Hi James, great deep tutorials. My pad is cut at 14K but the high end is muddying my mix. How do you advise to approach it? remove the high cut and filter my pad while busy in the mix or any other option? Thank you.
I would start by taking a look into the instrument itself and that Pad settings to check what’s likely causing the higher frequency range to peak out. It might be easier ( and lead to a better sounding result ) to automate parameters like filter cutoff, resonance, any onboard synth Fx like Eq, Compressor… or even simply automating the synth output level.
The idea here is to get back to the source and try to fix issues at the earlier stage possible.
Hi Stephane,
Thanks For the fast reply.
I’ll look into it, I have 2 pads layers one covering the mid and the second the high from Spire initialized the preset and the 3rd osc has 7 voices, its cutoff open around 85% the problem if you cut to 70% the pad loose its drive and become dark because of my cut at 14 K on the eq
but usually for pad cutting at 14k is ideal or you need to leave it more open?
There’s no actual rule or value that will always work, it’s song context dependent for each & every track actually.
What type of EQ filter are you using to make that cut arounfd 14.0 Khz ?
This will also have a serious impact depending of the way you’re altering the sound. If you’re using a Low pass filter to filter frequencies above 14.0 Khz, then also check the slope value of the filter. Some EQ allow you to use 6dB, 12 db, 24 db or even more slope settings, the higher the value is, the more signal you’re cutting off.
You could also try to combine EQ curves ( or add another EQ after cutting off ) and add a resonant EQ curve ( more like a high-shelf to boost the frequency you think it’s disappearing after cutting off ).
But again, check the sound source and also Fx chain on the track(s), if you find yourself to spend too many time with the EQ ( unless it’s for sound design purpose ) then something else might be “wrong” with the way the sound is engineered in first place.
Gain stage and well balanced levels between tracks is also important as well as the “energy” taken by each sound in the all spectrum across the entire Mix and that’s what caught my attention when reading the last post:
Layering 2 synths / 7 voices OSC / Filter cutoff open around 85% ? → well, you already got a wall of sound here. Push those tracks in level and it’s gonna be very difficult to mix anything. Use a frequency analyzer to visualize what part of the spectrum this layered pad is occupying ).
Don’t let you ears full you or let yourself caught up by something sounding gorgeous & massive, especially if you’re at the beginning or middle stage of making a full track because then you’ll just find yourself missing energy as soon as you make some changes and it’s gonna be terribly difficult to mix your song.
Hello, I have a layered lead high cut at 12 K and I am trying to add white noise high end from sylenth1, 1 voice but it is harsh and 3xosc high end is perfect but it sticks too much because my notes are 3 octave, no space between each other and it get worst when you delay it, any advice for layering high end or other VST recommendation?
Again there’s no magic numbers or rules you can apply all the time, it’s different for each sound & project 
It’s not really possible to give you the right advise here to be honest, just more general recommendation.
Using noise and saturation can help the sound to cut through the mix, as well as using filters and EQ as discussed before, but it has to be subtle. Adding delay creates stereo spread and makes any sound more wide, so that’s why it gets worse. If you’re adding too much processing to your sound or If you find yourself having a lot to do to get the right sound to work in the Mix : then maybe it’s time to try another sound or preset.
And as a general advice on layering sounds : you should layer instruments/sounds only if a new layer is really adding something you really want and need to the sound. Not just to make it big or punchy.
This topic is dedicated to James Dymond tutorial, so it’s important to keep it tight to this since comments are also displayed on the main course page. So let’s try to keep things in relation with a video number/ time and precise example that you’re trying to replicate as you follow along the course or with the project resources files.
Hi al,
I’ve tot a small question: James uses mostly the SSL compressor for perc and kicks etc but uses the Vertigo VSC 2 for the mid bass. I can pick up the SSL pretty cheap but the VSC is a lot more expensive.
Can I just use the SSL for every compression also bass or is there a specific reason why to use the vertigo there?
Thanks!
Hi there @Maddox
By the end of the day it’s more about what sound you’re after and what tool you know will suit your need and get the job done quite well. All those type of compressors ( and any other effects modeled after their hardware counterparts ) will transform your source sound in a slightly different way. For compressors, it will depend of the type of hardware they were modeled after : FET, VCA, TUBE … they all have different attack, release and overall response time and you’ll find some models working better on transients and percussive material, other ones working better for bass lines, other ones working better on vocals…etc.
