Archive for the ‘Audio engineering’ Category
How Reverb works
How Reverb works:
I recently was asked to post something about reverb and how to use it best. I’m not going to claim to know all there is to know about reverb but I’ll do my best to share what I know. I’ll also try not to use too much geek speak when explaining things. let’s start by defining some of the most important features.
Reverb decay – This is how you control how long the reverb lasts before it fades out. Depending on what you are going for, this can be long and washy, or short and barely noticeable. keep in mind though that even though you might not immediate hear what a reverb is doing, the brain is exceptional at picking up these subtleties & can make a huge difference between a flat, sterile and lifeless sound & a realistic sound. By controlling these, it’s possible to use reverb rhythmically. You can have it fade after a 1/4 bar or 1/2 bar. Slightly adjusting this can create a bit of swing or groove to your mix.
Diffusion – Diffusion is created when a sound reflects off a surface. A flater surface will have less diffusion because it simply hits the wall and bounces back. If you are in a cave, the surface is going to have all kinds of angles causing your sound to bounce and echo in a more complex way, creating a reverb that is less like the original sound. Less diffusion will have a brighter sound while more diffusion will make the reverb darker.
Reflection – Reflection is similar to diffusion in that it has to do with the angle at which soundwaves bounce around. As soundwaves spread throughout a space and bounce off all the encompassing surfaces, they will undoubtedly bounce back into eachother causing the waveforms to change, phase cancel eachother out, or to double up and increase in volume. Each of these reflections hit the ears at different times creating the full effect.
Predelay – This is the time between the original sound playing and the reverb reacting to that sound. Adding predelay can help the attack of a sound come across much cleaner as it’s not yet effected by the reverb. A longer predelay can create a short echo or a slapback type effect.
Types of reverb -
Plate reverb – A plate reverb is named that way because they used to send sound to a “plate” of metal which it would reverberate off of. It doesn’t take up as much dimensional space & thus doesn’t bury & blur sounds in the way other types of reverb do. It tends to blend with the sound more and helps give sounds more impact. It’s a cleaner reverb in that it doesn’t take up as much space. It can be great for a smooth sounding vocal that doesn’t get lost in the mix. Although plate reverb is great, you will want other reverbs used to add depth and dimension to your mix.
Gated reverb- This isn’t really a type of reverb, but more the effect that is put after the reverb effect. This allows you to make a sound bigger but not have a long tail (or decay). This effect was used a lot in the 80′s (some might say overused). By setting a gate effect after your reverb, you can adjust the gate to silence your sound once it goes beneath a certain volume. This effect can be used to clean up your mix so it doesn’t get too muddy. Too much reverb used in the wrong way can drastically lower the quality of your mix.
Spring reverb – This type of reverb was popularized in guitar amps. The sound is created by metal springs and gives a vintage feel to some instruments. Great for a more lo-fi vibe. It’s not smooth like other reverbs, but can add a different character to instruments.
Hall reverb – Adds depth and dimension & fills in gaps in the mix but keeps in the background where it doesn’t clutter the mix. Using a large room size but a shorter delay time can help with a cleaner mix (even though it is not a natural sound found in the real world). Using too much can push important sounds to the back of the mix, but can add further thickness and space to sounds with long decay like pads or piano. Slower songs can typically handle longer reverb times.
Room reverb – Similar to hall but typically has a shorter decay and smaller size than hall reverb. Good for guitar or drums to give it a realistic space in your mix. A realistic space can be important when using acoustic instruments.
Convulsion reverb – Imagine if you wanted to “sample” the reverberation of a specific location, be it a stadium or a bathroom. Convulsion reverb makes that possible. This can give you some very interesting options. Perhaps adding the space of a wooden barrel or the inside of a metal pipe. This could be a powerful asset in creating both real world environments or alien environments & can be a sound designer’s best friend. Since this reverb is essentially sampled and then applied to a sound, there isn’t a whole lot of flexibility to a specific reverb setting but can offer results unavailable any other way.
Chamber reverb – Also known as an echo chamber, this reverb was created by sending a speaker into a specially designed room and a microphone strategically placed to capture the reverb effect and added to the original signal.
