Audio Processing | SoundBridge: Recent Episodes
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A melody-carrying synth lead is often considered one of the crucial components of many modern electronic music tracks. Choosing the […]
The post Add Tonal Balance to Your Leads appeared first on SoundBridge.
Because the sounds of real instruments are heavily influenced by temperature, humidity, and many other factors, they often sound more […]
The post Design Your Own Kalimba Sound appeared first on SoundBridge.
Transition effects are an unavoidable component of modern electronic music. They are audio materials used for progressing from one section […]
The post Use Vocals to Create a Buildup appeared first on SoundBridge.
Before I start, I should disclose that using solely visual clues to help you mix and master will never work […]
The post Compression Red Flags appeared first on SoundBridge.
Melodic Techno and House’s captivating aesthetics transport listeners on an emotional voyage. It comprises hypnotic percussion, memorable arp sequences, beautiful […]
The post Make a Melodic Techno Drop FX appeared first on SoundBridge.
Musical texture describes how many musical layers are mixed to create the overall sound of a piece of music. Occasionally, […]
The post Add an Extra Texture to Your Melodies appeared first on SoundBridge.
Panning is a technique skilled mix engineers use to generate audio images, set balance, generate contrast, and create tension and […]
The post How to Pan Instruments in Your Mix appeared first on SoundBridge.
The 303 sound is one of the most widespread sounds in dance music. It originated in the 1980s from the […]
The post Design Your Own 303 Sound From Scratch appeared first on SoundBridge.
Arpeggiators have been vital in great tunes for decades since they quickly and easily break down a track’s chords into […]
The post Create an Atmosphere With a Simple Arp appeared first on SoundBridge.
Without a doubt, vocals are one of the most interesting audio sources to work with. Working with them is obviously […]
The post Make Your Vocals Sound Unique appeared first on SoundBridge.
To hear low frequencies clearly in a mix, they must have a high amplitude and convey a lot of energy. […]
The post Take Control of Your Sub Frequencies appeared first on SoundBridge.
In music production, it is a basic guideline that low bass frequencies should be retained in mono. This is primarily […]
The post Make Your Bass Wider appeared first on SoundBridge.
Many contemporary popular genres draw heavily from iconic tones from the 1980s, 1990s, and earlier times. ‘Timeless’ building blocks are generally passed down, updated, or resurrected by the next generation as artists and producers pay respect to the pioneers of the past. There are countless examples of how particular gear has influenced the evolution of genres or even the creation of brand-new genres. The instruments treated by such equipment hence had a distinct color and character. Bearing this in mind, I will show you how to introduce a vintage feel to your instruments in the following tutorial.
As an illustration, I have prepared a short sequence in our SoundBridge: DAW, which contains most instruments of the whole mix and piano sequence I intended to process. So let us listen to it.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Full-Mix-Piano-Sequence-Unprocessed.wav~Full Mix – Piano Sequence (Unprocessed)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Piano-Sequence-Solo-Unprocessed.wav~Piano Sequence – Solo (Unprocessed)
Use a Vinyl Emulator to Introduce a Vintage FeelAs I have shown in the example above, the piano sequence could use some processing to make it sound more vintage. When something is described as “vintage,” it usually refers to the imperfections in the sound that analog gear such as gramophones, compressors, and worn-out tape cassettes are known to introduce. In this case, all these imperfections can be introduced by using some modern plugins. In our case, I have opted for Vinyl by Izotope. Let us load it to the effect rack of the piano sequence channel and check its interface.
The Vinyl by Izotope interface is divided into several sections, the largest of which contains a large turntable image. We can see some numbers above the turntable. These represent the years, and pressing each one produces a different sound. It primarily adds a new low-hi pass filter setting. There are a few buttons below that. The first is an interesting “SpinDown” that replicates the sound of a turntable stopping.
In addition, there is a “Lo-Fi” effect, essentially a bit crusher effect with fixed settings, and a “Wear” effect, which emulates the tape-cassette age. Sliders on the top right side of the interface increase the volume of mechanical or electric noise produced by some old analog gear. Below that is the “Dust” slider, which adds a vinyl cracking effect to the processed instrument. Next to it is a slider for “Scratch,” which generally introduces audio drop-outs comparable to old tape cassettes. The “Warp” effect, which adds a slight variation to the pitch, is the final effect we can experiment with.
Let’s hear how our piano sequence sounds after we processed it with Izotope’s Vinyl.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Piano-Sequence-Solo-Processed-With-Vinyl.wav~Piano Sequence – Solo (Processed With Vinyl)
Try Adding a Vinyl Effect on Your Master ChainI’ll apply the same effect to the guitar solo and finish this tutorial by using the Vinyl effect to the master channel before the limiter. Finally, I automated the “SpinDown” effect from Vinyl to the end of the entire mix sequence to spice things up. Let’s see how that sounds.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Guitar-Sequence-Solo-Processed-With-Vinyl.wav~Guitar Sequence – Solo (Processed With Vinyl)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Full-Mix-Processed-With-Vinyl.wav~Full Mix – Processed With Vinyl
If you liked this article about audio processing, here are some more on the same subject:
- Add Accents to Your Melody With Percussion Sounds
- Use The Trance-Gate Effect to Alter the Rhythm of Your Instruments
- Essential Mastering Processes for Your Tracks
- What is Saturation for Mixing and Mastering?
The post Introduce a Vintage Feel to Your Instruments appeared first on SoundBridge.
Some of the first stab sounds were used in the 1980s, with the rise of samplers and hip-hop producers sampling woodwind sections from vintage soul and funk records. This trend continued with the birth of the rave culture in the 1990s when live instruments were replaced by synthesizers used to mimic stab sounds. This particular sound marked an era in electronic music, and rave music passed on its legacy to various other electronic music subgenres such as Psytrance, Techno, etc. In the following tutorial, I will show you how to make a rave synth stab from scratch.
As an illustration, I have prepared a short sequence Psytrance in our SoundBridge: DAW, which contains most instruments of the whole mix. Let us listen to it.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Full-Mix-Without-Rave-Synth-Stab.wavUsing the Right Envelope Settings While You Make Your Rave Synth StabThe synth sounds solid, but it could be improved. I’ll add a Vital instance to the new MIDI channel in SoundBridge: DAW. Upon opening the Vital interface, I will initialize the sound and go straight to the envelope section. For this type of sound, adjusting the envelope just right is essential. I slightly increased the delay and attack values to avoid sharp transients that might interfere with the kick drum and other mix elements. Because I want a plucky sound, the sustain and delay times will be short. I’ll make the release value a little longer because we want that sound tail. Let us hear what we have so far.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Synth-Stab-Envelope-Settings.wav~Synth Stab – Envelope Settings
Using Unison Settings and Artistic EffectsAfter configuring the envelope, I’ll proceed to the oscillator section. I’ll use the two remaining oscillators and an additional noise oscillator here. The critical aspect here is to activate and fine-tune the unison settings. Because too much reverb on these types of sounds can smear them, using unison properly will keep the punch of the sound while making it big and wide. So, mimicking the sound of reverb in the sound design process is an effective way to keep the transient of the sound and control it as we develop the sound. At this point, I’ll also use the filter to process the sound. I’ll use a low-pass filter to eliminate unwanted low frequencies in this case.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Synth-Stab-Oscillator-Settings.wav~Synth Stab – Oscillator Settings
Moving forward to the effects section of the Vital, I will first engage the multiband compressor, where I will increase the volume of the mid frequencies. Finally, I’ll add a touch of reverb to the sound to give it more depth. Let us hear the final sound solo and in the context of the whole mix.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Synth-Stab-Final-.wav~Synth Stab – Final
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Full-Mix-With-Rave-Synth-Stab.wav~Full Mix – With Rave Synth Stab
If you liked this article about sound design, here are some more on the same subject:
- How to Make a Trap Style 808 Bass
- Dirty Dutch House Lead Tutorial
- How To Create Tech House & Techno Synth StabsEarthly Pads
- The Ultimate Guide To Dark Dubstep Synths
The post Make a Rave Synth Stab From Scratch appeared first on SoundBridge.
Volume automation is one of the most time-consuming steps in audio mixing, yet it’s just as crucial as everything else. Even if you have all of your EQ and compression functioning flawlessly on your vocals, the lead vocal level typically requires a little assistance to stay in the foreground of the mix. In the following article, I will show you how to apply volume automation to your vocals and a few other helpful tips.
As usual, I have prepared a short sequence in SoundBridge: DAW, which contains most full-mix elements and the vocals. Let us listen to it.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Full-Mix-Vocal-Unprocessed.wav~Full Mix – Vocal (Unprocessed)
Use Volume Automation to Reduce the Dynamic Range of Your VocalsWe can hear from the audio example above that this vocal has a wide dynamic range. In other words, the volume and energy are constantly changing. It fits well with the whole mix in some parts of the vocal sequence, while it is simply too loud in others. It even causes some unwanted distortion in some parts of the mix. While a compressor can help make a dynamic vocal/track more consistent, it is not a one-stop solution. The goal is to adjust the vocal level to stay within a relatively constant range. In effect, you have to apply volume automation to your vocals.
Because this vocal sequence has a wide dynamic range, the volume automation applied will have some complex curves, as shown in the image below. It would be best to automate this vocal volume fader while listening to the rest of the mix. It’s pointless to listen to it solo while drawing the automation curves. Let us hear how the vocal fits now with the rest of the mix’s elements.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Full-Mix-Vocal-Volume-Automation.wav~Full Mix – Vocal (Volume Automation)
Apply Similar Automation to Other Effects for a More Interesting Sound.The same procedure can be applied to almost any parameter for various effects. So, in this case, I’ve used a reverb effect on the vocal, and I’d like to emphasize the reverb level at the end of each vocal phrase. I’ll accomplish this by automating the reverb effect’s dry/wet parameter, as I did previously with volume. Let’s hear how the vocal sounds with volume and reverb automation, both solo and in the context of the whole mix.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Vocal-Solo-Volume-Reverb-Automation.wav~Vocal – Solo (Volume & Reverb Automation)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Full-Mix-Vocal-Volume-Reverb-Automation.wav~Full Mix – Vocal (Volume & Reverb Automation)
If you liked this article about mixing, here is some more on the same subject:
- Discover The Advantages Of Strategic Mixing
- Understanding Phase and Phasing
- Maximize Loudness With These Processing Tips
- Multi-Reverb Technique
- Automation: Everything You Need to Know
The post Apply Volume Automation to Your Vocals appeared first on SoundBridge.
Before now, the phrase “low-fidelity” exclusively applied to the caliber of an audio signal. However, a whole music genre and production style has emerged from the warbling, gritty sound from cassettes and tape recordings. The genre has become incredibly popular in recent years, particularly on YouTube. In light of that, I’ll show you how to color your track with a lo-fi sound.
To demonstrate, I have prepared a short sequence in our SoundBridge: DAW that contains the major full mix elements. Let us listen to it.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Full-Mix-Unprocessed.wav~Full Mix – Unprocessed
Using a Lo-Fi Multi-Effect Plugin to Color Your Kick SoundsAs shown above, in the audio example, the track sounds decent but too clean. I believe most of the instruments could benefit from a Lo-Fi texture. The offer for Lo-Fi multi-effect plugins increased in past years, and there are many paid and free options. For this purpose, I have opted for the free Tape Cassette 2 by Caleum Audio. Let us start processing the kick drum and check how it sounds unprocessed.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Kick-Drum-Unprocessed.wav~Kick Drum – Unprocessed
As you may have noticed, the interface of this plugin looks like an actual tape cassette. Two VU meters are on each side, with a cassette image in the center. When you activate the small IR switch in the center, it introduces a tape cassette impulse response. Any audio you process with this plugin will have that Lo-Fi sound. Saturation, low-pass filter, noise, wow, flutter, and output parameters are in the bottom row. I like how saturation affects the kick drum, so I combined it with a low-pass filter and some noise to color it. Let us hear how it sounds after it has been processed.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Kick-Drum-Processed-With-Tape-Cassette-2.wav~Kick Drum – Processed With Tape Cassette 2
You Can Also Color Your Drum Group Track With a Lo-Fi SoundNext, I wanted to change the sound of my drums, so I grouped them and added a new instance of Tape Cassette 2 to their effect rack. In this case, I wanted a grittier sound from my drums, so I increased the saturation, noise, wow, and flutter effects. Let’s hear how the drums sound before and after we process them.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Drums-Unprocessed.wav~Drums – Unprocessed
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Drums-Processed-With-Tape-Cassette-2.wav~Drums – Processed With Tape Cassette 2
I will use Tape Cassette 2 to process my E Piano sequence because the Lo-Fi music genre is widely recognized for its piano and synthesizers’ wobbly and blurry sounds. This time, I want to ensure a lot of wow and flutter, but I want to keep the saturation relatively low. First, let’s hear the E Piano unprocessed, and then after it has been processed.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/El.-Paino-Unprocessed.wav~El. Piano – Unprocessed
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/El.-Piano-Processed-With-Tape-Cassette-2.wav~El. Piano – Processed With Tape Cassette 2
Finally, let us hear how the full mix sounds with instruments processed with Tape Cassette 2
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Full-Mix-Processed-With-Tape-Cassette-2.wav~Full Mix – Processed With Tape Cassette 2
I’m sure you noticed how this pattern took on a different texture. The mid frequencies started to come to life, and the instruments took on a more serious character and gained more details. You can also apply this effect to the master channel, but if you want more control, I suggest using it for individual instruments or group channels of instruments instead.
If you liked this article about audio processing, here is some more on the same subject:
- The Benefits of Mid-Side Equalization
- Enhance Your Sounds with an Enhancer
- Create an Impressive Sounding House Chord
- Side-Chaining Made Easy
- Tape Saturation – what is it, and how do you use it
The post Color Your Track With a Lo-Fi Sound appeared first on SoundBridge.
