PART 5

MELODY WRAP-UP

How do you make heavy basslines dive?

TankedMetal — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 08:26:05 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb55ep-DrSo

3:09

I'm sure this forum has had enough Noisia and whatnot put on here lol, but I've been messing with resampling alot lately and want to take my weird *** basslines a bit further and make them move in a song.

Here's some results I got today from messing around with resampling.
New Homemade Sounds - Resampling! by TankedMetal

vocoders on basslines in logic

J.HiZ — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:49:53 GMT

a common trick i've seen used in ableton and reason is using a vocoder as an EQ to grit up your basslines. I'm a logic user and was curious as any other logic users have been able to achieve the same effects in logic?

How to make this synth sound??

mking321 — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:34:33 GMT

Hi im trying to figure out how to make this synth sound i have massive and a few other vsts which i could use to make it but so far had no luck... the sound im talking about is at 2.30 its like an old style hip hop synth any help would be greatly appreciated! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJGmDcOhx_k&feature=related

CHords & Scales

Luke Firebird — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 00:26:30 GMT

Hi Guys,
I just wanted to share this helpful chord and scale tools with you.

To download the pack, visit:
http://www.thecovertoperators.org/Live-Packs/chords-and-scales-for-live-8

* On The site you find also more free stuff such as free ableton packs etc.

Next I found this here:
Download Vespers "Ultimate Hookup" Pack (by DJ Vespers)
incl. a very good PDF File.

cheers
luke

The Ultimate Dupstep Guide

Luke Firebird — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 07:57:09 GMT

[b]Dubstep/Wobble Bass- Recommendations:[/b]

http://www.youtube.com/user/DubSpot
http://www.musicradar.com/tuition/tech/how-to-make-dubstep-in-2011-507561
http://www.musicradar.com/tuition/tech/how-to-make-a-burial-style-beat-221976/1
http://www.soundstosample.com/blog/tag/dubstep
http://www.soundstosample.com/blog/how-to/get-that-wobble-dubstep-bass
http://www.looperman.com/forum/thread/56378
http://www.boyinaband.com/2009/06/how-to-make-frickin-amazing-dubstep-from-a-pro-dubstep-dj/
http://www.musicproductioncourses.net/how-to-make-dubstep/ (Nice!)
http://www.musicradar.com/tuition/tech/14-dubstep-production-tips-178489
http://vimeo.com/21543997
http://www.bonedo.de/artikel/einzelansicht/dubstep-basics.html (translate via Google!)

FL User:
http://howtomakeelectronicmusic.com/how-to-make-a-dubstep-beat
http://audio.tutsplus.com/tutorials/production/how-to-make-a-dubstep-style-wobble-bass-in-fl-studio-8/

Reason User:
http://audio.tutsplus.com/tutorials/sound-design/quick-tip-how-to-create-a-dubstep-wobble-bass-with-subtractor/
http://www.ma****.com/2007/10/27/tutorial-bass-research/

Beatmaking:
http://audio.tutsplus.com/tutorials/sound-design/dubstep-for-beginners-part-1-the-drums/

Free Samples:
http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/sampleradar-13154-free-sample-downloads-217833/79

The list will be updated!

how to make synths like this

baba_anubis — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:43:05 GMT

hello to the forum :)

can you please explain about how to make the synths in this track? I know its sound simple but I`m really not so good in synths...
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70bphk-0UdU[/url]

How to make the fast sample changes musically?

pduane — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 02:50:57 GMT

Can someone have a quick listen here and I have noticed in this ZEDD song about the 1:50mark... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld5E4P8O_1Y
there are High tones that zip through and wondering how typically the producer
makes the tones rise real fast and short, up and down? Is that LFO work?

Question: the fast rapid sample changes with low and high synth combinations arranged to just run through smoothly as producer does in this song, how is this done? Sampler, Simpler? or other ways?

Solution to Ableton rewire to Cubase 6

Deep_Dee — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:56:00 GMT

I had problems with rewiring Ableton to Cubase 6. The soultion to the problem was the "Release ASIO Driver In Background" option in Cubase has to be disabled in order for the rewire to work.
Might be of use to some of you.

Fattening up sample takes/ disco/ 80;s etc

sonicskape — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:54:29 GMT

can you help. I am looking for a little help in the right direction with a question i really can't seem to find an answer anywhere on the internet, and was hoping that someone on here will have the answer.

I am wanting to produce disco house, but this query would apply to remixing any original track whether it be disco / 1920's / or an 80's pop track - but what I want to know is once you have imported ie. an old disco track and time stretched it . How best to beef the sample up to make it sound a little more up to date to fit in the arrangement - I think what i mean is what sort of thing would be used in the channel strip settings to chunk it up , what plugs to sound like freemasons etc,

if you can advise me I would be so very very grateful as it's driving me crazy as can't get it to sound fat / wide/expanded etc . it just sounds empty.