Reverse reverb – This effect is where you hear the reverb effect before the original source sound. Used a lot as a vocal or drum effect. This can be accomplished pretty easily in the digital domain by reversing your original source sound, adding reverb to the reversed sound, rendering the results and once again reversing so that the reverb plays in reverse while the original sound plays forward.
Reverb tips:
In most situations, you will want to set your reverb at the end of your effects chain. Basically you’ll want to dial in your clean sound before smoothing it out with reverb. If you are wondering whether to add reverb or delay last, I’d suggest reverb. This will give you the most natural sound and make it easier to get the effect you are looking for (unless you are going for something unusual). In some cases I will add a compressor after the reverb to boost it’s effect.
Reverb on send/returns – By creating a send track you can set up 2 or 3 reverb types and assign a specified amount of any or all of them to whichever instrument you want. Not only will this save CPU on your computer, it is great for placing multiple sounds in one space (like your drums). Since all your reverb will be sent to your send track, you will have more control of it’s overall volume & eq.
I personally like to eq out reverb frequencies below 120hz. Sometimes higher depending on the instrument.
Another use for a reverb send is to switch it to mono and pan your reverb just like you would an instrument. You can keep it in one spot or automate your panning. You can do this with more than one reverb send if you like. this should give you some interesting results.
Using more than 1 reverb on a sound can give you more a realistic effect at times. this would typically consist of a short reverb and a long reverb.
Create great pad sounds with reverb by creating a long reverb of several seconds (even 10-15 seconds can sound good) and setting the wet/dry setting to 80%-100%. The reverb smooths out whatever sound you run through it. I like using a simple synth melody or vocals but have gotten great results from less conventional sounds as well.
Sidechaining reverb tricks – This is another widely used trick in dance music. For this effect, you would typically want to have a reverb send/return track and throw your sidechain compressor on the track. Sidechain it to your kick drum for that pumping effect or you can sidechain it to the original dry sound you are adding reverb to. This will push the effect down while the original sound plays for a cleaner sound and then the reverb will rush in after the original sound stops playing. You can get varying results by adjusting the threshold.
Accent your groove with Reverb - By adjusting the attack and release envelopes. You don’t have to just use reverb to add dimension to your song, you can have it assist the overall feel of your song by adding it to any instrument that could use it. You’d be surprised with the results you get when using this trick correctly. You can set your decay to fall to silence just before the next beat or bar or any multiple that works for you. I like 1/4 note or 1/2 note intervals. Making slight adjustments can give your groove a more rushed or laid back feel. By adjusting your predelay, you can change the groove as well.
Experiment and have fun with this wonderful but often misunderstood effect.
Happy music making,
Jason
P.S. – Don’t forget to comment & tweet (down below) & “like” (up above).
All your feedback & support is appreciated!
2010 Wrap up and a cool Ableton Sidechain tip
Tip of the day
For those who want to get straight to the tips, or for those who aren’t interested in my 2010 wrap up blog, I’ll get right to my Ableton tip! This trick will show you have to use Ableton’s (or any) sidechain compression as a mixing tool. It’s a great way to solve issues with conflicting parts.
Here is the Video below:
2010 Wrap up
Wow, It’s hard to believe that it’s that time again. Time to reflect on the year that has past and also time to set new predictions, goals and habits for the future. For me, this has been a tough year and a rewarding year. I didn’t accomplish everything I set out to accomplish but then again, I took on some unexpected tasks that were quite a growth experience.
Band Reunion put back into limbo:
Last year ALOT of hard work was put into programming, recording, sampling and rehearsing for what was due to be a big reunion of a band I was in called Negative Image. We were a popular LA based New Wave/Goth 80′s band & were due to start kicking off shows in October but some internal stuggles with 1 of our 5 members lead to a hard drive full of painstaking work that may never see the light of day. On a positive note, 4 out of the 5 of us are quite motivated to make good on our time and effort, so you may be hearing more about that as it unfolds.
