The dubstep tips super thread

[intoccabile]

I don't know why I never tried to add delay ( not too much tho ) to the top end of a bassline !

And anyone here uses resonance on hi-hats instead of just eqing them ? good results ?

Post some tips !

[intoccabile]

L1 ultramaximizer on the main out ? Yay or nay ?

[8bitwonder]

L1 ultramaximizer on the main out ? Yay or nay ?

erm for anyone who uses protools..if ya send protools out into a stereo compresser without fx..then add them ya get a proper nice warmth---rather than just mud

[emu]

yea a little delay and reverb on the mid-hi's gives a nice atmosphere to bass...not sure how it effects everything else in a mixdown though any input from anyone else on this? is this a good or bad thing to do production wise?

[drawkafella]

i like using filter on verbs/delays for added swirlies

[bze]

If reverb or delay is applied to the bass, the bass should be routed to a send or a separate channel. If reverb or delay is applied to the original bass sound, the result is something horrible.

I prefer to cut everything but the highest part of the frequency spectrum, it's too easy to mess up the whole thing.

And anyone here uses resonance on hi-hats instead of just eqing them ? good results ?

Boosting resonance is a good way to color up the sound but I don't see why the eq should be dismissed here. If only resonant filter is applied, the result is technically the same as boosting the high end. Balance is the key.

L1 ultramaximizer on the main out ? Yay or nay ?

Depends on the levels of the mixdown. First normalize, then apply maximizing if needed. For example if the main output is something from -6 to -2 db, maximizing should be on the range of -3/2,0 to -0,3 db.

[kion]

noooo never normalize! It's an unnecessary evil. Get your mix right and bounce at a higher level if thats what you want. And as for L1 on the output. Not a good idea. If you really want to master it yourself, bounce it and do the mastering offline using a chain of plugins, in something like Wavelab.

[subframe]

You really shouldn't normalize mixes. Single samples, those are okay, but only if you have acceptable noise levels in the sample...

I find soloing the reverb send from a synth or whatever, bouncing that, then using just the reverb as a sample unto itself provides not only interesting results, but can be used very effectively in the track it comes from, as it's just reflections of a sound that's already in the tune...

[kion]

And always bounce at 24 bit if you can, so that when you get it mastered/master it yourself, you're less likely to get aliasing on quieter sections with reverb tails going to silence (when the volume is brought up)

Even if you're gonna dither it back down again to 16 bit, the dither noise shaping sounds better than aliasing if bouncing straight to 16 bit before bringing levels up with limiting etc (with a good dither alghorythm). Remember to only dither as the last process, and only dither once (otherwise you start to get artifacts of audible noise)

[dj $hy]

L1 ultramaximizer on the main out ? Yay or nay ?

Yes on main out and change the ceiling level to -0.1 to push a full on signal out.

Dont do it on each of your tracks but only as a mastering option on the final mixdown

[dj $hy]

noooo never normalize! .

SNAP!

[doomstep]

. . . so when did not normalizing come into vouge ? I'm not sure I follow why not ? if I've got a 24 bit file that has peaks, say around -12 db then I shouldnt normalize before converting to 16 ?

With the L1, and most compression, I think its better to sum yr processed signal with yr original (watching the latency / sync) as you increase the average levels while retaining the dynamics. . . paralell compression has become somewhat ov an obsession with me tho . . .

[bze]

. . . so when did not normalizing come into vouge ? I'm not sure I follow why not ? if I've got a 24 bit file that has peaks, say around -12 db then I shouldnt normalize before converting to 16 ?

I was thinking about this too. Though why not 16 if the maximum peak value is low.. Applied with very light settings it should be possible to get the volume right without mixing the whole track again.

Never heard that normalizing = bad. Maximizing done bad is even worse.

[sek [espionage]]

setting your quantize snap to triplets or dotted halfnotes = badass groove

[kion]

. . . so when did not normalizing come into vouge ? I'm not sure I follow why not ? if I've got a 24 bit file that has peaks, say around -12 db then I shouldnt normalize before converting to 16 ?

I was thinking about this too. Though why not 16 if the maximum peak value is low.. Applied with very light settings it should be possible to get the volume right without mixing the whole track again.

Never heard that normalizing = bad. Maximizing done bad is even worse.

Well maybe you need to look into normalizing and what it does a little bit, and you'll undertand why. For a very start it degrades your audio unnecessarily. Yes so does any process, but normalizing is an unnecessary process. And secondly the mix should be right in the first place. There's many many more reasons not to.

[drewdrops]

ez kion, so is it better to drop the master bus say by 2-6 db, rather than using a limiter on the master bus??, alot of pro tunes on inspection have definte limiting (or something) else as the waveform is visibly flat at the top (mostly the snares), any views???

[doomstep]

Well maybe you need to look into normalizing and what it does a little bit, and you'll undertand why. For a very start it degraded your audio unnecessarily. Yes so does any process, but normalizing is an unnecessary process. And secondly the mix should be right in the first place. There's many many more reasons not to.

I know wot normalizing does pal . . . jus wondered why the kids are aganist it now, the last time I cared it was ok, if we're talking bout the same process, but yeah if yr doin a digital mix down inside the computer u shouldnt need it as you can fix up before the files rendered . . .

[kion]

Well maybe you need to look into normalizing and what it does a little bit, and you'll undertand why. For a very start it degraded your audio unnecessarily. Yes so does any process, but normalizing is an unnecessary process. And secondly the mix should be right in the first place. There's many many more reasons not to.

I know wot normalizing does pal . . . jus wondered why the kids are aganist it now, the last time I cared it was ok, if we're talking bout the same process, but yeah if yr doin a digital mix down inside the computer u shouldnt need it as you can fix up before the files rendered . . .

It aint anything to do with what 'the kids' are for or against. Its basic "textbook" knowledge man.

[kion]

ok Doomstep, here's an example from a mastering studio's website -

mastering policies:

* Accepted formats: .wav, .aiff or .sd2 files on CD-R or DVD - 16-bit DAT - AIT type1 tapes - or 1/4" analog tape (no noise reduction).
* We prefer your digital files to be 48k/24bit resolution, but can accept any standard format up to 48k/24bit.
* Label each file with the correct song title.
* Try not use any compression, limiting, or eq on your mix buss- it's much better to let the mastering engineer add those.
* Please do not run your mixes through a "finalizer" or normalize them in any way. These can degrade the quality of your mix tremendously.
* Don't fade your song when mixing - let it run out. You can let us know where you want it to start fading and we will fade-out.
* Make a list of the songs in the order you want on the master and any special instructions you might have for fadeouts, fadeins, etc.
* Try to keep the peak levels of your mix under -3db. This is very important.
*
Write down any ideas and directions you want for your mixes and include other songs as reference if you’d like.
*
Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns - it’s much easier for us to do our best when we are all on the same page.

Some other decent bits of advice in there as well..

[emalkay]

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