House music is a diverse electronic dance music genre with various subgenres. Most are based on a four-to-the-floor drum groove and everything in between (particularly drum sounds, swing, and layering). In the following tutorial, I’ll show you how to enhance the sound of a classic house drum groove by adding shadow layers that can improve the overall sound of your track.
I have prepared a short drum groove in our SoundBridge: DAW consisting of a kick drum, clap, shaker, and hi-hat. Let us listen to it.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Initial-Drum-Groove.wav~Initial Drum Groove
Adding a Shadow Layer to Improve The Sound of Your House DrumsShadow layers in drum programming are indeed one of the most effective strategies for adding energy and making your drums sound original. The purpose of these elements is to remain concealed behind the groove’s primary drum elements and help improve them with unique taste and color. This is precisely what I will implement in our drum groove.
Firstly, I will add a shadow layer surrounding the kick drum. In other words, a tom or deeper-sounding kick drum that corresponds well with the original kick drum and creates a nice groove. You can place it wherever you want, but in my experience, it works best at the quarter or half beat between each kick drum. Let’s hear it solo and then in the context of the whole mix.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Shadow-Kick-Drum-Solo-.wav~Shadow Kick Drum Groove – Solo
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Shadow-Kick-Drum-Groove-Full-Mix.wav~Shadow Kick Drum Groove – Full Mix
Following that, I wanted to emphasize the clap sound and the hi-hat, so I added a slice of another drum loop. As you can see in the image below, the loop corresponds well with the original clap pattern, so I chose a different color and placed the loop below it. The loop contains percussion elements, so it’s an excellent addition to the groove. Let’s listen to the original and shadow layer claps solo and then in the context of the whole mix.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Drum-Loop-Groove-Solo.wav~Drum Loop Groove – Solo
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Drum-Loop-Groove-Full-Mix.wav~Drum Loop Groove – Full Mix
Add Interesting Drum FillsTo improve the sound of your house drum groove, use a couple of snare drum samples to create drum fills. As shown below, they are the least common elements in the overall drum groove.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Snare-Drum-Groove-Solo.wav~Snare Drum Groove – Solo
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Snare-Drum-Groove-Full-Mix.wav~Snare Drum Groove – Full Mix
Lastly, adding texture to our drum groove would be beneficial. An excellent vinyl noise texture almost always works in house music and fills the gaps in the frequency spectrum, so I’ll go for it. In conclusion, let us hear it solo and in the context of the whole mix.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Vinyl-Noise-Layer-Solo.wav~Vinyl Noise Layer – Solo
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Vinyl-Noise-Layer-Full-mix.wav~Vinyl Noise Layer – Full mix
If you liked this article about mixing, here are some more on the same subject:
- Maximize Loudness With These Processing Tips
- 8 Effective Ways To Use Our Freeze Tool
- How to Build a Drum Groove
- Bring Back The Impact: Drum Mastering
The post Improve the Sound of Your House Drum Groove appeared first on SoundBridge.
The majority of modern music is built around a progression of chords. Like most composers, you might feel hesitant about experimenting with a chord sequence that already sounds good (in an attempt to improve it) for fear of messing it up. However, here are some suggestions to make your boring chord progressions more interesting.
As an illustration, I have prepared a short sequence in our SoundBridge: DAW. It includes most elements of a full mix, including a previously made synth chord progression. Let us listen to the synth chord progression in the context of the full mix and then solo.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Full-Mix-Chord-Progression-1.wav~Full Mix – Original Chord Progression
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Chord-Progression-1-Solo-Original.wav~Chord Progression 1 – Solo (Original)
Improve Chord Voicing by Spreading the Octaves and Accenting Some NotesThe first method I will share with you is to make your chord progression less cheesy by spreading the note octaves and adding accented notes. The original chord progression we heard above is set to Fmin, D#maj, G#maj, and C#maj. These triads are among the most basic and sound rather cheesy. So what we can do here is to take the middle notes of each chord and move them up an octave. You will notice that the middle note of the 3rd chord (G#maj) is now way too high compared to other notes. As a result, I will take that note back to its original position.
After that, I would find a note that I could run through the whole pattern without changing. This is obviously the tonic of the key signature that the chords are in. Since this chord progression is in G#maj, I will try to run G#maj through the chord pattern.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Chord-Progression-1-Spreading-Voices-Adding-Accents-Solo.wav~Chord Progression – Spreading Voices & Adding Accents (Solo)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Full-Mix-Chord-Progression-1-Spreading-Voices-Adding-Accents-.wav~Full Mix – Chord Progression – Spreading Voices & Adding Accents
At this point. I’ll show you how to change the articulation or how the chords are played in the next technique.
Using Syncopation to Make Boring Chord Progressions More InterestingFirstly, look at the following screenshot and listen to the chord progression. It’s very similar to the one we made in the previous example.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Chord-Progression-2-Solo-Original.wav~Chord Progression 2 – Solo (Original)
To make this chord progression even more interesting, I will change the articulation of the top notes of each chord. Let us hear how that sounds.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Chord-Progression-2-Changed-Articulation-Solo.wav~Chord Progression 2 – Solo (Changed Articulation)
Finally, let us listen to it in the context of the full mix.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Full-Mix-Chord-Progression-2-Changed-Articulation.wav~Full Mix – Chord Progression 2 – Changed Articulation
If you liked this article on music theory, here are other related articles:
- Simple Tricks For Making Better Melodies
- The World of Scales, Intervals, The Circle of Fifths, and Diatonic Chords
- Using Modal Interchange Chords
- How to Compose Music
The post Make Boring Chord Progressions More Interesting appeared first on SoundBridge.
In audio production, a transient is the initial peak of a sound. In other words, it is the highest amplitude in the waveform. Some instruments have more or fewer transients than others, depending on how they are played. Sharp transients are generally found in samples such as snares, kick drums, mallets, or percussions. In the following tutorial, I will demonstrate an exciting way to control and shape your transients.
With this in mind, I have prepared a short sequence in SoundBridge: DAW containing most of the elements of a full mix. Let us listen to it.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Full-Mix-Kalimba-Sequence-Unprocessed.wav~Full Mix – Kalimba Sequence (Unprocessed)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Kalimba-Sequence-Solo-Unprocessed.wav~Kalimba Sequence Solo (Unprocessed)
As heard in the audio example above, the kalimba sound has some sharp transients that are pretty loud. This is something that I would like to change, and the first step would be to create a new return track (which I will name Transient Shaper + Delay) in SoundBridge: DAW. I will then use this track to process the kalimba sequence.
Using a Delay on Sounds With Sharp TransientsRegarding the delay and reverb effects, many producers send their audio to a return track, as we did. This works well with a wide range of sounds. However, when working with transient-heavy sounds such as a kalimba, you end up hearing a lot of transients that can easily clash with other elements in the overall mix. Consider increasing the pre-delay parameter in the reverb, which will offset the original sound.
Add A Clipper or Transient Shaper to Shape Your TransientsUsing a transient shaper or a clipper effect before the delay on the same effect chain on your return track is an excellent way to control your transients. Let us try that and compare the results.
Let’s compare the kalimba sequence processed over the return track, first without and then with a transient shaper in the chain. As you can see in the image above, I placed a transient shaper effect before the delay in the return track’s effect rack. I reduced the attack almost to zero on the transient shaper because I wanted as few transients as possible. The second effect in the chain is the delay, in which the dry/wet mix is set to max.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Kalimba-Sequence-Solo-Transient-Shaper-Bypassed.wav~Kalimba Sequence Solo (Transient Shaper Bypassed)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Kalimba-Sequence-Solo-Transient-Shaper-Engaged.wav~Kalimba Sequence Solo (Transient Shaper Engaged)
As we can hear, we ended up with a much less transient heavy delay, and the kalimba sequence now fits much better in the overall mix.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Full-Mix-Kalimba-Sequence-Processed.wav~Full Mix – Kalimba Sequence (Processed)
If You liked this article about audio processing, here are some more on the same subject:
- Improve the Sound of Your Hi-Hats
- Make an Uplifter by Using Reverb Effect
- How to Make Massive Layered Build-Ups
- Enhance Your Sub Bass Using Parallel Distortion
- The Basics of Dynamics, RMS, and Peak Levels
The post Shape Your Transients With This Interesting Trick appeared first on SoundBridge.
Proper editing, compression, and send effects are essential for a good vocal sound. Moreover, many beginning and intermediate engineers need help understanding how to properly EQ vocals to sound their best in the overall mix. No single set of equalization settings will work for all vocal recordings. However, there are a few fundamental procedures that help if you are unsure how to use an EQ on your vocals, and in the following tutorial, I will guide you through these steps.
As usual, I have prepared a short sequence in SoundBridge: DAW containing most of the elements of the whole mix, including the vocal arrangement. Let us listen to it.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Full-Mix-Vocal-Unprocessed.wav~Full Mix – Vocal (Unprocessed)
Use a Graphical EQ for Your VocalsLet us once again listen to the unprocessed vocal but this time solo. As we can hear in the audio example above, the voice is probably loud enough. However, it requires some tonal work, which we can accomplish with good EQ use. I recommend using a graphical EQ to view better what you’re doing and the frequency areas you need to work on. In this case, I chose TDR Nova by Tokyo Dawn.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Vocal-Solo-Unprocessed.wav~Vocal – Solo (Unprocessed)
Apply a High Pass FilterUse a high-pass filter to minimize low frequencies before EQ-processing your vocals in the TDR Nova interface. Low-frequency build-up may occur depending on the microphone’s polar pattern. This effect deepens, warms, and amplifies the voice. Yet, too much low end can cause Muddiness and dullness that gets lost in a mix. Depending on the vocal recording, eliminate 40–85 Hz frequencies.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Vocal-Solo-Hi-Pass-Filter.wav~Vocal – Solo (Hi-Pass Filter)
Remove the Muddiness Around 200-500HzThe next step is to remove Muddiness. No matter how good your space’s acoustics are, you’ll experience “mud” around 200–500 Hz. It’s hard to hear this in solo mode, but it’s obvious with 5–30 tracks. We’ll lower the volume in this range but use broad Q settings. Don’t increase or decrease by more than 6 dB.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Vocal-Solo-230-Hz-Cut.wav~Vocal – Solo (230 Hz Cut)
Boost the Highs With a High ShelfThe high end of modern vocal production has to rise above the mix. This is a tricky process since raising the highs might create harshness if you’re not careful. I chose a smooth EQ like TDR Nova before experimenting with boosts between 8 and 15 kHz.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Vocal-Solo-5-KHz-Boost.wav~Vocal – Solo (5 KHz Boost)
You may occasionally need to increase (or decrease) the core frequencies to improve the vocal quality. The range will vary depending on whether a female or male voice take is used. Discovering this core frequency in the 1- to 2 kHz frequency region would be best. Boosting this frequency range should improve the clarity of the spoken words, making it more straightforward for the listener’s ear to catch and retain the voices.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Vocal-Solo-1.3-KHz-Boost.wav~Vocal – Solo (1.3 KHz Boost)
Use a De-esser/EQ to Tame Harsh Sibilances on Your VocalsThe next phase in our voice processing would be to tame harsh vocal sounds, such as letters like S or H. In this instance, we can hear it at roughly 3.5 kHz. This procedure can be fine-tuned later using the De-Esser effect, but for now, we’ll control the harsh sounds with an EQ.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Vocal-Solo-3.4-KHz-Cut.wav~Vocal – Solo (3.4 KHz Cut)
Once we are done processing our vocal with an EQ, let us hear it in the whole mix.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Full-Mix-Vocal-Processed.wav~Full Mix – Vocal (Processed)
If you liked this article about audio processing, here is some more on the same subject:
- The Benefits of Mid-Side Equalization
- Enhance Your Sub Bass Using Parallel Distortion
- Make Your Master Sound Better Than Your Mix
- Make Powerful Synth Sounds Using the Unison Effect
- Mixing Vocals: How to Make Vocals Sound Professional
The post How to Use an EQ on Your Vocals appeared first on SoundBridge.
If you followed the first part of this tutorial, where we introduced our new arpeggiator called reChord, you probably want to learn more about its capabilities and features. We dedicated the first part of the tutorial to MIDI connection and explaining the main parameters, but this part 2 will be an introduction to more complex reChord functions.
In the final section of this tutorial, I created a brief synthesizer sequence using the reChord “Converge” arp style.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/reChord-Arp-Sequence-Converge-Arp-Style.wav~reChord Arp Style – Converge
Introduction to More reChord FunctionsLet us start this part of the tutorial by going through the velocity section, which you can find at the top right part of the reChord interface. There is a set of buttons and parameters associated with this section. Firstly, we have the “Velocity” button, which enables/disables the velocity feature.
When you enable the velocity feature, a linear progression is created in the velocity of the output notes. The velocity of each note from the input gradually approaches the Target value following the linear progression you set using the Decay parameter.
The “Retrigger” button applies the instantaneous Retrigger settings to the Velocity feature. The “Decay” parameter sets the millisecond time it takes to reach the Target from the input velocity of the MIDI notes. The “Target” parameter specifies the velocity value to be attained in the decay time.
