DSF Q&A Sessions : The Widdler : Closed For Questions

[xthewiddler]

Yes man, I was SO happy to see you as the producer in the Q&A sesh... SO sick. Sensi Samurai is easily in the top three dubstep tracks. Of all time. Oh, no one's mentioned it, but Walking my dog is soooooo nice as well. Anyways, enough with the nut riding. How about this. I'd like to hear what you would like to tell us. Regarding Production. Regarding Life. Regarding Shows. Regarding Attitudes and Opinions. Regarding the Current State of Dubstep Affairs. Regarding whatever it is you'd like to tell us.

Thanks in advance.
Much Love.

- Syndicate

Hmmm I don't know how to answer that without getting into a philosophical religious debate but....

Regarding production: Have fun, experiment, research, listen, have fun, experiment, research, listen. Have fun.

Regarding life: Have fun, experiment, research, listen, have fun, experiment, sleep. Seriously though, like Douglas Adams said "The chances of finding out what's really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied."

Regarding shows: Come prepared. Both with knowing what tunes you have to play and with having a back up plan if say a drive dies on you or your laptop starts to smoke.

Regarding attitudes and opinions: "There's no right, there's no wrong, there's only popular opinion." Jeffrey from 12 Monkeys.

Regarding dubstep: I think dubstep is fine. It is people that aren't. The problems that come in the form of ego such as thinking that an opinion is a fact and that THEIR opinion is the only fact. The problem isn't localized to dubstep but to the world I think and the reason it is evident in dubstep is that the genre is relatively new and hip, so anyone who "finds" it thinks it is there own and that they are "better" than others for having found it. Bleh... I don't like getting hung up on negatives like this. Can't we all just get a bong?

[xthewiddler]

p.s. last day for q&a is friday

[yamaz]

Hmmm

[yamaz]

Are you splitting your frequencies for your bass and processing them separately? If so into 2 or 3 parts and what frequencies do you split at. Also what kind of effects do you like to put on the sub vs mid or high? Do you split the frequencies with ECF-42 or internal filters? Do you ever use the ECF-42?

Oh yea to follow up on previous question...maybe I'm using the wrong term of 'incidentals' but i mean for instance in your song Final Stage, I hear a lot of 8-bit samples. Do you find yourself loading these individually in a redrum channel and previewing them in context of the song as its moving and looping or would you rather load up a sampler with a ton of these type of sounds and find one that fits nice in the mix and then adjust it from there?

Do you find yourself using any of the existing samples or patches within reason or do you look elsewhere for refills and sample packs? I've found that a lot of built-in sounds kinda sounds weak and just plain sux, but with a lot of post-processing, you can kind of polish a lot of the stuff to actually sound rather nice....and that often people don't do these steps and then they say it 'sounds like Reason' or they just use other refill/sample packs.....

Are you using the masterclass in reason or do you find yourself using something else external to really put the glisten on?

Thx a bunch, I know I'm full of tons questions!

Btw, how much would you charge for a 1 on 1 Q&A session

[dk47]

Widdddlerrr. Thank you for being such an awesome and helpful guy, its nuts that I have the ability to check out the same Combi patches you have used and even ask you questions that youll look at...mad cool.

So you said this before about your studio setup:

"My set up (right now) constists of: Dual Quad core mac running snow leopard. Software: Reason/Record , logic. Hardware: Couple guitars, Roland xp-30, Korg wavedrum, Mini kp and mini kaossilator, ipad (which has tons of good audio apps on it), an old old mackie mixer that hisses and is overall shit (as my audio interface for analogue gear), a couple of bongos and various percussion toys, and a jews harp."

What would be your setup for a live performance?
-What is your method for playing live? Is the software the same? Have you reduced your setup to just a few particular items? Do you have any part in the lighting? Do you have homies that help you with setting up/playing?

Thanks man, keep doing what you do.

