Short Production Tips & Tricks

[Hades]

I guess most people use arpeggiators from time to time. Try using 2 (or 3) in series, or parallel.

use an arpeggiator, but send out it's MIDI to another track and record it as a MIDI clip.
Then take out notes.
Most arpeggiators create way too boring patterns, way too repetitive and with way too many notes.
This is an excellent way to work around that.

Also, when playing the arpeggiator, try making a clip with randomly changing notes for a few bars,
so that the arpeggiator gets retriggered at random moments, instead of at the end of each sequence.
I know that sounds simple enough, but I think a lot of people don't think about that one.

[paclos]

Monitoring.
2 tips.

Tip 1:

Always monitor and work at the same level. Buy a db meter, produce your tune to a good RMS level, say, -12db, plenty of headroom there.
Work to this RMS level on all your tunes.
Set your monitor to a good level for comfortable long duration work. Note down the monitor level on your monitor control or on the speaker itself. If you have a monitor preset, set this as your main preset.
Then set your monitor to your loud monitoring level for momentary checks. Note the level.

Now you can produce to your set RMS, set your monitor level to the main working setting, and you will give your ears a standard to work at.
Your production WILL improve a lot if you do this.

Play reference tracks through your daw at your production RMS, so you tune your ears to "good production" at your working level.


Tip 2:
Occasionally during production, move your monitors up to their Loud Level as set above, and then slowly bring down the level all the way to the point you can no longer hear anything.
take note of mix consistency. If everything remains balanced all the way down through the levels of volume, your mix is good, if things start popping out or changing dramatically, then these are the areas to balance.

Thank you for both tips but just one question, how do you do it with the Headphones?

[Merah]

I guess most people use arpeggiators from time to time. Try using 2 (or 3) in series, or parallel.

Polyrhythmic arpeggiations work a charm

[Cloaked]

btw Cloaked,
I downloaded the Diversion synth yesterday.
Played around with the presets for about an hour, trying to get a quick impression of what it was capable soundwise,
and was utterly shocked at how bad the presets were (and I mean from a totally different level of bad than the usual bad presets),
but then I started making sounds from scratch, and I was in heaven in like 5 minutes...

Now one of these sounds is the core sound of a new track, so I gotta buy the synth...
You think they're gonna have a summer sale ?
This is probably a newer synth, no ? So that probably means it's not gonna be on sale any time soon...

Haha, nice!

Yeah the presets are fucking shite trance bollocks with the brightness turned right up, even on basses - wtf.

But as you're finding out there's no better synth for getting deep in the synthesis. I'm still making 5 or 10 patches a day just organically, playing around and because it sounds so lush.

My new love is the loopable, multi stage envelopes... Try one of the spiky rhythmic presets and assign that to the comb filter, FM and reverb amount... holy shit... then how about automating the rate of the envelope next?!

Yeah it's expensive and no, I have never seen a sale... But it's worth every penny. It blows my mind every day... it offers literally infinite possibilities.

[Lost to the Void]

Monitoring.
2 tips.

Tip 1:

Always monitor and work at the same level. Buy a db meter, produce your tune to a good RMS level, say, -12db, plenty of headroom there.
Work to this RMS level on all your tunes.
Set your monitor to a good level for comfortable long duration work. Note down the monitor level on your monitor control or on the speaker itself. If you have a monitor preset, set this as your main preset.
Then set your monitor to your loud monitoring level for momentary checks. Note the level.

Now you can produce to your set RMS, set your monitor level to the main working setting, and you will give your ears a standard to work at.
Your production WILL improve a lot if you do this.

Play reference tracks through your daw at your production RMS, so you tune your ears to "good production" at your working level.


Tip 2:
Occasionally during production, move your monitors up to their Loud Level as set above, and then slowly bring down the level all the way to the point you can no longer hear anything.
take note of mix consistency. If everything remains balanced all the way down through the levels of volume, your mix is good, if things start popping out or changing dramatically, then these are the areas to balance.

Thank you for both tips but just one question, how do you do it with the Headphones?

Exactly the same way, only you are using headphones. Instead of marking points on your monitor control you would be marking the volume on your headphone volume dial.

[paclos]

Monitoring.
2 tips.

Tip 1:

Always monitor and work at the same level. Buy a db meter, produce your tune to a good RMS level, say, -12db, plenty of headroom there.
Work to this RMS level on all your tunes.
Set your monitor to a good level for comfortable long duration work. Note down the monitor level on your monitor control or on the speaker itself. If you have a monitor preset, set this as your main preset.
Then set your monitor to your loud monitoring level for momentary checks. Note the level.

