Layering sounds
- Thread starter HalfBlacko0000
- Start date
IPM Music
Fremen
In the mix - I'd start by selecting all 3 tracks and assigning them to a single Bus output. You may have to do some EQ, and at least some leveling within each individual track to blend a little, but then you can glue them all with Reverb, EQ, Compression (if needed) in your Bus channel. Not sure what kind of arsenal is at your disposal, but if you have a stereo/binaural panning plugin, you can use that to perhaps narrow the Bus output a little, so no one synth will be wider and stick out from the others.
Just the first suggestions that came to my head. Hope any of it helps.
Just the first suggestions that came to my head. Hope any of it helps.
There are a few things to consider:
1. The envelopes of both sounds (filter + amp), if one is more plucked then making the other one plucked similar way is an easy choice, although you may also have one sound short and other long with longer attack to make the final sound timbre changing over time, but here it has to be carefully timed and the volume amplitude of the overall sound should be consistent during transition of both sounds. So remember: consistent vol amplitude and changing timbre or changing vol amplitude but consistent timbre.
2. Frequency content of both. Here it's easier to have both of them occupy the same range, but it's like just adding extra oscillators to original sound, so I don't know if it's what you are trying to achieve. If you have two different sound I suggest to make some relatively drastic filtering of one or both sound, for example lowpassing one and highpassing other. You can have for example one brilliant patch that is resonating the high frequencies and other making a substantial midrange timbre, it would be wise to filter the mids of that brilliant patch.
3. Modulation/detuning. If both of the patches have more pure waveforms, I suggest detuning one instrument against another to glue things together. Now some more obvious modulation can make the two sounds recognisable from each other, if that's the case, either lower the modulation of the modulated one so it's more subtle or make a similar automation on the another (filter sweeps for example). Or you can make a new automation exactly the same on both that has nothing to do with instrument's original automation, this should draw the attention away from differentiating those two instruments. If you are desperate, you can make it heavy, as a last hope
4. Effects that are different for each instrument. Generally said for example delay just on one sound should be high enough volume so the feeling remains, but then low enough so the listener doesn't recognise it is just on one instrument. Better would be to set a gated or highpassed/lowpassed delay routed on both tracks.
5. Volume(s). Now this is really important. As it is likely that each instrument have different frequency range (if just a little) and you probably want just SOME characteristics of each sound to be audible, you should carefully listen which instrument grabs more attention when played together. One rule I learnt over time: The larger the difference between the timbres, the larger difference between the levels should be. If both are having quite same character, you don't have to adjust the levels pretty much at all. But if one of the instruments have drastic filter sweeps, the sweeps draws very much attention and to have the other instrument grab just as much attention, you'll need to lower the level of the first instruments way way down.
6. External effects applied for both instruments are the final stage of glueing your two sounds. Same verb and compression settings (which should be really slight) on both tracks (sends/returns) make wonders during glueing of anything.
Anyway: it's always hard to tell how to glue that 2 or that 3 sounds as it really only depends on the input material. Perhaps if you could share the sound examples I can give more specific hints on how to continue. Because 2 sounds can differ from one being a saw and other a square to one being a hi-hat and other a violin (which can't be glued in a manner you demand). A general rule to this:
ALL sounds should grab more or less equal attention from the listener if you want it to sound as one.
1. The envelopes of both sounds (filter + amp), if one is more plucked then making the other one plucked similar way is an easy choice, although you may also have one sound short and other long with longer attack to make the final sound timbre changing over time, but here it has to be carefully timed and the volume amplitude of the overall sound should be consistent during transition of both sounds. So remember: consistent vol amplitude and changing timbre or changing vol amplitude but consistent timbre.
2. Frequency content of both. Here it's easier to have both of them occupy the same range, but it's like just adding extra oscillators to original sound, so I don't know if it's what you are trying to achieve. If you have two different sound I suggest to make some relatively drastic filtering of one or both sound, for example lowpassing one and highpassing other. You can have for example one brilliant patch that is resonating the high frequencies and other making a substantial midrange timbre, it would be wise to filter the mids of that brilliant patch.
3. Modulation/detuning. If both of the patches have more pure waveforms, I suggest detuning one instrument against another to glue things together. Now some more obvious modulation can make the two sounds recognisable from each other, if that's the case, either lower the modulation of the modulated one so it's more subtle or make a similar automation on the another (filter sweeps for example). Or you can make a new automation exactly the same on both that has nothing to do with instrument's original automation, this should draw the attention away from differentiating those two instruments. If you are desperate, you can make it heavy, as a last hope
4. Effects that are different for each instrument. Generally said for example delay just on one sound should be high enough volume so the feeling remains, but then low enough so the listener doesn't recognise it is just on one instrument. Better would be to set a gated or highpassed/lowpassed delay routed on both tracks.
5. Volume(s). Now this is really important. As it is likely that each instrument have different frequency range (if just a little) and you probably want just SOME characteristics of each sound to be audible, you should carefully listen which instrument grabs more attention when played together. One rule I learnt over time: The larger the difference between the timbres, the larger difference between the levels should be. If both are having quite same character, you don't have to adjust the levels pretty much at all. But if one of the instruments have drastic filter sweeps, the sweeps draws very much attention and to have the other instrument grab just as much attention, you'll need to lower the level of the first instruments way way down.
6. External effects applied for both instruments are the final stage of glueing your two sounds. Same verb and compression settings (which should be really slight) on both tracks (sends/returns) make wonders during glueing of anything.
Anyway: it's always hard to tell how to glue that 2 or that 3 sounds as it really only depends on the input material. Perhaps if you could share the sound examples I can give more specific hints on how to continue. Because 2 sounds can differ from one being a saw and other a square to one being a hi-hat and other a violin (which can't be glued in a manner you demand). A general rule to this:
ALL sounds should grab more or less equal attention from the listener if you want it to sound as one.
HalfBlacko0000
Good Music
sound design
thank you guys i'm starting a new track tomorrow i'm gonna try some of your ideas
thank you guys i'm starting a new track tomorrow i'm gonna try some of your ideas