layering

Electronic Music Production // Dark Arts
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pleb
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layering

Post by pleb »

im just arsin around still with ableton and findin my feet so sorry for the questions fellas. want to know how important layering is in your music? it is used much and what would i be best tryin to layer?

I see hats claps basslines kicks synths are all layered. why do you have to do it cos i think its overkill? is it? cos when i listen to tracks i dont think theres a ton of layering? or is there? hahaha maybe my ears arent developed that way to pick it out yet

whats the benefits then and is there anything to look out for or double check. any advice would be wicked

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sam
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Re: layering

Post by sam »

Hi Pleb

I don't do a lot of layering and i think you're right that it can be overkill, but saying that it would depend on your samples and what sound you're going for.

One thing I've had good results layering is hats and shakers. I use a drum rack and load in 3 or more hats or shakers that work nice together, then modulate their filter and volume with an lfo set to different rates. You can get a lovely dynamic sound that seems very alive with each hit. I think the trick to that one (and so many other tricks with audio production) is subtlety.

I do a bit of parallel processing which I would say is layering as well, you're just layering an effected version of the same sound on top of the original. I find it can be really good for slight distortion and saturation effects.

But yeah to your question. I would say benefits are that you get to combine sounds that maybe nobody has combined before so you get some unique textures, and things to look out for is that you're not making monster sounds that fill up the whole frequency spectrum (unless that's what you're after). It's easy to layer up sounds and think they sound awesome but it's basically because they do sound awesome, but they're so awesome that you can't fit anything else into your track ;)

I find this plugin really helpful with layering too (and for any other thing where you need a visual reference) http://bram.smartelectronix.com/plugins.php?id=4

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Mslwte
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Re: layering

Post by Mslwte »

sam wrote:Hi Pleb

I don't do a lot of layering and i think you're right that it can be overkill, but saying that it would depend on your samples and what sound you're going for.

One thing I've had good results layering is hats and shakers. I use a drum rack and load in 3 or more hats or shakers that work nice together, then modulate their filter and volume with an lfo set to different rates. You can get a lovely dynamic sound that seems very alive with each hit. I think the trick to that one (and so many other tricks with audio production) is subtlety.

I do a bit of parallel processing which I would say is layering as well, you're just layering an effected version of the same sound on top of the original. I find it can be really good for slight distortion and saturation effects.

But yeah to your question. I would say benefits are that you get to combine sounds that maybe nobody has combined before so you get some unique textures, and things to look out for is that you're not making monster sounds that fill up the whole frequency spectrum (unless that's what you're after). It's easy to layer up sounds and think they sound awesome but it's basically because they do sound awesome, but they're so awesome that you can't fit anything else into your track ;)

I find this plugin really helpful with layering too (and for any other thing where you need a visual reference) http://bram.smartelectronix.com/plugins.php?id=4
great tip on layering sam! ive also downloaded the plugin ;)
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Mslwte
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Re: layering

Post by Mslwte »

i like layering you can creat something new, something that someone hasnt done before. i have an old drum machine from the 80's and it give you ability to layer any of the sounds together snares kicks claps hats etc. you can be experimental in what you layer ;)
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Lost to the Void wrote:Fuck off, get some tequila down ya neck and make some noise you cunt....

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pleb
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Re: layering

Post by pleb »

sorry lads ive been away for a bit. on bail now :p hahaha

i'm trying to layer some kicks to get some real power but cant get it soundin right. all the tracks i comare mine to sound like they have a few different ones layered and they do for sure. all the ones in the sample packs i have already have hats on them which dont sit.

i like the roland kiks but they dont have the same dirt and power to them. putting a compressor on them makes them sound a bit weak to my ears. any pointers as to where im going wrong cos I think my approach is flawed.

sorry fellas all nooby questions probably.

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nervejammer
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Re: layering

Post by nervejammer »

Hi Pleb - if you are layering kicks think on it this way - split the drum into three.
Find one with a nice subby bottom - then cut everything above say 70 htrz away.
Next the mid - find one that has a good middle - cut the sub part and the top end of of it.
Same with the top - leave the top cut away everything else.
Layer your three drums up n see what you get.
I tend not to compress kicks - what's the point - it's already percussive so all you are doing is robbing it of power and bass.
Hope this helps :-)

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Dirk L
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Re: layering

Post by Dirk L »

I dont really layer consciously, but probably end up doing it to build up a bigger picture.

If I'm making some fx for my track, i might have a bit of audio with some plugins and its all automated. Often I find it sounds better if I add another sound before it or during it, to make it more interesting. Imagine you have a "thwack" sound. I like adding a reversed sound before it or if something is low, maybe see if adding something a bit crisper sounding before it, just introduces it a bit better than WHACK!!


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