New To Making Dubstep, Songs Sound Empty?

[Heartless]

The drums sound a bit weak and the midrange is lacking. Side-chain the kicks and bass and really work on the compression.

What do you mean by compression? I dont even know what that does to be honest lol I've just been focused on filtering, reverb, and delay.

Basically a compressor alters the dynamics range of a sound. It can make tracks full, punchy, and loud, or pump like Benassi and Daft Punk. Can't stress enough how important it is to know how to use one.

But good sample selection from the start means using a compressor more for a creative choice than a "fix" for dull drums.

Too true. Junk in, junk out.

Compression and reverb ain't gonna magically fix your problems and can very easily destroy a track by making it muddy and flat.

[skimpi]

It doesn't have that filthy feel to it, or that hard ass that rocks your subwoofers and makes you ejaculate all over your computer.

you need some youjizz.com

[stru]

You can respond to multiple messages in one post homie, quote code does not have a limit per post, abuse that in the future please.

It's all a matter of what kind of sound you're aiming for, like my sig clip the whole track has reverb but it's turned nearly all the way down, 5 different hats to fill the rythm out and also to give it an accelerated feel.

Little things can change a lot, practice moderation always, good sample choice is a lot of it too, there ARE reallllly shit samples everywhere, and it's hard to pick or find good ones for a long time when you start out.

One hits are single samples, just a kick or just a snare or just an orchestral stab, one hit is a really broad term for mostly anything that is a single sound, one. Hit.

Foley sounds are everyday sounds, legitimately anything you might hear walking down the street or in your kitchen could be one.

Okay, but aside from drums because I'm not focused on that at the moment.

[amphibian]

To fill up a tune - there are 3 things you need:

1. Stabs (single-shot sounds)
2. Reverb
3. Delays

Enjoy

[TheHuman]

first things first homieee '
get out of your head about it!
have fun or youll never get better
i find when i really tart getting pissed with a track or get all intensive with a sound in a track, i never finish the track and dont learn anything, dont coddle your tracks like a baby, sometimes you need to throw the baby on the floor and kick it around a bit, get messie holmes. just pump out tracks and mess with different effects adn you will start learning new ways to get sounds you want.

another thing, play in key i dont remember which track iz listening to but it was in no way melodic, the sounds just clashed, you want there to be connection note wise just pick a key and play in it or even just 3 notes to start out and youll get what i mean

drums mess around with compression and eq

basses try some stereo spread/layering/subbass layering/multiple oscillators and mostly dont kill yourself trying to recreate a famous producers bass, there basses are bangin cause they brought something new to the table, i see people just figgureing out datsik excision basses but its like so what now.. if you did that two years ago i might have been on the wagon but... no what i mean? get creative and use noises you wouldent think to.. today i was messing around resampleing a growl of a wild boar and getting some crazy results....

and lastly take that (bad) off the end of your track! if you keep thinking its bad your only gona mke bad tracks! look at the positive and you will start to learn to pull the positive out of things instead of remove the negative

but what do i know

hha much love homie keep at it
<3 dsf
~The Human

[Kes-Es]

Short answer is smoke a lot of ganja and practice all the time, ALL. THE. TIME.
Like if you're not ready to give a couple years, or in best case months, to learning how to do this right, you shouldn't be doing it.
Practice
DETUNE SAW WAVES in your fucking sleep

[Gurnumsbug]

.

[stru]

play in key i dont remember which track iz listening to but it was in no way melodic, the sounds just clashed, you want there to be connection note wise just pick a key and play in it or even just 3 notes to start out and youll get what i mean

Skrillex? LOLOL but seriously, great help bro. I'll take your word on some of that ish

[stru]

To fill up a tune - there are 3 things you need:

1. Stabs (single-shot sounds)
2. Reverb
3. Delays

Enjoy

I hear a lot about stabs, but what kind of stabs do you mean? Like crashes and cymbals? Synths? And where would I put the stabs? :/

[atticuh]

To fill up a tune - there are 3 things you need:

1. Stabs (single-shot sounds)
2. Reverb
3. Delays

Enjoy

I hear a lot about stabs, but what kind of stabs do you mean? Like crashes and cymbals? Synths? And where would I put the stabs? :/

A stab is basically a quick, poignant note, usually with a sample or synth. Stabs, however, are nearly always melodic in nature thus percussive one-shots really wouldn't be considered a stabs. Also if you're familiar with music theory, it would be a staccato.

[stru]

To fill up a tune - there are 3 things you need:

1. Stabs (single-shot sounds)
2. Reverb
3. Delays

Enjoy

I hear a lot about stabs, but what kind of stabs do you mean? Like crashes and cymbals? Synths? And where would I put the stabs? :/

A stab is basically a quick, poignant note, usually with a sample or synth. Stabs, however, are nearly always melodic in nature thus percussive one-shots really wouldn't be considered a stabs. Also if you're familiar with music theory, it would be a staccato.

