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DC's KIT LIST
Hardware Includes:
Clavia Nord Lead, Access VirusTI, Roland TB 303, TR808, 909, SH2, SH5, JV 2080, Joe Meek SC3, Focusrite Trakmaster, SPL Transient Designer, Ensoniq DP2, Roland SDE 2500, Midiverb, MOTU 828, Emagic Unitor 8, Rode NT1, Mackie HR 824, Mac G4 PowerBook.
Software Includes:
Logic 7, Peak 4, Recylce 2, Reason 3, Kontakt, Battery, Absynth 2, FM7, Pro 5, Mini Moog, Moog Modular, CS80, EXS 24, EVP 88, ES2, PSP, TC, Waveshell.
ELEMENTS OF A TUNE (March 2006)
Having a non-restrictive structure to your tunes will help you construct a track. There are five elements to a tune, which I try to ensure I have covered in every piece I write.
A. Drums
This is self-explanatory. A solid rhythm track is the main foundation of a tune.
B. Bass
Again, fairly obvious.
C. Energy
The drums and bass will give every tune its rhythm and groove but most up tempo tracks will have some kind of guitar, synth, arpeggiator part driving it along. This would be commonly referred to as a riff. It should compliment your bassline and give the track more of a dancefloor feel. Ordinarily these parts are quite heavily effected and eq'd so that they don't interfere with the other elements of the track.
D. Vibe
For me this is usually the starting point or the inspiration of my tunes. It could be a vocal or a chord progression or a pad etc etc. It sets the tone of the tune and should remain your focus for the entire time it takes you to finish a tune. Without a vibe a tune is going to lack any kind of emotion or direction. Many producers create a track with beats and bass and then find a vibe.
E. Character
This is what will make your tune memorable and set it apart from the rest. Try and find a distinctive sound, like a spoken vocal for example. Anything that someone could refer to the tune by. Character is also the sweeps, fills, filter effects and all the other gloss and sheen that will keep the tune interesting.
GETTING YOUR TUNES SIGNED (February 2005)
The first and most obvious point is if your tunes aren't up to current standards then no label will sign them. So it's very important not to hassle producers and labels just because you've completed your first track. If a label has several average tunes submitted to them by one artist over a period of time then they are unlikely to listen to your material again. So don't blow any opportunity until you are sure that your music is marketable. This is where friends, dj's and clubs come in handy. Listening to your music on a club sound system will give you a very good indication of quality, particularly if you can reference it against your favourite producers music. Getting opinions from dj's and friends will also help.
The two most important things to remember are: are my tunes marketable and is the production up to a high standard? There is no point giving a hard tune to a label, which specialises in liquid. If a label can't sell your music then they won't be interested - no matter how good your tune is. Secondly these days it is very important to have a high production standard. How does your tune sound next to your favourite producers tracks? If it pales in comparison then it's time to go back to the drawing board.
Start off by giving your tracks to dj's that are not so established, they are most likely to give you honest feedback. This is the period of time where you should be honing your skills in the studio. Realistically it takes five years to learn the art of production, even if you are a musical genius.
When you are confident that your tunes are of a releasable standard then it is time to do some networking. Today the most effective way of having a tune signed is by AIM. Every producer and record label has an AIM address, the easiest way of finding these addresses is by asking or emailing the label. The trick is not to hassle anybody, this is a big turn off. If you submit your track and somebody likes it, they will contact you. So don't bother contacting them to ask for feedback.
If you don't have any contacts then visiting dj's when they perform is the best way to start. Drop off a CD of your material either before or after the dj has played his set. You don't need to say anything, just hand over your CD and make sure it has your contact details. Don't be discouraged if you don't hear anything back. Dj's regularly cut tracks and put them in their set without telling the artists. The trick here is to get your name out there and more importantly to have it associated with quality material.
If you material is good enough and you make an effort to establish a network of contacts, it will only be a matter of time before you are negotiating your advance.
MAKING
BEATS (November
2004)
Making
original beats from scratch is an art form which
is easily picked up. Having an idea for how
you want your beats to sound is a good start.