Now you can produce to your set RMS, set your monitor level to the main working setting, and you will give your ears a standard to work at.
Your production WILL improve a lot if you do this.

Play reference tracks through your daw at your production RMS, so you tune your ears to "good production" at your working level.


Tip 2:
Occasionally during production, move your monitors up to their Loud Level as set above, and then slowly bring down the level all the way to the point you can no longer hear anything.
take note of mix consistency. If everything remains balanced all the way down through the levels of volume, your mix is good, if things start popping out or changing dramatically, then these are the areas to balance.

Thank you for both tips but just one question, how do you do it with the Headphones?

Exactly the same way, only you are using headphones. Instead of marking points on your monitor control you would be marking the volume on your headphone volume dial.

and the db meter? you can use it with the headphones too? I´m lost

[Lost to the Void]

No not really.
You dont need it to set the rms output of your mix though

[Pelecaras]

Add some silence to the start of your samples and adjust the start time while playing back a loop. It's a simple way to find where the sample can sit best in the groove instead of nudging midi notes ..

I would do stuff like this with track delay.
It's a lot more precise than moving notes in your grid.

I tend to run a drum rack with several samples on a single track so track delay would only affect all notes, where adjusting sample start point for individual samples can get things swinging in a more direct way, same as nudging though ..

Call me a thick cunt, but could you explain what you mean by 'track delay' please. Thanks

[Hades]

Haha, nice!

Yeah the presets are fucking shite trance bollocks with the brightness turned right up, even on basses - wtf.

But as you're finding out there's no better synth for getting deep in the synthesis. I'm still making 5 or 10 patches a day just organically, playing around and because it sounds so lush.

My new love is the loopable, multi stage envelopes... Try one of the spiky rhythmic presets and assign that to the comb filter, FM and reverb amount... holy shit... then how about automating the rate of the envelope next?!

Yeah it's expensive and no, I have never seen a sale... But it's worth every penny. It blows my mind every day... it offers literally infinite possibilities.

thx for the reply.
well, I just saw it's been around for a few years already, so if there hasn't been a sale in that time, there's little chance it's gonna come now all of a sudden.
So hell, I just bought it for the full price, ffs...

I gotta say, modulation wise, I think Omnisphere can do pretty much everything this one can do when you use it in multi-mode.
But even though I think Diversion's interface isn't one of the best, and I know Omni inside out, I find it a breath of fresh air to be working with another synth from time to time that pretty much has the same options.
You know, sometimes when you work with the same tools all the time, you start to forget about all the options you have, even if they are great.
And when you then take a new tool, you think about something you could have been doing with a tool you already got,
but yeah, somehow you need the new tool to remind you of that.

I remember I once was looking at some tutorial, and I didn't have the synth they used in the video, so I ended up using Omni and got a sound that (at least to me) sounded way better.

One thing I have to say, is that the visual feedback on this synth sucks balls massively.
In Omni (sorry, there I go again but it's pretty much the only synth I can compare it with), your envelopes are so much better to look at and therefore so much easier to draw whatever you like.
But then again, each downside can be a positive thing in the end : I just draw up something and listen, instead of going for what I see when I draw it in, you know ?

On last question : on how much do you set the resampling mode, 2x, 4x or 8x ?
Because I can clearly hear a difference here, but though my MBP is relatively new and should be able to handle it, my soundcard can't always properly handle the 8x,
and that's just, well, pissing me off...

[Hades]

Call me a thick cunt, but could you explain what you mean by 'track delay' please. Thanks

you probably don't have it enabled in your visuals in Live, that's why you don't know it's there.
On the right (almost) bottom of your screen in Live, you see this :

I-O
S R
M
D
X

now click on the "D", then you get to see the track delay below each separate track in your current project.
try it out.
it's a can of worms at first, but once you get used to it, you're gonna love it.
It's the same technique you would use when you use the "external instrument" plugin for example,
which I never even use, though I use external HW all the time.

Best way to use it to start with the thing :
when you got the parameter on your mouse (or whatever you chose), close your eyes, and gently move it up or down,
and let your ears decide...

if it's still not clear, just ask

[surface]

You're T-I-C-K!!
Joking, but yeah, you'll find it as Hades explained.
In effect, it's just a way of nudging a clip along the timeline or in the context of other tracks, where the notes will play sooner/later than 'normal'.

