Let's name those things that make the mix amazing

[Yuno]

Good points. Especially about the drums, which is def a weak spot for me.




How exactly do you know if a drum sound is "in key"? I mean it sounds silly to say a kick drum is "tuned to F# Major" when all it is is a quick boom sound. I mean, I can understand the melodies/other things that actually have to stay in a certain scale, but drums? can somebody explain this?

Also, people mention layering kicks to create a massive sound....However, some EDM songs don't even have a crazy loud BOOMY kick. Some songs, the kick is barely even audible. I mean, people stress the importance of a "huge kick" or whatever the terminology is, but it just seems like layering a bunch of kicks will just take up more frequency ranges, leaving little room for other awesome sounds that actually have melodic value.

Usually when people talk about tuning kicks they're talking about kicks with a distinct tone like an 808 or a 909. Your regular old generic kick though you don't need to worry about "tuning" per say... just EQing nicely.

And yes you're right. Some EDM artist don't use huge kicks. It all depends what you are going for but I suppose if you don't want a huge kick than you shouldn't worry a ton about layering and such

[SwagProductionz]

what sets aside a professional mix from an amateur one is the way they're putting the sounds together. When someone new to the scene is looking to start a track, they'll usually flip through some kick samples first, find the one that sounds the best, then do the same for snares, hats, and loops, and put them together for their drum section. When someone at a higher level is laying together the drum section, they'll first spend a week or so developing their own kicks, layering samples with vsts etc to get a big sound. Then they'll compile the best of the best snares from their samples and test them one at a time to find the one that just fits naturally with the kick, then they'll create their own loops custom tailored to their developing drum section. All the pieces fit together naturally. Then they eq each instrument individually to make them sit together even better. Then they use very high quality reverbs to get a warm, live sound to the drums. Then they do the same thing to every other element of the mix.

I guess the point i'm trying to get across is you need an excruciating attention to detail to make a "big" mix. It's more than catchy melodies and dirty basslines, it's about a certain character that ties all the aspects together and makes them sound natural.

The best advice i can give is to use lots of "a/b" testing. Develop some great sounds you like, then add/remove effects to them one at a time until you get that eureka moment when things click.

i don't think edm producers really sit there and make their own kicks snares hat's etc.. I made they def put effects on em but i'm pretty sure they buy them.. I KNOW AVICII GETS HIS FROM 'FRIENDS' .__. BUT ANYWAY I'M GONNA POST MY NEWEST TECHNO TRACK SUNDAY NIGHT.. IT'S DEF A HIT I'LL LINK IT HERE

[Yuno]

maybe he's friends with the people from Vengeance ^ haha

I know I've heard his sweeps from the VEH1 and 2.

[SwagProductionz]

maybe he's friends with the people from Vengeance ^ haha

I know I've heard his sweeps from the VEH1 and 2.

lol exactly...

[CrabbMan]

analog tape emulator!

[G@MBiT]

I agree with everything thats been said here, especially about the quality of plugins, etc. But I think you guys are forgetting one thing that relates heavily to the OP: the fact that the aviici song has been proffesionally mastered, for maximum loudness, and mixed by someone other than aviici. Your track probably sounds weak where his sounds strong right? And his sounds clearer and you cant seem to find the eq problems? Get your mix as tight as it can be, and then master your track, and THEN see the difference

[jubnoske08]

i don't think edm producers really sit there and make their own kicks snares hat's etc.. I made they def put effects on em but i'm pretty sure they buy them.. I KNOW AVICII GETS HIS FROM 'FRIENDS' .__. BUT ANYWAY I'M GONNA POST MY NEWEST TECHNO TRACK SUNDAY NIGHT.. IT'S DEF A HIT I'LL LINK IT HERE

the good ones do. maybe all the percussive elements, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a professional producer who doesn't design at least a significant portion of the samples in their track.

[G@MBiT]

the good ones do. maybe all the percussive elements, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a professional producer who doesn't design at least a significant portion of the samples in their track.

If you mean they do all the post-processing then of course, but if you mean they sit there and synthesize or sample a kick and snare, then you're dumb. Watch an EDM producer masterclass, they all use sample packs. Being a sample creator and a music producer require completely different skillsets

[SwagProductionz]

the good ones do. maybe all the percussive elements, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a professional producer who doesn't design at least a significant portion of the samples in their track.

i'm telling you he doesn't... he does what i do and has a whole arsonal of shit at his disposal.. i mean why waste your time designing it.. when someone else can or already has created that kick/snare already.... feel me... here's a new techno beat i just posted > go check it out http://www.futureproducers.com/forum...edback-409548/

[jubnoske08]

first off meant to say NOT all the percussion, primarily the kicks. i've watched all the available masterclasses, and this is exactly what the majority of them do. half the time they do it by pulling in a sample, but it's something they or a friend have previously built. mostly using bazzism, microtonic, vengeance's Metrum vst etc stacked with random attack samples... it's really not that hard dude. and in Marcel Woods' case they actually record all the other percussion elements in their studio as well, including claps, snares, and essentially everything else.