How to make a dubstep drop sound well together

Talvisota

New member
Hi everybody

About 2 months ago I dived head first into production, dubstep production to be specific. These past few months I've been learning a whole lot of things, too many to list in fact, which have made my overall sound much better.

I can finally make an intro I'm actually quite satisfied with, and also I've been able to make some sounds from scratch using Serum and Massive, which I could actually use in my drop.

The problem I'm facing now tho, and I can't seem to find any useful tips anywhere, is on how to make those different sounds I made actually sound good together.

I EQ the lower frequencies out of my main basses so they don't mess with my sub, add in a few plugins and maybe compress them, then add my sub but I just can't make them sound good together.

At first I thought it was because my sounds weren't quite as good as I iniatially believed them to be, but I downloaded some preset packs with some very nice sounds in them and even with those I can't seem to pull it off.

So if anyone can give me any tips or even name some techniques I haven't bumped into that, I'd be forever grateful!

Thanks in advance!
 
I'm not too sure that you should be adding E.Q. to a bassline, that may be where your problem is coming in. Reason is, if you E.Q. two of the same sounds, but E.Q. them in two different ways, playing the two sound combined will sound like they are being played through what I can only describe as a tube or a cone. Especially if you are involving the middle frequencies! Also, try not to compress bass lines, especially individually. (Even more so if you are making and mixing your beats in headphones)

If you need help with your drops... Remember, Dynamics is what makes a good drop. You want the bit before the drop to be as quiet as possible/ minimal amount of sounds. This way when the drop hits, you will make maximum impact.

Best of luck with it all hope this was of some help :)
 
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Thank you for your reply!

I EQ my main basses, as in the actual dubstep sounds and cut out the higher frequencies of my sub bass so they'd go well together.

Perhaps I haven't made my problem clear enough. I'm having issues making my dubstep sounds fit well together, not the basses and the sub :)
 
At first I thought it was because my sounds weren't quite as good as I iniatially believed them to be, but I downloaded some preset packs with some very nice sounds in them and even with those I can't seem to pull it off.

this more than anything else tells me exactly what i need to ask you

when you discuss bass and sub are they playing the same notes or different notes at the same time?

if the former then you need to revisit your eq'ing and adopt a cut policy instead of boosting policy - boosting will cause all sorts of unwanted (and wanted) resonances - the unwanted ones can adversely interact with notes higher up and cause beat frequency problems which will make things unsettled

if the latter then you need to revisit your entire approach to bass line writing, as your current approach is inducing beat frequency issues at the fundamental level as well as at higher harmonics

happy to elaborate on this if interested
 
I usually play my sub one or two octaves lower then my main bass so I get a powerfull deep bass.

I don't boost anything while EQing, I only apply high- or lowpass filters.

Also I when it's a wobbly bass I sometimes try playing a short sub note for each wobble but that doesn't seem to work either.

I sure am interested, knowledge always helps one way or another, so please elaborate and thanks for the effort in advance!
 
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at this point I need to hear some wav audio (not mp3 as it will colour the sound and lead to false interpretation of the true audio problems)
 
I don't have anything saved right now as I always delete it when it doesn't sound right to me. I'll put something together tomorrow that reflects on the problem and post it here.
 
It's all about the mix, you have to learn when something is and isn't going to work. Sure, you can make just about anything bearable with lots of unnecessary tampering. But it's best to have a good harmonic mix from the start so that you don't have these issues later. Having knowledge about mixing can greatly help you in all aspects of your production. If you choose the right sounds that fit together and cooperate from the start, you are on the right path.
 
It's all about the mix, you have to learn when something is and isn't going to work. Sure, you can make just about anything bearable with lots of unnecessary tampering. But it's best to have a good harmonic mix from the start so that you don't have these issues later. Having knowledge about mixing can greatly help you in all aspects of your production. If you choose the right sounds that fit together and cooperate from the start, you are on the right path.

a motherhood statement like this will not help the op - constructive advice based on audio may
 
Too bad you don't have an example, maybe there is a problem in composition. But what I remember from the times I tried to play with dubstep sound, the trick was to know for sure where you want what. You should try to not interlay too many basses at once, make them dance together, give the the dynamics that will make them gritty and powerful.
Compress them, sometimes it is interesting to compress one bass sidechained to other.
And the last thing, don't delete everything just because it sounds bad, if it has composition you like and a bad sound, it is the start you need.
 
If you want basses to fit together you need to use eq. If one bass has for example too much information around 4kHz, then cut the frequencies there so it fits better with the other basses. You can't just get away with high passing basses. You need to do cuts and boosts so that the frequency profile of the basses are more similar.
 
If you need help with your drops... Remember, Dynamics is what makes a good drop. You want the bit before the drop to be as quiet as possible/ minimal amount of sounds. This way when the drop hits, you will make maximum impact.
 
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