Try laying out your pattern with a kick, snare
and hi hat. Once you are happy with your pattern
begin to eq and taper your individual drum parts.
Low cut your kick at around 40 hz to allow for
any sub bass to sit underneath it. Try low cutting
your snare while adding a couple of db to the
2,500Khz and 5,500Khz frequency areas to give
it some snap and presence. Low cut your hats
at around 400 – 800 hz as you only need
the top end. Experiment with various frequency
ranges for each part, take out what you don’t
need.
Once
your happy with the eq try layering other drum
parts over the top. For example adding a snappy
snare and low cutting it around 400hz should
drastically alter the tone of your original
snare. Try the same principal with your kick.
Experiment until you are happy with the sounds
of your kik, snare and hat. Eq is one of the
most important processes in getting your break
to sound how you imagine it. Distortion and
shaping plug ins can also be very useful here. Make a few copies of your kik and snare. trying altering the pitch, shape or fx on each version to give you some variety.
Now that you have your main drum parts you should layer a breakbeat over the top to give it a distinctive feel. This will also fill out the drum track and cover up the edits to your original kik, snare and hat. Remember to remove the frequencies you don't need. Your original kik and snare should already have enough bass so low cut your breakbeat somewhere between 120 and 400 hz.
When
you are happy with the sound of your percussion
you may need to alter it’s feel, this is
particularly important if you want to add snare
rolls and grooves to your beats. Firstly you
should experiment with reverb. Finding the right
reverb is crucial. Something that makes the
beats feel brighter is ideal. Try a short plate
reverb setting with a very short decay time.
Once you have added reverb you should try tapering
the individual beats. Kontakt and Battery are
the ideal tools. Experiment with the decay and
sustain settings, this is particularly relevant
when making rolls within your beat pattern.
Even a fade out on your parts can be effective
particularly when making shuffles and rolls.
Finally you need to adjust volume settings for
each part. Now apply some quantise settings
to your beats. Logic’s settings of 16A,B
and C are the most effective although making your own template from a live drum track would be ideal. These settings
will alter the feel of your break by repositioning
parts of your loop that land on the off beat.
Vital for giving percussion that human feel.
Good
eq, reverb, shaping and volume settings followed
by groove settings and some compression are
the vital ingredients in making a distinctive
breakbeat. Reapplying these principles to bongos,
shakers and tambourine parts will further add
to the energy of your break.
LOUDNESS
(September 2003)
Getting your tunes to sound as loud as other
artists is always a more complicated process
than it appears. There are many means and ways
to up the overall volume of the track. If you
are going to have your track mastered by a mastering
studio as is the case when you sign your tune
to a record label then there is little point
in trying to boost the overall volume of your
track. This is the primary objective of a mastering
house, not to mention the fact that the good
mastering houses utilise equipment way out of
reach of the average producer.
If you plan on
cutting directly from your own CD or DAT or
plan on giving your tunes directly to producers
then you will want to have the tunes as loud
and heavy as possible. The process of compression
and multi band compression in combination with
limiting and maximising is the sure fire way
of ensuring your tunes are as loud as possible.
Good outboard gear or software plug ins are
essential. The Waves Renaissance Compressor,
C4, L1 Limiter and Loudness Maximiser are the
ideal tools. The inbuilt Multipressor and Adaptive
Limiter built in to Logic 7 are also powerfull
plug ins. The TC Electronic Finalizer is also
a prime piece of hardware which will boost your
overall mix. Multi band compression followed
by limiting is a more effective way of boosting
the overall volume of your mix down. Multi band
compression will split the frequency range in
to three or four parts and compress them individually
allowing for a much more even mix to be fed
to your limiter or maximiser. Maximising or
limiting a mix which is unbalanced will only
further exacerbate the problem so always ensure
you are feeding your limiter or maximiser a
well balanced mix. Normalising as a final process
is not a good idea. Normalising is a destructive
process and will boost your low level noise
levels. A good mix, a good compressor over individual
parts of your mix such as bass and beats, a
good compressor over the entire mix followed
my multi band compression and limiting will
allow your tune to stand out as the loudest
of the bunch.