Although there is a tech disco tutorial on here it doesn't go into looking after the sample eq / channel strip etc/ I use Logic so could do with some Logic help rather than Ableton although the principles will remain the same

Thanks so Much

Andy

Julio Bashmore style

jonsloan — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:52:43 GMT

Couple of vids here with bass techniques, including one to recreate the sound of Julio Bashmore's cracker Battle for Middle You

[url]http://www.ableton.com/blog/2012/01/18/better-bass-analog-two-new-tutorials-point-blank/[/url]

New Tune Out Soon!

Luke Firebird — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 13:00:53 GMT

Sorry For Promo!
But my new tune is coming out soon:
so stay tuned for "Jizzo Bizzo"

free drums- Simmons-type syndrum

Luke Firebird — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 12:59:12 GMT

here:
http://www.simmonsmuseum.com/?area=sounds

5 Mixing Hacks

J4Electrix — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:28:32 GMT

[url=http://simplyrecordingpodcast.com/5-mixing-hacks/]http://simplyrecordingpodcast.com/5-mixing-hacks/[/url]

In this episode, Joe and Graham cover 5 Mixing Hacks, and Graham shares a Quick Tip for getting a better overhead tone every time. (Duration: 44:07 audio — 60.6MB)

5 Mixing Hacks:

Static Mix
Mixing at Lower Volumes
Mixing in Mono
Subtractive EQ
Setting a Timer

[url=http://www.multiupload.com/N3V5KZS850]dl[/url]

Waveform Arrangement Method

Luke Firebird — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 05:02:45 GMT

A lot of producers find it hard to arrange their parts together.

One way:
Load a song you like and study how it was arranged (e.g. making notices and setting marks etc.)

My Way:
Go on Beatport/ DJ Tunes or any other Music Portal that lets you see the waveform of songs.

Now use a snipping tool to copy the waveform ( PICTURE!) and paste it into a document!
When analyzing the waveform you´ll notice, where the breakdowns/ buildup, drops etc. takes place in the song and from their you can get and idea/inspiration to arrange your own songs.

Just give it a go!

How to get this super low end?

na0s — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:18:48 GMT

Hi guys! First of all thanks for all the trick you share in the forum :) I am a newbie myself in production, just playing around a little bit.

I was listening to this Nikola Gala happy techyhouse song - Greenball [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N46Edals4w[/url]
in my monitors and would like to know how the hell can the guy get this super low end bass coming in 3:19.

Is it just a KICK with a very nice low end? Maybe a top kick and a synth with a basic sin wave with the gate trick to add low end to the kick?

Or you think it is just a low end bassline sounding?

So many questions...:w00t:

Thank you in advance and happy beats!

Is a DUMMY CLIP - FX rack FX chain used here?

pnaegle — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:30:50 GMT

Hello Sound Academy Tech Tips production team,

Please review this track by some producers...here [url]http://soundcloud.com/albizzareofficial[/url]
at the middle mark 2:45 in this Electro House track have a listen. Do the use FX side chainm meaning an FX rack
and switch back and forth effecting a single synth. It seems they are using Sylenth and Massive or just one but has such variety i am wondering if those types of production sections or arrangement are created by manually separately arranging the track synth parts
in arrangement mode of ABLETON Live 8 or just in the Sample view mode of Ableton such as using the DUMMY CLIPS method with FX Rack for something like this. Because they are using LFO's and Envelope modulations, but I don't know if its actually considered AUTOMATION in this song? Just let me know your best guess. Would that section you'll listen to be consider "Automation" or a different method to produce and arrange all those variety of synths?

Kindest Regards,

Paul- :)

R'n'b to house remix... vocals warp question!!

JohnnyLabs — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 07:39:35 GMT

Well i'll remix a song with a 78bpm, but if i mix in 128|130 bpm the vocals are to fast.

In Ableton i try to duplicate the vocal bpm but still don't work and out of beat completely.
Can someone provide me some help?

thank you in advance

Dubstep Patch

Luke Firebird — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 02:57:21 GMT

Hi,

here are give you two dubstep bass presets for free!

Patch 1
http://www.mediafire.com/?d5godxi8wnx7kbp

Patch 2:
http://www.mediafire.com/?ux6aawmjmcgqs93
To open the patch you need novation bass station!

like me on facebook!
hope you like it!

free samples

Luke Firebird — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 00:44:42 GMT

Hi,

here you get a free 65mb sample pack.
incl. 4 patches:
- FM FARFISA,
- DX TINES,
- MELLOW SQUARE
- AND FAMOUS LATELY BASS!

