DSF Q&A Sessions 8 : Rob Sparx (open for questions)

[rob sparx]

is it possible to do a remix for you ?

Depends how good you are - send me some tunes!

[rob sparx]

Ez Rob

Few Q's for ya -

1. Does sidechain compression play a big part in your productions? if so, whats your usual route for this? is it mainly on the sub and kick, or do you go crazy with it?

2. you mentioned earlier about the self-mastering you performed for one particular vinyl release, but what is your usual mastering work-around?, any strange process or technique that you can tell us about?

3. do you start a track with anything on the master fader, for example a compressor or limiter?

3. cheeky 4th - are you responsible for that wikid burial refix on your latest mix posted in the mix section??

big urps!

1. Sometimes I use sidechaining shitloads sometimes I don't use it at all or I chop up audio and do fades manually so there's none of that annoying clicking that you can't get rid of sometimes with sidechaining. Its only really 4/4 tunes that I use sidechaining on with halfstep I prefer to EQ sounds so the bass & kick sit together better.

2-3. What do you mean mastering workaround? At the moment I get all my 12s mastered @ Finyl Tweek and I had my album done @ Metropolis. Before the tunes been mastered I play out a copy thats either mixed down in the red or mixed down with a limiter on the master volume so the volume of the tune will match mastered tunes in the mix. I do sometimes start tunes with a limiter on the master volume but never a compressor and I always turn the master effects off and make sure the mix is quiet b4 recording the premaster. When my 12s get mastered the sound gets EQ'd and driven through a desk, usually with no limiting.

4. Yes

[r]

is it possible to do a remix for you ?

Depends how good you are - send me some tunes!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlGCSGUS ... re=related

[rob sparx]

is it possible to do a remix for you ?

Depends how good you are - send me some tunes!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlGCSGUS ... re=related

Yea tunes are good!

[autopsy]

no Qs just have to say that the prayer, independant life (esp dubby version!) and midnight are HUUUGE Big Ups Mr Sparx!

[dubiouz]

Hi Rob,

When making bass edits , do you open up new synths everytime if you for instance want a wobble bass to be at a 16th note tempo instead of an other tempo you were playing it in? Or do you bounce down several versions of the same wobble sound with different settings and edit the audio later on, could you elaborate on your choice a bit and not just CPU mattered.

Also if you make bass edits do you buss them and add more processing to gel them together?

And about drums, how many layers do you use to make up a kick sound and how many to make up a snare ? And could u tell us a bit about the processing that comes with this process. Do you buss your drums and add compression/limting?

thanx in advance for your answers !

[dubiouz]

Hi Rob srry to bother you once more,

but just wanted to know , do u split the "overall bass sound" up in bands like the usual high/low or more bands ? Keeping the lows consistent and the high freqs, crunchy. And what do you think of multiband distortion to achieve this similar effect, (keeping the low freqs uneffected and distort mids and highs only sort-a-ting). And also would you use different subs then like the original bass sound split on an other channel lowpassed?

once again thanx in advance for your answers!

[rob sparx]

Hi Rob srry to bother you once more,

but just wanted to know , do u split the "overall bass sound" up in bands like the usual high/low or more bands ? Keeping the lows consistent and the high freqs, crunchy. And what do you think of multiband distortion to achieve this similar effect, (keeping the low freqs uneffected and distort mids and highs only sort-a-ting). And also would you use different subs then like the original bass sound split on an other channel lowpassed?

once again thanx in advance for your answers!

I do split sounds up into seperate sub/midrange a lot especially for the tougher tunes. I tend to use Q & A with layered basses and basses that are not layered (but processed loads so transition is smooth) and I'll often try switching subs whenever I switch a midrange bass as the sub sound is sometimes much beefier if the same synth is being used for the sub and midrange. I use mulitband distortion on the midrange channel but not usually on the sub - you could try using multiband distortion on one channel of bass but for the harder sounds 2 channels is much better. I do use bitcrushing shitloads on basses to give them a bit of hiss and high end treble - the bassline in trooper is one channel with host distortion on the synth and bitcrushing to get back the high end lost after the lowpass filter.

Some of the tunes I write now have 20-30 channels just of bass and sub, balancing the mix is a nightmare you really have to go deep on things and solo different parts together including drums and subs thats very important. I'm always sampling basses so I can get rid of clicks (albino and predator are the worst for that) and do fades and dynamics processing (compressing individual hits seperately etc) so theres no overlaps of sound in the bass and the volume/EQ is right.

[rob sparx]

Hi Rob,

When making bass edits , do you open up new synths everytime if you for instance want a wobble bass to be at a 16th note tempo instead of an other tempo you were playing it in? Or do you bounce down several versions of the same wobble sound with different settings and edit the audio later on, could you elaborate on your choice a bit and not just CPU mattered.

