How to layer bass sounds to sound good together

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Calix
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Joined: Sun May 27, 2012 8:37 am

How to layer bass sounds to sound good together

Post by Calix » Mon May 28, 2012 10:44 am

So I just finished the first half of my first full dubstep song and have some bass sounds to go for the drop, but when i put them together they dont sound good, it just sounds like a lot of forced bass sounds together, it doesnt sound like that rythm/melody thing thats in dubstep songs like Skrillex - Cinema or Calvin Harris - Feel So Close (Nero Remix). Plus I know my way around Ableton Live, but I don't know all the techniques to do this and that, so when you reply, dont be like 'so you adjust the werjweh pitch to ahwjerh' because I will have no idea what you mean.
In the first half of my song I have a synth, the same synth but a few adjustments that sounds like a robot saying yyeaeoiyayayaoii and then the drums come in, then the same synth, but with a wobble of the same synth in the background, then an add on synth, then just a wobble solo, then the buildup which i made with white noise going up and kick drums then the vocal at the end and the drop.
Help.

hutyluty
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Re: How to layer bass sounds to sound good together

Post by hutyluty » Mon May 28, 2012 10:46 am

Calix wrote: In the first half of my song I have a synth, the same synth but a few adjustments that sounds like a robot saying yyeaeoiyayayaoii and then the drums come in, then the same synth, but with a wobble of the same synth in the background, then an add on synth, then just a wobble solo, then the buildup which i made with white noise going up and kick drums then the vocal at the end and the drop.
That sounds like the perfect dubstep song actually. :corndance:

Use EQs/ filters so that each element occupies a specific frequency range.

Make sure all the melodic parts are in tune.
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Phigure wrote:nothing was ever good

Calix
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun May 27, 2012 8:37 am

Re: How to layer bass sounds to sound good together

Post by Calix » Mon May 28, 2012 11:00 am

That makes me feel better :)
But still, trust me the bass sounds just don't match, but I think what you said might work, even though I probably have no idea how to do it.
It just, I can make the perfect dubstep song in my head, which would make me a billionare producer, buttt I just can't produce the same thing.

Calix
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun May 27, 2012 8:37 am

Re: How to layer bass sounds to sound good together

Post by Calix » Mon May 28, 2012 11:06 am

Any other help guys?
Sorry but I really want to do this, since its my first full dubstep song I want it to be perfect because I want to upload it it on YT and places... :cornlol:

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Blubbermouth
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Re: How to layer bass sounds to sound good together

Post by Blubbermouth » Mon May 28, 2012 12:36 pm

Calix wrote:That makes me feel better :)
But still, trust me the bass sounds just don't match, but I think what you said might work, even though I probably have no idea how to do it.
It just, I can make the perfect dubstep song in my head, which would make me a billionare producer, buttt I just can't produce the same thing.
That's where to start with your problem. If you want to move the music in your head to the computer, you have to think about what makes up the sound, try to sing it and think about how it could be split
up into several sounds mixed together.

The key to layering ANY sound, not just bass, is that they fit together to begin with. If you just make any old patch and try to combine it with another sound you aren't going to get good results too often.
They say in photography that you should know what you plan to shoot (in many cases anyway) before you take the shot...that's what composition is all about, before layering a sound think about how it
sounds in your head and what your initial sound is missing in comparison.

For example your talking robot sound has a lot of mid-range content going on and maybe you want to give it more of an impact; don't go layering it with another mid-range-heavy sound and expect it to beef up, you'll be taking away from the awesome vocal movements and be left wondering why you even made a talking robot sound as it's now covered in mess. You want a sound that compliments it, something with power in other frequency ranges but space for your original sound to do it's magic uninhibited.

If you think about layering like this then you won't run into so many problems as you'll choose/create sounds that are ready to mix from the get go... all that EQ'ing and whatnot will only be making it better
instead of carving huge chunks out of a sound to make it fit.

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