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What're are some methods to splitting freqs? I have found for myself, using a send to a blank channel and adding a lowpass/highpass/band pass inserts to that channel. Is that a decent method, or does it kill my sound quality by sending it through more channels? Are there any other techniques available?

that is pretty much exactly how you do it. either using a filter, EQ or a multi-band compressor. there are tons of threads on here about it, and plenty of videos on youtube of this process for your specific DAW

I use the multiband dynamics effect in Ableton.

poundcake42 wrote:What're are some methods to splitting freqs? I have found for myself, using a send to a blank channel and adding a lowpass/highpass/band pass inserts to that channel. Is that a decent method, or does it kill my sound quality by sending it through more channels? Are there any other techniques available?

Channels are not like cables.
Your signal won`t degenerate because it is being sent through a separate channel.
Your method is spot on.

poundcake42 wrote:What're are some methods to splitting freqs? I have found for myself, using a send to a blank channel and adding a lowpass/highpass/band pass inserts to that channel. Is that a decent method, or does it kill my sound quality by sending it through more channels? Are there any other techniques available?

Sounds pretty workable to me. My general technique will be;

Channel In >
routing into;
High >
Mid >
Low >
routing into;
Channel Out >
routing into;
Master


I have 2 templates of the above, one with multiband compressors, the other with filters at various band passes.

In Ableton I'd be normally using the effect rack.

Open upp Effect rack!
Right click and click on create chain, do this 3 times and then rename the chains as low, mid and high.
Load Utility into each chain. With Utility I normally make the low mono, on the mid i leave the stereo at 100% and on the highs I make the stereo 200%.
Put EQ 3 in every chain, in the low chain you just have to deselect the mid and high bands, in the mid you deselect low and high... and so on.
And voila! Now you have split the frequencies!

I've been wondering about something. After I have splitted the frequencies, I'm a little confused at what i should do next. How can I use frequency splitting in a creative and innovative way? What cool effect chains can you put afterwards? Give me some awesome tips!

From reading a lot of the Dubstep Bible material, what you can do with a bassline you've split, is modulate the separate frequencies differently to create different types of movement. Also add in different plug in effects to also differentiate them further. You'll have one sequenced bassline, but in a way three separate sounds to work with.

Autism wrote:In Ableton I'd be normally using the effect rack.

Open upp Effect rack!
Right click and click on create chain, do this 3 times and then rename the chains as low, mid and high.
Load Utility into each chain. With Utility I normally make the low mono, on the mid i leave the stereo at 100% and on the highs I make the stereo 200%.
Put EQ 3 in every chain, in the low chain you just have to deselect the mid and high bands, in the mid you deselect low and high... and so on.
And voila! Now you have split the frequencies!

I've been wondering about something. After I have splitted the frequencies, I'm a little confused at what i should do next. How can I use frequency splitting in a creative and innovative way? What cool effect chains can you put afterwards? Give me some awesome tips!

Is there any advantage of using an EQ to split frequencies over just using ableton's multiband dynamics plugin?

monte-m wrote:or a multi-band compressor

Stop saying this.

You misread it everytime i posted it.

Multiband compressors have a form of eq built into them called a LINEAR PHASE EQ. The multiband compressor has nothing to do with the splitting, the linear phase EQ built into it does.

Man.

The way you guys word it, youve missed the point.

Sine69 wrote:

Autism wrote:In Ableton I'd be normally using the effect rack.

Open upp Effect rack!
Right click and click on create chain, do this 3 times and then rename the chains as low, mid and high.
Load Utility into each chain. With Utility I normally make the low mono, on the mid i leave the stereo at 100% and on the highs I make the stereo 200%.
Put EQ 3 in every chain, in the low chain you just have to deselect the mid and high bands, in the mid you deselect low and high... and so on.
And voila! Now you have split the frequencies!

I've been wondering about something. After I have splitted the frequencies, I'm a little confused at what i should do next. How can I use frequency splitting in a creative and innovative way? What cool effect chains can you put afterwards? Give me some awesome tips!