Also if you make bass edits do you buss them and add more processing to gel them together?

And about drums, how many layers do you use to make up a kick sound and how many to make up a snare ? And could u tell us a bit about the processing that comes with this process. Do you buss your drums and add compression/limting?

thanx in advance for your answers !

Just seen your other question lol! I do use seperate synths instead of automating controllers as its much easier and many synths have timing issues when automating midi which really gets on my nerves. Sometimes I do buss all the basses to one group and process them all together but often things get too complicated for that so I have to process everything seperately.

There's no rules for drums its different every time - some tunes I've used a 6 layer snare with another 4 layers and processed them all through a group channel whereas some tunes have 1 snare thats a mixdown of 2-3 layers from another tune. If I am layering a sound I'll normally solo snares together and switch samples/EQ them until they sound right, then ill add a group channel if its needed to keep the sound under control. Sometimes I put snare(s) through reverb and compress afterwards to get a bigger sound. I tend to process different elements of my drums seperately I never group all the drums together but I do use compression/limiting on some groups to gel the sound better. I keep meaning to properly start using new york compression but ive not got round to it yet!

[dubiouz]

thanxx very mucho mucho for your explanation it is very clear and well explained !!! I might have an other question later on !

[thebees01]

1.) What are your overall thoughts on massive?

2.) Are you self taught on using software software and how old were you when you first started writing?

3.) what plugins are you using for sludge like the main bass wobbles?

4.) I know it's cheeky but, would you be able to email me some massive presets that you use if you use massive jim.foster@sky.com

Thanks

[pdomino]

Thanks Rob,

Favourite pack of crisps?

lol Walkers of course its not about the real mcoy any more - 30% less fat but its not the same taste though is it?

haha, have to say Roysters or beef monster munch.

[rob sparx]

1.) What are your overall thoughts on massive?

2.) Are you self taught on using software software and how old were you when you first started writing?

3.) what plugins are you using for sludge like the main bass wobbles?

4.) I know it's cheeky but, would you be able to email me some massive presets that you use if you use massive jim.foster@sky.com

Thanks

1.) Its one seriously deep synth I like it a lot

2.) I've been writing dance music since 1996 when I was 16 - I did learn quite a bit about using logic from AS-Level music tech but I've learnt a lot more from working with producers like Nero, Twisted Individual, Zen and GDub/Original Sin and reading tutorials from the internet. Loefahs given me some good tips as well that have helped, hes got some really good techniques.

3.) In Sludge the main throb is predator, the really spazzy wobble is albinos, the raspy stabs are hipassed reece samples with Mood Prodigy Sub bass and theres an absynth stab in there as well.

4.) That is a bit cheeky lol - get me a gig and ill sort u out!

[unchmay]

Rob, what was it like hearing your music on vinyl for the first time?

[rob sparx]

Rob, what was it like hearing your music on vinyl for the first time?

1st tune I ever got on vinyl was a breakbeat remix of a Soul Hooligan tune for Madonna's Maveric records that I wrote with my mate Kam in 2002. Only 500 copies of the record were ever pressed and we didn't get anything for it but I was still glad just to get something on vinyl after years of producing with no results. Was a lot happier when my 2nd record (Rob the Builder - Can u fix it?) got pressed and sold over 2000 copies in 2004 that left me hungry for more definately.

[glottis5]

Loefahs given me some good tips as well that have helped, hes got some really good techniques.

Such as? This sounds really interesting, I'd like to hear about them.

[rhek]

When it comes to sampling do you make sure you can get sample clearance or do you just bosh em in?


And After Midnight is epic Blisssss! .

[rob sparx]

Loefahs given me some good tips as well that have helped, hes got some really good techniques.

Such as? This sounds really interesting, I'd like to hear about them.

Not gonna say much about that as its not my place to but a few I can think of are using compression after reverb on snares to get that big snare sound, using the spring impulses of convolution reverbs on percussion (Breakage does this shitloads as well) and using cooking samples - theres a chip fat fryer in the intro of the MAW bootleg that works suprisingly well lol!

[rob sparx]

When it comes to sampling do you make sure you can get sample clearance or do you just bosh 'em in and hope you dont get picked up on it?

And After Midnight is epic Blisssss! .

Do I fuck lol!! Theres so little money in these kind of white label promos anyway I mean whats the point in spending thousands of pounds on a court case that could last years to recover a few quid? I'd welcome a lawsuit as it would be some good free publicity especially considering I'm one half of "Dirty Thieving Mongrels" that might make a good headline.
I'm at a point where I'm just starting to get a shot at some legitimate remixes for some big names I'll say more about that when/if it actually happens.