Format:
- soundfont 2

download here:
http://www.polynominal.com/site/studio/gear/sold/yamaha_tx81z/index.html

Nice Loops and More

Luke Firebird — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 04:24:33 GMT

Here You get some loops and more free stuff:

http://www.breakbeat-paradise.com/samplesite/bb_breakbeat.php

atmospheric - pad sound

Luke Firebird — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 01:22:43 GMT

Hi,
I made a Pad sound patch.
It would be nice if you could give a feedback on my patch.

Download wave file:
http://www.mediafire.com/?ehe073k3sf93xm1

Like Me on Facebook for password!
LUKE FIREBIRD IS THE NAME!

sterile digitale vs. analog - style warmth

Luke Firebird — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:52:02 GMT

One way to add a bit realism to your mix is to use:

- gain plugin (e.g. Free G from sonalksis)
- distortion plugin (e.g. camelcrush from camel audio)

=> A common way to simulate the analog style warmth is to use gain/distortion and tube emulation. Used [b]carefully [/b]and [b]sparingly[/b] it can make your mix sounds a lot better!

To give your entire mix a "vintage style" flavor, add a gain and/ or distortion plugin to your master channel. (Many producers use "PSP Vintage Warmer" for this job.)

JiZZO BIZZO´s LIVE PACK- ROTATING PROPELLERS PART II

Luke Firebird — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:25:28 GMT

Hi,
I´ve made a new pack, that I´ll upload soon on mediafire.
Meanwhile visit my Youtube - channel to see what the pack is about.

Here :
http://www.youtube.com/user/LukeSega?feature=mhee#p/u/0/yobfX3-TbCc

Popsynth

Alex Pro — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 01:20:38 GMT

[b]1. Synthpop
2. Crystal Castles
3. Not in Love[/b]

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsV8TrF4gN0]video[/url]

Hey Guys, could someone give me a hint on the massive reverbed synth you hear at 1:00 ??

It's truly beautiful.

Thanks!

Studio Monitor Stands

rubberteeth — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 02:56:20 GMT

With a change in studio set up I'm moving my monitors from off my desk and onto monitor stands.

Now I'm in the process of finding the most suitable stands for my Rokit 6's that aren't too expensive.

Can anybody recommend any brand's or types of stand's they think might be suitable?

Thanks :D

Dirty bass sound

Rubens — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 02:10:36 GMT

Hi ,

I was wondering to get this dirty bassline : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c-Pz6nqS3s ( zedd- shave it)

The bass sound i'm trying to recreate comes at 1min 28 sec. Other bass sounds i like are the sound of dyro-draftastic. I love the dirty baslines ;-).

CLR / Dark Techno Production Thread

ICN — Sun, 22 May 2011 14:32:43 GMT

Hello,

This is a thread, relating to the CLR Thread in the Tutorials section.

[url]http://forums.sonicacademy.com/Topic48306-13-1.aspx[/url]

The idea being that we talk here about the stuff that makes this music fkking class. Making a different thread to the other Tech Production tread so that all the info can be kept in one place. Later.. we can put a link from the Sticky to this.

[url]http://forums.sonicacademy.com/Topic31980-8-1.aspx[/url]

If everyone could share their thoughts, tips, workflow etc.. it might help everyone get closer to nailing the sound & get their own slant on it.

It would be SO COOL - if everyone could share something. No matter how small - everything related to this is relevant.

Ideally, if everyone could maybe give an example of something that they were working on.. maybe post a few words on something that featured in their track. Doesnt have to be a Vid or anything [i]necessarily[/i]. Whatever is cool with you.. however the important thing is that we help eachother?! :) :cool:

I've made a dog rough vid about how I go about getting that reverb sound on the kick. Also, theres a bit of stuff about using autofilters.

The Kick sound - Its basically a gated reverb - similar to the 80's reverb sound that featured on drums, such as Phil Collins etc.. :D

Thats my take on it anyway.. I'm sure theres other ways of doing it - probably better.. but hopefully it'll be enough to get some discussion going & spark a few ideas. I do it with midi - but you could always bounce the audio of the reverb & blend it back in.. positioning it so that it grooves more / less. Whatever :)

I'm no pro.. and Its basic & rough: but hopefully it'll spark some tangents for you :cool:

Apologies for the sound being a little low on YT - It seemed to get really compressed after upload.

ALSO _ we've set up a Techno Facebook Group:

[url]http://www.facebook.com/groups/171366219605866/
[/url]

So to start the ball rolling:

Nickey Romero DRUM FILL - How is it done?

davesol — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 02:41:49 GMT

Hey Ya'll:

So...how is this drum fill done? (flanger? or tight dely over regular drum fill, FX plug in?)

(Heard at 3:28)

Housequake ft Michele David - Out Of The Dark (Nicky Romero Remix)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiUXLv3vcXg

Bad *** to say the least.

Happy 2012