The extremely embarrasing basic question thread

[TheDubEngine]

thanks people!

[DubMikey]

I am sure that I will sound "stupid" for asking this, but I've been wondering for too long now.

How do people go on and make their own Kicks, Snares, Hi hats etc?

[Toolman4]

^..Cheers to you for posting in this thread and not creating a new one

The short and VERY BASIC answer to start your research:
Start using different waveforms with different amp envelopes to construct the proper timbre of the sound. Pay attention to how you shape the beginning transients and release. This will be a huge difference especially when you get to hats/cymbals.
Utilize white noise for your upper freqs of the drum hits and also to construct hats/cymbals.

The long and more appreciable answer: READ!

http://noisesculpture.com/how-to-make-a-noise
and
The Dance Music Manual By: Rick snowman (You wont regret this one. This is by far my most coveted resource for digital audio)

Both of these resources will answer your question thoroughly and SO MUCH MORE, as they start incredibly basic by walking through basic synth functions, how they control and change the sound, and then I know for a fact the Dance Music Manual goes STEP BY STEP in construction of an entire drum kit using only a synth. It then further breaks down into sub genres of music and how the drums/synths/bass etc all have come to "fit" in a genre...

[Artie_Fufkin]

Shameless questions time!
-I typically try to poke tiny holes with small q notches in stuff when I attempt to mix. Are narrow(were talking tiny, very small q) cuts more important than wider cuts when mixing all the elements together?
-Would problematic areas of the mix be easier to find with a limiter on the master? Or would that depend on if all the frequencies were flat and at uniform levels?
-Should you always(or should I say is it most often) cut from your main synths to fit the drums in or vice versa?
-How do I make Calyx+Teebee bass?

[didi]

In FL, is there any way to reduce the dry signal going from a mixer channel to the master, by the same amount that I increase the signal level of a channel going to a send. So if I decide that I want a lot of delay or reverb on a snare or something, the master output for the snare doesn't double in volume for that moment?

[Sharmaji]

i honestly think my only free time exists while bouncing mixes. Thus since audio is already on the mind...

Shameless questions time!
-I typically try to poke tiny holes with small q notches in stuff when I attempt to mix. Are narrow(were talking tiny, very small q) cuts more important than wider cuts when mixing all the elements together?

wide cuts are a sword, small cuts are a scalpel. Pick the right tool for the job. W/ that said, if you're dealing w/ something that's got alot of anomalies that are consistent-- a vocal recorded in a weird room, or a lead element that's gone thru an amp that's wonky-- drastic cuts at specific spots can be key.

-Would problematic areas of the mix be easier to find with a limiter on the master? Or would that depend on if all the frequencies were flat and at uniform levels?

when frequencies are flat and uniform, it's white noise. Forget that. a limiter may help to show you where buildup in a particular frequency range is, but not necesarrily any more than any other mix process. Mixing into a compressor on the master can help show you this earlier, too.

-Should you always(or should I say is it most often) cut from your main synths to fit the drums in or vice versa?

depends on the song. Cut out the junk from your drums (180hz on a kick, 800hz on a snare, etc), clean up the problem areas of a synth (1.6 k, etc) and go from there. i'd rather hear a mix be full and powerful, if muddy at times, than something clinically clean.

[kstan8]

how do u get a wobble bass to have a sub bass under it? im using fl studio and massive

like i wanna hear my wobble melody but also have my car shake

[mikeyp]

how do u get a wobble bass to have a sub bass under it? im using fl studio and massive

like i wanna hear my wobble melody but also have my car shake

make a sub bass

[mikeyp]

In FL, is there any way to reduce the dry signal going from a mixer channel to the master, by the same amount that I increase the signal level of a channel going to a send. So if I decide that I want a lot of delay or reverb on a snare or something, the master output for the snare doesn't double in volume for that moment?

i'm not sure why you wouldn't just use the send all the time, maybe i'm missing something.

but my guess would be to just use fl peak controller

[B-Frank]

how do u get a wobble bass to have a sub bass under it? im using fl studio and massive

like i wanna hear my wobble melody but also have my car shake

Assuming this is a genuine question as this is probably one of the most basic here:

You have two options:

1) Open up a 3xosc, make your normal sub bass. hit INS to access envelopes and LFO, increase the "AMT" (amount) and right clickand select whatever amount of steps that fits the wobble of your Mid-ranged wobble.

2) If your wobble has changing LFO rates as in LFO on LFO or a envelope assigned to the rate or amp on the wobble duplicate your wobble, assign it to a diff mixer track than your original synth. Tick off OSC 2 and OSC 3 and select a sine wave in OSC 1. Bring it down to -12 or -24 depending on how far up or down on the keyboard. Remove all built-in effects such as chorus or whatever habberdashery you might have on there making it sound "dirty", assuming you are using a bandpass filter (I'd be surprised if you wasn't) get rid of the filter all together and apply the same LFO to the AMP on OSC 1 and it will LFO the volume of your sub bass. Ensure you don't have your wave table in the voicing tab or the pitch cut off anything but default.


A pretty long winded and over the top way to answer a very very simple question, my bad.

[Mad_EP]

Just to show that even pro's even ask basic Q's....

a good friend of mine who is MAD respected on the melodic/IDM/downtempo scene asked if there was a way to export stems in Live... and this cat been using Live longer than me (we're talking 2002/3-ish).....




Sometimes one's workflow doesn't lead one to the obvious answer.

[symmetricalsounds]

Sometimes one's workflow doesn't lead one to the obvious answer.

indeed, plenty of people who have used a program for years don't necessarily know all the options that program has.

[_v_]

does cutting freqencies have the same outcome as filtering frequencies?

say for example, I cut my sub at 30Hz,

will this be the same as hi-passing at 30Hz?

same outcome different method?

[Cubicle]

does cutting freqencies have the same outcome as filtering frequencies?

say for example, I cut my sub at 30Hz,

will this be the same as hi-passing at 30Hz?

same outcome different method?

You mean lowpassing your sub at 30 Hz?

As far as I can comprehend your question; yes same outcome.

[cmgoodman1226]

does cutting freqencies have the same outcome as filtering frequencies?

say for example, I cut my sub at 30Hz,

will this be the same as hi-passing at 30Hz?

same outcome different method?

No, it will be similar, but not the same. An eq typically works on the basis of a certain db of reduction. So you may bring that notch all the way down, but it won't mean it's been completely filtered out. Also there seems to be more bleed through of frequencies in most EQ's than there are in most filters.

[TheDubEngine]

so ive got myself a few sample packs for drums, snares etc. How can I get these samples in the side browser on the left in FL 9?

At the moment im trying to listen to the samples on itunes and then dragging and dropping them into the step sequencer and its so long winded trying to find the right sound.

[minusworld]

copy them to your packs folder.

[didi]

You can just drag and drop them into fl studio's browser.

[Comfi]

Not a question, but something I've just figured out.

In FL studio, to get into the piano roll of a VST I always right click -> piano roll. I found out you can just double click the blue area to the right of the instrument (where the step sequencer is).

As always, sorry for the shit explanation.

[kstan8]

for what ever reason i still cant seem to figure out how to get the bass right