I’m sure everyone has dealt with letdowns and incomplete goals. The bigger the idea, the greater the letdown. However, what I have learned is that even if something you put alot of energy into falls flat, you’ve still stirred up alot of energy & that will never go to waste. It can always be redirected and refocused. Some of the greatest ideas were ones that failed their original purpose.
Sometimes you just have to trust that life has better plans for your time and effort. For me, I am able to take many of the ideas for my band reunion and funnel it into my live electronic shows I am gearing up for in 2011. When I really look at things, my band reunion was just meant to be a couple special shows to relive some great moments with old friends. On the other hand, electronic music is my future. It’s what continues to excite me and challenge me.
Perhaps there will be some marriage between the 2 in the future. I leave myself more open to what comes my way while keeping a strong work ethic.
Productivity
I’ve learned quite a bit about productivity in 2010. Although I didn’t accomplish my goal of completing 1 song or remix a month, I definitely accomplished more than I have a recent years.
In August I took on my biggest musical challenge to date. I produced everyday for at least 30 minutes for 30 days straight. I made good on 29 of those 30 days and I ended up with 20 + hours of video footage documenting the whole process. I ended up completing 2 songs, & a DJ mix. You can find all the videos, song files, completed songs, the DJ mix and samples in my 30 day Ableton Production Journal. I’ve also got over an hour of free videos from this collection on my blog.
What I didn’t realize at the time I started this project was that this was going to be a very tough month even if I weren’t taking on this challenge. As this is a music blog, I won’t go into too much depth except to say that I suffer pretty severely at times from anxiety and panic attacks which can cause pain, fatigue, nausea, confusion, dizziness and a complete feeling of disconnectedness and non-reality. Quite simply terrifying. During my 30 day video series I was going through all of that. So much so that I tried going on zoloft (huge mistake) and then had to deal with days worth of withdrawals coming off the meds that are even worse than the original anxiety.
The reason I tell you all this personal stuff is simply this.. If I could commit to and accomplish what I did in 1 month with so much stacked against me and have the guts to share this with the world, you can certainly accomplish your creative goals as well. If you are driven to share your creativity with the world, there may be things that can slow you down, but there is nothing that can stop you.
Forming new habits
My experience in August has changed me for the better in alot of ways. I don’t make the same excuses I’ve made before. I find my way around roadblocks and just keep working. Although I have no desire to force myself to work every single day on music. I do find that itch to create more often and I act on that impulse much more.
In 2010 I’ve completed about 7 original tracks and remixes, several good grooves that may become songs and the motivation to keep up the pace. For those who are familiar with target=”_blank”>Pogo’s work, I am currently doing my own tribute video with a seldom seen movie that I love ( target=”_blank”>the 5000 fingers of Dr T). I’ll certainly share my experience and the finished video. I’ll posts some walkthroughs for those who would like to do something similar. It’s a huge challenge but also alot of fun.
Live in 2011
As I mentioned previously, I am preparing songs and video for Live performances in 2011. All my released and unreleased songs as well as grooves and unfinished ideas are being separated into individual or group sounds and made into bite sized loops to be deconstructed, mangled and mixed into new arrangments. At the center will have 2 Macbooks running Ableton Live audio and video as well as sending midi to external synths and syncing to groove boxes. I’ll also have controllers that will trigger loops, samples drums and video. How exactly this setup will come together is anyone’s guess and it will likely keep evolving. My goal is to keep the show as interesting as the music.
I’ll likely create 2 setups for performance. 1 simple and 1 complex. Depending on where I am performing, what the budget is, setup times and if I am working with my production partner or individually, I’d like things to be flexible. I may do more extravagant performances for live or recorded video broadcasts, local shows or shows that I headline and have the time to get in a proper soundcheck. A smaller setup will work better when performing with a DJ lineup, radio shows or small shows out of town or country.
There should be some cool promo performance vids up in the next couple months. For those of you living outside the US or outside my local area (now near Los Angeles, soon to be Denver), I welcome any opportunities to perform or suggestions on places with a great openminded vibe/sound. Just please spare me the places with poor sound, poor promotion or closeminded crowds. I’m sure many of you DJ’s out there have been invited to some club to do “your thing” only to be mobbed by people 15 minutes into your set and demanded to play top 40 and nothing but. Not fun!
