Questions about filling out the spectrum

[Lefumusic]

Im 18 and make music but Im having some trubble. I saw you on a forum and you seem to know a whole lot about sound. Nowdays, I mostly do electronic music (such as dubstep / Electro and other EMD genres). I have a couple of questions and answers would be highly appriciated. If you know the answer to one question but not the other ones, I still want to hear what you can tell me ofc


Q1. If you have any tip, or know of any video / tutorial that shows how to fill out a spectrum when making a song and also, mixing different elements so they all have their own space (Not dodge n fusky's tut, watched that, amazing shit). Let's say I have a fat bass, some pads and some chords from synths, but it needs more to fill out and EQ them all so they sit well in the mix. Maby it needs something to just fill it out and not really be hearable in the mix. I know this one is hard to answer though to the different techniques used in different genres, but anything and everything helps.

Q2. Also, about this "something to fill out", do you know anything about using delay / reverb / other effects to do the same thing, glue things together and fill out the frequency spectrum, any tutorial or explaination would be awesome. I know that the guy who mixed Rihana - Umbrella, Manny Marroquin (and a whole lot of other stuff) used delays and reverb to just fil out gaps in that song. Here is the video for that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5MWmif7teM

// Emil





Some proggressive house..
Soundcloud



// Emil

[ehbes]

white noise is excellent for filling things out

[123kidd]

+1 for white noise!! also try layering synths.
as for the first question,

hope this helps

[daeMTHAFKNkim]

:30 - 1:19 sounds full/perfect how it is but once it "drops" into the next part @1:20 it gets empty sounding....maybe get more synths/hard synths playing that are also sidechained with the kick if that's what you're aiming for. I'd say the intro is good sounding how it is cuz it's the intro but maybe some sweeps, white noise, atmospheric soft synths, or lead synth that is automated by a lowpass filter etc. building up to :30.

Mastering your track with Izotope Ozone will make your track sound louder/fuller. with the "Dynamics, EQ, Exciter, Stereo Imager, Reverb" tools.

If you want your track sounding loud but not so clashy, put them in different stereo ranges from Mono to Stereo. Some synths like Gladiator has the ability to make the sound Monox2 Monox4, Stereox2, Stereox4 etc. to make it more in-depth and lets the sound have its own "area" but also check it in Mono for the overall track so it doesn't sound like shit either.

For dubstep I'd use a Sub-Bass for Low-end + High Top-Sub Bass layered to make it hearable/feelable. Snare, Hi-hats, Wobble, A synth - 4 synths all playing at the same time to make it really full/a lot going on at the same time. Just EQ it all right and it should sound fine.

[outbound]

I agree with layering synths. Especially using different synth's to make roughly the same sound. Each will do it in a slightly different way which helps to thicken the sound. Rob shows this in the pendulum masterclass (think it was computer music)

[Triphosphate]

Dunno if it's been mentioned but looking into a synths voicing options can help... and detuning 2 oscillators the same amount in opposite directions (talking aobut .02 semitones up for one and -.02 semitones for another) can do wonders.

[DrastikMeazures]

I pretty much layer everything, kick has a low, mid, and hi sample. Same with the snare, plus a little white noise. First beat of the drop I like to add a crash cymbal also with some white noise under it. Layering similar synth tones is good. I've never tried using delay or verb to fill freq spectrum, but I'd imagine it would be quite a surgical process that would be easy to screw up.

[Killamike49]

I pretty much layer everything, kick has a low, mid, and hi sample. Same with the snare, plus a little white noise. First beat of the drop I like to add a crash cymbal also with some white noise under it. Layering similar synth tones is good. I've never tried using delay or verb to fill freq spectrum, but I'd imagine it would be quite a surgical process that would be easy to screw up.

Not really. If you just but some reverb on vocals for example, it can add this air to your track that wasn't there before. Many people identify this as fullness when i a/b it for them. As long as you don't go slapping a second long reverb on everything, it stays pretty clean.

[Depone]

Well, lets be clear. Theres no need to fill out every frequency in the spectrum unless you are going for that Wall-of-sound Dj Fresh feel.

[bassinine]

Well, lets be clear. Theres no need to fill out every frequency in the spectrum unless you are going for that Wall-of-sound Dj Fresh feel.

thanks, i was going to say this - but i didn't think they'd take my word for it.

if i see one more dj say to me, "look at that waveform (brick-walled to hell) - it's so full, so perfect."

a completely full spectrum is just NOISE.

[drake89]

Well, lets be clear. Theres no need to fill out every frequency in the spectrum unless you are going for that Wall-of-sound Dj Fresh feel.

thanks, i was going to say this - but i didn't think they'd take my word for it.

if i see one more dj say to me, "look at that waveform (brick-walled to hell) - it's so full, so perfect."

a completely full spectrum is just NOISE.

I'm sure you realize that (unless I'm really mistaken) a 'brick walled' looking waveform has more to do with everything being LOUD, than every frequency being hit. As in I'm pretty sure if you slapped a limiter on a loud sub-bass hitting -0.3dB, the waveform would look like what you're talking about.

[bassinine]

i meant brickwalled as in volume and as in a spectrum analyzer that's basically maxed out at every frequency.

should have said brickwalled and squashed. haha

[Killamike49]

i meant brickwalled as in volume and as in a spectrum analyzer that's basically maxed out at every frequency.

Is this song your talking about called pink noise?

[bassinine]

i meant brickwalled as in volume and as in a spectrum analyzer that's basically maxed out at every frequency.

Is this song your talking about called pink noise?

haha, that was my point! but I was mainly talking about the mentality of "more = better," and how much I hate that.

[drake89]

i meant brickwalled as in volume and as in a spectrum analyzer that's basically maxed out at every frequency.

Is this song your talking about called pink noise?

haha, that was my point! but I was mainly talking about the mentality of "more = better," and how much I hate that.

well when it's done right I like it, but yeah more=/=better. Pendulum obvi does this nicely, some of the bro-step people as well.

[Sharmaji]

Well, lets be clear. Theres no need to fill out every frequency in the spectrum unless you are going for that Wall-of-sound Dj Fresh feel.

and the more it gets to that state, the more arrangement become key... fresh's tunes have nothing just hanging about in them, everything is dialed in for maximum impact.