Love Dubstep But The Sound Quality Is Just Awful.

[danoldboy]

If you are using a DAW these days though, you are always gonna be clicking at some point in the production process so...

map it's controls to a midi controller and record on the fly without ever having to touch automation and 9 times out of 10, the listener would be non-the wiser it was software

Creating fluid movement definitely goes some way to humanising a DAW mix, as has been said different story when you get into the realms of outboard compressors and eq's.

[deadly_habit]

heh but in that regards to midi mapping for humanizing in the digital realm vs actual analog faders and pots there's that damn latency issue

[MidnightMassDubstep]

i was thinking this last night, bitcrushers make everything sound weak as fuck... not a fan of the bitcrusher unless you do it well

[ResetTheAtari]

You think bad quality sound is shit? I just think it's hardcore continuum, you ever listen to straight-from-the-bedroom 92 whitelabel hardcore? Amen's so muddy they couldn't be cleaned with bleach

[JBE]

It's hard to take a rant seriously when it's coming from someone who hasn't offered any material to listen to to hear if that person is in fact practicing what they preach. Now, aside from that......you need money to buy that gear. To get that money you either need a job and the ability to be able to save up that much money without hurting your financial responsibilities, or make music that can make you enough money to buy the gear to make better quality music.

Of course, all of this is rather remedial considering just how music is perceived by people. So many people compare music made today, to music that was made years ago. People complain about quality of sound, and then compare it to a song that was recorded on gear that by today's standards would be regarded as complete shit and anyone using it would be laughed at. I'm sorry to say, it's not the gear.

Talk to most successful producers/artists and they'll most likely tell you they started with subpar equipment. Your average producer will not have thousands of dollars to drop on gear, especially when they are just starting out. If you expect all the music you listen to to sound like it was recorded in a million dollar studio then you myswell just quit listening to electronic music cause it will never be that way.....ever!

[Ldizzy]

^that... and its funny to think most of us wouldnt be doing anything we do right now if it werent for the ''cheap'' gear...

back then a very few could access studios... it was a highly relational thing and trust me.. new genres weren't always welcome...

from what u say.. the people who invented house shoudve stopped because it sounded like pure diy crap in the beginning... but they didnt, and its a good thing..

there are different types of shite.

[slothrop]

Really. Nothing does it for me like some extremely grimey dubstep, but just listening to most of it makes me want to rip my ears off. Everyone's sounds are just so horribly digital and flat sounding. Then we have people using the worst quality samples ever. Seriously people. It is getting ridiculous. No this isn't a matter of the loudness wars or anything of the such. Its just a matter of people not investing in their music! I mean jesus. Every guitarist I know that is extremely talented and is doing something with their music has multiple quality intruments, a nice amp or two, and nice effects. Same thing with the drummers. One or multiple nice kits with quality cymbals and what not. You don't see bands playing gigs with a squier guitar and a first act drum set, so why the hell aren't dubstep producers investing in a least one freakin synth? I just find this absolutely astonishing. I mean if you are passionate with what you do then why not be passionate about how it sounds!? I can understand just getting into production and yeah you may want to learn reason at first to learn about signal flow and synthesis but there comes a point where you want to get serious and actually start caring about the quality. Its just sickening how often I'm seeing discussions about people wanting certain sounds and the best answers say you need to do this in reason or this in massive or albino. Its so sad how I don't see one topic about someone talking about any hardware or anything cool like a moog, a virus, (and I know its way out of reach for most people but a serge, buchla or some sort of modular synth), an actual drum machine or anything! Its so sickening! I don't know about most people but I find it wayyyyyyy easier to get the sounds I'm looking for or just to construct anything I want with hardware. I mean jesus. Just pick up a machinedrum and tell me your beat making skills don't improve ten fold. There is no real point of this other than to stir up some discussion. I know things won't change and will mainly just get worse, but hey. I'd really just love to hear opinions on the matter.

IMHO before you splurge cash on 'better' gear you should learn to use what you've already got.

The 'enter' key would be a good start.

[In The Shadows]

Talk to most successful producers/artists and they'll most likely tell you they started with subpar equipment. Your average producer will not have thousands of dollars to drop on gear, especially when they are just starting out. If you expect all the music you listen to to sound like it was recorded in a million dollar studio then you myswell just quit listening to electronic music cause it will never be that way.....ever!

true. Also if you read a lot of interviews with really big producers whove been around around a while they will tell you not only that they started with a less than ideal setup, but after years of workig at the top of their game on hardware synths/samplers and desks they tend to work more and more in digital now days within the pc.