Experiment with what you have, even if you just have stock compressors and plugins that come bundle with your DAW, they can get the job done, but it’s more important to listen and “learn how to listen” to what different compressors are doing to your sound than getting the exact same “expensive” plugins you will see in tutorials.
Tomorrow you might be watching another course and seeing a tutor using an API 2500 or a DBX 160 for his Kick and Bass lines and you’ll feel the need to get the same plugins again, and again, and again…
Like James mentioned in his videos, he loves the sound of these guys, they do the job for him, but it’s more about knowing what you want to add or tame in your sound and what tool you know can do the job for you.
When you can afford to buy more expensive and highly regarded plugins, then do it, but not having access to the same tools as your favorite artist shouldn’t stop you to get similar results, and anyway, by the end of the day, you don’t want to copy-cat someone else’s sound but more likely be happy with your own production.
There’s a lot to grab and understand about compressor types, compression and way to use them, check those courses here on Sonic Academy :
-
Understanding Compressors ( 1st edition )
-
Understanding Compressors ( latest edition )
I’m a bit of a perpetual newbie if anyone’s wondering.
It would be nice to have something about how the mid bass presets are made, or where to get them from, and/or how to make them with other synths. I always find I can’t get my basses to sound like they do in this tutorial / much commercial trance. (I don’t have Sylenth, but have a ton of other synths: spire, serum, ultra analog, arturia, u-he, ana2.)
Another quick thought re the sub bass – it appears you only want the bottom two octaves – how is this different than using an additive synth patch with only the fundamental and first harmonic present?
Glad I found this tutorial its a god send !
Beautiful.
like the detailled way you explain the single parts
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If you want become a trance producer, this is a top notch course by James Dymond. A lot of useful tips. Great workflow and the essentials to make the next step. Loved the whole course. Thank you James!
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James Dymond knows how to PRODUCE and how to TEACH. Early episodes here include a good “wrapup summary” at the end of each tutorial chapter of the major highlights covered in each segment; don’t let the overall running time throw you - the material is expertly, efficiently and gently presented, especially in terms of detailing “why” certain processing needs to happen in building a good foundation, one of the most crucial being the API EQ on the kick/drum buss, among others… You can find easy tutorials on “mid-bass” sound design on youtube – it’s hard to do EVERYTHING in one course without making it like 14 hrs… here you learn so much that is transferrable to all music production. Bravo!
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great course - I deviated a bit but the fundamentals here were crucial in helping me develop my take, a cover version of Neil Young’s “Old Man” - thanks James Dymond - I have to still watch the last tutorials on arrangement/mixdown… I got impatient with myself, lol - I have a clinical diagnosis of ADHD. And LOL.
Excellent course, very well structured and designed for beginners! Learnt SO much with this! Thank you JD!
Absolutely amazing course
revisiting James on this one - very good tutor
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Revisiting this one 3 years later. If this thread is still monitored, I had one question about the Sub in Chapter 04, namely the cuts and boosts made with the EQs and the subfilter. – These settings were ideal when the Sub is playing in the root key of E. – The problem and question I had is about the Sub Progression, which also plays in C, A and D.
The problem I run into with sub progressions, is that even with many multi-samples, the volume/loudness and sometimes the dynamics changes with each note. – The EQ and filter settings can somewhat exacerbate this by making the root key louder. – I can’t recall if this was addressed in any chapters after the Sub Progression appeared in Chapter 13.
Automating the EQs to change with each key was a bit meticulous. Duplicating the channel three times to process each individual note with its own settings feels like overkill. – Only other option I can think of its rendering the settings with the root key, and then transpose the sample via a frequency shifter.
– TL;DR, I’m just seeking to have all of the notes in the sub progression playing just as loud as the root note. Cheers.
I won’t bother that much and try to get this surgical unless the bass line progression is conflicting with other elements in the track TBH. Using tools such as Volume Envelope shaper or a compressor and a limiter at the end of the bass channel FX chain should help to even loudness across different bass notes.
Some variation can also help to add movement and life to a track, the more you try to keep each and every note under control, the more your track might sound digital at the end of the day.
All depends of the impact of those perceived loudness variations on other channels or in context with the final mix, if it’s really an issue after trying to even the bass line progression with effects, then rendering the track to audio and tweaking further by editing audio regions, or just doing some volume automation on this audio track, might be easier than trying to get a perfect result with your effect chain in the first place.
Too much control and perfection isn’t always desirable IMHO, the real questions are “How does it sounds in the end ?”, “Is this really causing an issue in the final Mix ?”, “Do I really need to adjust and tweak further ?”