djfiveoneoh
New member
I feel like I have such a hard time finding sounds that mesh well together. I also feel like I can never get my synths to sound as good as big producers. Is there any tips you guys can throw out that'll help?
it's nothing no one can tell you.. it's something that differentiates big time producers from little producers.. you gain it over time.. beats i woulda made a year ago i won't make now because it's too basic.. it's not up to my standards of what's going on right now.. it comes with experience .. i know when a sound is basic.. i know when a sound is different and hot..
could panning be used to improve the sound of the different layers? high's to the side, lows in the middle etc... Im trying to find out how the wide sounding electro basses are made and wondered if panning has a lot to do with it
I'm still inclined to give this answer
same tips you get for orchestration
placement in the stereo field is important - no two instruments can occupy the same physical space so no two sounds should be in the same logical space
pitch use in each register/octave should follow the basic plan as follows
below the E below middle C (E in the middle of the bass clef staff) distance between notes is at minimum a 5th and better as an octave
below the E an octave below the one above (E beneath the bass clef staff) minimum distance is 1 octave or two octave or an octave and 5th
above the E below middle C the distance can be a 3rd or smaller - as with any clusters make sure that you avoid unwanted dissonances
in addition consider fatback layering vs chordal layering
fatback has the line in two or three octaves with the lowest octave doubled
chordal is just as it sounds, each note is played out as a chord, so you are also needing to be aware of harmonic clashes as you move through the line, make your choices according to how much or how little the harmonisation is dissonant to the underlying harmony
see these posts for more info
https://www.futureproducers.com/for...echniques-fatten-my-orchrestral-stuff-351377/
https://www.futureproducers.com/for...mixing-mastering/brass-section-mixing-471931/
https://www.futureproducers.com/for...k-approach-chordal-approach-bandcoach-406701/
https://www.futureproducers.com/for...ng-better-brass-melodies-trap-hip-hop-484387/
also take the time and watch this video carefully to learn more about the harmonisation approaches you can use
https://www.futureproducers.com/for...ry-lindsay-jazz-voicings-master-class-469343/
and its follow up response to this
using panning to shift freq ranges is not going to be as useful as simply panning individual instruments - actually made me think of a multi-band panner which may or may not exist as a vstFx - individual instruments will always have a combination of frequency ranges rather than be limited to a single range and you would just place the instrument for best effect, same goes for synth patches......
as for ametrine's concerns re panning and mono playback: the issues that panning seeks to address are not just frequency issues
- most frequency clashes are down to poor orchestrational choices not poor sound placement/eq
-- in fact, trying to eq your way out of an orchestrational problem rarely works, as the underlying cause is still present and can still be heard
- reread my post and the linked posts above to better understand the issues and concepts involved
Just a few questions
1) When we say notes need to be a certain distance apart, are we not counting unisons? Or do we include those? As in should a bass playing c2 not be layered with anything else playing c2 at all?
2) Is this with regards to layering a specific sound, or is this with regards to the whole track? Do I not want any 5ths at all below E2? (assuming c4 is middle c)