There are many more interesting arp styles that you can explore. I’ll list a few of the ones I find most inspiring here. Below, I’ll provide an image for the output of each of these styles so you can see how they differ more clearly.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/reChord-Arp-Sequence-Pinky-Up-Arp-Style-1.wav~reChord Arp Sequence – Pinky Up Arp Style
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/reChord-Arp-Sequence-UpDown-Arp-Style-1.wav~reChord Arp Sequence – Up&Down Arp Style
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/reChord-Arp-Sequence-Chord-Trigger-Arp-Style.wav~reChord Arp Sequence – Chord Trigger Arp Style
reChord’s Middle Row SectionIn continuation, we will give a brief introduction to another set of reChord parameters. The first option is the “Shift” function. It is a helpful feature that determines how many steps the arpeggiator sequence shifts. For instance, if you want to change the beginning note of your arp output sequence, you can use this feature without editing the actual MIDI input block in the sequencer.
The “Swing” function can be used when you want to change the groove of your sequence. It may also be interesting to automate its value and use it as a transition in your track’s arrangement.
Lastly, this row contains the “Distance” parameter, which controls how many semitones you’d like to transpose the notes after every repetition set by the “Repetitions” parameter.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/reChord-Arp-Sequence-Swing-Automation.wav~reChord Arp Sequence – Swing Amount Automation
The Retrigger SectionWe can see another set of parameters in the retrigger section. There are three buttons on the left side. When you select the “Off” button, the arpeggiated sequence does not retrigger. The “Beat” button makes the arpeggiated sequence retrigger at intervals determined by the “Beat Rate” parameter.
When you select the “Note” Button, the arpeggiated sequence will retrigger on each new note received. Following that, the “Beat Rate” parameter determines the interval at which the arpeggiated sequence retriggers. The “Beat” button enables this parameter. Lastly, this section contains the “Repeats” parameter, which determines how often the arpeggiator sequence will repeat before it stops entirely.
In conclusion, here’s an example of a creative instrumental you can make with the reChord: Arpeggiator.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Get-Inspired-by-reChord-Part-2-full-Mix.wavIf you liked this article about music composition, here is some more on the same subject:
- The World of Scales, Intervals, The Circle of Fifths, and Diatonic Chords
- The Importance of Articulation
- Arpeggiator 101: Arp Basics and How to Use Them
- The Importance of Articulation
The post Introduction to reChord (Part 2) appeared first on SoundBridge.
One of the most accessible and audibly recognizable sequencing tools is an arpeggiator. An arpeggiator is a real-time sequencer built to take a chord and create an arpeggio. Musicians first used arpeggiators in the early days of hardware synthesizers. Since then, they have preferred it because of its simplicity and immediate results. We at SoundBridge created a very intuitive arpeggiator called reChord, which I will guide you through in the following tutorial.
I prepared a short sequence in our SoundBridge: DAW containing most full-mix elements as usual. First, we’ll learn how you can load and connect reChord to a midi channel.
How to Connect reChord to any MIDI TrackRecently, we released SoundBridge 2.2.2 BETA: DAW. One of the main new features of this version is that you can directly add VST plugins with MIDI outputs (such as reChord) to the insert rack of MIDI channels as MIDI FX. This will be very useful because we will add reChord as a MIDI FX to the Vital synth MIDI channel.
Once we are done with that, we can move to the reChord interface. Part 1 of this tutorial will look at the essential functions.
Basic Functions and FeaturesThe upper section of the interface contains some functions. When you press the “Hold” button, the incoming notes hold indefinitely. Next is the “Style” combo box, which provides a wide range of arpeggiated sequence styles, from classic ones like Up, Down, Up & Down to more complex ones like Converge and Random Unique. Moving on, the “Key” combo box transposes each input note to the closest note on the scale you selected. That is if any incoming notes are not in your selected scale. On the interface, we can also see the “Velocity” button. When you activate this button, reChord generates a linear progression in the velocity of the output notes. Finally, the “Retrigger” button applies the “Velocity” feature’s instantaneous retrigger settings.
We can see the “Rate” parameters below the functions I just described, which control the speed of the arpeggiator’s playback in milliseconds or musical time values. Following that is the “Gate” parameter, which controls the length of the notes as a percentage of the current “Rate” setting, which we will discuss more in the second part of this tutorial. Finally, we have the “Repetitions” parameter control, which controls the number of times reChord repeats itself before shutting down.
Using Our ArpeggiatorAfter covering the more basic features of reChord, let us hear it in action. I have made a sequence that we will listen to solo and then in the context of the whole mix.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/reChord-Arp-Sequence-Solo.wav~reChord Arp Sequence – Solo
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Full-Mix-With-reChord-Arp-Sequence-.wav~Full Mix – With the reChord Arp Sequence
If you liked this article about music composition, here is some more on the same subject:
- The Importance of Articulation
- 5 Big Misconceptions About Composing Music
- Simple Tricks For Making Better Melodies
- The World of Scales, Intervals, The Circle of Fifths, and Diatonic Chords
- Arpeggiator 101: Arp Basics and How to Use Them
The post Introduction to reChord (Part 1) appeared first on SoundBridge.
Mastering the high frequencies of your rhythm section is just as important as mastering the elements in the mid and low-frequency ranges. Accordingly, a perfect balance is essential. Hi-hats, shakers, and rides are some of the most commonly used high-frequency components of the rhythm section, and in the following tutorial, I’ll show you a few tricks to improve the sound of your hi-hats.
As usual, I have prepared a short sequence in our SoundBridge: DAW, which contains most elements of a full mix and then a few hi-hat samples sounding quite rough.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Full-Mix-Hi-Hat-Unprocessed.wav~Full Mix – Hi-Hat (Unprocessed)
Layering Your Hi-Hats to Improve Their SoundWe lack some high-frequency content in this mix, so I will attempt to correct that. Firstly we will use a technique called layering. For this technique, I’ll add more samples to fill in the gaps in the hi-hat pattern. The key is to select the appropriate samples to accompany the main one, which in our case is “Hi-Hat 1,” which we can listen to separately below.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Hi-Hat-1-Solo.wav~Hi-Hat 1 (Solo)
Regarding the samples I chose to accompany the main hi-hat, there is another hi-hat sequence with different sound characteristics and a ride, which will help fill the gaps in the overall pattern by introducing some background noise. Let us listen to these separately and then together with the main hi-hat.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Hi-Hat-2-Solo.wav~Hi-Hat 2 (Solo)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/All-Hats-Unprocessed.wav~All Hats (Unprocessed)
Using Dynamics ProcessingSince there’s still room to improve the high-frequency rhythm’s dynamics and balance with the other elements in the mix, I will group all the channels, process them together, and call the group “Hi Frequency Rhythm.” A compressor is a go-to option for these types of tasks, but in this case, I chose a transient shaper, which will suffice. Transpire by Sonic Anomaly, which is available for free download, was my choice.
As seen in the image below, I increased the attack and sustain parameters to make the more quiet parts of the overall sequence louder. I also increased the sensitivity and set the overall volume to +1.5 dB. Let us compare the hi-frequency rhythm group before and after I processed it with transpire and finally full mix.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/All-Hats-Unprocessed.wav~All Hats (Unprocessed)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/High-Frequency-Group-Processed-With-Transpire.wav~High-Frequency Group (Processed With Transpire)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Full-Mix-Hi-Frequency-Group-Processed-With-Transpire.wav~Full Mix – Hi-Frequency Group (Processed With Transpire)
If you liked this article about mixing, here is some more on the same subject:
- 5 Tips to Improve Your Mixing Skills
- Fix the Stereo Image Using an Advanced Mixing Technique Called Mid-Side EQ
- Affected Vox – Using Vocal Effects
- How to Make an Awesome Bassline – 5 Essential Tips
- Mixing Drums: How to Get Outstanding Drum Sounds
The post Improve the Sound of Your Hi-Hats appeared first on SoundBridge.
Build-ups are one of the essential elements of today’s dance music. They drive the track forward, introduce an uplifting feeling, and raise the overall energy level. Surely you will agree that making a layered build-up can be never-ending fun. Nevertheless, sometimes this can be a time-consuming process. Combining an intense build-up with enough tension and a drop always works well on the dance floor. It’s always better to combine elements like snare rolls, white noise, synth risers into one effective buildup than to use them separately. This can be particularly useful for breakdowns in the track. In the next tutorial, we will try to demonstrate how to make an effective buildup, one step at a time.
Creating a formidable Snare RollWithout further delay, let’s start with a snare from which I will make a snare roll. You can use any kind of VST sampler for this purpose. In this case, I will use a Battery 4 by Native Instruments. The next thing would be to make a sequence of notes in the midi editor window of SoundBridge, with additional velocity changes that will trigger the snare sample. The sequence will speed up gradually as you can see in the picture below.
It goes without saying that it would be a plus to automate a few parameters like pitch and reverb to raise some tension. In the pitch envelope section within Battery 4, I will automate the pitch amount parameter. Subsequently, the automation of the built-in reverb effect will follow. Here is how the snare roll sounds processed like that:
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Audio-example-1-Snare-roll-1-with-pitch-and-reverb-automation.wav~Snare Roll 1 with Pitch and Reverb Automation
The next thing to do would be to copy the previously made instance of Battery 4 on the new track. After that, I will choose a different snare sample and make a different sequence in the midi editor that will also speed up gradually. Here is how it sounds now:
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Audio-example-2-Snare-roll-2-with-pitch-and-reverb-automation.wav~Snare Roll 2 with Pitch and Reverb Automation
Adding a White-Noise SweepOnce done with that, I will open a new instance of Massive by Native Instruments I will use it to make a white noise sweep sound. Next, I will make a long note in the midi editor window that will start and end exactly like the sequences of the snare rolls above. Following that, I will automate 3 parameters: Amp from the noise oscillator section, Cutoff frequency from the filter 1 section and Amount from the built-in reverb effect.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Audio-example-3-White-noise-with-automation.wav~White Noise with Automation
Final Compression touchLast but not least, I will add all of the 3 channels to a newly made group track and process everything with heavy compression. There are a lot of different compressor units you can use, but for buildups, I like to use a free VST plugin called OTT by Xfer. Having all that set let us hear the final result with all of the 3 elements combined.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Audio-example-4-Full-mix-with-added-compression.wav~Full Mix with added Compression
Download the patch here.
The post How to Make Massive Layered Build-Ups appeared first on SoundBridge.
Mastering is the final step in audio production and one of the most critical steps in producing professional sound. Although there are several methods to make your master sound better, I will focus on the essential effects of a mastering chain in this article.
As usual, I have prepared a short sequence inside our SoundBridge: DAW, which contains most elements of a full mix. I purposefully left the master channel empty so we could deal with it later. Let us listen to it.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Full-Mix-Master-Unprocessed.wav~Full Mix – Master Bus – Unprocessed
Before any processing on the master channel, you should keep sufficient headroom. A general rule of thumb would be -6 or -7 dB on the master output.
Use an EQ to Make Your Master Sound BetterAn EQ will be the first effect in our master chain. For resonance correction, I used the TDR Nova EQ and attenuated the ranges at 50 Hz, 3Khz, and 15KHz while boosting at 1,5KHz by only 1 dB.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Master-Bus-Corrective-EQ.wavhttps://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Master-Bus-Corrective-EQ.wav~Master Bus – Corrective EQ
Using a CompressorSecondly, I applied a compressor. I configured the TDR Kotelnikov parameters to glue the elements together with a gain reduction of approximately 3 dB. This compression setting is optimal for the master bus since it is undesirable to over-compress the track.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Master-Bus-Glue-Compression.wav~Master Bus – Glue Compression
Additive EQAs the following effect in the mastering chain, we used another EQ. I used additive equalization this time, which involves boosting specific frequency ranges with wider Q settings and applying low pass and high shelve filtering.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Master-Bus-Additive-EQ.wav~Master Bus – Additive EQ
Saturation Makes Your Master Sound BetterNext, I’ve placed a saturation effect (BPD Saturator) in the mastering chain to add warmth to the overall stereo image. As you can see, I have applied a small amount of tape-style saturation and set the low-cut filter because I don’t want excessive saturation at low frequencies.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Master-Bus-Saturation.wav~Master Bus – Saturation
Stereo ImagingI’ll add a stereo imager before our final plugin in the mastering chain, in this case, the A1 Stereo Control by Alex Hilton. The imager on the master channel widens the stereo image slightly. If the stereo image is too broad, you can narrow it with a similar effect. The “Safe Bass” section on the right side of the interface is helpful when you don’t want to make your low frequencies wider, which is also the case here.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Master-Bus-Stereo-Imaging.wav~Master Bus – Stereo Imaging
Using A LimiterFinally, we’ll add a limiter to the mastering chain. A limiter amplifies the track’s maximum volume, ensuring no clipping on the final output. I chose the limiter effect from our native SoundBridge: DAW bundle for this purpose.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Master-Bus-Limiter.wav~Master Bus – Limiter
If you liked this article about mixing and mastering, here are some more on the same subject:
- Bring Back The Impact: Drum Mastering
- Discover Powerful Parallel Processing
- Add Harmonic Content to Your Mix with Vitamin by Waves Audio
- 10 Tips for Audio Mastering if You’re Not a Mastering Engineer
The post Make Your Master Sound Better Than Your Mix appeared first on SoundBridge.
Delay and reverb are two effects most often utilized by music producers. They are crucial for more than just creating a sense of space. We may, however, utilize them creatively to add an atmosphere to our mix. I’ll show you how to get creative using delay and reverb effects in this tutorial.
Here’s a short sequence I’ve been working on in our SoundBridge: DAW that contains basic full mix elements and a simple synth arp. Let’s start by listening to the mix and then the synth arp solo.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Full-Mix-Synth-Arp-Unprocessed.wav~Full Mix – Synth Arp (Unprocessed)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Synth-Arp-Unprocessed.wav~Synth Arp (Unprocessed)
How to Get Creative with Your Delay and Reverb EffectsAs you can hear from the audio examples above, I purposefully left the synth arp unprocessed. While we can process it in various ways, the next trick I’ll show you is pretty interesting. Similar effect units available can achieve a similar effect, but I chose SuperMassive by Valhalla this time. Let us place a new instance of it on the synth arp’s effect rack and look at its interface.