[xthewiddler]

Are you splitting your frequencies for your bass and processing them separately? If so into 2 or 3 parts and what frequencies do you split at. Also what kind of effects do you like to put on the sub vs mid or high? Do you split the frequencies with ECF-42 or internal filters? Do you ever use the ECF-42?

Oh yea to follow up on previous question...maybe I'm using the wrong term of 'incidentals' but i mean for instance in your song Final Stage, I hear a lot of 8-bit samples. Do you find yourself loading these individually in a redrum channel and previewing them in context of the song as its moving and looping or would you rather load up a sampler with a ton of these type of sounds and find one that fits nice in the mix and then adjust it from there?

Do you find yourself using any of the existing samples or patches within reason or do you look elsewhere for refills and sample packs? I've found that a lot of built-in sounds kinda sounds weak and just plain sux, but with a lot of post-processing, you can kind of polish a lot of the stuff to actually sound rather nice....and that often people don't do these steps and then they say it 'sounds like Reason' or they just use other refill/sample packs.....

Are you using the masterclass in reason or do you find yourself using something else external to really put the glisten on?

Thx a bunch, I know I'm full of tons questions!

Btw, how much would you charge for a 1 on 1 Q&A session

Separating the subass from your mid/high bass is always a good idea. Sometimes I will build a bass and then separate the frequencies after by duplicating the patch and putting a highpass on one and a lowpass on the other. The better alternative might be to highpass the original bass and create a new patch of a sine wave just for the subass. The mid/high bass doesnt always need to be doing the exact same thing as the subass.

PRO REASON BASS TIP: Under effects>mastering there is a patch called 8 band limiter. Slap these onto a bass patch and open up combi. Inside you will see some stereo imagers and under that some compressors. Scroll down to the compressors and you will notice it is basically an 8 band eq. This is a good place to do 2 possible things. One is help shape the bass. I usually cut out some low mids and add some mids. Another thing you can do here is add fx to specific freq bands. For example you can put a scream on a single band to help push that frequency out more and give more crunch without affecting the whole sound.

For Final Stage I used a few techniques. Most of the 8 bit sounds were loaded into NNxt's with a few fx being in redrums. I loaded up various sounds and then after I had a bunch loaded I played the tune and listened to where there was space to put in these incidentals. Not everything I loaded was used but it is good to have options.

I like using presets to start an idea, but then like you said tweaking them is usually a must. Both to get away from the preset sound and to spice it up a bit. I do love refills though. I have about 4 gigs of various samples and refills that really help push creative thoughts. Don't be afraid of presets and refills/sample packs. It's not where you got the sounds, but how yo use them that matters in the end.

I used to use the masterclass more than I do now, simply because I can rewire to logic for exports. The masterclass though is great for the final loudness and punch in a tune. I know this is gonna sound lazy but one way I learned how to use it was both the propellerheads manual and doing a search for it on youtube. Loads of good tutorials on mastering and such there.

[xthewiddler]

Widdddlerrr. Thank you for being such an awesome and helpful guy, its nuts that I have the ability to check out the same Combi patches you have used and even ask you questions that youll look at...mad cool.

So you said this before about your studio setup:

"My set up (right now) constists of: Dual Quad core mac running snow leopard. Software: Reason/Record , logic. Hardware: Couple guitars, Roland xp-30, Korg wavedrum, Mini kp and mini kaossilator, ipad (which has tons of good audio apps on it), an old old mackie mixer that hisses and is overall shit (as my audio interface for analogue gear), a couple of bongos and various percussion toys, and a jews harp."

What would be your setup for a live performance?
-What is your method for playing live? Is the software the same? Have you reduced your setup to just a few particular items? Do you have any part in the lighting? Do you have homies that help you with setting up/playing?

Thanks man, keep doing what you do.