Is there any advantage of using an EQ to split frequencies over just using ableton's multiband dynamics plugin?

When using the dynamics plugin, you ARE using an EQ, just a linear phase EQ that is part of the compressor. You could use any linear phase EQ, but why download a seperate one when one comes hidden in your DAWs stock multiband plugin?

Dont set the compressors to actually effect the sound. no threshold, ect. Bypassed. But mute the bands.

The advantage being the phase of the signals wont have overlap or disruption on the summing bus, the typical EQ is the inferior method, but dont do something you dont understand either...

So, in sum, what I do is Synth--->split to three channels each with filters for high, mid, and low--->group bus-->stereo out.

The only thing I don't quite understand at the moment is how a compressor can totally wipe out a frequency range.

Dunno if its been mentionned but for sounds ud like to protect from weird effets, distortion etc... (eg : voice), u may want to use linear phase eqs (the reason why the chaps over me are discussing multiband linear phase. and stuff)...

http://emusician.com/tutorials/square-one-phase/

using linear phase to make a Cookie monsta bass is overdoing shit tho

poundcake42 wrote:What're are some methods to splitting freqs? I have found for myself, using a send to a blank channel and adding a lowpass/highpass/band pass inserts to that channel. Is that a decent method, or does it kill my sound quality by sending it through more channels? Are there any other techniques available?

multiband compressor is better.

Autism wrote:I've been wondering about something. After I have splitted the frequencies, I'm a little confused at what i should do next. How can I use frequency splitting in a creative and innovative way? What cool effect chains can you put afterwards? Give me some awesome tips!

Bumping this question.

Autism wrote:

Autism wrote:I've been wondering about something. After I have splitted the frequencies, I'm a little confused at what i should do next. How can I use frequency splitting in a creative and innovative way? What cool effect chains can you put afterwards? Give me some awesome tips!

Bumping this question.

Ok, couple of things to try. Number one...

• Try splitting your bassline
• Then adding a chorus to the mids and a light flange to the highs
• Leave the lows as (and possibly layer a sub for some weight)
• The mids/highs will have extra dimensions and movements to them.

and for my second trick...

• Alternatively, try splitting the frequencies of a vocal sample.
• Apply some distortion to the high end freqs
• Add a lot of reverb to the lows.
• You'll still be able to make out the vocals as the mid freqs will carry most of the sample (unless you're sampling chipmunks, obv.), but will have a BOOMING PRESCENCE to it that rumbles ominously underneath, and some top end grit to give it some character.

Oh yeah, and always bounce out your results

When bouncing out, is it better to fully export then import back or would opening an audio channel and recording straight to that staying within the project?

I highly recommend that everyone asking questions here (as has been said before) to read the damn threads at the top of this forum which go over bass production in grave detail, including how to split frequencies and some ideas as to what to do with them. poundcake42 - experiment.

wub wrote:

Autism wrote:

Autism wrote:I've been wondering about something. After I have splitted the frequencies, I'm a little confused at what i should do next. How can I use frequency splitting in a creative and innovative way? What cool effect chains can you put afterwards? Give me some awesome tips!

Bumping this question.

Ok, couple of things to try. Number one...

• Try splitting your bassline
• Then adding a chorus to the mids and a light flange to the highs
• Leave the lows as (and possibly layer a sub for some weight)
• The mids/highs will have extra dimensions and movements to them.

and for my second trick...

• Alternatively, try splitting the frequencies of a vocal sample.
• Apply some distortion to the high end freqs
• Add a lot of reverb to the lows.
• You'll still be able to make out the vocals as the mid freqs will carry most of the sample (unless you're sampling chipmunks, obv.), but will have a BOOMING PRESCENCE to it that rumbles ominously underneath, and some top end grit to give it some character.

Oh yeah, and always bounce out your results

Thanks for the tip man! This helps a lot, will definately try this out and find my own techniques!
You don't have to worry about me not bouncing out my stuff... I'm not a total noob-stepper.