Other Stuff
As always, there is plenty of stuff in the works, but alot of it isn’t ironed out enough to make any announcements, but once things are more solidified, I’ll be happy to tell you more. Look out for a big collaboration coming up as well as an announcement on my Free iPhone ap coming soon.
I hope 2010 has been a good year for all of you and that you have plans for a fantastic 2011!
Merry christmas and a happy new year to everybody!
Jason
How I Write Songs
How I Write Songs
I wanted to share my process for writing a song from scratch. I’ve gone pretty deep into this with my 30 day Ableton Production Journal but those of you who haven’t purchased it are still left in the dark. Plus I figure if I could give a breakdown of my process, it might help people save some time making their own songs. Some of this might be a bit technical and understanding it might push you to research further in Ableton or google. I’m not purposely trying to confuse anyone but rather wanting to go through my basic process in an unedited way. I’ll do my best to be clear.
Blank Slate:
This is pretty much how it all starts. For me, I rarely have “go to” sounds or templates set up. I probably should in some cases, but I usually can’t be bothered. Besides, it doesn’t take long to set things up. I’ll usually drag a reverb and a delay onto the 2 default return tracks. I’ll add another return track for Compression. This will be used for Parrallel or “New York” compression, which is basically mixing the fully compressed sound with the original. This has the advantage of adding punch and fatness without losing the transients. You also have control over how much you want to add to any of your tracks.
After adding the return tracks, I’ll usually drop a Drum Racks kit into a track to make a basic beat. I dial the sounds in as I go but I usually want to find a groove with a good set of sounds. Again, although I do have custom kits, I don’t have any “go to” sounds. I just keep testing sounds until something catches my attention. Once I have a working beat, I’ll dial in the volumes, attack, decay and release on each sound. I’ll use compression to try to get the most out of kicks and snares. I’ll also drag in a reverb as a return within drumracks. What is great about Ableton is that I’m able to do anything with each sound within drumracks as I would be able to do on any regular track (and that is ALOT).
I also have Drum Racks kits that are strictly hi hats, or snares, or kicks. I may find myself dragging several more tracks or drums to layer with the original kit. Usually 2-3 sounds make up a kick or snare that I’m happy with, typically choosing which sound has the best low end and which have the snap or high end. I’ll then EQ out the low end of the sample that doesn’t need it. Sometimes I’ll use a low pass filter as well to purposely take off some of the high end frequencies, giving the drums a darker or more dubby sound. Other times I’ll enhance the the highs for a more agressive sound. It all depends.
Bass
Next I’ll dive into bass. Sometimes I know exactly what I’m looking for, but usually I haven’t got a clue and I need to find the right sound before I know what to do with it. Depending on whether I want a more analog or digital tone I may look toward a virtual Moog, Juno or Ableton’s own Operator or Analog. Since I know Operator pretty well, it’s easier for me to dial in a sound from scratch than with most other synths. With the other synths, I rely a bit on presets as a starter point and the tweak to taste. Another great bass tool is Spectrosonic’s Trilogy. A huge range of great acoustic and electronic sounds. With some groove quantizing and good programming, you can get some pretty believable sounds. If I am not already using a simple sine wave, I’ll usually add an Operator just for the purpose of Sub bass. Then I’ll back off the low frequencies of the other synth. I may also back off the highs of the bass so it’s not too aggressive. If i later need more “bite” I may duplicate the synth and pitch it up an octave, knock out most of the lows and mids and add a bit of distortion or saturation. I usually can keep this layer quite low and it’ll still have an impact on the overall sound. You can duplicate again and add another layer pitched up 3 or 7 semitones to create a harmonic if you want. I’ve found this to give me a far more exciting sound at times.
For drums and bass, I’ll usually create a group for each and add a subtle compression (2:1 or 2.5:1) just to make things gel together. I rarely add reverb to my bass or the kick drum, but certainly use it lightly on other drum sounds if it helps to add depth. With Drums, I find it important to have a combination or wet and dry sounds. The dryer sounds being the ones you want to stand out while the others play more of a support role. I’ll also try to remove any “mud” in my bass or drum sounds. I use a highpass filter to knock out anything unneccesary. I also will put a dip in the 350hz-650hz range to sharpen some sounds. This range tends to by where “mud” lives. A little subtractive EQ goes a long way.