My live set up is just a laptop running serato. I used to be on traktor but found it was a pain when nobody else was using it at venues and had to swap out everytime. I have no part in the lighting or anything like that heh it is usually the event organizers who take care of getting that sorted. Most of the time at the show there will be someone to help out if anything goes wrong, but mostly I just come in and plug my laptop into their serato and hope they sync heh

[nitz]

I have about 4 gigs of various refills

Send some over.... hehe. Man here can not afford £100+ for refills, abbey road pack is around 130/140 pounds... Allow that... I can buy a 2nd hand semi decent mixer for that price (although, am a big piano fan... i shall buy it one day)

1. So everyone has asked you alot of musica related Q.s and i only seen one question (somewhere above) regarding Yoni, and not The Widdler. What's your background, where do you come from? Born and bred in the USA?

2. Beer or spirit ?

3. Healthy eater or junkie on the kebab shop next door?

4. What are your music influences ? Artist wise, what kind of music did you grow up with?

5. The intro to "just believe" My days, now that's how you say fuck you to the laid down structure. Was this sample based or written?
Plus 2nd drop on "Robodub"

6. EMI said join as, we will make you into a commercial pop star (LOL) Yes or no ?

7. You have some wicked no dubstep music too ! (even a few house one's )

You're not obligated to answer them as some may be personal.

[dk47]

Thanks for answering dude, just one more question while I still have the opportunity to do so.

Is there anything important to know regarding the legalities of sampling and other music-related legal shit that producers may have to deal with (including protecting your own work as well)? This is a super vague question and I don't know too much on the subject, so I'll give a little example; what if I remixed a Beatles/Zeppelin/B.I.G./etc. tune like people do all the time, with absolutely no intentions of trying to sell it or make money off of it...could I be get into some legal shit because of it for any reason? If not, what would someone have to do in order to get into copyright trouble or other legal issues?

Just curious so I can make music as much as possible and deal with money and legal bullshit as little as possible.

Thanks again man

[hendrix126]

I wanted to ask a question before it was too late. I wasn't much of a listener before but after this thread, you have a new fan! But anyways, The Widdler, how do you go about remixing songs? What is your inspiration on where to take the song? How does every dubstep remix, not only from you but others, seem to get an a capella even though I cannot find one?

[xthewiddler]

I have about 4 gigs of various refills

Send some over.... hehe. Man here can not afford £100+ for refills, abbey road pack is around 130/140 pounds... Allow that... I can buy a 2nd hand semi decent mixer for that price (although, am a big piano fan... i shall buy it one day)

1. So everyone has asked you alot of musica related Q.s and i only seen one question (somewhere above) regarding Yoni, and not The Widdler. What's your background, where do you come from? Born and bred in the USA?

2. Beer or spirit ?

3. Healthy eater or junkie on the kebab shop next door?

4. What are your music influences ? Artist wise, what kind of music did you grow up with?

5. The intro to "just believe" My days, now that's how you say fuck you to the laid down structure. Was this sample based or written?
Plus 2nd drop on "Robodub"

6. EMI said join as, we will make you into a commercial pop star (LOL) Yes or no ?

7. You have some wicked no dubstep music too ! (even a few house one's )

You're not obligated to answer them as some may be personal.

Check for a refill called "Electro Mechanical". It has awesome rhoads/wurli/clavi patches that sound genuine as hell. Anyways

1. I was born in Tel Aviv, Israel and lived there till I was about 2. Moved to NJ and been there every since. I visit once in a while due to my whole family still being there.

2. Meh I don't drink much. I can drink beer easier than the hard stuff. I don't mind saying that the Mike's hard line is awesome. It tastes like a fresh summer day and gets you wasted, plus I love sugar. I DON'T CARE IF IT'S A GIRLS DRINK YOU INSECURE MEATHEADS! Sorry. I am just used to having to defend the drink as a male.

