sub compression/filtering etc

fubar · Post by **fubar** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 11:43 am

got a few questions would be interested to know how you people work on your bass etc, ive heard a few things recently thats given me the idea ive probably got a fair few bad habits when it comes to using my bass in the mix. This is all just using reason at the moment;

how do you guys filter your sub frequencies? I always tend to band pass filter my subs (on the sub kick and bass) with the resonance quite high just because it seems to force out alot of bass but I havn't heard this ever being used as common practice. I always end up compressing all the layers of my bass patch so I can get them louder which ive heard is not good either as you shouldnt need to compress the pure sub frequencies.

Do you normally use a sine or saw for your sub frequencies, I know alot of people get that wobble with a saw wave but do you layer under that with a sine aswell?

When you're layering your snares how many are you tending to use on average?

Does anyone use the mastering suite for the overall compression or do you use another vst rewired, is it essentially pretty cack? Ive made a fair few tracks with the overall compression on the whole time but im sure that isn't the ideal way of going about it, I have heard of it being done before though.

would be interested to hear how you guys do it.

metalboxproducts · Post by **metalboxproducts** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 10:34 pm

I don't bother compressing the bass. Use a sine an octive or two lower than your other bass sound such as the square wave you mentioned. Other than that there aren't really any hard and fast rules really. Just do what sound good. Filter, eq, modulate, automate, effects, delay, reverb.

metalboxproducts · Post by **metalboxproducts** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 10:36 pm

Oh yeah. I really wouldn't band pass your bass. Best to lowpass the sub bass and cut it off some where around 60/80 hrz..

fubar · Post by **fubar** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 6:47 pm

hey cheers, yea I thought it was probably a bad idea band passing/comepressing my subs just got into the habit of doing it because it seems the only way to get alot of volume out of the subtractor sub, sampling from vanguard now without the compression and bp and fits in the mix alot nicer now I think.

What mastering/compression vsts do people here recommend?

misk · Post by **misk** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 7:37 pm

some people compress their subs as a general rule, so that all notes are at the same volume, and they each have the same amount of "punch". course this can be tricky sometimes.

yeah, lo pass your sub but dont bandpass it... you would lose a lot of great sub freqs that way... also, i always roll off the sub at about 30hz... its just a habit

skunk · Post by **skunk** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 9:50 pm

lowpass man, for realz. sometimes you only need 2 drums, or on top of each other, sometimes 5. resampling is key when you're dealing with drums. once you get several kicks and snares that you have made, go back and try layering them with each other. or just use them to give punch to a new snare/kick sound.

and an LFO on the pithch of the sub sounds real nice

and in reason set up the mod wheel and then modulate the mod wheel. real easy modulation of a bincha parmaters, even use the matrix to modulate it and automate patern changes on the matrix....

justin case · Post by **justin case** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 7:46 pm

definitely low pass your subs and also compress them so your higher sounds don't sound louder than your lower ones.

also, the tip with the sine wave an octave or two lower is a very good one!

btw, for things like compression, it's best to fuck about and learn what works on different kinds of elements. what i usually do tho is turn up my subbass so it's just under clipping, watch the meters, find a very high threshold like -2 or -3 and then put the ratio very low, 2.5:1 to 4:1. Then go from there.

Good luck !

bob crunkhouse · Post by **bob crunkhouse** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 7:57 pm

i find a great way for getting bass, is using kontakt and splitting whatever u got into sub-low bass-mid bass, thn modulating effecting each band diferently. Read it on dogsonacid.com, is a drum n bass production thing but the most of it applies to dubstep too.

fubar · Post by **fubar** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 11:47 am

Justin Case wrote:
btw, for things like compression, it's best to fuck about and learn what works on different kinds of elements. what i usually do tho is turn up my subbass so it's just under clipping, watch the meters, find a very high threshold like -2 or -3 and then put the ratio very low, 2.5:1 to 4:1. Then go from there.

Good luck !

yea ive heard there is no point in compressing subs because of the pure nature of a sine wave it shouldn't vary in volume

forensix (mcr) · Post by **forensix (mcr)** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 11:55 am

fubar wrote: yea ive heard there is no point in compressing subs because of the pure nature of a sine wave it shouldn't vary in volume

if you modulate your sub so that the volume changes then you will need to compress it

a pure sine wave shouldnt vary in volume, but how many vsti's actually produce pure sine waves?

metalboxproducts · Post by **metalboxproducts** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 11:57 am

forensix (mcr) wrote:
fubar wrote: yea ive heard there is no point in compressing subs because of the pure nature of a sine wave it shouldn't vary in volume
if you modulate your sub so that the volume changes then you will need to compress it

a pure sine wave shouldnt vary in volume, but how many vsti's actually produce pure sine waves?

My bum can produce a pure sine. Just record it.....

lucky_strike · Post by **lucky_strike** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 12:55 am

Bob Crunkhouse wrote:i find a great way for getting bass, is using kontakt and splitting whatever u got into sub-low bass-mid bass, thn modulating effecting each band diferently. Read it on dogsonacid.com, is a drum n bass production thing but the most of it applies to dubstep too.

werd, its a good habbit to get into! keeps your sub clean!

sub compression/filtering etc

sub compression/filtering etc

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