There obviously aren’t a lot of controls or parameters on the user interface. I opened the Mode menu so you could check out all the different modes. Each mode is distinct and has a variety of uses. While others offer lush and massive reverb effects, some are more delay-based. One of the most intriguing parameters is the Warp, which enables users to modify the delay lengths relative to the delay setting. Also, the Density parameter regulates how dense the echoes are as you turn the feedback parameter up.
Firstly for this trick, we will need a reverb-based mode like Pisces. You’ll notice that I’ve set the mix to 50%, the delay time to 1/4 note, the feedback and density to maximum, and the filter to narrow the frequency range.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Synth-Arp-Solo-SuperMassive-Without-Automation.wav~Synth Arp Solo (SuperMassive Without Automation)
ConclusionThe sound has a large atmosphere, but we can make it even more interesting by automating the Warp and Mix parameters. In this manner, we add movement to the atmosphere created by the reverb, effectively transforming it into an uplifted effect. Finally, let us hear it individually and then in the context of the whole mix.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Synth-Arp-Solo-SuperMassive-With-Automation.wav~Synth Arp Solo ( SuperMassive With Automation)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Full-Mix-Synth-Arp-Processed-With-SuperMassive-Automation.wav~Full Mix – Synth Arp (Processed With SuperMassive )
If you liked this article about sound design, here are some more on the same subject:
- Create a Tonal Ambiance in Your Mix
- Using a Ducking Reverb Effect in Your Tracks
- Advanced Sound Manipulation with “I Wish”: Part 1
- Get Creative With Comb Filter
- 6 Ways To Create an Atmosphere
The post Get Creative Using Delay and Reverb Effects appeared first on SoundBridge.
Nowadays, stereo wideners are pretty popular. Producers like widening their mixes to create an extensive stereo image. The goal is to create an immersive experience for the listener by using sounds that appear to move in 3D rather than 2D. On the other hand, a stereo field collapse is a drawback of excessive widening. At a point, too much broadening of the stereo field produces a deformed stereo picture where the sides collapse, and the central information is lost. In this tutorial, I will show you how to use the delay effect to manipulate the stereo width of your audio.
I’ve created a short sequence in SoundBridge: DAW that contains traditional full-mix elements, including a simple guitar riff. Let’s listen to the whole mix first and then the guitar riff.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Full-Mix-Guitar-Unprocessed.wav~Full Mix – Guitar (Unprocessed)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Guitar-Solo-Unprocessed.wav~Guitar – Solo (Unprocessed)
Use a Stereo Delay to Create a Haas EffectThe guitar riff is somewhat loud, as you can hear, but it sounds mono. I want to expand it over the stereo field because it’s the main instrument in my mix. We could duplicate the guitar track and move the duplicate guitar riff audio to the left or right. This causes the so-called Haas effect, which we mentioned in a previous wiki tutorial. A better way to create a similar effect, and get even more options for variety, would be to apply a stereo delay effect to the original guitar riff audio channel.
Any stereo delay unit will do, but in this instance, I’ve chosen Tempo Delay by Voxengo. Let’s view its user interface.
The area of the interface with parameters to which we should pay the most attention is in the middle area. There are two distinct delay units labeled “left” and “right,” as you can see. You’ll notice that the parameters on both sides are the same. The most significant one is Delay- which is the first feature on the left. In my case, I set the left Delay to approximately 7ms and the right to 21ms. To mimic the Hass effect, it is best to keep these delay times short.
You can see the minimal Repetitions I used next to it because I didn’t need a long delay for this. While the crucial element would be to pan the left and right delays to the extreme to achieve the stereo widening I need, feedback is reasonably low for the same reason. We can see the gain at which you can experiment at the end of this section, but I set it to the maximum.
ConclusionThe interface’s bottom section contains several effects, but I only used the filters. The controls for tempo, which can be changed, and the settings for the dry and wet gain are located in the upper section of the interface. This is useful because it lets us control the audio signal’s expanded width volume. This is practical because it gives us control over the expanded guitar riff signal’s frequency range.
Once I’ve set the parameters, let’s compare the unprocessed and processed versions of the guitar riff and hear it in the whole mix.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Guitar-Solo-Unprocessed.wav~Guitar – Solo (Unprocessed)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Guitar-Solo-Processed-With-Stereo-Delay.wav~Guitar – Solo (Processed With Stereo Delay)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Full-Mix-Guitar-Processed-With-Stereo-Delay.wav~Full Mix – Guitar (Processed With Stereo Delay)
If you liked this article about audio processing, here are some more on the same subject:
- Get Creative With Your Atmospheric Sounds
- Trash Your Sound With Distortion Effect
- Make Creative Artifacts By Following These Simple Steps
- Make Your Drum Sounds Lo-Fi
The post Use a Delay Effect to Manipulate The Stereo Width of Your Audio appeared first on SoundBridge.
One thing unites all atmospheric and ambient music: They all use sound design, panning, reverb, and more to give the listener a feeling of space. Some people refer to the rich, sonic landscapes produced by musicians like Brian Eno and Jon Hopkins when discussing atmospheric sounds in music. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to get creative with your atmospheric sounds.
Firstly, I prepared a short sequence in SoundBridge that includes traditional full-mix elements and an atmospheric sound. Let us hear the full mix first, followed by the atmospheric sound alone.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Full-Mix-Atmospheric-Sound-Unprocessed.wav~Full Mix – Atmospheric Sound (Unprocessed)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Atmospheric-Sound-Solo-Unprocessed.wav~Atmospheric Sound Solo (Unprocessed)
Stretching Your Atmospheric SoundsThe example above shows that the atmospheric sound is a bit overwhelming compared to the other elements in the mix. One of the first things we can do to tame it is to stretch it to change its timbre. This can be accomplished in SoundBridge: DAW by double-clicking the audio block. This will take us to the audio edit window, where we can find the “Stretch” slider and other parameters on the left side. It would be best if you generally experimented at this point. In this case, I used the extreme stretch setting, which stretched the original tempo of the sound from 122 bpm to around 335 bpm. Let us hear how it sounds now.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Atmospheric-Sound-Stretched.wav~Atmospheric Sound – Stretched
Looping Your Atmospheric SoundsThe next step in this process would be to limit the sound’s movement. This can be accomplished by selecting a portion of it and looping it, as shown in the image below.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Atmospheric-Sound-Looped.wav~Atmospheric Sound – Looped
I’ll use the crossfade technique because we want a continuous loop and to avoid the annoying click at the end of the sequence. This can be generally accomplished by dragging the block’s endpoint to the beginning of the next block. Then I’ll select all four blocks and click the “Merge” button on the bottom left of the SoundBridge: DAW interface. This will take me to another editor, where I can work on the crossfade shape shown below. When I’m happy with the transition from one block to the next, I’ll click the “Bounce” button on the left side of the interface.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Atmospheric-Sound-Crossfade.wav~Atmospheric Sound – Crossfade
Using Low Pass Filter And ReverbTo push this atmospheric sound further, I’ll use a Low Pass Filter cutoff automation to create a different movement and add a reverb after the filter. Consequently, we will create something completely different from what we started with.
In conclusion, using these techniques, you can always get creative with your atmospheric sounds. Finally, let us hear our final atmospheric sound solo first and then in the context of the whole mix.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Atmospheric-Sound-Filter-Reverb.wav~Atmospheric Sound – Filter & Reverb
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Full-Mix-Atmospheric-Sound-Final-Processed.wav~Full Mix – Atmospheric Sound (Final Processed)
If you liked this article about sound design, here are some more on the same subject:
- Get Creative With Comb Filter
- Give That Dub Feeling to Your Drum Loops
- An Alternative Way to Vitalize Your Bass
- Advanced Sound Manipulation with “I Wish”: Part 1
- Eight creative atmospheric sound design tips
The post Get Creative With Your Atmospheric Sounds appeared first on SoundBridge.
Distortion is a gain effect used in amplified music achieved by overloading the input. The result is a compressed sound that people often describe as warm and dirty. Distortion has, in many ways, strongly influenced modern music, starting with the “electric guitar revolution” of the 1950s. The character depends upon the type and intensity of distortion. Technically, any added content to a signal represents distortion. However, in audio production, it usually refers to some overload.
Types of DistortionOut of the many implementations of distortion, I will exemplify those most responsible for shaping the sound of guitar and electronic music today.
*Saturation & Clipping* Most VSTs that feature this type of distortion imitate tape machine analog effects – known to provide a certain sense of warmth to the sound. Also, there is a hint of compression or narrowing of the dynamic range.
*Tube distortion* An effect of medium-strength, emulating a vacuum tube or solid-state transistor amp circuit. It produces a slightly heavier amount of saturation compared to Clipping.
*Overdrive & Fuzz* These are quite desirable implementations of distortion. Overdrive is just a little less extreme than Fuzz. Both are predominantly applied to guitar, but they may be used on any instrument. Additionally, Fuzz generates a more self-evident, “screaming” effect than overdrive.
*Bit crushers*This type of distortion – unlike the previous types – exists solely in the digital realm. It results from periodic quantization error and/or aliasing. This means the computer does not have a great enough bit depth and/or sample rate to rectify the signal, so it rounds off samples to the nearest value determined by the resolution parameters on the bit crusher. This process causes a low-fi, sometimes robotic sound that is quite desirable in modern electronic music. It is the audio equivalent of what would happen if you were to play a 1080P video on a monitor that only supports up to 720P.
I usually use a bit crusher on drum loops because it accentuates the distorted high-frequency content.
TECHNIQUES & TIPSUsing harmonic distortion to make something more clear (although it sounds contradictory) is an excellent approach. Believe it or not, small amounts of harmonic distortion can make harmonics more evident. For example, this trumpet sounds more like a real trumpet after emphasizing it’s upper partials.
Another great way to use distortion is on vocals. A good option is to duplicate the original vocal track and add distortion to the duplicate (in parallel). This way, the original vocal characteristics remain pure, yet, the sum contains some interesting added harmonic content. Accompanied by a bit of reverb, EQ, and compression, the end result sounds AWESOME.
In conclusion, from extremes like Fuzz & Bit crushing to more subtle options like tape-saturation, distortion is effectual. You can apply it to just about any audio source, and it can really morph your sound into something truly amazing.
The post Trash Your Sound With Distortion Effect appeared first on SoundBridge.
INTRODUCTIONAs a matter of fact, you don’t need much to generate cool timbres. In essence, often times the effect itself creates the sound, especially at drastic settings. Today, I will show you how I created an alien-like sound effect from a short, low fidelity recording of someone typing on the keyboard.
~ Raw Sample (typing)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Raw-Type1.mp3~ Sound Effect (crafted from sample above)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/audio-22.mp3FOLLOW THESE STEPS1) Firstly, record some audio. It could be anything. In fact, the noisier the better – more content to mangle. Don’t worry about getting a good level or bandwidth.
2) Then, use Pitch and Time Stretch. A lot of cool artifacts will come simply from this step, especially on lite processing algorithms. Try drastically shifting the audio and bringing up the gain. Also try stretching/pitch shifting individual snippets further.
3) Band-pass filter and noise gate the output to get rid of the noisy content. Be sure to adjust your attack and release times so that there is no “chattering”. (See Blog: Noise Reduction: Gates)
4) In addition, cut it up and make a composite using only the snippets you like. Create fades and cross-fades as you see fit. Try reversing some of the snippets.
~ with stretching, fades, reversals, filtering, and gating
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/audio-3.mp3MOVING FORWARD5) Now, create a return track and drop a bit crusher on it. Bring up the send level for the sound effect to this return and solo it. You should only hear bit crushed sound with it soloed. Bounce the return track and delete it (if you want). Then, edit and adjust the position of the bit crushed copy to your liking.
~ with bit crushing
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/audio-4.mp36) Furthermore, drop a delay on a return track and repeat step 5 but with the delay. Experiment with cutting up the delayed block, reversing, panning and rearranging it before mixing it back in with the dry sound.
7) Put some creative effect after the delay to modulate the pitch of affected signal. I used Mfreqshifter from Melda and automated the frequency parameter.
~ with delay, panning automation, and frequency shifting
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/audio-5.mp38) What is more, drop a reverb on a return track and repeat step 5/6 but with the reverb. Additionally, capture the wet sound, edit it, rearrange it, and mix it with the dry sound. Try doing some stereo widening after the reverb too.
~ Isolated reverb
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/audio-6.mp39) Drop another creative effect onto the signal change. I used Melda‘s frequency shifter again except, this time, I automated the sync rate. Consequently, this produced some neat artifactual content which I blended into the tail of the sound.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/audio-7.mp310) Also, use some generative effect like a resonator, exciter, or crystallizer to add some harmonically related content to the signal. Consequently, I used the Crystallizer from Sound Toys.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/audio-9.mp311) Now that you have the timbre you want, you can edit and rearrange and cross-fade it however you please. I ended up cutting the introductory sweep of the sound and moving it a little later, to the tail of the sound. Consider using some gain or compression – but don’t feel obligated to.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/audio-23.mp3The post Make Creative Artifacts By Following These Simple Steps appeared first on SoundBridge.
Acoustic pianos are renowned for their rich, textural sound and wide dynamic range. Although creating a realistic piano solo can be challenging, a few techniques can make your piano sequences sound more natural.