Tuning
The next step I might take after getting my bass sounding good is to tune my drums to the bass. This is easier than it might sound and there are a couple approaches that work for me. The one I use most is using an EQ8 effect and sweeping the frequency with a thin Q and alot of gain until the sound rigs in harmony. Then I’ll back off the gain so that the tuning is a bit more hinted instead of in your face. I may add a 2nd or 3rd harmonic on the same sound if it seems to work. Another approach to tuning drums I learned from Ableton guy Dennis Desantis’s misuse of the Frequency shifter. Using the fine tune can give some great results without ruining the sound.
Sidechaining
Sidechaining can be a godsend for much more than just making that dancefloor “pumping” sound. Used more subtly it can really help sort out places where the low frequencies of the kick drum and bass interfere with eachother. I typically decide whether the low end of the bass or the kick is more important and sidechain the other. By layering an instrument rack you can sidechain only the low frequencies and leave the higher frequencies untouched. This makes the effect much less noticeable but improves the clarity of the mix. I may sidechain the hi hats to the kick for that typical pumping sound as well as atmospherics and reverbs. This can really clean you mix up. Another use is in mixing. Instead of automating one part down everytime another part comes in, I’ll just let the sidechain compressor push the sound down automatically whenever it hears the other sound coming in. I may duck a pad to make a lead or vocal sound more clear. I highly recommend you look into this.
Stab
Then next step I will usually attempt is some sort of Stab sound. Something with a fast attack and decay. This is the part that will play of the drum and bass rhythm. The goal is to get a good sound that cuts through the mix and doesn’t screw up the momentum of the track. For an idea of a stab that really drives a dance song, look no further than Lil Louis – French Kiss. People have been ripping this off for ages because, quite simply, it works! If you have an arpeggiated bassline, you might not need a stab. I’ll usually create a 4 bar stab-like part just so there is a bit of variation in the pattern. Be careful not to lose the hypnotic quality of the part by changing things up too much (unless that is exactly what you are going for).
Pads, stretched tones
I’m a bit lazy when it comes to making pads and they are typically an afterthought even though they can be incredibly important. They give a track that loops alot of movement and keeps the song sounding too clean, which can often make things sound too mechanical or even unprofessional. A great way to get a good pad or drone is to stretch the hell out of a sample or play it on the low note of a sampler. Stretching vocal samples it a favorite of mine. It can sound so good so easily that it almost seems like you’re cheating 
I will typically add delay and long reverb to make it sound nice and wet and to smooth the edges. This is a fantastic way to add some much needed atmosphere and movement to a track. Just make sure you are in the correct key. A simple pad layered with a stretched vocal or sound effect can give you excellent results.
Sometimes chopped up pads can make a very good stab or melodic hook sound if done correctly. Sasha’s – Xpander is a perfect example.
Hook/Lead
At this point in my songwriting I usually have to make a decision. Either let the song cruise along as is without an obvious hook or lead riff, or realize that it would seem lacking without it. In my 30 Day Ableton Journal. I attempted several leads but in the end, decided it was better without them. This is a completely subjective thing as your musical goals might be different than mine. As long as you are using your best judgement and you aren’t just throwing parts in because they are “supposed” to be there, you should be in good shape.
Crashes/effects/reverse/cut ups
This is where I do a bit of filling in the blanks. I’ll usually drop crashes and reverse cymbals in their logical places. Sometimes I just use these as markers to possibly be replaced by another sound. These will usually be placed at 8 or 16 bar intervals. Pretty obvious stuff, but definitely makes a difference. Some artists don’t use crashes at all. Listen to Daft Punk for example. If you can make it work for you, go for it. Personally I’ve tried, but it’s deceptively difficult to do what they do and still keep things interesting.