A COMPUTER
(March 2003)
Most tracks you hear these days are conceived
and realised totally within the digital domain.
Today's computing power allows for advanced
synthesis to create sounds, improved cpu architecture
to manipulate and process these sounds and advanced
software techniques that allow you to make the
final mix as loud as any other release you'll
hear.
All the computing
power in the world is useless if you don't know
what you're doing, or in fact what you're hearing
so a pair of decent monitors is also essential.
Writing, producing, engineering and mastering
are all separate issues each with there own
unique methods. Just like writing and producing,
engineering and mastering is a never-ending
learning curve for all artists. The best starting
point is having the right tools, this is where
these tips try to assist.
A powerful computer
is the most important thing. A decent sequencer,
audio editor, loop slicer and processing plug
ins is all you require. A P4 or MAC G4 is sufficient
by today's standards. Logic Audio v6 is the
most comprehensive audio production package
on the market today. Aside from its sequencing
and editing facilities, its inbuilt Multipressor
and Adaptive Limiter used correctly are ideal
tools for boosting every frequency range in
your mix and finalising at optimum levels. Try
the soft and hard linear settings on the multipressor
and leave the ad limit settings as they are.
Always ensure that your levels are not clipping
at any stage, bypass all of your inserts/plug
ins and reapply them one by one to ensure that
the levels never strike red. Adjust the output
volume on each of your plug ins to ensure that
you leave enough headroom for the final stage
(limiting), loudness is something you should
not worry about until the final stages (mastering).
The process of compresing each frequency band
individually and then applying a limiter over
the entire mix is an important part of mastering.
These principles are applied at the very last
stage of recording your track, the engineering
process of eq, compression and effects come
before this and are extremely important in having
a well-balanced mix before you begin your mastering
process.
There are many
sequencers on the market including Cubase, Sonar,
and Reason. Peak and Soundforge for the mac
and pc are the most powerful stand-alone audio
editors available. Recycle and the new Phatmatik/Phatt
Factory are loop editors that allow you to chop
up and manipulate any loop instantly and accurately.
Reason is a great
tool for creating concepts. An all in one sequencing
software which incorporates a basic sampler,
fx units, compressor, synth, drum machine and
hundreds of excellent sounds makes Reason the
most instantly accessible and popular of all
'dance music' sequencers. The ability to use
Reason together with Logic or Cubase via rewire
make this a very powerful tool that is used
by most artists.
VST INSTRUMENTS
AND SAMPLERS
(Feb 2003)
There are many professional VSTi's on the market.
Emagic ES2 is one of the most powerful. Native
Instruments range of VSTi's are also world class, as are the Arturia range of Moogs.
Absynth and Reaktor allow you to create a wide
variety of unique and interesting sounds. Some
people may find the editing process rather bemusing.
This is why it is important to have a good understanding
of synthesis before your proceed with sound
design.
NI also produce
some of the best VST samplers on the market
including Kontact and Battery. Emagic and Steingberg
also produce the EXS24 and Halion respectively.
Remember all of the above are world class and
expect a very powerful machine to run one, let
alone all simultaneously.
Aside from VST's
intended for sound design and sampling there
are also a host of other VSTi's which emulate
older analogue machines. FM7 from NI emulates
the classic Yamaha DX series which appeared
on several eighties records. B4 from NI emulates
the classic sixties hammond organ which is ideal
for creating warm chords reminiscent of the
psychedelic era. Emagic's EVP 88 is also outstanding
for this purpose, its tremolo, phase and distortion
features allow for a wide variety of sixties
based keyboard sounds such as the rhodes and
the wurlitzer. The excellent Pro 53 from NI
faithfully emulates the great Prophet Sequencers
of the seventies and eighties. Finally Waldorf's
Attack does a good job of providing computer
based producers with the drum machines of the
eighties including the ubiquitous Roland TR
808 and 909, it also features sound creation
posibilities.
VST PLUG INS
(Jan 2003)
Every week there are a new bunch of plug ins
on the market that promise to make your track
a killer, but the reality is that most of these
are crap and will ruin your mix when used heavily.