I have created a relatively short sequence in our SoundBridge: DAW that includes general mix elements, including the piano sequence. Let us listen first to the mix and then the piano sequence solo.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Full-Mix-Piano-Sequence-Unprocessed.wav~Full Mix – Piano Sequence (Unprocessed)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Piano-Sequence-Solo-1-Unprocessed.wav~Piano Sequence 1 Solo (Unprocessed)
Use a Realistic-Sounding VST to Make Your Piano Sound More RealisticAs is evident in the above audio examples, the piano sounds less realistic and more like a toy. To make your piano sequences sound more natural, the first step would be to select a VST instrument capable of producing a piano sound that is as rich and dynamic as possible. There are a certain number of options from which you can select, but here is one of my favorites. Let us take a listen.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Piano-Sequence-2-Solo-Unprocessed.wav~Piano Sequence 2 Solo (Unprocessed)
Obviously, this is an improvement. But this is not exactly what I’m looking for. This tutorial aims to create a hybrid between a studio (piano renowned for its brightness) and a character piano (praised for its warm and unique tone). The chord progression we heard earlier sounds so robotic. The velocities of the keys are all the same.
Adding Velocity and Timing ChangesFollowing the selection of a realistic-sounding piano VST, step two for this process is to make the midi sequence more human. Because no real pianist would play something like this, all the chords end at the end of the grid and start at the beginning, and many melody notes are the same length.
First, we’ll vary the velocities relating to the melody we’re attempting to write. Don’t go too far because this instrument, for one thing, is susceptible to velocity changes. Accordingly, we’d want to go through and randomly select different keys and parts of chords.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Piano-Sequence-2-Solo-Velocity.wav~Piano Sequence 2 Solo (Velocity)
Thirdly we’d be humanizing the timing. It is challenging for a pianist to begin and end each chord at the exact beginning and end of the bar. I’m going to move the chord notes just a little so they’re rushing and late at specific points. You can get a better idea of how it should look from the zoomed image below.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Piano-Sequence-2-Solo-Timing.wav~Piano Sequence 2 Solo (Timing)
Based on everything we’ve done here, we can safely say that these few methods give new life to the original chord progression and make it sound more like a live piano performance.
Finally, let us listen to the piano in the context of the full mix.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Full-Mix-Piano-Sequence-Processed.wav~Full Mix – Piano Sequence (Processed)
If you liked this article about music composition and techniques, here are some more on the same subject:
- The World of Scales, Intervals, The Circle of Fifths, and Diatonic Chords
- Using Modal Interchange Chords
- Hocketing and Pointillism in Electronic Music
- Simple Tricks For Making Better Melodies
- 5 Secrets for Processing and Layering Piano in Music
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Make-Your-Piano-Sequences-Sound-More-Realistic-YouTube.mp4The post Make Your Piano Sequences Sound More Realistic appeared first on SoundBridge.
Groove is the effect of changing patterns in a propulsive beat or the sense of “swing” in music. Groove has been defined as “an uncertain but organized sensation of something that is sustained in a distinctive, regular, and attractive fashion, aiming to draw the listener in” from a more general ethnomusicological perspective. In the following tutorial, I’ll show you a few techniques to add a groove to your drums and make your music more enjoyable.
In our SoundBridge: DAW, I have prepared a short sequence that contains rhythmic elements, including a basic hi-hat pattern, without groove, created using RitMix. I will use this to demonstrate groove changes.
Let us listen to the whole mix first, then the hi-hat pattern solo.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Full-Mix-Hi-Hat-Pattern-Unprocessed.wav~Full Mix – Hi-Hat Pattern (Unprocessed)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Hi-Hat-Pattern-Solo-Unprocessed.wav~Hi-Hat Pattern Solo (Unprocessed)
Using Velocity Changes to Add Groove to Your DrumsThis hi-hat pattern obviously is repetitive and lacks any groove; it simply hits every 1/16th note. To help resolve this, I will implement the first technique that adds groove to your drums: Velocity changes. The velocity for each hit in the MIDI editor can be found at the bottom of the SoundBridge MIDI editor, as shown in the images below.
When you select notes, you can see their velocity value in the MIDI editor’s left panel. As you may have noticed, the first four notes have varying velocities, and the pattern then repeats. The first image shows the unaltered velocity for each note, whereas the second image shows the changes in velocity that create a groove.
Let us hear how the groove change sounds solo and then in the context of the full mix.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Hi-Hat-Pattern-Solo-Unprocessed.wav~Hi-Hat Pattern Solo (Groove With Velocity)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Full-Mix-Hi-Hat-Pattern-Groove-With-Velocity.wav~Full Mix – Hi-Hat Pattern (Groove With Velocity)
Using Swing in SoundBridgeWe will now proceed to the next concept for adding a groove to your drums: Swing. In SoundBridge: DAW, you can set the Swing by clicking on the icon at the bottom of the main interface, which will open a separate swing window. It allows you to adjust the swing amount for 1/8th, 1/16th, and 1/32nd beats.
If you, for example, set the Swing to 30% for 1/16th beat, you can store that setting by clicking the “Add to Snap” button or selecting the notes in the MIDI editor and clicking “Quantize.” The selected pattern will be automatically changed as a result of this.
The grid in the MIDI editor has changed due to the 30% swing that I applied to the hi-hat pattern. So, when compared to the hi-hat pattern without the Swing, every second note in the MIDI editor is now a little shorter. Let us compare the hi-hat pattern without and with a swing.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Hi-Hat-Pattern-Solo-Without-Swing.wav~Hi-Hat Pattern Solo (Without Swing)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Hi-Hat-Pattern-Solo-With-Swing.wav~Hi-Hat Pattern Solo (With Swing)
Without a doubt, there is a noticeable difference when a swing is added to the hi-hat pattern. These are two simple methods for significantly improving the sound of your drum sequences. Let us hear the whole mix with hi-hat and added Swing at the end.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Full-Mix-Hi-Hat-Pattern-Groove-With-Swing-.wav~Full Mix – Hi-Hat Pattern (Groove With Swing)
If you liked this tutorial, here are some more on the same subject:
- A Quick Guide to Designing Dubstep Drums
- Making Big Room House – The Complete Guide To Kick And Bass Creation
- Quick Arranging Tips: Song Structure
- Program a Melodic House Drum Groove by Using RitMix
- Swing and Syncopation
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Introduce-Groove-to-Your-Drum-Elements-YouTube.mp4The post Add Groove to Your Drums appeared first on SoundBridge.
People often describe songs as being in a particular key while performing or listening to music, for example, “This is in the key of G Major.” You need to be able to find the root key of any sample to decide if it matches any other musical audio clip.
This skill is handy when creating a mixtape, incorporating a great acapella in your instrumental, or tuning your drum sounds. In other words, being aware of the key of your samples and loops helps you create great-sounding music. I will show you how to find the root key of your samples in the following tutorial.
Let’s say we have a nice bassline sequence and want to find a kick drum that fits. This is how the bassline sounds when played solo.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Bassline-Solo.wav~Bassline – Solo
We can add a kick drum sample of our choice to an empty slot in RitMix or a new audio channel within SoundBridge. Let’s hear how the kick drum and bassline sound together.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Bassline-Kick-Drum-Unprocessed-Solo.wav~Bassline & Kick Drum (Unprocessed) – Solo
Using an Analyzer to Find the Key of Any SampleListening to the audio example above, the bassline and kick drum are incompatible because the kick drum has too many sub-frequencies. We know that our bassline’s root key is A#, so let’s figure out what the root key of the kick drum is. To do that, we’ll load a new instance of the SPAN analyzer by Voxengo onto the kick drum’s effect rack.
Within SPAN, we will first select the “High Resolution” preset from the top right corner of the interface.
When we hover over the analyzer section of the interface, as shown in the image below, we can see where most of the frequency content is occurring. Consequently, where the highest peak is. And if you look closely, you will notice that the analyzer determined that the dominant root key of the kick drum is F#, which is far away from the root key of the bassline, A#.
Pitch Envelope Processing Using RitMixTo correct the key difference between the bass and kick, I’ll return to RitMix and open the kick drum edit window. We can use the pitch envelope section to change the pitch of the kick drum.
So, after processing the kick drum, we can see from the image below of the SPAN analyzer interface that the kick drum’s highest peak is now around A#. Let’s hear how the processed kick drum sounds with the bassline.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Bassline-Kick-Drum-Processed-Solo.wav~Bassline & Kick Drum (Processed) – Solo
Finally, let us hear how everything sounds together. We listen to the entire mix with the unprocessed kick drum and then the processed version.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Full-Mix-Kick-Drum-Unprocessed-1.wav~Full Mix – Kick Drum (Unprocessed)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Full-Mix-Kick-Drum-Processed.wav~Full Mix – Kick Drum (Processed)
This technique can be applied to various audio sources. However, it works best with drum sounds. Generally, the root key of percussions cannot easily be determined by ear, so this technique saves a lot of time.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Find-The-Root-Key-of-Any-Sample-YouTube.mp4If you liked this article on sound design, here are other related articles:
- Make a Screaming Acid Sequence
- Create Wider Synths
- Add More Impact to Your Drops
- How To Process Your 808 Bassline
- How to Get More from Your Samples Using Transposition
The post Find The Root Key of Any Sample appeared first on SoundBridge.
A significantly prolonged reverb may be highly effective in creating a feeling of space on a vocal or synth stab when there is a long silence between phrases in a song. However, a reverb that ‘ducks’ while a particular signal plays but comes back to life when that signal is silent is a better option. Having this in mind, I will show you how to use a ducking reverb effect in your tracks.
I’ve created a short sequence in SoundBridge that contains common elements found in a full mix, including a simple synth chord stab. Let us listen to the whole mix first, then the synth chord stab solo.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Full-Mix-Synth-Chord-Stab-Unprocessed.wav~Full Mix – Synth Chord Stab (Unprocessed)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Synth-Chord-Stab-Solo-Unprocessed.wav~Synth Chord Stab Solo (Unprocessed)
As we can hear from the audio examples above, we intentionally left the synth chord stab dry so we could implement a ducking reverb technique.
Create a Long ReverbThis technique’s first step is to select your favorite reverb and place it on a new return track within SoundBridge. If you look at the mixer window below, you will notice that I have increased the reverb send amount on the synth chord stab channel to about 50%.
In this particular instance, we chose to use MeldaProduction’s MCharmVerb. The reverb parameters: size and time should be pretty long (as we want ample space), and the reverb mix is set to 100%. Let us listen to it now.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Synth-Chord-Stab-Solo-Processed-With-Reverb.wav~Synth Chord Stab Solo (Processed With Reverb)
Create a Ducking Reverb EffectOnce I’m pleased with the reverb sound, I’ll move on to a ducking effect. I’ll then place a compressor on the same effect chain as the reverb effect within the return track. The most crucial step in this process is to assign the synth chord stab as the compressor’s sidechain input. I chose RoughRider3 by Audio Damage, but there are myriad other options.
The compressor settings are critical for practical ducking to happen. For example, you need a relatively low threshold and a high ratio to create an audible gain reduction. The threshold is one thing to keep an eye (and an ear) on because it relates to the level of the side chain signal rather than the reverb itself.
The release control is also essential in shaping the reverb sound for this case. The compressor is ducking the reverb (reducing its gain), and consequently, its release will effectively control the attack time of the reverb.
Since everything is set regarding the compressor, let us listen to the synth chord stab solo and then in the context of the whole mix.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Synth-Chord-Stab-Solo-Processed-With-Reverb-Compressor.wav~Synth Chord Stab Solo (Processed With Reverb & Compressor)
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Full-Mix-Synth-Chord-Stab-Processed-With-Reverb-Compressor.wav~Full Mix – Synth Chord Stab (Processed With Reverb & Compressor)
If you liked this article about sound design, here are some more on the same subject:
- Process Drums With Spectral Reverb Effect
- Multi-Reverb Technique
- Make an 80’s Style Snare Drum with Gated Reverb Trick
- Control the Reverb in Your Mix
- How To Use Delay
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Involve-the-Ducking-Reverb-Effect-in-Your-Track-YouTube.mp4The post Using a Ducking Reverb Effect in Your Tracks appeared first on SoundBridge.