Just thinking now, is there any track delay on the individual drum rack channels when you expand the main drum rack midi channel out?
Will have to check that for myself but don't remember seeing any ..

[Críoch]

Theres not on the individuals unfortunately. Its all grouped in with the main channel.

I sometimes use a Simple Delay, 100% wet on MS delay on FX returns, to 'place' the effect a little after the main hit. Kinda like a predelay on the signal going to the effects return. Guess you could be somewhat useful to things you want to play later if you dropped it on each individual drum group channel.

As to bringing them forward.. Im not sure

[Críoch]

Enjoying this thread too.

Tips?

I've forgotten how much I enjoyed putting a delay on a return, and having it going in the background, sidechained to the kick. Removing the kick, then bringing it back in cutting off the delays. Been doing that on something tonight.

Havent had much time for music recently. Will be back with another I'm sure when the music side of my brain wakes up.

[Pelecaras]

Call me a thick cunt, but could you explain what you mean by 'track delay' please. Thanks

you probably don't have it enabled in your visuals in Live, that's why you don't know it's there.
On the right (almost) bottom of your screen in Live, you see this :

I-O
S
R
M
D
X

now click on the "D", then you get to see the track delay below each separate track in your current project.
try it out.
it's a can of worms at first, but once you get used to it, you're gonna love it.
It's the same technique you would use when you use the "external instrument" plugin for example,
which I never even use, though I use external HW all the time.

Best way to use it to start with the thing :
when you got the parameter on your mouse (or whatever you chose), close your eyes, and gently move it up or down,
and let your ears decide...

if it's still not clear, just ask

Nice one Hades. Always a great source of information.

[surface]

...As to bringing them forward.. Im not sure

You could just bring everything else back?!
Ableton Einstein's 'Theory of Relativity' or something...

[Chizmata]

I guess most people use arpeggiators from time to time. Try using 2 (or 3) in series, or parallel.

ive really tried to find a godd use for arpeggiators but theyre really just for people who dont have own ideas.

my tips:

make a plan of your track first. sit down in a cafe with pen and paper and dont touch any machine until you got a clear concept from start to end. then get creative inside of that at home.

finish everything you start and dont start anything new in between.

dont use presets, loops etc. it will make your sound more unique and it helps your creativity a lot to understand how things are made.

[mr.chielos]

Some good tips here!

Mine:
1- use an OPEN pair of cans unless you have a very good reason not too. Check levels when not sober. Fucked up my ears with headphones in about a year or two.
2- In general: try making music... sober. It's also great fun.
3- Ditch or finish
4- While techno is based on experimentation and exploration there are a LOT of clichés, avoid them
5- Set goals and boundaries for yourself.

[Críoch]

ive really tried to find a godd use for arpeggiators but theyre really just for people who dont have own ideas.
.

Oh.. really don't agree with this at all.

Apart from anything else, you can get some great shit from throwing an unsynced arp on a single Porc hit / hat / sample / whatever.. the rest being very glitchy or rhythmic, allowing get you to adjust where it sits by dialling back & forth the time.

If you have a nice chord progression on a pad, an app playing the same notes but at a higher resolution can add so much. I love the computer gurgle of a fast high pitched arp, where the pitch of the synth is being slightly affected by a noise or sample & hold lfo. Slower playing can turn into something else with a slow tri or saw-up lfo on pitch.

Love arps.

They can make pretty cool grooves on a drumkit if you you draw some long notes in a midi clip.

The serial thing is cool also.

Pads can be nicely morphed or vice-versa if you group the arp.. making a 'dry ' channel & a 'wet' channel with a single arp. Put it BEFORE your pad synth. Keep them separate.

You can then automate the wet / dry control between the clean, dry unaffected channel & the arp channel, gradually changing get the sound from pad to faster notes.

I like arps.

[mr.chielos]

more technical:

- I more or less always use a saturator with quite extreme settings on my kicks but with a 99-90% dry mix ratio. gives that little bit of dirt and character. I put it first fully wet and fuck it up real bad and then go back to an almost dry mix.

I love arps too, specially on a drumrack. try a drumrack with different copies of one hat with different settings/effects on each hat. one or more arps and intricate patterns emerge. or route different midi tracks to it each with an arp and combine different lengths. instand polymeters/rhytms!

[tsaro]

Quick way to get some nice stereo width going on your synth lines: duplicate the midi, load another synth and try to approximate the original sound, and pan to taste. You can also split them up into mid/side. Also works for drums, even with samples if you're not that much into synthesis.