3. I want to be healthy, but laziness sometimes dictates what I eat. I would say it's about 50/50. I stopped drinking cola these past months after almost 5 years of drinking it. Small steps

4. Everything! I grew up with various types of music. My parents would listen to Israeli folk and pop stuff and eventually got me into Michael Jackson during my younger years. From there I started listening to more heavy and classic rock such as Queen and Metallica alongside more alternative rock like Presidents of the United States of America (still one of my favorite all-time bands). I eventually stumbled upon Enigmas album MCMXC which I fell in love with and is one of my alltime favorite chillout/electronica albums. I then got into more hip hop and bass music which is what eventually led to me finding/aking dubstep. Throughout the years though I have been enjoying it all, from the uber heavy like Suicide Silence to strictly no beat ambient stuff. Basically, if it sounds good, and gets either my feet dancing or my soul moving I like it!

5. The intro to Just believe is simply a sped up and dubbed out cut from the assasins creed soundtrack. I didn't intend to claim it as my own work persay , I put it as an intro to a tune with no intro so I could open with it as a first tune in Oakland. It kinda stuck in my head so I left it. If it is released I might have to change it up.

6. Nah thanks though.

7. Thanks! It isnt all about kick-1 snare -3 and 140 bpm... or is it..............

[xthewiddler]

Thanks for answering dude, just one more question while I still have the opportunity to do so.

Is there anything important to know regarding the legalities of sampling and other music-related legal shit that producers may have to deal with (including protecting your own work as well)? This is a super vague question and I don't know too much on the subject, so I'll give a little example; what if I remixed a Beatles/Zeppelin/B.I.G./etc. tune like people do all the time, with absolutely no intentions of trying to sell it or make money off of it...could I be get into some legal shit because of it for any reason? If not, what would someone have to do in order to get into copyright trouble or other legal issues?

Just curious so I can make music as much as possible and deal with money and legal bullshit as little as possible.

Thanks again man

Hmm.. If you aren't selling it you should have no problems at all. There is sooo much music nowadays it is hard I think for these companies to pinpoint copyright infraction. For example I have Aaliyah vocals on lady dub and Mrk1 has Young Joc vocals on a tune as well both released on Studio Rockers.

Personally , I never cared for intellectual property laws. If you find a sound you want to use, use it.

This isn't to say I or anyone else in dubstep is above the law, it is just that well, who cares !

[xthewiddler]

I wanted to ask a question before it was too late. I wasn't much of a listener before but after this thread, you have a new fan! But anyways, The Widdler, how do you go about remixing songs? What is your inspiration on where to take the song? How does every dubstep remix, not only from you but others, seem to get an a capella even though I cannot find one?

Do you mean bootlegs?

Remixs I do are usually from other dubstep artists who send me stems and such of the tunes. I usually wold rather remix a tune I am totally unfamiliar with, or super familiar with. This helps keep my mind from making a samey remix.

If you did mean bootleg, which is just grabbing a famous acapella and remaking a beat, I usually like to build some drums first then lay down the vocals. From there I load up a basic synth to map out the new melody ideas. Usually a bass will come next followed by either a lead synth or pads. Bootlegs are not only good fun, they are also a big tool to help you learn and experiment creating tunes around vocals.

[yamaz]

Hey thx for finally responding back to me, it's good stuff to chat and get feedback with one of your favorite musicians!

I'm curious what filter do you use in Reason to wobble your bass? Do you use the internal one within the synth you are using or do you find yourself routing everything to say Thor for this kind of processing? Do you usually sync your wobble or do you use freehand and wing it? Do you find yourself programming in the changes in rate or do you use a knob and get a close approximation and then fine tune it after a good take. Similarly, with changes in pitch, do you use the pitch or mod wheels or do you program in pitch changes?

Any plans to come to denver or anywhere in colorado soon?

[hendrix126]

I wanted to ask a question before it was too late. I wasn't much of a listener before but after this thread, you have a new fan! But anyways, The Widdler, how do you go about remixing songs? What is your inspiration on where to take the song? How does every dubstep remix, not only from you but others, seem to get an a capella even though I cannot find one?

Do you mean bootlegs?

