Low Piano and Low Basses

P

PlayaBoy

Guest
Sometimes I have a problem. I compose high piano chords (kinda Westside Story style - not copy, just example) so I want to add low piano notes. It sounds very good to me, but the problem is when I add bassline. I like low basslines, sounds great, it's tight, but it doesn't work in this kind of instrumentals... Because it's messing the low freq of piano and sounds strange. Sometimes helps me one thing. Give max. 3 notes of low piano and where ain't piano notes, I add basses... I wonder if there's another way to compose this style of instrumentals... Thax
 
Those bass note take up so much space in the mix it can mess up perception of other stuff. Try a hi pass filter and/or much compressionon on the low piano and keep it in the center while panning hi piano left and right ba bit.
 
Thx

Thank U, sounds like a good way... But Nu Jersey Devil use low piano and low basses (real low) and it doesn't mess up with eatch other. So what about to try do it like chords (3 notes at once)... Use 2 at once, 1st for piano and 2nd for bass?
 
I'm using Reason 3... For a while, so my work ain't perfect, I make mistakes and don't know what to use to make tighter sounds or stuff like this.. I don't know if Reason uses any plug-ins...?
 
if you use Sub bass it shouldnt mess with the frequency of the low piano. check out some old blues music or Ray Charles. Lower piano sounds are also louder than the higher notes, so perhaps if you record the low notes and high notes to separate tracks you can lower the volume of the low notes without affecting the high notes.
When I make music (rap) i usually think in terms of 4 frequencies: highs, mids, mid-low and super lows. So if u can keep you piano in under the "mid low" range. Or use a filter, so that that one octave that is causing noise does not compete too much with the lows. You can have plenty of room for bass. "Dr. Dre-big egos" i think is a good example. and "Still D.R.E.". Most rap avoids a certain octave if you notice, blues and jazz exploit that octave. IE.... the low frequency that your car speakers pick up, but subwoofer does not. ;)
 
You could try sidechaining or "Ducking" the basslines behind the piano.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'll try it.. But thanks for advices, because they look so good, u know what you talkin' about, that's good.. Thx
 
When you say you are adding low piano notes, are you using wide or close spacing.

Close spacing sounds growly on the piano down low. It's best to follow the harmonic series, so build a a piano chord up as such:

c2 - c3 - c4 - e4 - g4

Why not add other notes for more spice, here's a few to try:

c2 - c3 - c4 - d4 - e4 - g4 - b4 (This is a Cmaj7(9) chord)

c2 - c3 - c4 - e4 - g4 - a4 (This is a C6 chord)

c2 - c3 - eb3 - g3 - Bb3 - e4 (This is a Cm7(b10) chord)


Hope this helps a little.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top