Once I’ve got the basics crashes and reverse sounds in place, I’ll put atmospheric sounds with a good amount of delay, reverb or both in spots throughout the mix. Especially when a build or breakdown is needed. Without overdoing it, I just filled in the gaps. I check to make sure the intro part of the track isn’t too empty. Although it’s nice to save the good part for later, you don’t want any of your track to be boring. Using cut edits of parts that play later with some delay can give good results, especially if you are lacking hi frequency content.
Structure
This part is always tough for me. I know it shouldn’t be as I’ve been making songs since 1988, but structuring club music can still be challenging. One example of a song structure may look like this:
Intro: 16 Bars
Bass dropp: 16 bars
Added layers and elements: 32 bars
breakdown: 4/8/16 or 32 bars
Full on track with hook or lead: 32 bars
short break: 4/8 or 16 bars
groove with less elements: 16 bars
outro: 16 bars
Although it’s good to have a fairly solid structure, sometimes using odd times can create some nice tension and make your track less predictable. Otherwise, straying from multiples of 4 bars will just sound off. Use your own judgement and don’t be afraid to “borrow” the structure from another song. People have been doing this for ages, it’s not a big deal.
Panning/EQ’ing/Mixing
Next I go through the mixing stage and dial in the panning for each sound. I may add an auto pan or automation to some sounds to give some random movement. This works well on atmospherics while subtle panning is good for drum sounds. I like to use Ableton’s auto filter to give subtle movement as well. I may do a stereo spread of the upper frequencies of the Bass while keeping the subs mono. Keep in mind the panning is also important for sounds with the same frequencies. Often times panning is more effective than EQing to bring out a part’s clarity. Unless I’m going for an artificial sound, I try to avoid extreme EQ’ing. For a more natural sound start with panning and then attenuate unwanted frequencies instead of boosting frequencies. If you are using extreme boosting to try to bring out the bass in a sound, you probably should rework the source sound. You can’t bring out something that isn’t there to begin with.
When it comes to mixing, it’s a good practice to listen to all the other parts besides the one you are mixing. It’s very important to concentrate on how a part effects the totality of your song. If you do find yourself focusing on the part you are mixing, take it to where you think it sounds good and then drop it back about 10-15%. If you don’t get this habit under control, you’ll end up with the newbie mistake of having the first parts you mix buried by the last parts you mix.
Mono mixing
Once I have a basic mix I like to switch to mono. In Ableton it’s easy. Just drop a utility effect on the master track and change the stereo spread to zero. Then turn off 1 of your monitors and get in front of it. I have written a whole blog post of mixing in mono, but in short, mixing in mono reveals phasing issues, if your effects are overdone or if your panning is making a part less clear than it should be. Another great thing is that in mono, there is no “sweet” spot. Wherever you are sitting, you’ll get the same results. If you can get things sounding great in mono, you can be sure it’ll sound excellent when back in stereo. Don’t forget to turn off your utility before mixdown!
Editing for groove
Once I’ve made it this far, the first question I ask myself (when making music for clubs) is “is this danceable? Does this make me want to move or just stand in one place and nod my head”. There is nothing worse than a well produced track that doesn’t move you… or your audience. If I find that it isn’t giving me the results I was hoping for I inspect what part is slowing the track down. I first make sure the drums and bass alone get me excited, then I add parts one by one until the track sounds less danceable. Once I find it, I’ll consider changing the rhythm or even pulling the whole part out. Then I’ll continue adding parts going through the same process. This can be frustrating after all the work you’ve put into each part, but it’s important not to be married to any one part. If it’s not improving your song, it’s making it worse. Also it’s not a bad idea to experiment with groove templates. They can make a pretty drastic difference in the vibe of your song.
Final tweaks
Some of these final tweaks can make the biggest impact on whether your song sounds great or just ok. Typically at this stage I’ve made a pretty safe mix. Everything has it’s place and nothing is taking up too much attention. That’s a good place to be but not a great place to end. It’s important that you let certain parts have their chance to shine, so for each important part, find out where that is. Once you introduce it loud enough to grab the listener’s attention, they will hear it throughout the mix even when it’s lower in volume. These little moments for each instrument gives your song more dynamics and constantly keeps your attention. A little boost goes a long way, so don’t try to make ears bleed here, just make sure the listener knows when something new has arrived.
