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HELP! I have great ideas, but my track sounds shite.
Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 5:33 am
by wobbafet
So I have this track I've been working on... it's posted below.
I'm satisfied with the structure and everything, but some of the sounds I'm having difficulty with.
First of all, my sub bass sounds muddy as hell. I don't have GREAT speakers, just a big sub on the floor and a couple little home stereo speakers on the desk. But when I played it side-by-side a deep L-Wiz track, it was obvious the production quality of MY track was nowhere near professional.
I've assigned a really deep LFO on the bass, which is just a simple sine wave, to give it some rolling, slightly wobbling amplitude. Before I did that, though, the bass was still muddy. I used an EQ to cut out frequencies under 30hz, but I'm thinking maybe I need to cut more than that?
Also, the rhodes-y synth effect (the only synth in there, you cant miss it) just isn't sounding bright enough.I've got some reverb, chorus, and delay effects on it. I'm wondering what the best way is to make it more THERE, naw meen? Simple EQ?
I think the track has a pretty simple concept, so if any of you fine heads out there with decent sound at home could give it a listen and maybe pick out some rudimentary tips for me, I'd me much appreciative. I know how to make tunes okay, just making them sound all well-mixed and "mastered" is still beyond me.
Soundcloud
Re: HELP! I have great ideas, but my track sounds shite.
Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 5:38 am
by amphibian
That's what the WIP thread is for, post there.
Re: HELP! I have great ideas, but my track sounds shite.
Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 5:41 am
by wobbafet
oh balls, sorry. n00b mistake.
fuck that thread is huge. well, if anyone reads this... go to page 13 on W I P
Re: HELP! I have great ideas, but my track sounds shite.
Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 5:54 am
by pandaz
I really dug that track anyways haha
Re: HELP! I have great ideas, but my track sounds shite.
Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 6:27 am
by amphibian
wobbafet wrote:oh balls, sorry. n00b mistake.
fuck that thread is huge. well, if anyone reads this... go to page 13 on W I P
Lots of guys are contributing regularly to that thread. Just make sure you also contribute to others (as it states on the first page of that thread), else you'll get flamed further
Re: HELP! I have great ideas, but my track sounds shite.
Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 7:00 am
by narcissus
could it be the fact that you are noob?? this takes time bruh. don't lose heart. you gotta stick with it, knamean??
Re: HELP! I have great ideas, but my track sounds shite.
Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 12:34 pm
by ResetTheAtari
It sounds fine to me, and I've got good speakers.
Re: HELP! I have great ideas, but my track sounds shite.
Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 1:09 pm
by Basic A
wobbafet wrote:I used an EQ to cut out frequencies under 30hz,
One mistake right here, be careful man, your misreading things around the internet. When people are talking about doing this we mean on harmonic-containing elements like drums, fat synths, ect. And also, mastering engineers often do this to the final product (at 20hz though, not 30) ... On sine subs though you have no harmonics, just single frequency notes, if you have harmonics whatever your using isnt a sine wave. If you keep this in mind, there is absolutely NO NEED to EVER put and eq on your sub... I mean... compensation for psychoacoustic volume differences... something you dont really need to worry about doing... but dont put eqs on sine subs, your wasting your time. If one of your notes is dipping below the realm of what speakers can produce, you need to seriously re-evaluate using that note! haha.
Thing is though man, even if you did do it to the track you posted, it didnt have an effect
... the track sounds well thought out and all man, just grit your teetch and study synthesis and practice your mixdowns. Ive been goin for a year n a half, and I promise, Im no LWiz
... so dont get discouraged yet man.
Re: HELP! I have great ideas, but my track sounds shite.
Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 3:08 pm
by djake
^^^ wise words.
Re: HELP! I have great ideas, but my track sounds shite.
Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 3:38 pm
by tripwire22
I am lwiz
Re: HELP! I have great ideas, but my track sounds shite.
Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 3:39 pm
by ResetTheAtari
I find there's so much conflicting stuff on the web it's much better to just get a good pair of speakers and use your ears. You will be able to know what sounds right and what doesn't.
Re: HELP! I have great ideas, but my track sounds shite.
Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 7:44 pm
by frank grimes jr.
I am tripwire.
Re: HELP! I have great ideas, but my track sounds shite.
Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 10:09 pm
by back2onett
pandaz wrote:I really dug that track anyways haha
Re: HELP! I have great ideas, but my track sounds shite.
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 4:17 am
by Basic A
I am frank grimes jr.
Re: HELP! I have great ideas, but my track sounds shite.
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 4:37 am
by tripwire22
frank grimes jr. wrote:I am tripwire.
haha u dont wanna be me I got nothing
Re: HELP! I have great ideas, but my track sounds shite.
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 6:27 am
by daft cunt
wobbafet wrote:So I have this track I've been working on... it's posted below.
I'm satisfied with the structure and everything, but some of the sounds I'm having difficulty with.
First of all, my sub bass sounds muddy as hell. I don't have GREAT speakers, just a big sub on the floor and a couple little home stereo speakers on the desk. But when I played it side-by-side a deep L-Wiz track, it was obvious the production quality of MY track was nowhere near professional.
I've assigned a really deep LFO on the bass, which is just a simple sine wave, to give it some rolling, slightly wobbling amplitude. Before I did that, though, the bass was still muddy. I used an EQ to cut out frequencies under 30hz, but I'm thinking maybe I need to cut more than that?
Also, the rhodes-y synth effect (the only synth in there, you cant miss it) just isn't sounding bright enough.I've got some reverb, chorus, and delay effects on it. I'm wondering what the best way is to make it more THERE, naw meen? Simple EQ?
I think the track has a pretty simple concept, so if any of you fine heads out there with decent sound at home could give it a listen and maybe pick out some rudimentary tips for me, I'd me much appreciative. I know how to make tunes okay, just making them sound all well-mixed and "mastered" is still beyond me.
Soundcloud
First, I don't think your track sounds shit. The mixdown is quite decent.
Regarding the sub, just to make sure, you assigned the lfo to the volume and not a lpf, right ?
Anyway, applying lfo modulation on a sine doesn't sound like a good idea to me, perhaps try with a sound with more harmonics like a lpf square ?
But since the sub was already muddy before modulation, you may have too much low frequency on the kick, try EQing that out. Otherwise it's hard to go wrong with a sine...
2 things :
* the volume increase at 2:45 sounds weird. I assume the idea was to give a bigger impact feel so I'd recommend using splash sounds like a long reverbed ride cymbal, some white noise filter sweep or whatever sounds good to you.
* i guess the distortion on the main synth at 2:30 is intended but it doesn't really sound good to me (but that's just an opinion)
The synth sounds bright enough to me but if you want it brighter, try going higher with your lpf or use different EQ settings (EQ out the mud and boost the highs ?).
EQ usage reminder : narrow Q, boost by 6 to 9 dB, sweep until it sounds particularly unpleasant, then cut. And use a wide Q for highs boost.
Perhaps you could also add atmospheric background sound effects to give it more depth ?
Re: HELP! I have great ideas, but my track sounds shite.
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 6:28 am
by daft cunt
Btw I'm wobbafet
Re: HELP! I have great ideas, but my track sounds shite.
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 7:08 am
by synthlf
for me the sub is fine, deep and etc...
the things i dont like:
1. your dubtechnoish chords distorts alot sometimes i think it happens when you opening the filter up, if you dont hear it check that with spectrum analyser, it will show you clearly where frequencies peak
2. its a not bad track but its a bit boring imo whole intro was just filter automation on chords, also when it drops it lacks of interesting elements, basicly its just beat with bass and same intro chords...dont get me wrong you can make an interesting tune with just of one chord(changing octaves, inverting the chord, filter automation, changing delays and reverbs on some chords).
3. snare needs to be 1-2db lower in volume, especially in the second part of the tune...but thats maybe me, i'm not sure about that.
4. dont do those volume increases to make a drop bigger, and intro/outro smaller.
i've actualy done a similar track months ago, with basicly one chord and its variations...
Soundcloud
my advices would be these... if you using one instrument (with one or few chords) you like, try pasting midi information to other instruments with different delays/reverb/filtering/etc...there will be alot more material to work with
IMO
Re: HELP! I have great ideas, but my track sounds shite.
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 7:35 am
by shaneynclan
narcissus wrote:knamean??
Re: HELP! I have great ideas, but my track sounds shite.
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 7:41 am
by deadly_habit