I know I know, but I'm just saying I don't know exactly where to put them, and how they'd go in a song. Like would you use it on the first beat of the first measure of a drop? Or would it be part of the melody? Or would you use it to accompany the snares? Like I don't understand where to put them in the composition lol.

[atticuh]

To fill up a tune - there are 3 things you need:

1. Stabs (single-shot sounds)
2. Reverb
3. Delays

Enjoy

I hear a lot about stabs, but what kind of stabs do you mean? Like crashes and cymbals? Synths? And where would I put the stabs? :/

A stab is basically a quick, poignant note, usually with a sample or synth. Stabs, however, are nearly always melodic in nature thus percussive one-shots really wouldn't be considered a stabs. Also if you're familiar with music theory, it would be a staccato.

I know I know, but I'm just saying I don't know exactly where to put them, and how they'd go in a song. Like would you use it on the first beat of the first measure of a drop? Or would it be part of the melody? Or would you use it to accompany the snares? Like I don't understand where to put them in the composition lol.

You can put stabs anywhere your heart desires and they're nearly always a part of the melody.

[Kes-Es]

To fill up a tune - there are 3 things you need:

1. Stabs (single-shot sounds)
2. Reverb
3. Delays

Enjoy

I hear a lot about stabs, but what kind of stabs do you mean? Like crashes and cymbals? Synths? And where would I put the stabs? :/

A stab is basically a quick, poignant note, usually with a sample or synth. Stabs, however, are nearly always melodic in nature thus percussive one-shots really wouldn't be considered a stabs. Also if you're familiar with music theory, it would be a staccato.

I know I know, but I'm just saying I don't know exactly where to put them, and how they'd go in a song. Like would you use it on the first beat of the first measure of a drop? Or would it be part of the melody? Or would you use it to accompany the snares? Like I don't understand where to put them in the composition lol.

You can put stabs anywhere your heart desires and they're nearly always a part of the melody.

Or just really rad, incidental unrelated stabs can be dope.

[stru]

So would they be like a percussion stab? Or synth stab with the lead melody? Or the bassline? Not helping very much, guys :/

[skimpi]

So would they be like a percussion stab? Or synth stab with the lead melody? Or the bassline? Not helping very much, guys :/

fuckin go somewhere else then!

i wouldnt call a percussive hit a stab, thats more of a hit, a stab chord be like a chord stab, like just one hit of a chord, it could be a sampled horn 'hit' just one blast of a horn section, it could be like a bleepy sound, it could be a chopped vocal so that its very staccato. and just put it wherever the fuck you want its your tune, listen to other tunes and see where they put them.

[Basic A]

Risers. Constantly.

[stru]

So would they be like a percussion stab? Or synth stab with the lead melody? Or the bassline? Not helping very much, guys :/

fuckin go somewhere else then!

i wouldnt call a percussive hit a stab, thats more of a hit, a stab chord be like a chord stab, like just one hit of a chord, it could be a sampled horn 'hit' just one blast of a horn section, it could be like a bleepy sound, it could be a chopped vocal so that its very staccato. and just put it wherever the fuck you want its your tune, listen to other tunes and see where they put them.

Well thats the fuckin description I was lookin for, jesus christ!

[Kes-Es]

So would they be like a percussion stab? Or synth stab with the lead melody? Or the bassline? Not helping very much, guys :/

fuckin go somewhere else then!

i wouldnt call a percussive hit a stab, thats more of a hit, a stab chord be like a chord stab, like just one hit of a chord, it could be a sampled horn 'hit' just one blast of a horn section, it could be like a bleepy sound, it could be a chopped vocal so that its very staccato. and just put it wherever the fuck you want its your tune, listen to other tunes and see where they put them.

Well thats the fuckin description I was lookin for, jesus christ!

Dude... believe it or not wiki can be preeeeettty fucking accurate about this stuff. I suggest using that, not asking us to hold your hand.

You're a big boy, learn to make yoi bass by yourself in the corner.

[stru]

So would they be like a percussion stab? Or synth stab with the lead melody? Or the bassline? Not helping very much, guys :/

fuckin go somewhere else then!

i wouldnt call a percussive hit a stab, thats more of a hit, a stab chord be like a chord stab, like just one hit of a chord, it could be a sampled horn 'hit' just one blast of a horn section, it could be like a bleepy sound, it could be a chopped vocal so that its very staccato. and just put it wherever the fuck you want its your tune, listen to other tunes and see where they put them.

Well thats the fuckin description I was lookin for, jesus christ!

Dude... believe it or not wiki can be preeeeettty fucking accurate about this stuff. I suggest using that, not asking us to hold your hand.

You're a big boy, learn to make yoi bass by yourself in the corner.

Douchey reply is douchey.
I'm trying to ask for help from people who make dubstep, it seems like a smart thing to do.

And FYI, I KNOW how to make yahyoi bass

[stru]

Anyway, would there be any specific songs with good use of "stabs" that I could hear as an example?