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Next to compressors, gates are perhaps the second most popular type of dynamic range processor. Like a physical gate that […]
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It is not easy to make a proper sounding kick drum for genres like Trance, Techno, or Progressive House. It […]
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Have you ever wanted to make those sub-bass drops that you so often hear when you are watching movie trailers? […]
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When it comes to iconic instruments from the 20th century, an unavoidable classic is without any doubt the D6 […]
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Overtly electronic sounds, with bit depths, sample rates, and filtering altered on the fly and triggered by fast runs of […]
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The 80`s of the 20th century brought a lot of new and exciting moments in the music scene. It was […]
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What is a De-Esser effect? The De-esser is without a doubt a versatile effect, frequently used to tame the annoying […]
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Granular synthesis is not a new thing in audio production realm, but it never ceases to amaze us with possibilities […]
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The rotary speaker is also known as Leslie speaker, due to its inventor Donald Leslie. He created and manufactured the […]
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Tone shaping plugin units that offer various sound processing options are not a new thing, but some of them are […]
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A Bitcrusher effect is a lo-fi (low fidelity) digital audio effect, which produces distortion by reducing the resolution or bandwidth […]
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You’ve probably heard this effect before. It sounds like an infinitely reverberant space. You can create this effect very […]
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Processing vocals can be enjoyable, but at the same time, a painstaking process. In the 2nd half of the […]
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Panning is an essential audio processing task that producers often neglect. From the early days of mixing audio, it was […]
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The last decade brought us some handy audio processing tools. The kind of audio processing tools we never imagined that […]
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Over the past few decades, many popular songs were recorded in expensive studios with even more expensive equipment. One of […]
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Vocal mixing generally involves lots of processing and varying techniques can be used to achieve different results. When it comes […]
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Back in the day, vocals were usually recorded far away from the microphone. While all this was going on, there […]
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Removing unwanted noise from recorded dialogue is always a tricky process. Over the past decades, we were introduced to a […]
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Sound Bending with ”I Wish” Since we’ve covered the essential functions of the “I Wish“ plugin in the last […]
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Year by year, we are witnessing the progress of audio engineering technologies. New mixing tricks and new recording options are […]
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With constant growing soft-synth/effect technology in the audio production world, we have a chance to use some instruments that were […]
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Harmonic enhancers generate new harmonic content. This is different from equalizers, which are able to cut or boost frequencies already […]
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Drums are a cornerstone element in most modern dance mixes. They provide a lot of emotion and feel to a […]
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It is true that in music production you should trust your ears. However, over time you get used to your […]
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Riser effects are one of the most common sounds used in modern electronic music genres. Whether it’s made from simple […]
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Music genres like Hip-Hop, Electro, and House can’t really be imagined without clap sounds. One of the most famous and distinctive […]
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An Exciter is a processing technique used to enhance an audio signal by dynamic equalization, phase manipulation, harmonic synthesis of high-frequency signals, and through […]
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Multi-effect processors have been on the market for quite some time now. We were first introduced to hardware units which […]
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When it comes to drums, percussion, and other audio samples – many producers forget they can tune them. Despite the […]
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Saturation is a phenomenon in audio music production which is praised by many audio engineers and music production enthusiasts in […]
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The world of music production would not be the same without the continually evolving art of equalizing. In the next […]
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While making a track you’ll likely come to the point where it’s time to write a melody. Whether it’s a […]
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Transients are a short burst of energy at the beginning of a sound. In essence, every instrument produces them, but […]
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Delay, or echo effect if you like, is an inevitable part of audio and music production alike. It is one […]
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Besides bass, the kick drum defines the backbone of the rhythm in every musical genre. Today’s electronic music cannot […]
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Mastering is the final step in the audio production process. It’s the time when the tracks get finalized and prepared […]
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The Clap is undoubtedly one of the essential rhythmic elements in modern music. It all started with Roland’s TR-808 and […]
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Depth and sense of space are two aspects that most serious producers try to achieve in their tracks. Since […]
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What is a hi-hat? The hi-hat sound is one of the most recognizable rhythm elements. That goes for most of […]
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The snare is one of the main elements of rhythm in modern electronic music. Therefore, many processing techniques exist to […]
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Today, there are a lot of techniques for stereo spreading the audio signal. In earlier tutorials, we had covered […]
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Delay effects were always an inevitable part of music production in general. From the first delay effect that was based […]
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Drums are an essential part of music arrangements across many genres. Kicks, snares, and percussion stand out most of the […]
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In electronic music genres such as House, Techno, and Psy Trance, it’s important to have a proper impact after the […]
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Familiarize yourself with critical frequency ranges that help color your sound.
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Over time, as music production techniques progressed, we were introduced to many creative ways to shape the sound. Some […]
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While there are many different ways to process and enhance the sound of your bassline, one of the most beneficial […]
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Contemporary 808s are considerably a stretch from what the original designer Ikutaro Kakehashi must have envisioned in 1980, when he […]
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Vocal processing techniques are complicated, but they also represent a never-ending creative process with countless different manipulation approaches. One […]
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You’ve probably heard about the term “clipping” and might associate it with something bad or important to avoid. It’s true […]
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Modern electronic music can’t really be imagined without a solid kick drum. One of the processing techniques that come to […]
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The phaser effect can be often overlooked in modern music production. However, it deserves a rightful place when it comes […]
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Altering the sound characteristics with the help of distortion like effects have been present in music production for a long […]
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There is no denying that the guitar is one of the most suitable and flexible instruments. Consequently, producers use it […]
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Setting the right stereo image in modern music production has become a technology by itself, a really complex one I […]
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An EQ or equalizer is designed to add or remove frequencies of the audio spectrum. Certain EQ’s can be more […]
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One thing common to most electronic music producers is definitely the daunting quest for the perfect bassline. It’s unsurprising, given […]
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One important thing to keep in mind about music is that it’s quite subjective. If you make music for an […]
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There’s no denying that the saturation effect has the potential to turn just about any harsh-sounding audio material into […]
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Dynamic processing like the one achieved by compressors, gates, expanders, and limiters is what we’ll discuss in our next tutorial. […]
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The Delay Effect has to be one of the most widely used effects in music production. It’s one of […]
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photo by: http://www.wcvb.com/ “Sound unbound by nature becomes bounded by art.” ~ Dejan Stojanovic Today I found inspiration in […]
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In the 1st part of the “Live Bass Sound” tutorial, we presented the excellent sounding MODO BASS by IK Multimedia. […]
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One of the most time-consuming audio processing and mixing tasks is surely the taming of harsh vocal and instrument frequencies. […]
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The key to a great-sounding mix is rooted in the tonal balance of the drums. Yet, like mixers, we […]
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If you want to make your kick drum sit right in the mix, you need to learn how to use […]
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Modulation Effects Power Modulation effects have evolved significantly in past decades. Effects like flangers, phasers, ring modulators, frequency shifters […]
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There are many side-chain compressor simulation effects today that offer the benefits of side-chaining without compression. You can hear […]
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Currently, a wide range of creative audio effects are at our disposal, and they are introducing new ways of manipulating […]
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House is a genre of electronic music that needs no introduction. Over the past decades, it spread so widely and […]
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What is Mid-Side processing? The concept of Mid/Side Processing comes from a mic technique patented by Alan Blumlein in […]
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There are few things in music that capture the emotions of diehard fans more than vinyl records. The retro feel, […]
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Chord inversions and voicings are concepts you might be familiar with if you’ve become acquainted with music theory. They’re essential […]
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The reverb effect is one of the most versatile audio effects in music production realm. From its origins to modern […]
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Music producers have been experimenting for decades to generate “larger than life” vocals and instruments. Luckily today, there are many […]
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When it comes to sub-bass, it usually consists of a basic sine waveform (See Blog: Why Waveforms?). This is because the […]
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Today, we’re discussing the unison effect. As some of you may know, one of the easiest ways to get ready-made […]
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The guitar needs no introduction – it’s an instrument used in most modern music genres. From pleasant and smooth, to […]
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In the world of audio production, there is always room for a bit more compression. If your goal is to […]
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There’s a huge variety of vocal treatments that may not be quite so obvious. Not all are applicable to all […]
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In movie production, most of the audio work is done in a separate process after the filming stage. Actors re-record lines […]
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In music, Unison represents two or more musical parts sounding the same pitch or at an octave interval, usually […]
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The Doppler effect (or the Doppler shift) is the change in frequency or wavelength of a wave in relation to […]
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Today, there are many techniques available in music production for stereo enhancement. Nevertheless, a producer should be careful because too […]
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What is sampling? In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion of one sound recording and reusing […]
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Lo-fi is known as a musical or production standard in which elements otherwise regarded as imperfections of a recording are […]
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Most professional music producers consider reverb to be an inevitable effect in modern music. Reverb enriches the audio signal by […]
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Filtering in the realm of music production is by no means a new thing. Nevertheless, it’s one of the […]
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It is a fact that layering is a crucial aspect of making any style of music that relies on […]
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Sub-bass is one of the foundations of modern electronic music. Because of that, it requires close attention when it comes […]
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Tonal ambiance is one of the key aspects of any great mix. It’s hugely beneficial since it makes space in […]
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Shaping Sound Music knows no boundaries. Musicians and music producers are continually finding new and exciting ways to shape […]
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Audio filters were always playing a huge role as indispensable tools in music production. They are used for a variety of […]
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Hardware and software units which can introduce extra harmonic content to an instrument or group of tracks is something that […]
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Basslines are a vital element of any decent sounding song. To be honest, without them, music would not be the […]
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Dub music 101 Dub music is a genre of electronic music that originated in the late 1960s as a […]
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A tremendous variety of equalizer plugins are at our disposal. They are, without a doubt critical audio processors, which […]
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Harmonic distortion is capable of adding color, depth, presence, and warmth to a sound. Learn how to utilize it to […]
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Few drum elements are more discussed when talking about modern electronic dance music than the snare. Snare sounds come in […]
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The tape stop effect, as it’s known nowadays, has existed for a long time. It has its roots in old […]
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In modern genres of electronic music, drum sounds play a crucial role. We have previously covered numerous techniques that show […]
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Taming harsh frequencies of live and modulated instruments is a common process in mixing and audio processing. Instruments with a […]
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You probably wonder how to get that wide and crystal clear vocal sound. Here at SoundBridge, we have decided to […]
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A form of House music called Acid House became widely popular in the mid-80`s. The style was defined primarily by […]
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Panning and other positioning tools allow you to place instruments from left to right across the stereo image, effectively determining […]
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TUNE IT UP In addition to traditional audio processing effects such as equalizers, compressors, reverbs, etc… several digital effects […]
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There are many different techniques you can use to make your synth sounds sound big and full. Things like panning, […]
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We all got used to applying equalizers, compressors and different LP/HP filters to the drum loops and drums in general. […]
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There are many different techniques you can use to make your synth sounds sound big and wide. Things like panning, […]
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Surely you will agree that the acoustic guitar is one of the most used instruments out there. Countless everlasting hits […]
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INTRODUCTION Today, I will show you how I made this unmistakable sound effect in Lumit! It is composed […]
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Frequency Shifter raises or lowers the frequency of an input signal using a complex amplitude modulation-like technique. Unlike the pitch […]
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People tend to be nostalgic about the old days when the music was recorded and played over tape mediums […]
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Proper tuning is fundamental to getting a good drum tone. As with any instrument, it can take years to […]
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Reverb is one of the most versatile effects out there. You can use it as an insert effect, on a […]
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Music producers and sound designers still praise analog equipment for its unique sound. The details, coloration, and other aspects are […]
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Creating hi-hat patterns that are both interesting and rewarding may be challenging for even the most experienced music producers who […]
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Psychedelic Trance, or Psy-Trance, is a sub-genre of electronic music best known for its heavy synth sequences, basslines, and drum […]
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Modulating sounds with filters is not a new idea in music production. It has actually been a standard since the […]
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Gating, as an audio effect, has been around for quite some time. It is a straightforward process that, when […]
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Fixing Phasing Issues Phasing issues have long been an obstacle for the right sounding mix. They can occur with […]
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Acoustically treated rooms don’t come cheap, and you can’t take your acoustically treated room on the road with you. […]
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The piano sound can be difficult to blend in the mix due to its complex tone dynamics, especially if it’s […]
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There are several approaches to producing sumptuous soundscapes, and the reverse vocal swell is one of the most simple and […]
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In recent times, virtual instruments are getting extremely close to the authentic sound of an electric guitar. Various companies spend […]
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What are Formants? Formants are the characteristic amplitude peaks in the spectrum of resonant sound sources. They result […]
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Vocals have to be one of the hardest types of audio material for sound processing. In most cases, they should be dominant […]
The post Spice Up Your Vocals appeared first on SoundBridge.
As we discussed in last week’s tutorial, granular synthesis is something quite remarkable. In terms of creating a different sound […]
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De-essing 101 De-essing is any technique intended to reduce or eliminate the excessive prominence of sibilant consonants, such as […]
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In music, a chorus effect occurs when individual sounds with approximately the same time and very similar pitch converge and […]
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The ’80s introduced many changes to music production in general. The rise of the electronic drum machines took the music […]
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Massive by Native Instruments is, needless to say, one of the most powerful software synths out there. Its sound characteristics, […]
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The use of AI has been steadily growing in audio processing, as computer power and developer skills have progressed. AI […]
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Putting together a basic drum rhythm is a simple procedure, thanks to the high-quality software and sounds available nowadays. After […]
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Very useful multi-effect processors have emerged in the software market in recent years. These can alter guitar sounds in truly […]
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Pitch shifting is a relevant tool when processing drum sounds. Electronic musicians frequently argue drum samples sound better when pitched […]
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Alternative approaches to drum processing have emerged in recent years. We will cover one that will add texture to your […]
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Modern effects and synthesizers are getting better at mimicking the natural vibrato produced by, say, a violinist playing their instrument. […]
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Muddiness and lack of shimmer are two EQ issues that many of you might have trouble with. Related frequency bands […]
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EQ boosting might seem like the right approach if your mix lacks treble content. However, when exaggerated, this can generate […]
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We’ve seen a revival of retro sound during the last years with genres such as Synthwave and Lo-Fi House. They’re […]
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There are numerous techniques for enhancing or smoothing high-frequency sounds such as hi-hats or shakers, and one interesting and creative […]
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Memorable and catchy melodies are the key to making a song that gets played over and over again. A call […]
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Many modern electronic music genres include atmospheric textures as an essential component. They are frequently used to fill empty space […]
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Limiters are employed mostly for a single purpose: to limit the output of a signal in a way that prevents […]
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In House music, a way to emphasize the groove is to make a good rhythmic balance and interaction between the kick drum and bassline. In the following tutorial, we’ll demonstrate how to combine your main kick drum pattern with a sub-kick to emphasize the groove and increase the track’s energy.
As usual, we have prepared a short sequence in our SoundBridge: DAW. It contains most of the essential elements of a full mix. Let’s have a listen.
~Full Mix – Without Sub Kick Drum Groove As the audio example above shows, there is room for a more complex groove between the main kick drum and bassline. We’ll fill this void with another kick drum. The first step would be to find a kick sample that is appropriate for this task and place it on a new channel in our sequencer. Here is how that sounds unprocessed.
~Sub Kick Drum – Unprocessed We don’t want this to sound overbearing, but rather in the background. As a result, we’ll first trim the sample to the appropriate length and apply some fade out. Following that, we’ll place the sub-kick at specific points in relation to the kick and bassline to create some groove, as you can see in the picture below. Let’s take a listen to that.