[globalbabylon]

Put up or shut up. Lets see some tracks. I'll throw down money I waste you tune for tune, and I'm entierly laptop and midi controller, and not HALF as skilled as the majority of people on this forum. Its not the tools, its what you make with them. Maybe a few more productive posts BEFORE the fire and brimstone. Just saying.

[Ldizzy]

maybe we should see a therapist..

as a big family...

DOA's grid sounds warmer...



no seriously dude... again... youtube no equal dubstep

[slothrop]

Anyway I find it a bit mad when people involved in dubstep talk about hardware being essential when so many of the classic genre-defining tunes that everyone loves (ie classic DMZ, Loefah, Skream, Benga, Burial, all that malarky) were made on strictly software.

I'm all in favour of people trying to improve their sound (although tbh I think the internet encourages everyone to spend too much time wondering about the release setting on their compressor and what sort of EQ to use and not enough trying to come up with an original sound, but that's not really the point) but I thought that with the near universal respect for tunes like Midnight Request Line or Anti War Dub or System or Crunked Up we'd finally grown out of the old bollocks about software magically sounding better if it's running on a computer in a dedicated box with knobs on...

[tylerblue]

Anyway I find it a bit mad when people involved in dubstep talk about hardware being essential when so many of the classic genre-defining tunes that everyone loves (ie classic DMZ, Loefah, Skream, Benga, Burial, all that malarky) were made on strictly software.

I'm all in favour of people trying to improve their sound (although tbh I think the internet encourages everyone to spend too much time wondering about the release setting on their compressor and what sort of EQ to use and not enough trying to come up with an original sound, but that's not really the point) but I thought that with the near universal respect for tunes like Midnight Request Line or Anti War Dub or System or Crunked Up we'd finally grown out of the old bollocks about software magically sounding better if it's running on a computer in a dedicated box with knobs on...

maybe it's a nostalgia thing?

[nowaysj]

stupid

[jokerkhk]

love this tread

[Sharmaji]

Anyway I find it a bit mad when people involved in dubstep talk about hardware being essential when so many of the classic genre-defining tunes that everyone loves (ie classic DMZ, Loefah, Skream, Benga, Burial, all that malarky) were made on strictly software.

I'm all in favour of people trying to improve their sound (although tbh I think the internet encourages everyone to spend too much time wondering about the release setting on their compressor and what sort of EQ to use and not enough trying to come up with an original sound, but that's not really the point) but I thought that with the near universal respect for tunes like Midnight Request Line or Anti War Dub or System or Crunked Up we'd finally grown out of the old bollocks about software magically sounding better if it's running on a computer in a dedicated box with knobs on...

HI FIVE

[tylerblue]

[AJGR]

i think the OP could have come across in a better way. you don't need expensive synths like a moog, there are plenty of cheap analog synths that piss all over software for your more basic synth sounds. in general, the bass that comes out of an analogue synth is pure fatness, it's a beautiful thing. i don't know why he's talking about the access virus though. i would say software like DCAM synth squad, ace and even Reasons Thor sound better. the virus is just software in a box and the oscillators and filters are very digital sounding.

the OP has hit a nerve with the softies. i find it a bit odd that some of you are so anti hardware. considering how open dubstep is it surprises me how close minded some of you are. i mean what's so bad about trying something different? analogue synths are going through a revival and they're cheaper than ever! i think it's good advice to at least try an analogue synth because it offers something very different.

DSI and MFB make a lot of cheap analogue synths, which IMO are better value than most soft synths. also check the Doepher dark energy and the Vermona mono lancat. simple synths, powerful sound!

BTW i use mostly software and a couple of hardware drum machines. i had an analogue synth but had to sell it. now i'm missing it and can't wait to get another one so i can feel the warmth again.

[deadly_habit]

no one is arguing against hardware or analog, we're arguing against the fact that it's necessary to produce a good sound
hell i wouldn't mind having the free space that my rack is taking up, but it ain't gonna happen anytime soon

[shaneynclan]

[jsills]

i was and still am a big gearhead, and i agree that actual analog gear has a certain color that digital does not. but its so cheap and easy to get a great sound out of a $500 laptop it really makes it hard to argue spending thousands on equipment. the audiophile in me wants the moog, and ill get one eventually, but it doesnt prevent me from making good sounding music. spending time on your craft is just as important as investing money into your craft.