Any psytrance producers out there?

[Sk1nZ]

Im trying to create the full on psytrance bassline and having a lot of trouble getting it to blend with the rest of the track, it just doesnt sound right so im wondering if im missing something like envelope shape etc...

Ive tried note length and placement and still doesnt sound right

Here's a quick clip of the bassline.....

Thanks

 

[Wallengard]

To me that just sounds like there's way too much bass (but can't really make a proper judgement of that because I'm not listening through reliable gear right now) , too long attack and/or simply too little harmonic content in the actual sound itself to make the note hits more defined. A classic way of it is just a saw wave with a decent amount of sustain, little to no attack and just a very short release on the amp envelope to remove clicks at the end. Then a low pass filter half way open and modulated by another envelope with a short attack, short decay and hardly any sustain or release. Then have the velocity responding to the filter as well, and not volume. Also make the bassline monophonic so you don't get any notes overlapping.

These are just few standard ways to go about doing what you want, hope it helps.

 

[Halma]

Your low freq content is way too loud. Check out the following pics:

Peak:



RMS:






The fundamental of your bassline peaks @ approx. 48Hz @ -10.7dBFS and the RMS is approx. -20dB. And as you can see the rest of the track is way lower in amplitude.

The first thing I would do is either making the rest of the track louder oder reduce gain of the bass. The reason behind it is that low freq waves are longer in length and therefore have way more power than high freq content. I am not a teacher or physicist so I can explain it that good.

But you definitely need more room for the rest of your spectrum. Try the following.

1) lower gain of bass
2) apply some compression
3) highpass it with a gentle Lowcut filter (eg 12dB /oct) - start at the lowest freq (ideally 20hZ) and raise the cutoff slowly until you like what your hear. Don´t cut it too much. It´s mor some kind of balancing the low freqs against the rest of it.

But it has nothing to do with wrong env or a poor sound source actually. Not at this point. If you feel that your bassline is barely hearable but the rest of your track sounds good then try adding some slight distortion on the bassline. This will introduce some higher harmonics (even, odd, even and odd - you have to try it on your own) that will accentuate the fundamental of your bassline.

Take a look at the following topic:

Fletcher–Munson curves - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What the Fletcher Munson Curve actually tries to tell you is that the same frequency will be percieved quieter or louder on different volume levels. Eg something that sounds balanced @ eg 50dB can sound unbalanced if played on a louder volume (eg in a club @ 86dB). And this is where a calibrated system and treated environment can become in handy (though it is not necessary for a pure producer).

Hope that helps.

Cheers
Sebastian

 

[Sk1nZ]

thanks, il take the tips on board

that bass is only there to get the structure of the bassline, i haven't played with any sound design yet but what i cant seem to do is get the structure of the sound right. Where the notes are hitting just seems off, same happens if i change the sound for something like a saw wave

Il have a play with the envelopes and see what happens

Any more tips or things im doing wrong please share

 

[Sk1nZ]

had a lot of help with the theory of making the sound of the rolling psybassline and then i made this. Changed the kick too and its made a big difference, i only have 5" monitors so hopefully it translates well to bigger monitors and subwoofers!