Once I’ve gone through this process, I’m usually pretty happy with my mix and I mix it down. Of course you want to make sure to burn a CD and play this on a few systems and do some a/b tests with some songs you like the production on and if necessary fine tune your mix. I’ve been known to be “happy” with my mix and still go back 3 or 4 times for final tweaks. Luckily this isn’t all that bothersome because you know you are very close to finished and that’s a great feeling.
Conclusion
Well folks, generally speaking, that’s my process. Everyone has their own approach and all are valid if they work for you. Hopefully this has given you some ideas which I encourage you to borrow or steal.
Happy music making,
Jason
P.S. – Don’t forget to comment & tweet (down below) & “like” (up above).
All your feedback & support is appreciated!
Secrets to holding a listeners attention
Secrets to holding a listeners attention
I wanted to talk today about music that is based on repeating loops. The challenge many of us have when making songs based on either premade or self made loops of 1, 2, 4 or 8 bars is that it can be difficult to keeps things sounding interesting and exciting. I run into this scenario quite a bit and I’d like to share some tip sand ideas to help you improve the flow and interest of your tracks.
Filters
Filters and resonance is probably the most obvious way to keep interest in a part that loops. Closing a hi pass filter can can create a feeling of tension or repressed energy and opening the filter creates a nice release. Depending on the part, this can be very intentional and noticeable or subtle. Either way it can keep the listeners attention as the ears are impeccable at distinguishing minor changes and fluctuations. 2 or 3 builds in your song can go a long way to keep your track interesting.
Lfo’s
An LFO (or Low frequency oscillator) is a fantastic way to create subtle movement in your loop or midi part. If you are working with a synth, adding an lfo to panning, filter or pitch is usually possible directly on your hardware or soft synth. It doesn’t take much give a sound more life. Sometimes you can’t really notice exactly what is happening with your sound but you instinctually just know that it sounds more interesting. If you are working with a sampled loop, you may need to add an effect that offers lfo movement. Ableton’s built in effects offer alot of options in this arena. Adding something as simple as a chorus or flanger at a low “wet” percentage can really help. For more randomness I wouldn’t sync the lfo to tempo. A slow lfo that repeats out of sync with the tempo will keep the lfo’s themselves from being too loopy.
Duplicate and Layer
I use this technique alot. There are one of a few things I might do to keep things interesting. I will duplicate my loop and make the duplicate an octave higher or lower to introduce different frequency information. Often times I’ll go an octave higher and filter out most of the low frequency content so it doesn’t clash with the original part or other parts in the song. Then I’ll add some dirt with a type of distortion or saturator. Next I’ll automate the volume subtly so hints of it comes in and out of the mix. I may make it more noticeable during breakdowns and buildups. You can also add a layer that is a harmonic of the original. I like trying to repitch a dupicated layer 7 semitones above the original. See what works for you.
Also something to look into is duplicating your part and reversing it. Then find the parts that sound interesting and cut them up and strategically place them in interesting places. It will often assist and enhance the feel and movement of the loop if not overdone.
Send/Returns
This can be similar to the last tip. You would simply create interesting fx chains on several return tracks. One might use bit reduction and erosion. Another might introduce an interesting delay or Reverb, while another has a chorus or phaser. Ableton has some really creative effects, so definitely mix and match. It’s best to put the wet/dry on 100% as you don’t want to send the original track back into itself in most cases. Once you have those chains, each of your tracks, including your loop track will have send knobs in your session view. Your track sends are just as automatable as volume or panning, so automate subtle hints of each effect in different points of your song. This is certain to keep things interesting. Just make sure not to get lost here. You were probably attracted to the original loop for a reason, so make sure you aren’t diluting what makes the part great.
Attack, decay, release times
This is another technique that can make a huge impact on your synth part. unfortunately, you won’t have this option with a sampled loop, but I’ll give you a tip that might still help. If you are using a synth, you are sure to have Attack, Decay, sustain and release. In most cases, I like to back off my sustain and release to the lowest setting and then tweak the decay between long and short times. It’s great to open the decay up during builds and breaks and then back it off when things kick back in. This can bring your sound from choppy to washy. Experimenting with the attack can create interesting results at times too. Just like I said before, make sure you don’t lose perspective of the loop that inspired you in the first place. If you are working with a sample, you can drag in a Gate effect and experiment with the threshold. Sometimes this can create a similar effect.