There is a huge difference in quality between
low end and high end plug ins. The Waves series
of plug ins are by far the most powerful and
useful VST Plug ins on the market. The Renaissance
compressor, C4 and EQ are of high quality as
is the Limiter and virtually all of the others
included in a typical waveshell plug in. The
TC series are also excellent plug ins, the Res
filter, deesser, compressor, reverb and eq are
the highlights. Of course both of these packages
are expensive. Both Logic and Cubase also feature
heavily in the EQ and Compressor department.
These are usually better than the low - mid
end plug ins.
As with every
aspect of music writing and producing the age
old adage of 'less is more' has never been more
relevant. Good quality VST plug ins used where
necessary will improve your mix significantly.
Effects, eq and compression over individual
parts followed by overall compression, multi
band compression and limiting are the usual
procedures in engineering a track.
BREAKS
(Dec 2002)
How do I make my breaks sit out in the mix?
Finding a good clean source breakbeat is very
important. processing it in the manner which
suits your application is also very important.
if your track is sub heavy you may need a break
which needs distortion, compression and eq.
Distort the break by using a good software plug
in or virtual instrument. The shaping facility
in Native Instruments Battery is an excellent
way of adding clean distortion and Batterys
other features will allow you to reshape the
resulting envelope. Use individual slices for
the best result. Logic also features some excellent
distortion plug ins, if possible set the tonal
response to around the 5K frequency band.
Once you have added some clean distortion you
will need to eq out the frequencies which you
don’t need. If you are using a constant
sub bass you won’t need anything under
75Hz. If you have a low cut feature use it here.
Also you may want to remove the centre frequencies,
that is between 800Hz and 1.2Khz. The sweet
spots at around 2.5Khz and 5.5Khz are areas
which you could boost and also the punch of
the kick which could be anywhere between 90Hz
and 200Hz. Remember you are trying to get rid
of frequencies which you don’t need and
emphasise those which remain. Always use your
ears and remember to process according to your
source material and your application.
Now your beat is ready for some serious compression.
The better your compressor or plug in the more
the break will stand out in the mix. Not too
much. Keep your ratio and threshold at reasonable
levels. If you hear a pumping effect you have
gone too far.
Your break should sound fat. If it doesn’t
start again and play around with your distortion
and eq. Adding some tight reverb to the right
part of the break will also give it some air
in the mix. Apply some gated reverb to the snare
and if you have the ability taper off the end
of the sample. Try it on the cymbals as well.
If your mix still sounds cluttered you will
need to remove frequencies from other parts
in your mix which are interfering with your
break. Distortion, EQ and compression used gently
and an idea of how you want the break to sound
before you start are the necessary ingredients
in getting the percussion in your mix to stand
out.
AUDIO Vs MIDI
(Oct 2002)
Many of todays dance music producers have sold
all their outboard gear and use virtually just
a computer and a decent set of monitors. There
are thousand of plug ins available to sequencing
programs such as Logic and Cubase which emulate
their outboard counterparts. Opinions are always
split on the quality of these plug ins. Generally
speaking many of them fail to sound identical
to the original units they are trying to emulate.
The problem is that you have a digital machine
trying to copy an analogue signal path. Something
that is not possible. They may sound the same
but more often than not they just don’t
feel like the originals. This is the reason
why a combination of both is ideal. A dedicated
outboard channel strip may reintroduce the analogue
warmth a digital system lacks. There are several
decent channel strips on the market. Look for
brands such as Focusrite, TC, TL Audio, Joe
Meek, Manly and Avalon. Recording in to your
computer through one of these units will greatly
enhance the feel of your mix.
The timing of many computer based systems remains
a contentious issue. It is all down to the power
of the computer you are running. A computer
lacking in power can cause severe latency and
timing problems which is a major problem when
writing dance music. Sometimes it is safer to
keep your bass and drums and any other rhythmic
parts via midi. Ensuring no latency or slack
timing. Everything else can be sent to your
computer to give your music that technological
feel whilst keeping your rhythm tracks tight.
This also enables better handling of swing beat
rhythms, essential for that element of funk.