~Main Kick Drum, Bassline & Sub Kick Drum – Unprocessed Because our newly created sub-kick sequence still sounds too prominent, it’s necessary to process it further. We’ll accomplish this by using a high-cut filter and adjusting the volume. Lastly, some compression will be useful.
Here’s how this sounds solo and with the main kick drum and bassline. We recommend that you listen to this on a pair of studio monitors or high-quality headphones since we are working on the sub-frequencies.
~Sub Kick Drum – Processed ~Main Kick Drum, Bassline & Sub Kick Drum – Processed Now, let’s listen to the full mix, this time with the added sub-kick drum groove.
~Full Mix – Sub Kick Drum (Processed) If you liked this article on mixing and low-end, here are some more on the same subject:
- Get a Fuller Sounding Bassline
- Take Control of Your Low Frequencies
- Friendly Stereo Sub
- Get a Fuller Sounding Bassline
The post Create a Sub-Kick Drum Groove appeared first on SoundBridge.
We’ve had sonic enhancer plugins around for quite some time. They’re able to extract that certain magic from particular frequencies that are difficult to tune in with simple EQs and compressors. Sonic enhancers are particularly effective in the high and low frequencies, which are often lost in the mixing process. In the next tutorial, we will show you how to use one of them to master your track.
As usual, we’ll begin by listening to a short sequence created in our SoundBridge: DAW. It contains the majority of a full mix’s elements, with a few effects already added to the mastering chain.
~Full Mix – Unprocessed Our track has some starting headroom, as we can hear from the audio example above, with loudness reaching around -15 LUFS. This will serve as a good starting point for us to add a sonic enhancer effect and work on the track’s mastering. This time, we chose the Waves Infected Mushroom Pusher as our sonic enhancer. The Waves IMPusher offers a good deal of flexibility when it comes to boosting frequencies, enhancing sounds, and mastering entire tracks in any genre or style. Let’s place it as the last plugin in our mastering chain and take a look at its interface.
IMPusher sonic enhancer’s parameters The Waves IMPusher plugin includes a number of processors referred to as components. We can use all or some of them to achieve the best possible result for our material. The Input level sits in the upper left corner of the interface and is a good place to start. The big bottom processor is called LOW. It boosts low frequencies while also adding harmonics. You can set the frequency at which this process begins based on note or frequency. We already have plenty of low-frequency content in our case, so we won’t use it.
Moving on, the Body component adds low-to-midrange dynamics and frequency processing. In general, this affects the weight of the middle frequencies. For our track, we’ll set the knob to 12. Magic is the main component of the Waves IMPusher, and it’s used to excite and boost the dynamics of all frequencies at the same time. There are also controls for frequency Focus and Dynamic Punch. We set the frequency focus to 62, and the overall Magic value is set to 60, in our case.
The High component takes care of the high frequencies, and we have set the number to 5. The Stereo Image widens the stereo field of the high frequencies, and here we will set its amount to around 12. Finally, the Push component is used to drive the overall audio level to the maximum loudness. It’s possible to choose between two processes: Clipping or Limiting.
Following our initial introduction to Waves IMPusher and its parameters, we will now hear the difference between our track’s unprocessed and processed versions. ~Full Mix – Unprocessed ~Full Mix – Processed With IMPusher If you liked this article on mixing, here are some more on the same subject:
- Advanced Dynamic Processing
- 5 Essential Tips For Parallel Processing
- Maximize Loudness With These Processing Tips
- Discover Advanced Equalization and Dynamic Processing
The post Use a Sonic Enhancer to Master Your Track appeared first on SoundBridge.
Synthwave is a genre that mixes nostalgia of the fantasy and action movie soundtracks from the ’80s with modern production methods and precision. Simple patterns, gated reverb, saturation, and samples from drum machines popular in the 1980s, such as the LinnDrum, are all essential elements of this genre. Massive cymbals and tom fills were also popular at the time. In the next tutorial, we will show you how to make retro-sounding tom fill, appropriate for a Synthwave track.
As usual, we’ll begin by listening to a short sequence created in our SoundBridge: DAW. It contains the majority of a full mix’s elements.
~Full Mix – Without Tom Fill To begin, we’ll make a new MIDI channel and load Ritmix on it. The same tom sample will then be loaded onto five different Ritmix pads as you can see in the picture below.
To change the pitch of the pad, we will open the edit window. Under the “Envelopes/Humanizer” menu, select the “Pitch” tab and change the semitone parameter to the right. This must be done for each pad.
After that, we can return to the Sequencer and write a pattern in the MIDI editor. Let’s listen to how it sounds.
~Tom Fill – Unprocessed Since our tom fill sounds pretty dry, we will color it with some effects. In this case, we will use a touch of reverb and a Bit Crusher. Let’s take a listen to that.
~Tom Fill – Processed With Reverb Finally, let’s hear this in the context of the full mix.
~Full Mix – Processed Tom Fill If you liked this article on drum processing, here are some more on the same subject:
- Create Epic Cinematic Drums
- Create Kick Drum Sounds in Tune
- Make A Huge 80s Snare Drum
- Create a Classic Tech House Kick Drum
The post Make a Retro Tom Fill appeared first on SoundBridge.
In the EDM genre, it’s likely that you will strive to make the most important elements of your mix prominent and big. Typically, beginners tend to add many identical layers, as many as possible, of their leads in order to make them sound bigger. There are other ways. Instead of stacking layer after layer of identical material, in the following tutorial, we’ll show you how to get bigger leads, by adding rhythmical movement.
As usual, we have prepared a short sequence in our SoundBridge: DAW. It contains most of the elements of the full mix. Let’s take a listen to it.
~Full Mix – Without Synth Lead We will start by creating our synth lead and writing a simple melody for it. In this case, we’ve done it using Spire, by Reveal Sound.
~Synth Lead Layer 1 – Solo As stated previously, rather than stacking identical layers, let’s duplicate the main pattern and play the same notes, but with a faster rhythm. This will give our synth lead some movement and allow it to breathe. To accomplish this, we will add another instance of Spire and select a different sound. Additionally, instead of using eighth notes in the main pattern, we will use sixteenth notes in the new one. Let’s hear how that sounds.
~Synth Lead Layer 2 – Solo It’s important to emphasize that when layering and stacking leads, volume balance is crucial. Your leads will fight and cancel each other out if you don’t balance them well. Define the main layer and the supporting ones and set appropriate levels.
~Synth Lead Layers – Mix Finally, let’s hear how our synth lead sounds in the context of the full mix.
~Full Mix – Synth Lead Layers If you liked this article on synth layering and processing, here are some more on the same subject:
-
How to Make a Punchy Synth Lead
-
Make a Bigger Synths by Using Unison
-
Make Your synths Sound More Analog
-
How to Make a Talking Synth Sound
The post Add Movement to Your Synth Leads appeared first on SoundBridge.
The presence and bite of professional drum recordings might be missing in recordings of your own. This desired tonal quality can be achieved in several ways. For instance, distortion is generally a good choice, and specifically for this case, parallel distortion. In this article, we’ll show you how to use the parallel distorted reverb technique to add an edge to your drums.
As usual, we’ll start by listening to a short sequence created in SoundBridge: DAW. It contains most of a full mix’s elements.
~Full Mix – Drums (Unprocessed) As we can hear in the audio example above, the drums sound tight, but they lack a certain edge and a sense of space. To solve this, let’s group all of our drum tracks, except the kick, and name the newly created group track: DRUMS.
Next, since our plan is to process the drums in parallel, we’ll need to add a new return track, which we will call “DRUMS – Parallel”.
~DRUM GROUP – Solo (Unprocessed) Moreover Now let’s add plugins to our newly created “DRUMS – Parallel” return track. The reverb effect would be first in line. We chose Ice Reverb, a simple reverb effect found in Native Instruments’ Maschine 2.
~DRUM GROUP – Solo (Reverb) Once we’re happy with the sound of the reverb, we’ll add a distortion effect after it. For this, we have chosen Trash 2 by Izotope. Keep in mind that for this kind of processing, the amount of distortion and reverb should be subtle. Let’s hear how it sounds.
~DRUM GROUP – Solo (Reverb & Distortion) The final effect in our “DRUMS – Parallel” return track will be an EQ, which we will use to control the processed signal and eliminate any annoying frequency peaks.
~DRUM GROUP – Solo (Reverb, Distortion & EQ) Finally, let’s hear how the drum group sounds with and without parallel processing, in the context of the full mix.
~Full Mix – Drums (Unprocessed) ~Full Mix – Drums (Processed) If you liked this article on drum processing, here are some more on the same subject:
- Use Parallel Distortion to Spice Up Your Bass
- Tighten Up the Drums in Your Mix
- 3 Simple Steps to an Effective Drums and Percussion Tuning Strategy
- Get Vivid Drums by Using Harmonic Saturation
The post Add Edge to Your Drums appeared first on SoundBridge.
The kick drum is one of electronic music’s most vital components (of any genre). Honestly, the dance floor won’t be bouncing if it can’t get through the mix. There are numerous tools and alternatives for processing the kick drum but subtle saturation works wonders when used properly. In this article, we’ll show you how to add subtle saturation in order to make your kick drum fit perfectly in the mix.
As usual, we have prepared a short sequence in our SoundBridge: DAW containing all essential elements of the full mix. Let’s listen to it.
~Full Mix – Unprocessed Kick Drum As you can hear in this audio track, the kick drum doesn’t cut thorough the mix as it should. In order to fix that, we will use the saturation effect. Saturation will definitely provide more harmonic content so that it may respond well to subsequent processing. The idea is to put it before any additive EQ but potentially after any subtractive EQ correction. This is because we don’t want to add more harmonics to the frequencies we don’t like. We can also add the saturation directly on the kick drum`s effect rack but it sounds much better when added over send/return channel.
Let’s do that by clicking on the plus sign in the top left corner of the SoundBridge: DAW’s interface. In the offered track types, we will select “Return” and name it “Saturation”
We could add a single band saturation plugin to the return channel’s effect rack. But, we believe the multi-band provides much more possibilities. So, our choice of effect will be Izotope’s Ozone 8 Exciter. On the Ozone 8 Exciter, we can observe four different bands, each one with its own saturation modes (Analog, Retro, Triode, etc…). These modes add a unique character to the processed sound. Since we don’t want our kick drum to sound overly saturated, we’ll use the Retro and Tape modes (which sound the most subtle of all). Our return track fader will control the overall level of saturation, so we will set the amount and mix of each band to its maximum, as shown in the image below.
Since we want a subtle effect, we have just increased the send value by 25%. Let’s now compare our kick drum before and after processing it with multi-band saturation.
~Kick Drum Solo – Unprocessed ~Kick Drum Solo – Processed With Multi-Band Saturation By doing this, we’ve already improved the sound of our kick drum. Now, we are free to add additional EQ and compression to the channel’s effect rack directly. Finally, let’s create another compartment to differentiate the full mix with the unprocessed kick drum from the processed one.
~Full Mix – Unprocessed Kick Drum ~Full Mix – Kick Drum Processed With Saturation If you liked this article on saturation, here are some more on the same subject:
- 4 Tips on How to Effectively Use Saturation in Your Mix
- Use Saturation to Enrich Your Mix
- Get Vivid Drums by Using Harmonic Saturation
- Tape Distortion / Saturation
The post Add Subtle Saturation to Your Kick Drum appeared first on SoundBridge.
Cinematic music production is, without any doubt, a vast industry. Its approach to sound processing is, in many cases, much more complicated than producing a regular pop tune. Scoring and layering of many instruments is often a time-consuming process. In earlier decades, most of the sounds used in cinematic music required a live orchestra, expensive studio recording, and lots of other aspects necessary to produce a great sounding movie theme, for example.
Recently, we were introduced to sound banks that contain pre-recorded live instruments and cinematic drum ensembles. As time progressed, these soundbanks sounded more and more realistic, offering a lot of options for further sound manipulation. One of these great-sounding sound banks is Ethnic Drum Ensembles by Heavyocity.
Ethnic Vibe Ethnic Drum Ensembles delivers six unique multi-sampled drum ensembles and over 375 tempo-synced loops. Each ensemble contains up to 12 different drums, performed simultaneously by seven players. Through creative processing and mixing, Heavyocity`s team composed bank loops to be inspiring and immediately useful.
So, we have created a short loop in the SoundBridge: DAW, and we will enrich it with drums from Ethnic Drum Ensembles soundbank. Let’s fist hears how the loop sounds without drums.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Audio-example-1-Instruments-without-drums.wav
~Instruments without drums
Play the Drums The next thing to do would be to open a new instance of Kontakt player and place it on a new MIDI channel in SoundBridge. Additionally, in Kontakt, we will choose a new Ethnic Drum Ensembles bank. As mentioned before, the palette of sounds that this bank is offering is enormous. However, for this purpose, we will select the “Ethnic Mid Ensemble“ preset and make some drum sequences which we will hear next.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Audio-example-2-Ethnic-Drum-Ensembles-Drums-Unprocessed.wav
~Ethnic Drum Ensembles Drums – Unprocessed
Ethnic Drum Interface The central part of the interface consists of several sections. On the left side, we can see the part of the effect (Delay, Modulation, Reverb, and Distortion). Moreover, the center section contains three parts. The Twist is used for further modulation, Mix, which allows us to mix between 3 different microphone levels and Punish, which is a useful compressor/distortion processor.
The right side of the interface is reserved for ADSR controls of 3 channels. Lastly, on the top, we have an equalizer and T-Fx section, which contains more effects (distortion, filter, filter, panner, and delay).