Sidechaining
This is a dance producers secret weapon and can easily be overused but the movement and groove it can give a part can’t be denied. Subtly (or more noticeably) syncing a loop to the kick can certainly help keep things interesting. Naturally when the kicks drop out, so does the sidechain effect which is pretty popular in dance music. Whether you choose a standard noticeable approach or or something more subtle, the listeners ears will thank you. Also experiment with sidechaining to other parts in your song for interesting results.
Outside the loop
Although there are many many things you can do to make a repeating loop sound interesting, there is also something to be said about building interest outside the loop. In general, the listener is not going to want to hear a static loop for more than 8 bars. There are things outside the loop that obviously need to stay interesting as well. Filter rises, swells, evolving ambient sounds and high frequency sounds are some of my favorite ways to keep interest. Many songs, for example, will put a crash at every 8 to 16 bars. Surprisingly, that one sound can reset your interest in listening to a loop for another 8 to 16 bars (depending on how interesting the loop itself is). On top of that though, reverse sounds and weird noises run through reverb and delay can really create space and depth in your track. Another favorite trick of mine is stretching audio. Whether it be a vocal sample or, well, pretty much anything, you can really get some amazing drones with tons of subtle movement. Heck, even try stretching your loop itself. You can do some pretty massive stretching in Ableton but I prefer a fantastic free program called Paul Stretch which you may recognize from an earlier post of mine. It does some fantastic things and can bring endless fun!
I know there are ways to keep a track free from too many effects and dry sounding without losing interest as well, and that would have alot to do with drum programming, groove quantizing and knowing when to add another layer of hihats or when to drop the kick for dramatic effect. Hip Hop is really good at this, but remember, most hip hop is only a few minutes long and has vocals throughout. Getting the same results on a 7 minute track without vocals is much more challenging. I’m certainly not an authority on this approach, but I admire those who are able to take a minimal approach and keep things interesting and engaging.
Other things to note for keeping interest are counter melodies. Being able to change the attention from one melody to another can keep listener interest for a far longer time. Just make sure both parts have movement and have areas in the song where each is more noticable than the other as well as a part where both parts are layered pretty evenly. That alone gives you 3 movements for your track.
Last but not least, changing just 1 note in your bassline can make a dramatic effect if done in the right place. Don’t underestimate the power the bass plays on a melodic loop. Changing the key of your bass, or just a note here and there can do wonders to keep interest.
Use you best judgement
All of these techniques are simply suggestions and it’s really going to come down to your personal style and what you would like to accomplish. Some technique might not benefit your track at all, or perhaps you’ve found the perfect loop that needs very little to keep interesting. You are the master of your own craft and ultimately, you make the rules. All I am hoping to do is empower you to be the best YOU possible.
Below is a video I posted not long ago, but I thought I would add it to this post as it lead me to writing this blog and might give you some other ideas.
Creating Evolving Loops/Soundscapes
This is a simple way to take 1 boring midi loop and make it much more interesting through layering the same part through different effects chains. I also show you a trick of creating automation for each layer that loops at odd times. If you think of running several tape loops all at different lengths, when played together, the sounds never combine the same way twice. This makes things more pleasing and interesting to the ears.
Below is a video showing you this process in Ableton Live 8.
http://www.musicsoftwaretraining.com/vids/evolvingloop.f4v
(Right click and Save as)
Feel free to download the song file to see exactly how I approached this:
Happy Music Making,
Jason
P.S. – Don’t forget to comment & tweet (down below) & “like” (up above).
All your feedback & support is appreciated!
-
- Sign up to our mailing list now and get:
- * FREE Soft Synths, Drum Synths & Effects!
- * Expert Ableton Tips and tricks
- * Be the first to get blog/video updates
- * Engineering & Creativity tips
- * No B.S.!