Thanks for responding. Yeah, I guess that is what I would look for? I'm unsure as where to find the acapella of a track or the master track with each split channel. Thanks for your time.

[xthewiddler]

Hey thx for finally responding back to me, it's good stuff to chat and get feedback with one of your favorite musicians!

I'm curious what filter do you use in Reason to wobble your bass? Do you use the internal one within the synth you are using or do you find yourself routing everything to say Thor for this kind of processing? Do you usually sync your wobble or do you use freehand and wing it? Do you find yourself programming in the changes in rate or do you use a knob and get a close approximation and then fine tune it after a good take. Similarly, with changes in pitch, do you use the pitch or mod wheels or do you program in pitch changes?

Any plans to come to denver or anywhere in colorado soon?

I like to combine filters. In the maelstrom it is a breeze to send something into a comb filter followed by a lowpass. Same with thor, it has a goo set up to have multiple filters. Usually I end with a lowpass to controll how much color the sound has at any given moment. I will mostly use the internal one, but if i run out of filters I have routed through a thor or maelstrom here and there. I will usually automate the rate of the LFO which is already set to affect multiple things such as amp as well as filter and wave position. Depending on the tune I will usually keep the sync off and find the closest groove. I usually go back in and fine tune where the changes happen so there are no sudden clips when the speed changes.

I like to affect pitch via filter envelopes or low rate LFOs (1/1 timing) the maelstrom has a nice built in pitch modulator hooked into the modulator a LFO.

I was recently in Denver this past winter for a Sub.mission show. It was awesome so hopefully I'll be back sometime!

[xthewiddler]

I wanted to ask a question before it was too late. I wasn't much of a listener before but after this thread, you have a new fan! But anyways, The Widdler, how do you go about remixing songs? What is your inspiration on where to take the song? How does every dubstep remix, not only from you but others, seem to get an a capella even though I cannot find one?

Do you mean bootlegs?

Thanks for responding. Yeah, I guess that is what I would look for? I'm unsure as where to find the acapella of a track or the master track with each split channel. Thanks for your time.

Forums... like this one. Torrent sites, acapella sites, youtube etc

[yamaz]

So how did you extract the lady dub aliyah sample from that song without including the original beat?

[yamaz]

I will mostly use the internal one, but if i run out of filters I have routed through a thor or maelstrom here and there. I will usually automate the rate of the LFO which is already set to affect multiple things such as amp as well as filter and wave position.

So you normally route the same lfo that's modulating your frequency filter to also modulate the amp of your sine sub base or do you leave this as a sustained note while wobbling your mid/high frequencies on top? Just to make sure I understand, you're not sending your lfo to modulate the frequency rate and amp of the same insrument right? Just the amp of sub and filter of main bass?

This is probably the last question I'm able to sneak in before this thread has been closed...and I just got to say....

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
PS - I'd love to smoke you up before or after your next show in Colorado

[xthewiddler]

I will mostly use the internal one, but if i run out of filters I have routed through a thor or maelstrom here and there. I will usually automate the rate of the LFO which is already set to affect multiple things such as amp as well as filter and wave position.

So you normally route the same lfo that's modulating your frequency filter to also modulate the amp of your sine sub base or do you leave this as a sustained note while wobbling your mid/high frequencies on top? Just to make sure I understand, you're not sending your lfo to modulate the frequency rate and amp of the same insrument right? Just the amp of sub and filter of main bass?

This is probably the last question I'm able to sneak in before this thread has been closed...and I just got to say....

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
PS - I'd love to smoke you up before or after your next show in Colorado

I only "extracted" it from youtube using wiretap from here




As for the LFo question, it really depends. On harrington I routed the LFO to both filter and amp settings to get an even more pronounced in and out on the wobble. Other times I have left the subass intact whilst amp wobbling the mid/high bass alongside other things. Try random things! Experimenting and being creative by doing new things is a good way to stumble upon something good.