Final Touch For this example, we will use reverb and distortion from the left side, marked in red. Furthermore, we’ll compress the overall sound with the Punish effect. On top of all of that, we’ll pan the positioning of different triggered drum sounds by entering the “Stage“ section, which you can see in the bottom right corner of the interface.
In the Stage section, you can easily position the individual drum sounds by selecting the dots in the upper field. By doing this, the sound will become more realistic. After final processing, let’s hear now how this drum sequence sounds, the first solo, and then with other instruments in the mix.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Audio-example-3-Ethnic-Drum-Ensembles-Drums-Processed.wav
~Ethnic Drum Ensembles Drums -Processed
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Audio-example-4-Full-Mix.wav
~Full Mix
Download the project here.
The post Create Epic Cinematic Drums appeared first on SoundBridge.
“Tension and release” is a phrase you must have heard before. This principle is essential since it underpins almost all music. One of the key reasons why listeners believe music tells a story is because of the use of tension and release. Tension and release refers to the build-up of musical tension that gradually fades and relaxes in a musical sense. A moment of restlessness in the music creates anticipation and the resolution of the drama resolves this tension for the listener. There are many ways how tension and release can be introduced to electronic music tracks. In this article, we will show you how to increase the energy of your buildups with rhythmic tension in your harmony.
Let’s start with the short sequence we created in our SoundBridge: DAW, which contains the full mix without the chord progression.
~Full Mix – Without Chord Progression To begin, let’s create a chord progression that we will work on.
~Chord Progression (Solo) Once we’re finished with that, we’ll move on to the track’s buildup section. As we said, there are numerous ways to create tension in the buildup section. However, when it comes to chord progressions, one of the best methods is looping and the use of rhythmic tension. It’s all about deviating from the established chord progression and building tension with rhythm. You can loop the first portion and speed up the progression as it gets closer to the release (drop). Let’s write our progression in this manner and listen to it.
~Chord Progression (Tension) Moreover, To make it more energetic, we’ll add a snare drum fill with a few uplifters and automate the synth’s high-pass filter towards the drop.
Finally, let’s hear how our build-up and drop sounds now.
~Build-up and full mix ( Processed Chord Tension) So, this is how we can increase the energy of our buildups using rhythmic tension in our harmony.
If you liked this article on buildups, here are some more on the same subject:
- Add Sharpness to Your Piano Chord Progression
- Make Your Piano Chords Sound Powerful
- Using Modal Interchange Chords
- Techno Chord Sound Tutorial
- The World of Scales, Intervals, The Circle of Fifths, and Diatonic Chords
The post Increase the Energy of Your Buildups With Rhythmic Chord Tension appeared first on SoundBridge.
There is no denying that dynamics are crucial for a good sounding mix. Moreover, the efforts to polish a track with various dynamic processors seem to be never-ending. Fortunately, there are some unique processors which are delivering some great results. Read the following tutorial and tackle advanced compression today!
Kush Audio UBK-1 in the following tutorial, we’ll cover a software emulation of analog outboard gear named UBK-1 by Kush Audio. The Kush Audio is known for their high-end analog gear, but recently they started to make software versions of their popular units. Generally, the primary feature of the UBK-1 compressor is the movement. What makes this plugin unique is the series of three distinct texturizing and motion generating engines, which are arranged in the serial and parallel interface. The result of that particular processor architecture is a very creative tool that gives you the power to shape, enhance and even to completely redefine the groove of every element in your mix.
Let’s start by adding a fresh instance of the UBK-1 on the master channel of the short loop that I have previously made. We will go over UBK-1 features and parameters followed by some practical audio examples.
Upon opening of the UBK-1 interface, we can see a kind of vintage interface with knobs and vintage-looking levers.
Headroom One of the most critical parameters of UBK-a is the “Headroom” control, and it’s the first thing you should grab when you open a fresh instance of this plugin. The idea here is to dial in the internal operating level perfectly so that you can get the widest possible range of sweet spot in Saturation, Compression and Density engines represented by those three big knobs. The “Headroom” control basically controls the amount of all three mentioned engines.
Saturation Next, below the “Headroom” we have the DRY/Wet control which we will not bother to cover in detail. The “Saturation” engine ranges from subtle to heavy, and this is where the first section of the UBK-1 interface ends.
Compression The second section is reserved for actual compression. You can set the amount of the compression, followed by a Dry/Wet mix and a range of different compression characters.
Density Lastly, we have a third section where you can set the “Density” from light to thick followed by a switch for tops and the mids. Finally, we see a master gain knob.
Practical examples After a brief introduction let us jump into the practical audio examples. Firstly, we will listen to the unprocessed sequence and then processed with UBK-1 in 2 different ways. Of Course, it will be pointless to squash this sequence with settings of the UBK-1 pushed to the extreme. Therefore, we will handle it rather subtly. I advise you to use a pair of studio monitors or good quality headphones in order to hear the difference properly.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Audio-Example-1-Loop-Unprocessed.wav
~Loop – Unprocessed
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Audio-Example-2-Loop-Processed-with-UBK-1-1.wav
~Processed with UBK-1-1
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Audio-Example-3-Loop-Processed-with-UBK-1-2.wav
~Processed with UBK-1-2
The post Tackling Advanced Compression appeared first on SoundBridge.
Music producers use different audio plugins to achieve dynamics. There are a plethora of options when we’re talking about compressors, dynamic equalizers, expanders and so on. Still, every once in a while a dynamic processor plugin pops up and quickly becomes a game changer. One of those processors is definitely the Inflator by Sonnox.
Inflator by Sonnox The inflator is a unique and powerful plugin used to increase loudness, without sacrificing sonic quality or dynamic range. It is capable of adding power and presence to your mix. Furthermore, it is perfect in helping the vocals cut through the mix. When driven harder, Inflator delivers tube-like musical warmth and provides the ‘sonic glue’ you need to gel your mix together!
Here are some quotations from some of the top sound engineers of today :
“Inflator is a rare Plug-In…I can’t live without it. It simply makes everything sound better…”
“Just the right amount of Inflator will breathe life into anything you run through it!
Use it on any audio material! You can use it on any audio material, from individual instruments to mix buses and it has shown to be beneficial in the mastering process as well. Let’s start by dropping a new instance of it on the kick drum channel which is a part of a short sequence which I have previously made in Soundbridge and listen to how it sounds unprocessed.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Audio-Example-1-Kick-Drum-Unprocessed.wav
~Kick Drum – Unprocessed
The parameters As you can see for yourself, it looks like a rather simple plugin with few parameters to control, but don’t let that discourage you. In its base, it is a loudness maximizer but besides that, it has more functions, and it has a kind of psychoacoustic effect on the sound source. It gives you a very straightforward way of improving gain, and secondly, it just lifts the stuff in the mix. Let us look at its parameters.
– Input: Sets the input level to the Inflator process. For full level input signals, maximum peak input is obtained with the fader set to 0dB. Further gain beyond is provided to allow the lower level program to be boosted to full modulation and enables the inflator to be deliberately overdriven to produce distortion effects.
– Effect Fader – Sets the amount of the overall Inflator effect that is applied to the program, from 0% to 100%.
– Curve Fader – Modifies the processing characteristics and sonic effect of the Inflator.
– Clip 0dB – When this button is selected, internal processing levels are restricted to the equivalent of normal digital maximum. When de-selected, internal processing may develop and process signals beyond the equivalent of digital maximum.
– Band Split – Selects processing on the direct full band signal or invokes a band splitting function that processes the signal separately in the LF, MF, and HF spectral regions.
– In – This switches the Inflator process in and out for comparison purposes.
– Output Fader – sets the output level to allow adjustment of the signal level after processing.
Audio Examples Once we covered its parameters, lets us move to audio examples. As I mentioned above, I will first use on the kick drum. As you can see from the picture below, I have pushed the effect to maximum, while I made a balance between input and the output. Besides that, I selected Clip 0 Db option to avoid clipping. With settings like this, the kick drum became more massive and kind of tighter. Additionally, you can hear some warm saturation.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Audio-Example-2-Kick-Drum-Processed-with-Inflator.wav
~Kick Drum – Processed with Inflator
After this example, I will add and an instance of the Inflator on the master but before the limiter to maximize the loudness of the mix. Here the change in the original state of the parameters will be less dramatic as with the kick drum, but for sure you will be able to hear the difference before and after the processing with the Inflator.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Audio-Example-3-Full-Mix-Unprocessed.wav
~Full Mix- Unprocessed
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Audio-Example-4-Full-Mix-Processed-with-Inflator.wav
~Full Mix-Processed with Inflator
Feel free to download the project here.
The post Pump Up the Elements In Your Mix appeared first on SoundBridge.
What is Time Stretching? Time stretching is a tool that you will find in just about any DAW. It is mostly considered as a practical tool, and an excellent option to get your drum loops in time with the grid or change the tempo of the track in a DJ set. Moreover, you can use it to create exciting mangled sounds and implement it on most of the audio material (vocals, synths, drums, FX, you name it). In the following tutorial, I will demonstrate how to use time stretch with the help of some other effects to transform a simple vocal sample into something completely different.
Let’s get started! I have chosen a short Ethno vocal phrase that is, in my opinion, most suitable to achieve the desired effect. Let us first hear the unprocessed vocal phrase solo and then mixed with other elements in the track.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Audio-example-1-Vocal-Phrase-unprocessed-.wav
~ Vocal Phrase, unprocessed
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Audio-example-2-Vocal-Phrase-unprocessed-with-Drums-Bass-.wav
~ Vocal Phrase, unprocessed, with Drums & Bass
Adding Transpose Stretch After mixing the vocal phrase with existing elements in the project, I will add a 3rd party plugin. Its called Transpose Stretch within Guitar Rig 5 by Native Instruments. This particular plugin not only allows me to control simple time stretching but also possesses grain delay and pitch control as additional parameters which are quite handy for the result that I am trying to achieve.
Let’s move now to the automation of parameters within the Transpose Stretch plugin. The first thing to do would be to engage the “ON“ parameter at the desired point in the vocal phrase. Basically, you catch one small part of the vocal phrase and freeze it to time stretch it. You can play around with the amount of stretch, but for this example, I will start with the stretch parameter turned up to 100 %.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Audio-example-3-Transpose-stretch-plugin-bypass-button-off-on-.wav
~ Transpose Stretch plugin, bypass button automated
Now comes the fun part… I automate the grain, pitch, and stretch parameters which alter the vocal phrase beyond recognition. It seems like a rather complex automation process. But trust me, it is worth every minute of your time when you compare the original to the end result.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Audio-example-4-Transpose-stretch-plugin-full-automation-.wav
~ Transpose Stretch plugin, full automation
After setting everything up, the vocal phrase still sounds a bit dry. So, I will process it further with Reverb and Delay. Let us finally hear it now with Drums and a Bassline.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Audio-example-5-Vocal-phrase-processed-Drums-Bass-line-.wav
~ Vocal phrase processed + Drums & Bass line
The post Creative Time Stretching appeared first on SoundBridge.
In modern electronic music, especially genres like EDM, Psytrance and Dubstep, you probably noticed how production parts are aimed towards various pitch and frequency modulation. This trick gives that unmistakable feeling of uplifting that you experience while listening to the track. If you are heavily into experimental stuff and have always found that none of the numerous plugins available out there offers the possibility of making these kinds of really bizarre effects and textures that have been haunting your mind, Hematohm is your Holy Grail.
Hematohm by Ohm Force In its essence, Hematohm by Ohm Force is a versatile plugin that contains a number of different effects. However, the main effect I want to talk about in this tutorial is frequency shifter. This device raises or lowers the frequency of an input signal. It does this using a complex amplitude modulation like technique. Unlike the pitch shifter, the frequency shifter does not preserve the harmonic relationships between the various tones and harmonics in the input signal. Because of this, sounds processed by a frequency shifter start to sound very unnatural with only a small amount of shift. This effect is excellent for build-ups which are heavily involved in Psy Trance genres, so in the next tutorial, I will apply it on the kick drum.
Here is a short Psy Trance sequence that I have previously made in SoundBridge. Let’s hear how it sounds.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Audio-example-1-Psy-trance-sequence-without-kick-drum-buildup.wav
~Psy trance sequence without kick drum buildup
Create a Buildup The next thing to do would be to duplicate the kick drum channel and place it below the original one. Furthermore, from the duplicated kick drum I will make a kick drum buildup, and on its channel, I will put a new instance of Hematohm. Now let’s hear how the kick drum builds up sounds without the effect.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Audio-example-2-Kick-Drum-build-up-without-Hematohm.wav
~Kick Drum build up without Hematohm
Hematohm’s interface Now let’s see the Hematohm’s interface:
At the left side, we have the controls for the frequency shifter effect. Also, there is an LFO section which can be used for rhythmic manipulation of the frequency shifter. Furthermore, there is an envelope follower and in the end a built-in delay effect.
For this purpose, I will be using just the frequency shifter, controlled by its the amount parameter and the delay to add a bit more sense of the sound building up. To do this I will automate the frequency shifter amount and the delays feedback parameters, by making the new lanes in the kick drum build up the channel. So, let’s hear how that sounds.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Audio-example-3-Kick-Drum-build-up-with-Hematohm.wav
~Kick Drum build up with Hematohm
Add some FX In order to add some more sense of space, I will add a bit of reverb as well as to automate the gain level towards the end of the build up. Now let’s hear the difference.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Audio-example-4-Kick-Drum-build-up-with-Hematohm-Reverb.wav
~Kick Drum build up with Hematohm + Reverb
In the end, let’s have a final listen to the buildup together with other effects mentioned above.
https://soundbridge.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Audio-example-5-Final-Mix.wav
~Final Mix
Download the project here.
The post Shift the Frequencies with Ohm Force Hematohm appeared first on SoundBridge.