Some producers believe they can tell whether
something has been written and produced entirely
on a computer based system. They claim that
the complete digital rendering of a tune makes
everything feel sterile or lacking in human
feel. This may be due to the digital format
being so perfect and clean. Introducing some
midi and or analogue outboard gear will ensure
this is not the case.
BASS
(Aug 2002)
How do I get bass to stand out?. The question
on all up and coming producers lips. When trying
to get a bass that will sit in the mix while
remaining clear and defined without cluttering
the overall mix there are two things to consider.
Firstly your original sound source and secondly
your processing of the bass.
Even though good bass can be found on a sample
CD, generally speaking sampling something directly
from a good sound source is usually the best
way to go. Some of the early Roland keyboards
are excellent and producing solid and clean
bass that make for good sound sources. The Roland
SH5, SH2 and SH09 are great analogue keyboards
renowned for their bottom end.
Modern keyboards that are popular with dance
producers include the Clavia series of Nord
Lead, the Access Virus and the Novation Supernova
and Bass Station. Owning any of these will ensure
tight and punchy bottom end.
Once you have found a suitable sound source
processing and sampling these sounds are necessary
to ensure they sit at a consistent level in
your mix without interfering in the final mix
down. Sampling through a compressor is an ideal
method, see our compression notes further down
this page.
Once you have a bass a typical method is to
split it in to two frequency bands. For example,
make two copies of your bass. Distort one of
them and low cut it between 100hz and 400hz, now low pass your
original copy at between 100hz and 400hz. Using both
of them simultaneously will give you a bass
which you can hear and feel. Play around with
this method using different basses, distortion
plug ins, eq and compression.
EQ
(June 2002)
EQ used well, particularly with subtle compression
can bring the final professional touch to your
mix. Mastering houses usually always apply high
end EQ’s to bring out certain frequencies
in your mix. Try doing this with a cheap and
nasty EQ and you will ruin your mix.
Focusrite, Manly and Avalon are the most commonly
used EQ’s in professional studios. They
offer multi band eq and shelving filters which
allow total control over the entire frequency
range of a mix. Unfortunately you need to pay
good money for precision engineering.
So for the rest of us there are more economical
and effective ways of getting more out of your
mix using EQ. If you have a good plug in or
stand alone EQ then they are best applied to
individual parts of your track before going
through the main mix.
Taking out is much more effective than adding.
If you want your snare to stand out try removing
the same frequency from other parts in your
mix. If for example you need your sub to have
more presence, try removing everything below
80hz in the other parts of your mix. Same with
top end or vocals. Every time you add a part
to your track you should remove the frequencies
which you don't need. This will ensure that
every part has room and is not fighting for
space thus allowing for a much bigger presence.
There
are several VST EQ's of quality including the
Waveshell, TC and TL series. For basic applications
such as low cut or high pass) many of the standard
EQ's will do.
There are several reasonably priced outboard
EQ’s on the market, try and stick with
a reputable brand such as Joe Meek, TL Audio
or Focusrite. If you can get an eq that offers
shelving filters and multi band eq then you
will find many ways to improve your mix.
STEREO EXPANDERS
(Dec 2001)
Stereo expanders (hardware and software types)
always seem to make the mix brighter and punchier.
This is true but it can cause some nasty problems
to your bottom end, especially if you are planning
on pressing vinyl.
Using stereo expansion can further complicate
phase problems when pressing vinyl. It is also
best to avoid applying any form of stereo expansion
to subs as it displaces their balance in the
mix.
Good stereo expansion can add much needed panning
effects and brightness to your mix, particularly
in non dance floor material. When using this
type of effect try grouping all your mid and
hi sounds before applying stereo expansion.
Vocals, effects, high pass riffs and acoustic
instruments are examples of parts of your mix
that could benefit from stereo expansion. Try
bussing these sounds directly to your stereo
expander.
Try and avoid applying this type of effect to
bass and percussion.
SAMPLERS
(June 2001)
One question we always get is ’which sampler
is best for drum and bass?’. Well I think
the Akai series are best for drums and the EMU
series are best for bass. The Akai 2000 and
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